I'm still working on getting a camera it's been a hard choice. I've been to a couple of stores and so far there is nothing that I am comfortable with. I am getting to the dangerous point of buying the next camera that I see. Why? Well because I have been doing so many things and I really wish to have a picture of it all!! Like the day I saw my first coyote, when Pumpkin smashed his finger in the car door, when Pumpkin got his glasses, and many other moments that are zooming by me without being recorded ahhh! Ok I've just almost talked myself into that first camera I see thing! Tomorrow I will be going to town and definitely shopping around for one because Mr. A's birthday is on Saturday! We are have a pirate themed party and he's so excited. Sadly there probably won't be any of his friends there they have all but one said that they couldn't come so we'll see. Whether or not anyone comes we will have a great time. I bought the boys some swords, eye patches, handkerchiefs for their heads, compasses, and shhh it's a secret but I got Mr A a treasure chest :) He will get to paint it himself it's the size of a basket ball so it's lightweight I figure he can put all his little treasures in it (boys always have some sort of treasure).
Have I told you yet about Pumpkins glasses? In case I didn't he got glasses for his lazy eye. Apparently it's drifting because his eyes are so bad off and one is so much worse than the other that it was just turning off so that he could focus on seeing out of his better eye. The glasses now take that strain off of him. He may still have to go in for therapy we will know in about three months.
I got my wedding ring fixed yeay! One of my diamonds had fallen out so I took it in and got it repaired it was making me crazy to not be wearing it. I'm very happy!
I still do not have a new car :( and I don't think that I will be getting one anytime soon. They are to much money when it comes down to it. I have seriously been considering fixing my old one...It will cost a lot of money to but at least it will go slower than just handing it all over at once right? I know my logic doesn't make much sense but there ya go.
We went to the Celtic Faire out here. It was so much fun. We watched to jousting, did some shopping, a lot of walking, Mr A got to throw some axes at a giant piece of wood, we watched jugglers who also ate fire, and were pretty funny. It really was a lot of fun and I can't wait to go again next year although I hope to volunteer next year because I love to be behind the scenes there.
I built my square foot gardens today yeay. Ok ok so I messed up and they are not the right measurements shoot me but with hubby's help I think they turned out great especially for my first project since the ehhem clock/table thingy lol. I am not a build it yourself person but I am working on it slowly. I can't wait to show pics ahh camera! We covered the bottome with chicken wire to keep out the gophers and on top of that is weed cloth then the dirt and plants and the grid must not forget the grid the book says. Hubby says the grid is a stupid add on but I think that it makes it all look uniform and separates out what we put in there nicely so I'm happy with it. We haven't had time yet to build the lids to keep out the rabbits and cats and any thing else that would love to nibble on our plants and seeds so we wrapped the outside in chicken wire and stapled the bottom to the boxes. In a few days we will have the time we need to make the lids.
Well that's all I can think of right now. I hope you are all having a good week :)
Noelle
Sun Kissed Sky
The sunrise kissed clouds by our house
Friday, March 18, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Lots to Do
Some things that I am learning around here:
Monkey is doing well. He is having a little bit of trouble with selfishness and stubbornness. I am hoping to help him work it out. He is the middle child enough said right? I have been letting him join in more with school. Last week we did letters with clay and paper. He had so much fun he did two letters and then wanted to do some more. I made him some colored rice for his birthday and he loves it. I made him a purple, green, blue, and yellow bucket with little scoops in each one I plan on having him 'write' letters in them or just make lines either way is fun practice for him. I told you I would tell you how his party went and let me tell you it was great. Not many people were able to come because of the weather but the ones that did come had a fun time. We were unable to make the foam swords due to money ehhm. So we improvised and made cardboard swords reinforced with tape and cardboard shields that we colored and added foam decorations to. We used twine to make little arm holds for them. My parents got a swing set as a combined birthday present for all the boys and they have been loving it. It's their first swing set ever so it's a big deal. We had Trader Joe's food and I made their boxed cake into cupcakes with a homemade cream cheese frosting yum! If you haven't tried Trader Joe's you are missing out. I am now in love with their potato vegetable snacks, crackers, and their cheese puffs mmmm. I will definitely be shopping their more often. I love that they do not have any dyes in their food. My friend that I have been talking about has a special diet for her family and I am thinking about joining her. With Hubby's illness and the ADHD here we could use a stricter diet. It'll be hard while living here but I think we can incorporate it in a little.
Hubby has a doctor's appointment tomorrow to check on his sleep apnea and then either take the machine or adjust it's settings. I definitely do not think they will be taking it but they probably will be adjusting it some. So that's two appointments tomorrow in separate cities. I really think that we need to see if someone can take one of us or we will miss an appointment. Hubby has been 'detoxing' off of his meds this week and needs to go back to see his doctor and get new ones but we are hoping to find a more natural doctor because he doesn't seem to be taking well to all the chemicals. Well here's to hoping we finally find the right one!
Homeschooling is my favorite part of my life! This week we made bird houses I can't wait to get my camera this weekend so I can take pictures and show you guys how well they turned out! I found them at a blog I read. When I post my pictures I will link back to her blog so you guys can see how cute hers are. We had a whole day of playing board games, playing with Tinker Toys, puzzles, and coloring. We even had Pumpkin playing with us. One day we just had recess all day. Yes I believe that it is a class lol. The boys were playing so well together outside and it's not a normal occurrences without the usual 'I'm bored', 'he's being mean', 'he won't share', and the myriad other things they try to come in for so I left them out there playing until lunch time and when they woke up from their naps they were back out there. We are going to be doing some car schooling this week to make all our appointments so I think we will be doing a lot of reading.
I hope that your all doing well this week and I will let you know how our appointments go :)
- You can get bacteria in your gums through a loose tooth. Leading to an infection and the need for antibiotics.
- Not many people except our insurance
- Living in the middle of nowhere means lots of driving to appointments meaning long hours in cars.
- Living with family means stress beyond belief in times followed by appreciation and the both of them can come so after each other making me feel less sane.
- Sometimes you just need to talk to get over what ever is bothering you no matter how big or small
- We all need forgiveness and most importantly we all need to forgive even more. Unforgiveness can lead you to a bitter heart, heartache, depression, anger, and so many other negative things. It also does not help, protect, or advance you in any way. So forgive some one today!!
Monkey is doing well. He is having a little bit of trouble with selfishness and stubbornness. I am hoping to help him work it out. He is the middle child enough said right? I have been letting him join in more with school. Last week we did letters with clay and paper. He had so much fun he did two letters and then wanted to do some more. I made him some colored rice for his birthday and he loves it. I made him a purple, green, blue, and yellow bucket with little scoops in each one I plan on having him 'write' letters in them or just make lines either way is fun practice for him. I told you I would tell you how his party went and let me tell you it was great. Not many people were able to come because of the weather but the ones that did come had a fun time. We were unable to make the foam swords due to money ehhm. So we improvised and made cardboard swords reinforced with tape and cardboard shields that we colored and added foam decorations to. We used twine to make little arm holds for them. My parents got a swing set as a combined birthday present for all the boys and they have been loving it. It's their first swing set ever so it's a big deal. We had Trader Joe's food and I made their boxed cake into cupcakes with a homemade cream cheese frosting yum! If you haven't tried Trader Joe's you are missing out. I am now in love with their potato vegetable snacks, crackers, and their cheese puffs mmmm. I will definitely be shopping their more often. I love that they do not have any dyes in their food. My friend that I have been talking about has a special diet for her family and I am thinking about joining her. With Hubby's illness and the ADHD here we could use a stricter diet. It'll be hard while living here but I think we can incorporate it in a little.
Hubby has a doctor's appointment tomorrow to check on his sleep apnea and then either take the machine or adjust it's settings. I definitely do not think they will be taking it but they probably will be adjusting it some. So that's two appointments tomorrow in separate cities. I really think that we need to see if someone can take one of us or we will miss an appointment. Hubby has been 'detoxing' off of his meds this week and needs to go back to see his doctor and get new ones but we are hoping to find a more natural doctor because he doesn't seem to be taking well to all the chemicals. Well here's to hoping we finally find the right one!
Homeschooling is my favorite part of my life! This week we made bird houses I can't wait to get my camera this weekend so I can take pictures and show you guys how well they turned out! I found them at a blog I read. When I post my pictures I will link back to her blog so you guys can see how cute hers are. We had a whole day of playing board games, playing with Tinker Toys, puzzles, and coloring. We even had Pumpkin playing with us. One day we just had recess all day. Yes I believe that it is a class lol. The boys were playing so well together outside and it's not a normal occurrences without the usual 'I'm bored', 'he's being mean', 'he won't share', and the myriad other things they try to come in for so I left them out there playing until lunch time and when they woke up from their naps they were back out there. We are going to be doing some car schooling this week to make all our appointments so I think we will be doing a lot of reading.
I hope that your all doing well this week and I will let you know how our appointments go :)
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Laundry
Monkeys birthday party is on Saturday so I have been busy working in the yard trying to get things under control. Since my parents moving in to this house last year there have been a series of rose bushes that have remained untouched so I am trying to get them under control. I am working on a post about what I have been thinking about while pruning them but so far the words don't seem to be coming out right. I'll get it up here if I can get it to sound right. So other wise I still have a ton of work to do. The spring seemed to be coming when all of the sudden the weather has taken on a turn for the worse meaning that we have a garden growing like mad and now bad weather to not work on it. The horses do not like the weather they usually are out grazing but now they are hiding out in their little barn like little babies lol. I hope that the weather gets better soon.
I have not been going on my walk the last time I went was on Saturday and before that I can't remember. I hope I get back into it soon my schedule is just so messed up since I had the cold and I have not been able to get myself back on track.
I finally folded the mountains of laundry that were accumulating. Did I mention that I hate folding laundry? I don't mind washing it at all. In fact I rather enjoy washing it but asking me to fold it is incredibly irritating. I wish we could just shove the laundry in the drawers or rather buckets which we are using right now, and forget about them. There is the part of me though that almost OCD organizes our clothing. I separate the laundry out by short sleeves, long sleeves, sweaters, pants, shorts, and outfits are also organized. There are shorts and short sleeves, pants with short sleeves, pants with long sleeves, and so on. So it's really just a battle with myself. I have really enjoyed the part of my accidental minimalism were I have been getting rid of the clothing that I don't really like. I keep some things because someone gave it to me, the kids, or my hubby and I am now just getting rid of it. Yeay less laundry! I can't wait to get into my storage and began to throw things away and donate them. There are so many things that I realize I do not need. Well there really isn't much more going on I will let you all know how the birthday party went I hope your having a great week.
I have not been going on my walk the last time I went was on Saturday and before that I can't remember. I hope I get back into it soon my schedule is just so messed up since I had the cold and I have not been able to get myself back on track.
I finally folded the mountains of laundry that were accumulating. Did I mention that I hate folding laundry? I don't mind washing it at all. In fact I rather enjoy washing it but asking me to fold it is incredibly irritating. I wish we could just shove the laundry in the drawers or rather buckets which we are using right now, and forget about them. There is the part of me though that almost OCD organizes our clothing. I separate the laundry out by short sleeves, long sleeves, sweaters, pants, shorts, and outfits are also organized. There are shorts and short sleeves, pants with short sleeves, pants with long sleeves, and so on. So it's really just a battle with myself. I have really enjoyed the part of my accidental minimalism were I have been getting rid of the clothing that I don't really like. I keep some things because someone gave it to me, the kids, or my hubby and I am now just getting rid of it. Yeay less laundry! I can't wait to get into my storage and began to throw things away and donate them. There are so many things that I realize I do not need. Well there really isn't much more going on I will let you all know how the birthday party went I hope your having a great week.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Birthday Party Prep and Rock Stars
Monkeys birthday party is on Saturday the 19th so today while grocery shopping I got all the party supplies. My friends children are on very strict diets so I spent a lot of time reading labels and trying to figure out what would be safe for them. The only things I have left to get are drinks, presents, goodie bags, and stuff to make the cardboar armor and foam swords. Phew. I could not find the drinks that would fit the bill for the strict diet so I'm going to have to do some more looking...or maybe just let her know that I couldn't find any and maybe she will want to bring her own. At any rate I am so excited for the party!! My little boy is going to be four! They grow up so fast. I am glad that I homeschool the boys and can get to know them so well. It would be so much harder with them gone all the time and with time flying by I feel so blessed to have them around me. What if God hadn't seen me as fit for them? Well I am so glad that he did and I am trying so hard to fit the bill.
There hasn't been to much else going on here. We are loving the calendar time board that I made. I also made them each a binder with some sheets that match the board so that they can fill theirs in along with me and even Monkey gets into it and does a great job. I am as into it as they are! Their first memory verse is Psalms 17:8 Keep me as the apple of your eye. They both have it pretty much down. Mr. A's goes a little farther with 'keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me in the shadow of your wings.' Look at my last post for the link up to the websites where I got all the information for these and look at 1+1+1=1 for the reason I am now calling my sons litte rock stars I think you'll love it as much as I do. Don't forget to check out her faith beliefs to make sure you agree with them and follow her it's a great resource!
I hope you guys have all had a great week!
There hasn't been to much else going on here. We are loving the calendar time board that I made. I also made them each a binder with some sheets that match the board so that they can fill theirs in along with me and even Monkey gets into it and does a great job. I am as into it as they are! Their first memory verse is Psalms 17:8 Keep me as the apple of your eye. They both have it pretty much down. Mr. A's goes a little farther with 'keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me in the shadow of your wings.' Look at my last post for the link up to the websites where I got all the information for these and look at 1+1+1=1 for the reason I am now calling my sons litte rock stars I think you'll love it as much as I do. Don't forget to check out her faith beliefs to make sure you agree with them and follow her it's a great resource!
I hope you guys have all had a great week!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Loving my Board
I have been so busy the past few days making a morning time board for our homeschool. Yes, I did say days because it took me two days to complete it. I am so happy with the finished product! We used it this morning I can't wait to get a camera so that I can take pictures of it for you guys. If any of you would like to see where I got my ideas check out http://1plus1plus1equals1.blogspot.com/ and http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/2010/04/calendar-time.html and this one http://mama-jenn.blogspot.com/search/label/Calendar%20Time they have such great ideas that I hodge podged together to get my board. I love it and I'm so glad I spent the time on it. The children really seemed to love it too.
I'm sorry for not being here and for having such a short post tonight I will have a better post tomorrow.
I hope you've had a great night! (yes I'm still not good at blogging during the day)
I'm sorry for not being here and for having such a short post tonight I will have a better post tomorrow.
I hope you've had a great night! (yes I'm still not good at blogging during the day)
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Separation of Heads, Hands, and Feet
The reasons that I loved my mini van are becoming even more solidified in my mind now that I don't have one and I am stuck in a small car. We have only been all squished in the car twice now and both times it has been for a long drive (long being an hour and about 15-25 minutes) and I hate it. I find myself praying for my tax money so that I can buy a new van!!! The boys usually sit separated. My hubby and I sit up front, Pumpkin sits in the middle by himself, Monkey sits by the door in the back and Mr. A sits by the window in the back so that there is a whole middle seat between them. There is no touching aloud!!
Sure my dreams of my children riding in the car with each other in the beginning were beautiful. A sweet Mr. A would loving play with his little brother and they would be best friends in the car but as baby Monkey was sleeping Mr. A would poke him and plug his nose (he was only two and a half at the time) so I began separating them in our little KIA as best I could. When baby Pumpkin arrived we had bought a van for him. There was no way the three car seats would fit in our car. So I thought the kids could now sit together....do we ever learn? The two older boys began fighting. 'He's touching my car seat!', 'he's poking me', 'he's putting his head on me', 'mom he's kicking me', 'mom he won't stop breathing on me', and so many other variations of personal space violation over load that I had to once again separate them. Bye -bye dreams of brotherly entertainment. I should have know seeing as how I myself have three brothers and three sisters but I thought it would be different crickets should go off right now at my ignorance with child behavior.
I was on this awful trip (children behavior wise) today to take hubby to a meeting and then find something to do while we wait when I began to feel the overwhelming frustration with the kids. It suddenly brought me to the Israelites and how they did nothing but complain. No matter what God did for them they just found something else to complain about. Just like today's "Boys hands off of each other", "but mom he's breathing on me", Monkey look towards the window and stop panting on your brother", "mom now his butt is squishing me", there is no fixing this it just becomes something else. God must have felt that way when he decided to let the Israelites wander in the desert for forty years. He must have seen the endless years of complaining and whining and said 'hey, no, I am not doing this, when you guys have been wandering and learned your lesson then we will see. Catch ya in forty years. Yes they did more than whine they also worshiped Idols, and disobeyed at every turn but I really think the whining was more than enough to drive God to discipline his people I'm just saying :).
I hope that I do find a van shortly and can once again regain peace ahhh peace. I will never complain about have a van again!! I will thank God for it everyday! Catch me if you see me complaining because I'm going to work on thankfulness. Starting with I am thankful to have the car we have right now because without we wouldn't be able to go to the doctor's or our friends birthday party that we went to today. I am thankful because I am willing to learn and grow from the things that happen in my life. I am thankful because I am. I am thankful that I have my children and that they are healthy and even have the ability to argue. I am thankful for my hubby. I am thankful. I will continue to think on these things and find something to be thankful everyday and to stop complaining so much :)
Thanks for reading! What are you thankful for today?
Sure my dreams of my children riding in the car with each other in the beginning were beautiful. A sweet Mr. A would loving play with his little brother and they would be best friends in the car but as baby Monkey was sleeping Mr. A would poke him and plug his nose (he was only two and a half at the time) so I began separating them in our little KIA as best I could. When baby Pumpkin arrived we had bought a van for him. There was no way the three car seats would fit in our car. So I thought the kids could now sit together....do we ever learn? The two older boys began fighting. 'He's touching my car seat!', 'he's poking me', 'he's putting his head on me', 'mom he's kicking me', 'mom he won't stop breathing on me', and so many other variations of personal space violation over load that I had to once again separate them. Bye -bye dreams of brotherly entertainment. I should have know seeing as how I myself have three brothers and three sisters but I thought it would be different crickets should go off right now at my ignorance with child behavior.
I was on this awful trip (children behavior wise) today to take hubby to a meeting and then find something to do while we wait when I began to feel the overwhelming frustration with the kids. It suddenly brought me to the Israelites and how they did nothing but complain. No matter what God did for them they just found something else to complain about. Just like today's "Boys hands off of each other", "but mom he's breathing on me", Monkey look towards the window and stop panting on your brother", "mom now his butt is squishing me", there is no fixing this it just becomes something else. God must have felt that way when he decided to let the Israelites wander in the desert for forty years. He must have seen the endless years of complaining and whining and said 'hey, no, I am not doing this, when you guys have been wandering and learned your lesson then we will see. Catch ya in forty years. Yes they did more than whine they also worshiped Idols, and disobeyed at every turn but I really think the whining was more than enough to drive God to discipline his people I'm just saying :).
I hope that I do find a van shortly and can once again regain peace ahhh peace. I will never complain about have a van again!! I will thank God for it everyday! Catch me if you see me complaining because I'm going to work on thankfulness. Starting with I am thankful to have the car we have right now because without we wouldn't be able to go to the doctor's or our friends birthday party that we went to today. I am thankful because I am willing to learn and grow from the things that happen in my life. I am thankful because I am. I am thankful that I have my children and that they are healthy and even have the ability to argue. I am thankful for my hubby. I am thankful. I will continue to think on these things and find something to be thankful everyday and to stop complaining so much :)
Thanks for reading! What are you thankful for today?
Saturday, February 5, 2011
High's and Low's
Before moving into my parent's house we had a nightly tradition with our boys. At dinner time we would always ask what their high of the day was and what their low was. Since moving in here we have only done it a few times. It's really hard to keep up on it with so many people coming and going at all times. A lot of the time we don't sit down to family dinners any more.
Tonight after filling the boys plates and then my own I began to walk toward the couch when I thought about the highs and lows tradition. I turned around and sat with my boys at the table it was just the four of us at the time and I asked 'so what where your highs and lows today'. Monkey was first and he said his high was when he was allowed to get up from his nap. His low was when he got in a fight with Mr. A over his bike.
Mr. A was next his high was getting to play with his friends at the Mom's group today. His low was also the fight he got into with his brother over the bike. He was ashamed of himself for his jealousy and then for his actions. He was kicking the handlebars of his brothers bike while he was trying to ride it. I had asked him if he had asked Monkey if he could ride it. Mr. A's sad little voice said 'no'. He had went over to his brother and apologized and the two had sat cuddled on the couch playing Leapster.
Back to dinner time, I told the boys that my high today was going to the Mom's group and my low was also their fighting and it had made me sad. I then asked what they could do better tomorrow. Monkey said he would try to go to go to sleep faster at nap time. Mr. A said that he would try to be nicer. I said that I would try to not yell so much tomorrow. I have missed this ritual. It's a time for us to reflect on what we have done and see what is important to each other and what really has been a let down for them. I am so amazed by their answers and have so many 'ahha they are listening' moments during this time. I love getting to be a part of their hearts and minds. I think that this is how our heavenly father feels. He is waiting for us to sit down uninterrupted with him so that he can listen to our highs and lows for the day. One of our rules is that you have to have a high but a low is optional if they can't think of any. Their high can be something so little like 'my high is this dinner' but there has to be one. We are usually really good about giving God our lows but we need to tell him our highs too. Life is so full of both sides it's a roller coaster for sure. We need to be able to say 'thank you so much for my high today God' so that our lows don't become our main focus. I hope to teach my boys to be thankful even on a day when they really can't think of anything good. Our minds should lead our hearts. If your not feeling thankful for your highs maybe it's because you haven't been diligently looking for them. It helps when you know that at dinner someone is going to ask you and you have to have an answer. (I find this makes me think much more about my highs because when those little faces look at me I want to have a ready answer so I can be a good example). Dinner tomorrow? Yep we will be at the table together and once again I will ask 'what's your high and low?'
So friends...what is your high and low for today?
Tonight after filling the boys plates and then my own I began to walk toward the couch when I thought about the highs and lows tradition. I turned around and sat with my boys at the table it was just the four of us at the time and I asked 'so what where your highs and lows today'. Monkey was first and he said his high was when he was allowed to get up from his nap. His low was when he got in a fight with Mr. A over his bike.
Mr. A was next his high was getting to play with his friends at the Mom's group today. His low was also the fight he got into with his brother over the bike. He was ashamed of himself for his jealousy and then for his actions. He was kicking the handlebars of his brothers bike while he was trying to ride it. I had asked him if he had asked Monkey if he could ride it. Mr. A's sad little voice said 'no'. He had went over to his brother and apologized and the two had sat cuddled on the couch playing Leapster.
Back to dinner time, I told the boys that my high today was going to the Mom's group and my low was also their fighting and it had made me sad. I then asked what they could do better tomorrow. Monkey said he would try to go to go to sleep faster at nap time. Mr. A said that he would try to be nicer. I said that I would try to not yell so much tomorrow. I have missed this ritual. It's a time for us to reflect on what we have done and see what is important to each other and what really has been a let down for them. I am so amazed by their answers and have so many 'ahha they are listening' moments during this time. I love getting to be a part of their hearts and minds. I think that this is how our heavenly father feels. He is waiting for us to sit down uninterrupted with him so that he can listen to our highs and lows for the day. One of our rules is that you have to have a high but a low is optional if they can't think of any. Their high can be something so little like 'my high is this dinner' but there has to be one. We are usually really good about giving God our lows but we need to tell him our highs too. Life is so full of both sides it's a roller coaster for sure. We need to be able to say 'thank you so much for my high today God' so that our lows don't become our main focus. I hope to teach my boys to be thankful even on a day when they really can't think of anything good. Our minds should lead our hearts. If your not feeling thankful for your highs maybe it's because you haven't been diligently looking for them. It helps when you know that at dinner someone is going to ask you and you have to have an answer. (I find this makes me think much more about my highs because when those little faces look at me I want to have a ready answer so I can be a good example). Dinner tomorrow? Yep we will be at the table together and once again I will ask 'what's your high and low?'
So friends...what is your high and low for today?
Friday, February 4, 2011
Homework and the Yard
Mr. A did so well with his school work today he actually had time to go play outside twice woot. Somedays are more of a drag and he takes forever to do any of his work but today I think he finally realized that he would get to play outside if he got it done fast. We did some work and then I sent him and Monkey outside to play. They were down in the horse arena playing in the sand until lunch time when I called them up for toasted PB&J's. Pumpkin ate two of them and then wanted more I couldn't believe it! Is he growing or what? After lunch I sent the little ones down for a nap and they went so easy. Mr. A got back to work and then was done for the day so when his brothers got up we all went outside in the backyard. I got out our new gardening gloves and we pulled the grass and weeds out of the yard...you might be wondering at that I know it might sound weird but part of our yard is covered in rocks I'm not sure why but I think it's because of the rattlers and other pest we have out here. It makes it easier to see them anyways. We didn't get to far though because the children kept getting distracted and then I began cutting the rose bushes we have out there. I got one stuck in my arm where the thorns were each spread out so I had to stretch my skin to get it out and that hurt Pumpkin came to my rescue and yelled at the thorns saying "bad choice, no, don't hurt my momma!!" It was very cute and then he asked me if I was ok I love that kid. Soon after that we went inside and Hubby made us a turkey meatloaf. It was very different and good.
Thats most of our day in a nutshell.
P.S. Yesterday after Mr. A's choir class we stopped by a natural store and got some pineapple-strawberry dried fruit (it looks like red pineapple I don't know how they do it unless they soak the pineapple in strawberry juice) they are so good I am getting addicted! I can't wait to get some more.
P.S.S. I found some really good ideas at another homeschool blog and I can't wait to get to a store and buy a poster board I'll show you what I mean as soon as I make it it's going to be a great addition to our school days :) and I'll provide the link to her blog!
Thats most of our day in a nutshell.
P.S. Yesterday after Mr. A's choir class we stopped by a natural store and got some pineapple-strawberry dried fruit (it looks like red pineapple I don't know how they do it unless they soak the pineapple in strawberry juice) they are so good I am getting addicted! I can't wait to get some more.
P.S.S. I found some really good ideas at another homeschool blog and I can't wait to get to a store and buy a poster board I'll show you what I mean as soon as I make it it's going to be a great addition to our school days :) and I'll provide the link to her blog!
Chicken 'tude
I was sitting at the kitchen table working on my blog today when the dogs started barking in the backyard. I looked out the sliding door and what did I see? A chicken strutting it's stuff just outside of the fence. It was standing as tall as it could as it carried it's self with a grandeur I haven't see it possess before. It would glance over at the dogs while still staying just outside of the dogs reach and then look away as though unaffected by all the commotion. I know however that if one of those dogs got him he'd be a goner and there would be no second chance..chickens don't get to learn from their mistakes.
This chicken made me think about pride and how we all act like this when we think that we are better than someone else, have done/made something awesome, or any of the other myriad reasons we think we have to be proud. Pride comes before a fall is my main thought. I've definitely been proud before in fact I'm proud every time I get a post up on my blog and then I reread what I've written and I realize that I really did not do that good of a job. There are mistakes in my spelling or a wrong word here and there and lets not forget the transitions. I'm really bad at transitions and sentence structure. So there goes my pride and it's all out there for the Internet world to read. Well this is where Jesus comes in. He takes me just as I am grammatical errors, pride, ugliness, and even more sins. He wraps me in his arms and says 'let's not leave you here. Let's take you higher'. I love being there in his arms. I don't always stay there sometimes I fall back down but I like to think that each time I fall, I don't fall quite as far down as to where I was before. I am so thankful that Jesus is so patient and that even though I am far from his perfection and I act like the chicken with my pride when Jesus knows the danger just within reach yet he comes to my rescue just as I hit my knees and he lifts me up yet again. I hope you know that he can do that for you too and not just when you act like an arrogant chicken but when your ugly, when you've had enough, when your heart is breaking, when you just need a friend. Your life won't be perfect your still human and so are the people around you, but you won't be alone any more. He's my comforter, my provider, my strong time, my very present help in my time of need. (I love that song).
Thanks for visiting me today :)
This chicken made me think about pride and how we all act like this when we think that we are better than someone else, have done/made something awesome, or any of the other myriad reasons we think we have to be proud. Pride comes before a fall is my main thought. I've definitely been proud before in fact I'm proud every time I get a post up on my blog and then I reread what I've written and I realize that I really did not do that good of a job. There are mistakes in my spelling or a wrong word here and there and lets not forget the transitions. I'm really bad at transitions and sentence structure. So there goes my pride and it's all out there for the Internet world to read. Well this is where Jesus comes in. He takes me just as I am grammatical errors, pride, ugliness, and even more sins. He wraps me in his arms and says 'let's not leave you here. Let's take you higher'. I love being there in his arms. I don't always stay there sometimes I fall back down but I like to think that each time I fall, I don't fall quite as far down as to where I was before. I am so thankful that Jesus is so patient and that even though I am far from his perfection and I act like the chicken with my pride when Jesus knows the danger just within reach yet he comes to my rescue just as I hit my knees and he lifts me up yet again. I hope you know that he can do that for you too and not just when you act like an arrogant chicken but when your ugly, when you've had enough, when your heart is breaking, when you just need a friend. Your life won't be perfect your still human and so are the people around you, but you won't be alone any more. He's my comforter, my provider, my strong time, my very present help in my time of need. (I love that song).
Thanks for visiting me today :)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Change is on the Horizon
I was thinking that I really ought to stop posting on my blog so late! After an entire day with the children, animals, homeschool, and the myriad of everything else and everyone else I deal with/do I really seem unable to type./spell! I have been reading over some of my posts (after someone comments I try to read my posts to see what they saw and what they are referring to specifically) and I need to type earlier my brain shuts down a lot sooner then I post. Spell check can only do so much. Another thing that I have been thinking about is changing up my blog. I have just been updating everyone on our life over here but I'd like to do more (maybe it's my writers heart or maybe my short attention span...anyways..). I'd like to really let you guys in on my struggles as a parent, homeschooler, mother, and some of the many other hats I wear. This might be where I lose some of you readers as whats in my heart is God and I'm going to try to relate and create my life more around him. I really need to work on that. I need to see my life more from God's perspective! I've been a christian for well all of my life except I have not lived as one all the time. There was high school when my baby sister died and I went of the deep end with depression and some aggression (we'll not mention the Harley shirts and baggy jeans!). I blamed God and tried to run away from him while he with his patience just kept gently tugging me back. It's so true no matter what he never lets go. There have been other times...times I am to embarrassed to even mention. No matter what we are human and we can get ugly no one is immune to the power and temptation of ugly! Ugly is what we call the actions our children make that we cringe at like the typical child's "harrumph" at the thought of not getting their way and we say "that was a really ugly sound you need to change that and use your words" Ugly is what I think sometimes when I am not getting my way and ugly is what I sometimes say in the heat of a moment. I have been ugly. I hope to grow and to become stronger so that I can resist the temptation of ugly. I am so glad that he never lets me go!
So welcome to my crazy life and my soon to be revamped blog! I am going to try to change the top and some buttons to make it more visually appealing also. I can't wait! As a side note for those who do just want to read what has been going on in my life as I have been doing, I will still be adding in an extra post to do just that. How I will do it is the question. Whether it will be weekly or daily still I am unsure so stay tuned.
Have a great night and I will be seeing you shortly!
So welcome to my crazy life and my soon to be revamped blog! I am going to try to change the top and some buttons to make it more visually appealing also. I can't wait! As a side note for those who do just want to read what has been going on in my life as I have been doing, I will still be adding in an extra post to do just that. How I will do it is the question. Whether it will be weekly or daily still I am unsure so stay tuned.
Have a great night and I will be seeing you shortly!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Our horse still seems to be having some issues we got him some meds today and we are hoping that he pulls out of this slump!! Bailee and the goats are doing fine though. I have been looking into different animals trying to figure out which ones I want. I really want an alpaca they are so cute and their fibers are so soft I can't wait to learn how to make some yarn out of it. I also want some ducks and some pretty chickens! Yes some chickens do look pretty and some look pretty silly.
I'm going to be giving my children nick names from here on out. I have been getting readers from around the world and would like to keep them a little private so my 6yr old is now Mr. A my 3yr old is now Monkey and my 2 yr old is Pumpkin. Hubby will be hubby. So lets all try to keep them straight k lol.
I went on my walk today it's been awhile because I have been battling a cold that has hampered my ability to breathe blah I hate that. My walk felt really good I still struggled to breathe but it was worth it. I'm looking forward to my walk tomorrow! I can't wait to have a camera again. I was in town today so I looked at some cameras at Wal-mart but the only one I saw that had the flip back I was talking about did not seem to take moving shots very well and you can all guess at the speed my boys move in. It's one of the main tests I do with my camera because moving shots are so important to me. I can't tell you how many times I've missed a moment because my camera blurred a shot (or maybe it was me! Can't say anything bad about a camera that fixes user errors though :P )
Mr. A and I finished reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle yesterday and he loved it! I have a bunch of books picked out to read with him so tomorrow I will show them to him and see which one he would like to have read to him. I kind of hope for How to Eat Fried Worms but any one of them will be fine. He's finished some workbooks and started new ones. Tomorrow we are going to make some bird houses he is so excited and today I got some bird seeds to go in it come on birdies!! I saw some really beautiful birds out and about on my walk today so I'm hoping to attract them. I bought wild bird seed hopefully they like it. His EC comes tomorrow to check on his work and we will sign the next 8 weeks of work agreement. I have never written out my own before (except on my planner last year) so I hope I gave her what she needed we shall see.
I have slacked completely with Monkeys preschool it was to hard the first few days so we stopped and here and there we will do a few things but it's more like once or twice a month. With Mr. A being so far behind in reading we have focused most of our attention there and so it was to hard to help a needy Monkey with his work. I have been thinking on this a lot and would like to do more with him since he is almost four (his birthday is this month!). I will let you know if I accomplish this goal or not (there has to be a way ahhh) If you have any ideas let me know as I am struggling with it.
Hubby got his car tags today so we have a vehicle again yeay!! On the way home though we noticed that the rear blinkers don't work, a brake light is out, and the dash lights don't work. Maybe we need a fuse? Or maybe some lights need to be replaced? Well will have to wait and see but still yeay a car of our own again. I know it hasn't been long but when you live out in the middle of nowhere it feels like a lifetime!!
Have a great day (ps I wrote this yesterday lol)
I'm going to be giving my children nick names from here on out. I have been getting readers from around the world and would like to keep them a little private so my 6yr old is now Mr. A my 3yr old is now Monkey and my 2 yr old is Pumpkin. Hubby will be hubby. So lets all try to keep them straight k lol.
I went on my walk today it's been awhile because I have been battling a cold that has hampered my ability to breathe blah I hate that. My walk felt really good I still struggled to breathe but it was worth it. I'm looking forward to my walk tomorrow! I can't wait to have a camera again. I was in town today so I looked at some cameras at Wal-mart but the only one I saw that had the flip back I was talking about did not seem to take moving shots very well and you can all guess at the speed my boys move in. It's one of the main tests I do with my camera because moving shots are so important to me. I can't tell you how many times I've missed a moment because my camera blurred a shot (or maybe it was me! Can't say anything bad about a camera that fixes user errors though :P )
Mr. A and I finished reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle yesterday and he loved it! I have a bunch of books picked out to read with him so tomorrow I will show them to him and see which one he would like to have read to him. I kind of hope for How to Eat Fried Worms but any one of them will be fine. He's finished some workbooks and started new ones. Tomorrow we are going to make some bird houses he is so excited and today I got some bird seeds to go in it come on birdies!! I saw some really beautiful birds out and about on my walk today so I'm hoping to attract them. I bought wild bird seed hopefully they like it. His EC comes tomorrow to check on his work and we will sign the next 8 weeks of work agreement. I have never written out my own before (except on my planner last year) so I hope I gave her what she needed we shall see.
I have slacked completely with Monkeys preschool it was to hard the first few days so we stopped and here and there we will do a few things but it's more like once or twice a month. With Mr. A being so far behind in reading we have focused most of our attention there and so it was to hard to help a needy Monkey with his work. I have been thinking on this a lot and would like to do more with him since he is almost four (his birthday is this month!). I will let you know if I accomplish this goal or not (there has to be a way ahhh) If you have any ideas let me know as I am struggling with it.
Hubby got his car tags today so we have a vehicle again yeay!! On the way home though we noticed that the rear blinkers don't work, a brake light is out, and the dash lights don't work. Maybe we need a fuse? Or maybe some lights need to be replaced? Well will have to wait and see but still yeay a car of our own again. I know it hasn't been long but when you live out in the middle of nowhere it feels like a lifetime!!
Have a great day (ps I wrote this yesterday lol)
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Put him in a straight jacket and Then Give him an Enema
So as I have mentioned before our horse has been having problems. He was rolling around and acting strange also so we called in a vet and he came last night around 6 or 7 to give our horse an enema of sorts. He gave him a tranquilizer and then put his hand up Big Al's butt (yes he had gloves on lol) and confirmed his hard poop. So he need to have a tube up his nose and then the horse equivalent to puke came out of the tube and then he pumped water into his stomach along with the horse equivalent to Gatorade and something to help get him going again. He then gave him a shot to help with pain and voila it was over. So some other problems we need to have checked out is he needs his teeth filed down and he needs to have his hay increased and his grains decreased apparently it's better if they are just on grass hay. He told us to not give a horse alfalfa here in CA I'm not sure why but that's fine by us and luckily we haven't been. He also checked out a wound that he came with it's right on his back on his bone where the horn of a saddle rests and said that it's looking OK but if it doesn't heal up in four weeks to bring him in for x-rays Apparently if it isn't closing up he could have an infection in his bones yikes so keep him in your prayers! So now today our horse is doing alright and he is returning to normal....bowel movements so yeay. I could have shown you lovely pictures if I had a camera lol I'm sure your all very happy about it right now lol.
After the horse hubby went with his brother to stay up there for the night and he took the older two boys with him so it's just us girls, Bren, and Nate...poor Nate hehe. My time has been spent trying to read all the blog posts I've been slacking on. I am following a ton of blogs but for awhile I was busy and didn't read them so I got gulp....517 blog posts behind!!! I'm now below 500 but now by much. I would stop reading them but it's all so much fun. It's like sitting with my friends and a cup of tea (I don't drink coffee) and chatting I love it. However if it doesn't start going faster I'm going to just have google reader start the count down over!
I had a great time at my friends house on Friday we stayed there all day! I love to watch our children play together it's very refreshing since they all get along.
I hope your having a great day :)
After the horse hubby went with his brother to stay up there for the night and he took the older two boys with him so it's just us girls, Bren, and Nate...poor Nate hehe. My time has been spent trying to read all the blog posts I've been slacking on. I am following a ton of blogs but for awhile I was busy and didn't read them so I got gulp....517 blog posts behind!!! I'm now below 500 but now by much. I would stop reading them but it's all so much fun. It's like sitting with my friends and a cup of tea (I don't drink coffee) and chatting I love it. However if it doesn't start going faster I'm going to just have google reader start the count down over!
I had a great time at my friends house on Friday we stayed there all day! I love to watch our children play together it's very refreshing since they all get along.
I hope your having a great day :)
Friday, January 28, 2011
Robots and Puppy Dogs
School went OK today I took some pics on my broken camera because I really couldn't help it I had to have something I haven't checked then out yet....one sec I will get them....well they are fuzzy and the lighting is weird Aidan's head is a little odd shaped but not that bad could be worse. I can't see what I am doing since there isn't even an eye hole on the camera it's basically a point and shoot and hope it got something.
Aidan with his robot man he made for math. For some reason he likes to lay by his work whenever I take a picture I really don't know why.
Oen wanted to play with the shapes to so he made a puppy dog it's so cute :)
I'm glad that the camera actually took the pics :).
After math Aidan went outside to play for P.E. He took his dog Sammy with him on a leash and they ran all over the place he even was trying to teach Sam some tricks there's nothing like a boy and his dog.
This is an old picture of Sammy he's full grown so not much has changed except that he's getting a little fat lol so Aidan decided that he needed to get out and play.
I want to buy an alpaca..yep that's right I really do. They are so cute and their hair makes the softest yarn. I found some that super expensive and a few that are super cheap so I emailed a farm to see what the price difference is for. If it's just the difference in if they are breeders or not then I'm not concerned. I will let you know what I decide.
I made a chicken and rice casserole for dinner with sides of stuffing and beets. It was really tasty. I also made some sweet potatoes so that I can make a sweet potato pie tomorrow. We then had a cake for Josh's birthday it was just a small deal because we will wait for my dad to get home to actually celebrate it. I can't believe he's 18 still man...
I made up a few of my own exercises for Bren I held my hand over his good eye and had him track my finger all around it was only for a few minutes but it really showed me how slow his eye is. It takes quite awhile for his eye to find my finger but his good eye tracked it all the way across. I think that his therapy is going to take awhile but I know that we are up for it.
Our cat got hurt sometime in the last few days (he's an outside cat that sometimes comes in to hang out with us) he's been missing and came back with a huge wound on one of his legs so we cleaned it with some bactine (as much as the cat would let us) and have been holding him captive in the house which he has a love/hate relationship with. I hope he gets better he's the only cat I've ever really really liked. He's super friendly, soft, and really good with the kids.
Well it's late and I have a play date tomorrow so I'll type to you tomorrow have a wonderful day :D
My Brother's Birthday
Today my little brother Josh turned 18!! I can't believe it! The time went by so fast I can still see him as the cute little blond toddler with the biggest smile ever. Oh my I will have this happen to my babies one day! I can't even see that yet. Tall dirty blond men is what I think two of them will be and then one regular sized brown haired man. I so hope they will be wonderful men, real men. I have my work cut out for me. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH I love you :D. Thanks for being a great uncle!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Count your Blessings
Last night we ended up sleeping on the floor in the living room on a small mattress it wasn't to terrible. We woke up at 6am to get ready to leave for Bri and Bren's doctors appointments. We left by 6:40am and made the drive to the doctors getting there at 7:52am. We waited for them to open at 8am and then went in to sign in. We waited in the childrens waiting room and missed being called several times and had to have our chart put back up several times when Bri decided he had better go sit right next to them to hear us being called (they were saying the wrong name they were calling Brian but when he went up there they said it wasn't him turned out they wanted Brennen then several times later we somehow missed them again and then they called our full name and Brian went and they said 'oh we are going to put your chart back up so what really happened with the names I do not know). The doctor put Bri on the meds he was taking before since they seemed to help he just changed the dosage around. He told us that Bren has a lazy eye not a crossed eye so it will be fixable with therapy. He doesn't want to do glasses because he says it's hard for the kids to keep them on and it slows recovery because the eye doesn't have to work as much when they are on so he's sending him to a specialist for therapy and I will get excersizes to do with him at home. So yeay thats all good news I am so ready to start doing them now!!! However it's going to be a few weeks before we hear from the specialist so patience (which I am not good at especially with help right around the corner!).
After the doctors we went to Target where they sent hubbys perscriptions and we waited around for them to be done. We bought some fiber bars to snack on because we were all hungry and when we got in the car and were happily snacking away I decided to read the box and discovered that they had barley in them so I had to quickly take it away from Aidan who is very allergic to it he was very sad but vomit is not something I enjoy cleaning up! We then headed off again this time headed toward Aidans choir performance at an elderly care home.
On the way we swung by Borders and checked around. I found a book I want to buy what was the title? I can't remember! I was about a perscibing a natural cure to common illnesses. I looked through and found some really relevant stuff in it and so I'm going to check and see how much it is on Amazon when I actually get money again lol.
After borders we went to Mcdonalds and used my gift card to get us all lunch and then on to the choir performance.
We arrived still very early and luckily because this place was huge! It had so many buildings and no one knew where the concert was. We ended up going to several of them and asking because the main building had no idea. We found it at a little after 1pm so we had to wait until 1:30pm to get in. So we sat in the car with the kids. Can I just say that an entire day in a car with children and a second day at that is just a struggle on everyones part! I was so happy to leave hubby there with the other two while Aidan and I ran in to his concert. It wasn't a long concert only 20 minutes. By the time we got back to the car Bri was a little frazzled lol but I must say a lot better then he has been on some other days. I regretted not having a camera at the concert as I watched other mothers snapping pictures and Aidan looked so good in his white button down shirt and black slacks he really did a good job.
The second time I regretted not having a camera was on the way home. I was looking out the window when what did I see....a bald eagle!!!! We just finished a few weeks ago doing a lapbook about bald eagles and we googled them found a page tracking them and listened to their calls it was awesome!!! It was sitting in a tree in a pasture with cows milling below. Aidan was also excited (although who was more excited I can't tell, It's close!) I believe that was my first sighting yeay! Darn camera!
After we got home Bri checked out the camper and found out that it was the extension cord that melted and not the camper cord so yeay and easy fix. We will need a higher power cord and we are going to have to put in a new plug closer to the camper but I'm counting my blessings today and feeling wonderful!
I also must say that I have a wonderful friend and talked with her today and I feel so blessed to have met her! I am going over to visit with her on Friday and I can't wait :)
So today was a much better day and I am once again hopeful and I can't wait to get started on therapy for Bren!
I hope you all had a wonderful day!
After the doctors we went to Target where they sent hubbys perscriptions and we waited around for them to be done. We bought some fiber bars to snack on because we were all hungry and when we got in the car and were happily snacking away I decided to read the box and discovered that they had barley in them so I had to quickly take it away from Aidan who is very allergic to it he was very sad but vomit is not something I enjoy cleaning up! We then headed off again this time headed toward Aidans choir performance at an elderly care home.
On the way we swung by Borders and checked around. I found a book I want to buy what was the title? I can't remember! I was about a perscibing a natural cure to common illnesses. I looked through and found some really relevant stuff in it and so I'm going to check and see how much it is on Amazon when I actually get money again lol.
After borders we went to Mcdonalds and used my gift card to get us all lunch and then on to the choir performance.
We arrived still very early and luckily because this place was huge! It had so many buildings and no one knew where the concert was. We ended up going to several of them and asking because the main building had no idea. We found it at a little after 1pm so we had to wait until 1:30pm to get in. So we sat in the car with the kids. Can I just say that an entire day in a car with children and a second day at that is just a struggle on everyones part! I was so happy to leave hubby there with the other two while Aidan and I ran in to his concert. It wasn't a long concert only 20 minutes. By the time we got back to the car Bri was a little frazzled lol but I must say a lot better then he has been on some other days. I regretted not having a camera at the concert as I watched other mothers snapping pictures and Aidan looked so good in his white button down shirt and black slacks he really did a good job.
The second time I regretted not having a camera was on the way home. I was looking out the window when what did I see....a bald eagle!!!! We just finished a few weeks ago doing a lapbook about bald eagles and we googled them found a page tracking them and listened to their calls it was awesome!!! It was sitting in a tree in a pasture with cows milling below. Aidan was also excited (although who was more excited I can't tell, It's close!) I believe that was my first sighting yeay! Darn camera!
After we got home Bri checked out the camper and found out that it was the extension cord that melted and not the camper cord so yeay and easy fix. We will need a higher power cord and we are going to have to put in a new plug closer to the camper but I'm counting my blessings today and feeling wonderful!
I also must say that I have a wonderful friend and talked with her today and I feel so blessed to have met her! I am going over to visit with her on Friday and I can't wait :)
So today was a much better day and I am once again hopeful and I can't wait to get started on therapy for Bren!
I hope you all had a wonderful day!
Not so Optimistic
My usually positive disposition is fading tonight. Well more like it began this morning. We made appointments for hubby and Bren to see a doctor at 10 am. We were getting ready and meanwhile my mother made her tax appointment for 11 am in the opposite direction by about an hour and a half. So we called around trying to get a ride to no avail. So we rescheduled the appointment for 1:30pm. We rode with my mom to her tax appointment and almost there one of her tires blew out so we pulled into a tire shop across from the tax place and left the car there and my mother at her tax appointment. We walked over to a restaurant nearby and I sat with the three boys we ordered and waited for my mother after an hour she still hadn't shown up so we ordered for her and got it to go along with her drink. When we got back to the tax place she still wasn't done and we could see that the car was not done also. It was 12:20pm there really wasn't a way to get to our doctors yet again. She finished up and we went to wait on the van by the time it was done and we all piled back into the van it was 1:03pm there wasn't even a prayer. We drove to my inlaws and called yet again to reschedule. Our appointment is now at 8am tomorrow the only time available so we will have to leave here by 6:30am tomorrow. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate mornings? Especially with woken up children? Well after we did that we went to the post office and I got a new key that didn't work went back in and she had to give me another one I finally got the mail we got some gas and headed home. The kids were so stir crazy after the restaurant that we never got a break from them until we finally put them to bed early I might say so that hopefully they will be OK in the morning. So a little while ago we went out to the camper to find the electric would not turn on. Yeah the cords are melted together making us very lucky that there wasn't an electrical fire! We now have no place to sleep. I am feeling worn down and starting to feel depressed about all of the things that have been happening to me recently. I don't know what I am suppose to be learning from this. I am willing to learn but with so much going on how am I to focus and figure it all out? I mean in a few short months I have lost everything but my family which yes is the most important thing of all. So what am I complaining about? Just that I want something to start working out I want what lesson I am to be learning to become more clear to me so that I can understand and deal better with my burdens.
Well I'm logging off I have to find a place to sleep probably on the couch and hubby maybe in my brothers bed but I do have to go to sleep soon because of the early appointments sigh. Maybe some of you hear my whining and are upset because what you are going through is so much worse let me tell you that my heart goes out to you and if you leave a comment I will pray for you.
I hope your having a much better time and will have a great day tomorrow :)
Well I'm logging off I have to find a place to sleep probably on the couch and hubby maybe in my brothers bed but I do have to go to sleep soon because of the early appointments sigh. Maybe some of you hear my whining and are upset because what you are going through is so much worse let me tell you that my heart goes out to you and if you leave a comment I will pray for you.
I hope your having a much better time and will have a great day tomorrow :)
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Roses and Horses
A rose from our garden
Ahhh the sunshine was so nice yesterday. I began with a sweater on as my mother and I began hacking into the roses, we want them to be shorter and less bushy so we have been trimming them a lot, and a little into it the sun warmed me up so well I was down to my t-shirt. Note to self-do not wear t-shirts to trim rose bushes ouch. We found some interesting things in the rose bushes. Mixed with two of them was an old dead tree. We trimmed the bushes back and then worked the rotting tree out and staked the bushes up they look so much better now! I checked on my sis's compost and found lots of worms gross and yet yeay! This however is where I got upset. I broke my camera! I was stirring up the compost to see what was in there and the stick barely tapped my camera sceen and it cracked! I am so upset. I am so careful with my camera it is really small yet I keep it in a big cushioned hard carrying case and I only take it out for a few pictures and put it right back but yesterday I was thinking that I really should take more pictures to put on my blog so that I can show you more than tell you what is going on and what I am seeing. So here I am in big time regret at my thinking. I have decided that my next camera is going to have to have a back that can close. my mothers has a screen but you can twist the back and it closes. That is what I am going to have to go with as this is my second ruined camera. Wait what? You might be asking. Well this is why I was so careful with my camera you see I was at a parade and set my purse next to and kind of under my chair and yet somehow someone managed to step on the screen. I was very upset and yet had no one to blame but myself for putting my purse on the ground (that was probably disgusting to boot!) so I pouted and got this camera that is now broken too. So no more pictures for a little while this is where I yet again insert my plea for tax time to come soon as everything is breaking around me lol.
A nasty critter by a rose bush
This is a picture of Baylee
Big Al our new horse was lying down a lot yesterday which I hear is not normal for them so we have been asking around. We have gotten a list of possible things that could be wrong with him and no assurance that its probablu nothing so we will have to have him checked out. So the list is that he could be grinding his teeth so much that they are no longer able to chew his food properly so he needs to have them filed down, he could have worms, he could have a blockage of some sort, and he could be stiff. So lots of fun stuff right? Our other horse, Bailee, is doing fine her winter coat is nice and thick she looks so fluffy. Big Al is looking better on that end he finally has a winter coat coming in. He is still really thin though so my mother got him some horse thickener. They are telling us that quarter horses are really hard to keep the weight on especially in the winter. So he now gets three flakes of hay a day, grains with vegetable oil and the thickener. Hopefully that helps him gain weight and we will be trying the wormer on him also. The goats are doing fine also. The baby goat got in Bailee's way (he was trying to eat her hay) and she rolled him with her head and kicked at him he limped for a minute but then seemed fine after that. She has been getting an attitude since we got Big Al but I think that it's getting better now that he has been here for a little bit. The chickens are loving the bugs that have been creeping out the past few days with the sunshine. They are put away at night and then during the day they freely roam about the yard which is usually fine unless they get on the porch and poop all over it then we shoo them away and have to deal with a mess. I wonder if there is a way to keep them off of it with out hurting them or leaving them locked up I might have to google that one later. Momma Goat
Some of our Chickens
I think I have found a spot for my garden I just need to get all the supplies now and get it going soon.
Today hubby and I had a mandatory appointment to go to and we had to pick my sister up at the airport as she just got home from Seattle so we did not get to go into the doctors we are hoping that my mother will let us use her car to go tomorrow. Bri needs to go in and get his medicines changed around and Bren needs his eyes checked. We need to make the all the boys an appointment of some sort within the next few days. Aidan needs to see a dentist for his new teeth that are coming in (his adult teeth) and he also needs to be seen by an eye doctor. Bren needs to see someone for his eye and get shots (oh joy right). Oen actually doesn't need anything that I can remember suddenly although I would like to get the boys all tested for food allergies since they seem to have reactions to different things. I hear that they don't like to test them all that much unless it's severe but I don't know what constituets severe for them. Oen breaks out in body hives, Aidan vomits, and Bren breaks out in rashes here and there. So to me they are enough that I would like to keep them away from the foods as much as possible. I know that for Aidan it's barley he gets sick within a very short time, Oen I'm not so sure he had a mixed fruit and he really broke out but I can't figure out which one he was allergic to, Bren is more like everything seems to give him a rash mostly on his face so we will see.
And thats all for today we didn't do that much yesterday was really the best day since we also cleaned up the yard had a sword fight with the foam swords and my brothers used their sticks and homemade wooden sheilds against each other. They also got out their bows and arrows for a little target practice. Bri shot some B-ball and Bren tried it was quite comical. Such a nice day. Well I hope your doing well have a good night and a great day tomorrow :)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Character and Other Thoughts
Brennen's eye is still crossed what did we expect? Nothing honestly although there are moments where I wish that bopping him in the head again would make his eye go back to normal. Tomorrow the doctors will be back and we will go in for a check up and see what can be done about it. I hope they don't tell me to wait until he's older. I really believe that the sooner things are done the quicker and better they are fixed. After all his body is still forming if he needs to do therapy or have the surgery now would be better before he gets it more set. If they tell me to wait I think I might research some more and see what other doctors say and see if there's anything we can do at home to help it. They say that it can cause blindness in that eye that is the thing I am most concerned about!
The other boys are doing fine we are all still getting over our colds but I am feeling a lot better today. I think just a couple more days and I will be out there doing my walks again. Today my mother wants me to help in the rose garden. The roses are already blooming and need to be taken care of before they get out of hand. There are a lot of roses here! I can't wait for the plums to start growing again I want to make some plum jams and preservatives. I would like to learn how to can. I also want to plant a vegetable garden but I don't know how. A book I want to get on how to is called 'The Square Foot Garden'. I'll keep you posted on that.
I can't wait for summer which is a new thing for me I hate to be hot! I am excited because of all the things I want to do this year. The gardening, the horses, the chickens might be old enough to start hatching, the roses, the plums, and so much more I really am excited!
I don't know if I mentioned the book Character Matters by Thomas Lickona. I started reading it a few days ago and I am loving it. One of the main reasons I am homeschooling is to build my sons character. I believe that it is the most important part of any person. What do you have without good character? I am raising adults not children. Yes they are children and they play and do childhood things but I am not saying 'oh boys will be boys' or 'oh that's just something kids do' no when they do something wrong or mean I let them know. We talk about why it was wrong and what I expect of them. They know what the difference between right and wrong are. I am reading this book to give me ideas on how to build their character even more and by extension and maybe even more important is how to build my own character. We are all works in progress and everything I do with my kids I am hoping to learn and implement myself so that I can be a better person. This book says that the Greeks believed the most important virtue is wisdom because without wisdom how would you know how to use the other virtues? How would you know what to do when the virtues sometimes contradict each other which does happen? So I agree. Wisdom, Lord I pray that I develop more wisdom! I am a flawed woman.
Well the roses are calling my name! I need to get busy I have lots to do today! I hope you have a great day :)
This is the carrot cake my hubby made us last night. Why? He felt like it :) I was so yummy. He googled best carrot cakes and this one came out on top. I have to agree it was very yummy! Probably fattening too but once in awhile is fine. http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/best-carrot-cake-ever/Detail.aspx This is the where he got the recipe. We use allrecipes.com often. I like it better than searching through a bunch of cookbooks. I even have the app on my ipod.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Today in a nutshell
The results of last nights pedometer reading was exactly 7000 steps pretty weird how it was perfectly on the dot. Tonight so far I am on a mere 3317 I am disappointed but I must give myself slack because I am sick. I am having a hard time even breathing so moving around today was not on my priorities list. I can't wait to feel better and get back to my walking I already feel like I am back tracking.
Brian tried to fix our van today but the serpentine belt that he was putting on slipped off and got ripped so now we have to get a new one of those and then hope it works. So still no car.
A couple of days ago Bren fell and hit his head ever since then I have noticed his eye was starting to cross. It's looking pretty bad. I noticed when he was a baby that it would turn in slightly and asked the doctor about it but he didn't notice it. Now with him having hit his head it really turns in and it weirds him out. I looked up on the net and found some local doctors to call and hopefully they take our insurance. From what I read it is fixable with therapy, glasses, and sometimes surgery. So we will see what the doctor's say about it.
Aidan did a lot better with his homework today. We were done by I think four. Which is still not good but way better than yesterday. He gets lazy so I'm hoping to work that out of him. If any one has any ideas on what to do with a lazy schooler let me know because I could use them. I would like school to be done looong before four. Our new word in sign language today was soup. So as of today he now knows 80 words in sign language. We played with geoboards and did some more addition flashcards. He really likes the geoboards so I let him play with them for a long time. We also did a science experiment with Crisco and ice water to show what insulation does. He thought it was pretty cool and it tied into the lesson we did on whales recently. I am really happy with how he's progressing I wish he would remember his numbers by sight a lot better than he does. Any number over nine is really hard for him to name unless its shown in line with the other numbers. We are working with flash cards of the numbers and hopefully he will start to get them down.
Today Bri and I made turkey pot pies for dinner. He made to crusts from a recipe I found on allrecipes.com named Butter Flaky Crust and it turned out really well. I made I huge pot of the gravy, veggie, turkey mix so that we had to make three pot pies so we will be having left overs tomorrow.
That's it for now have a great day!
Brian tried to fix our van today but the serpentine belt that he was putting on slipped off and got ripped so now we have to get a new one of those and then hope it works. So still no car.
A couple of days ago Bren fell and hit his head ever since then I have noticed his eye was starting to cross. It's looking pretty bad. I noticed when he was a baby that it would turn in slightly and asked the doctor about it but he didn't notice it. Now with him having hit his head it really turns in and it weirds him out. I looked up on the net and found some local doctors to call and hopefully they take our insurance. From what I read it is fixable with therapy, glasses, and sometimes surgery. So we will see what the doctor's say about it.
Aidan did a lot better with his homework today. We were done by I think four. Which is still not good but way better than yesterday. He gets lazy so I'm hoping to work that out of him. If any one has any ideas on what to do with a lazy schooler let me know because I could use them. I would like school to be done looong before four. Our new word in sign language today was soup. So as of today he now knows 80 words in sign language. We played with geoboards and did some more addition flashcards. He really likes the geoboards so I let him play with them for a long time. We also did a science experiment with Crisco and ice water to show what insulation does. He thought it was pretty cool and it tied into the lesson we did on whales recently. I am really happy with how he's progressing I wish he would remember his numbers by sight a lot better than he does. Any number over nine is really hard for him to name unless its shown in line with the other numbers. We are working with flash cards of the numbers and hopefully he will start to get them down.
Today Bri and I made turkey pot pies for dinner. He made to crusts from a recipe I found on allrecipes.com named Butter Flaky Crust and it turned out really well. I made I huge pot of the gravy, veggie, turkey mix so that we had to make three pot pies so we will be having left overs tomorrow.
That's it for now have a great day!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
A Lot Can Happen in a Few Days
I was to tired last night to do my blogging. Why? You might ask. Well on our way (our being my hubby and I) our car started to act weird and then the headlights dimmed so I pulled off of the road and it was just in time as our car suddenly died. We happened to be directly across from a strip club and it was dark out. Instead of going into the strip club in the middle of nowhere we walked a mile up the road to a pizza shop to use the phone. We ordered drinks chicken wings and some bread sticks. It was like a date...a little stressful weird date but still the closest thing we have come to since well I don't remember when. The pizzaria was about to close so we walked back to the car talking and cracking jokes just being us which it's really been awhile since we could be our adult selves. We do if you remember live with my family which means that there are children around us all the time so being an adult is not really much of an option. This does not mean that we act like children or anything but we can't joke or talk about things that children should not hear. We sanitize our mouths constantly. Anyways back to the story...We sat in the car cracking a few more jokes and eating our bread sticks when my brother in law showed up with a new battery and tools. We quickly fixed the car and headed home as the battery light was still blinking on and off which we took to mean that our altinator is going bad. So my two mile walk mixed with my Wii Fit that I did in the morning I took over 10,000 steps..thats right 10,000 I am beyond happy about that! Well that was until this morning when even the tops of my feet hurt and my cold was a lot worse so that I am struggling even more to breathe but one must still be happy that what we have done counted for something right? So today even without my walk or Wii Fit I have taken 6667 steps and I haven't even finished my night yet. I will post the full results tomorrow when I blog again.
Picture of my steps that I took my first time getting the recommended 10000 steps a day yeay!!
These are the cookies my dad decorated for Christmas see the gingerbreadman's tie? So cute.
Have I mentioned that the washer went out? We were in the middle of washing a load when it died and so I spent a lot time trying to get the clothes to dry we hung them on the ladder and other places around the garage where the washing machine is. We were trying to save on the drier as the clothes were so sopping wet it was like watching a mini waterfall cascading down them onto the floor. We put laundry baskets below them to catch the water and two days later they were still dripping I put them in the dryer little by little until they were all dry. Today my hubby brought home a washer that a friend of ours was saving for us when we were suppose to get our house that fell through which is a very nice thing and we are grateful for! It has a few bugs but we are learning how to use it and have already washed a load thank goodness as the laundry has been piling up with twelve people living here. The part for my parents washer is going to arrive on the twenty-fourth so that they can have their washer back.
Tonight for dinner we had left overs of a concoction that my hubby made it was noodles, white sauce, cheese sauce, broccoli, and cubed turkey all mixed together. It was a fast easy to make dinner for when no one wants to cook (and that's for both nights!).
Tonight we watched Tuesdays With Morrie. I read the book some time ago and saw the movie on Netflicks so I had to order it. I like the movie it's not a great make or anything but the truest words you'll ever hear are in it and some of them just might touch you it's touched me that's for sure. It makes me wish that I had known him and had heard his words of life. I don't believe a book or movie can make it as real for me as if I had been there. I'm sure that's even more true for Mitch. I must thank Mitch for sharing such a personal time with his teacher with all of us. I believe we will all be a little better off having even that slight taste of what Morrie was like.
School was hard on us today Aidan was having a tough time of it and so we did not make it through all of the subjects and things I had planned for us. It was also a tough night he went to bed crying and I was so glad he was in bed I am hoping that tomorrow will be a much better day for us. I don't think he is getting enough sleep at night and I don't know how to fix that. There are some diet changes I would like to make after listening to a webinar on attention and behavior issues and how they are diet related. The woman who gave the webinar is Dianne Craft and she said so many things that just made sense I would really like to try the diet. It's going to be a little hard while living here but I think it is worth it I'll let you know if we do try it or decide to wait one day or another I really would like to try it.
I have been reading the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen R. Covey. I am on the second habit and let me tell you every thing he says makes so much sense. It should all be common sense to us and I think once upon a time it was but we have lost the ability to listen, love, and really be effective families anymore. I can't wait to read more and apply them I can't wait to see the results in my family. Just another thing to keep you all posted on right?
Since I am working on my family I figured the most important part of it was my marriage so I am also reading 15 Minutes to Build a Stronger Marriage by Myron Yagel and Bobbie Yagel. Our first assignment was to spend a week saying I love you three times a day not hard for me to do. The second week we were suppose to spend time looking at each other I have failed this I have not passed it yet and we are two weeks into the second week. I really need to step this one up as you can tell. So these few days I am going to try to step it up!
I think thats enough for now a lot can happen in a few days thats why we should never take them for granted no matter what hard things come our way. I know I blog a lot and things always seem to be going wrong for me which is true but I try to stay positive sometimes I get upset but my overview is always on what I am going to learn from whats happening. So heres to your lessons in life may you always be striving for the positive side of them.
Picture of my steps that I took my first time getting the recommended 10000 steps a day yeay!!
Picture of the cake Bri made for my sis. He used applesauce instead of oil in the cake it was so moist. The frosting is made out of low fat cream cheese and confectioners sugar.
We were working on Aidan's reading skills we used the tiles to make sentences in the corner thats the puzzle I am still working on yes since Christmas it's a hard puzzle.
Have I mentioned that the washer went out? We were in the middle of washing a load when it died and so I spent a lot time trying to get the clothes to dry we hung them on the ladder and other places around the garage where the washing machine is. We were trying to save on the drier as the clothes were so sopping wet it was like watching a mini waterfall cascading down them onto the floor. We put laundry baskets below them to catch the water and two days later they were still dripping I put them in the dryer little by little until they were all dry. Today my hubby brought home a washer that a friend of ours was saving for us when we were suppose to get our house that fell through which is a very nice thing and we are grateful for! It has a few bugs but we are learning how to use it and have already washed a load thank goodness as the laundry has been piling up with twelve people living here. The part for my parents washer is going to arrive on the twenty-fourth so that they can have their washer back.
Tonight for dinner we had left overs of a concoction that my hubby made it was noodles, white sauce, cheese sauce, broccoli, and cubed turkey all mixed together. It was a fast easy to make dinner for when no one wants to cook (and that's for both nights!).
Tonight we watched Tuesdays With Morrie. I read the book some time ago and saw the movie on Netflicks so I had to order it. I like the movie it's not a great make or anything but the truest words you'll ever hear are in it and some of them just might touch you it's touched me that's for sure. It makes me wish that I had known him and had heard his words of life. I don't believe a book or movie can make it as real for me as if I had been there. I'm sure that's even more true for Mitch. I must thank Mitch for sharing such a personal time with his teacher with all of us. I believe we will all be a little better off having even that slight taste of what Morrie was like.
School was hard on us today Aidan was having a tough time of it and so we did not make it through all of the subjects and things I had planned for us. It was also a tough night he went to bed crying and I was so glad he was in bed I am hoping that tomorrow will be a much better day for us. I don't think he is getting enough sleep at night and I don't know how to fix that. There are some diet changes I would like to make after listening to a webinar on attention and behavior issues and how they are diet related. The woman who gave the webinar is Dianne Craft and she said so many things that just made sense I would really like to try the diet. It's going to be a little hard while living here but I think it is worth it I'll let you know if we do try it or decide to wait one day or another I really would like to try it.
I have been reading the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen R. Covey. I am on the second habit and let me tell you every thing he says makes so much sense. It should all be common sense to us and I think once upon a time it was but we have lost the ability to listen, love, and really be effective families anymore. I can't wait to read more and apply them I can't wait to see the results in my family. Just another thing to keep you all posted on right?
Since I am working on my family I figured the most important part of it was my marriage so I am also reading 15 Minutes to Build a Stronger Marriage by Myron Yagel and Bobbie Yagel. Our first assignment was to spend a week saying I love you three times a day not hard for me to do. The second week we were suppose to spend time looking at each other I have failed this I have not passed it yet and we are two weeks into the second week. I really need to step this one up as you can tell. So these few days I am going to try to step it up!
I think thats enough for now a lot can happen in a few days thats why we should never take them for granted no matter what hard things come our way. I know I blog a lot and things always seem to be going wrong for me which is true but I try to stay positive sometimes I get upset but my overview is always on what I am going to learn from whats happening. So heres to your lessons in life may you always be striving for the positive side of them.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Working at it
Recent things have not been very exciting whats new right lol. So the camper we are living in is apparently leaking up by our bed oh joy some things got ruined but at least we realized it quickly and not when we were covered up to our eyeballs in mold. The little bit of mold that we did find we kills with a steam cleaner, lysol and bleach.
I have been going for walks almost everyday since the 31st of December. I have missed only three days and decided that Saturdays and Sundays are going to be my days off. They say that you need to take some off so that your muscles have time to repair themselves so I now have an excuse lol. I began wearing a pedometer this week. My first day I logged a little over 5000 steps, second day was 4897 steps, and now today I have no clue...why? Because my pedometer reset itself twice. I know that it was almost 5000 steps then it reset then I had another 500 something steps and it reset then I walked another 25 steps realized it and took the darn thing off. So Tomorrow I will retry it and hopefully it will be in a better spot so that it will not reset or I will be throwing the thing across the room. If it goes back to working I will be recording the steps I take everyday in order to see how much moving I am actually doing. Did you know that you are suppose to walk 10000 steps a day? I am a little behind even though I have been going for my walk. I am begining to think that I would need a job outside of the home to gain that many steps seeing as how normal household stuff and parenting are not getting me enough steps. Or there is the other possibily that I still need to do more around the house and maybe go outside with the kids once in awhile...yes I do not like to go outside...it's cold and dirty lol.
Today I did go out and feed the horses some peppermint horse treats which they loved the goats did not like them so more for the horses lol. Big Al is a little mad at us right now we haven't had him long at all so he is still building trust with us. The reason he is mad is because he had a sore from his blanket rubbing on his backbone where the horn of a saddle would sit and so Jolene put some iodine on it. He did not like it at all. Its going to be a while before anyone gets to ride him so he can let that heal and gain some more trust with us. As for the blanket it won't be going back on him for a while. It's interesting how he does not have a winter coat where as Bailee has a huge coat and looks really shaggy and warm. We are hoping that with out the blanket he will develop a coat but I'm not sure if it's the type of horse he is or the fact of where he was living and having a blanket on all the time while there. Either way we will see.
Brian is going to school he is begining his second week and just received one of his programs from the school today so hopefully tomorrow he can play around with it a bit. I am happy for him he is working toward his dream job. The schooling is stressful so far and with him being ill so I hope he can keep it up.
As a last note we all have a cold here in some state of entry or recovery so we have been going through tissues like mad I wonder if we should do a study of where all that mucous comes from Aidan might find it interesting as I gag yuck. Homeschooling is going well we are not good about doing math as we are really bored with our Saxon curriculum but have been encouraged to keep at it because it gets better...the year however is half over and we are barely into the book because it is so boring. I know that it works for some families but for us it's not moving fast enough and has a lot of extras that we don't need so I have to read through the teachers book subtracts a lot of dialogue since it is scripted and then finally we can begin and then we are only using a little bit of the lesson. So I will not be using it next year if anyone has any ideas of what would be a good math subtitute for first grade or knows of some great curriculum let me know please!
I am also looking for a new Character building lesson book. I really want to build good character into my sons so that they can be men of real worth. He is reading now woot! woot! It's about time. He still has a long way to go but I am so pleased with the progress we tried reading last year at it was like pulling teeth. We are liking the new books we have.
Thats about it for now :)
Hope you are having a great week!!
I have been going for walks almost everyday since the 31st of December. I have missed only three days and decided that Saturdays and Sundays are going to be my days off. They say that you need to take some off so that your muscles have time to repair themselves so I now have an excuse lol. I began wearing a pedometer this week. My first day I logged a little over 5000 steps, second day was 4897 steps, and now today I have no clue...why? Because my pedometer reset itself twice. I know that it was almost 5000 steps then it reset then I had another 500 something steps and it reset then I walked another 25 steps realized it and took the darn thing off. So Tomorrow I will retry it and hopefully it will be in a better spot so that it will not reset or I will be throwing the thing across the room. If it goes back to working I will be recording the steps I take everyday in order to see how much moving I am actually doing. Did you know that you are suppose to walk 10000 steps a day? I am a little behind even though I have been going for my walk. I am begining to think that I would need a job outside of the home to gain that many steps seeing as how normal household stuff and parenting are not getting me enough steps. Or there is the other possibily that I still need to do more around the house and maybe go outside with the kids once in awhile...yes I do not like to go outside...it's cold and dirty lol.
Today I did go out and feed the horses some peppermint horse treats which they loved the goats did not like them so more for the horses lol. Big Al is a little mad at us right now we haven't had him long at all so he is still building trust with us. The reason he is mad is because he had a sore from his blanket rubbing on his backbone where the horn of a saddle would sit and so Jolene put some iodine on it. He did not like it at all. Its going to be a while before anyone gets to ride him so he can let that heal and gain some more trust with us. As for the blanket it won't be going back on him for a while. It's interesting how he does not have a winter coat where as Bailee has a huge coat and looks really shaggy and warm. We are hoping that with out the blanket he will develop a coat but I'm not sure if it's the type of horse he is or the fact of where he was living and having a blanket on all the time while there. Either way we will see.
Brian is going to school he is begining his second week and just received one of his programs from the school today so hopefully tomorrow he can play around with it a bit. I am happy for him he is working toward his dream job. The schooling is stressful so far and with him being ill so I hope he can keep it up.
As a last note we all have a cold here in some state of entry or recovery so we have been going through tissues like mad I wonder if we should do a study of where all that mucous comes from Aidan might find it interesting as I gag yuck. Homeschooling is going well we are not good about doing math as we are really bored with our Saxon curriculum but have been encouraged to keep at it because it gets better...the year however is half over and we are barely into the book because it is so boring. I know that it works for some families but for us it's not moving fast enough and has a lot of extras that we don't need so I have to read through the teachers book subtracts a lot of dialogue since it is scripted and then finally we can begin and then we are only using a little bit of the lesson. So I will not be using it next year if anyone has any ideas of what would be a good math subtitute for first grade or knows of some great curriculum let me know please!
I am also looking for a new Character building lesson book. I really want to build good character into my sons so that they can be men of real worth. He is reading now woot! woot! It's about time. He still has a long way to go but I am so pleased with the progress we tried reading last year at it was like pulling teeth. We are liking the new books we have.
Thats about it for now :)
Hope you are having a great week!!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
A Lot
A lot has happened here in the last few months since I have posted. My husband was hospitalized and cannot at this time return to work. He went in the day before Thanksgiving and was not released until the seventh of December. I swear the holidays went by in a flash and next thing I know here I am trying to peice it all together in what information I am allowed to share and not.
Our anniversary was on the 13th of December we have now been married for eight years yeay! We stayed home and had spinach stew which was very yummy even though I know it sounds weird. We then got brownies for desert and watched a movie together we tried to toast with some Baileys but we forgot that Bri should not have any alcohol on his medication and he got really dizzy and tired so we went to bed around midnight. For Christmas my family and I went Caroling with the church here it was a lot of fun they are a fun bunch of people. Aidan did a good job of knocking on the doors and running back to stand with our pastors wife who is also our Education Coordinator, Kindergarten sunday school teacher, and he just loves her. Oen loved to sing along sure he didn't know the words but he made the best of it as he hung onto his favorite person our neighbor :) The community here is awesome they got together and donated presents for my children as well as some friends that sent presents, a gift card, and an update to our favorite video game you all know who you are and I am so thankful to have you in my life!! Aidan said it was the best christmas ever! We are working on temporary disabilty for Bri since the doctors say he can't work right now and I totally agree. Its a process though no one wants to be responsible for the paperwork. I hope it all works out soon so I can continue to pay my parents rent as we are still living here without hope of moving our anytime soon. Brian got accepted to AI and is going to start classes online on the tenth he got a good scholarship and applied for the FAFSA so hopefully that all goes through I can't wait for him to get going. He will be working toward his dream job so hopefully that will lift his spirt some. New Years was ok we were all so wiped out that we oldies were all falling asleep lol but it was good and I am looking forward to a year that will be better than the last if not in my living situation but in my attitude and in my walk with the lord at the very least. Here's to a new year that God has given us all :D
Our anniversary was on the 13th of December we have now been married for eight years yeay! We stayed home and had spinach stew which was very yummy even though I know it sounds weird. We then got brownies for desert and watched a movie together we tried to toast with some Baileys but we forgot that Bri should not have any alcohol on his medication and he got really dizzy and tired so we went to bed around midnight. For Christmas my family and I went Caroling with the church here it was a lot of fun they are a fun bunch of people. Aidan did a good job of knocking on the doors and running back to stand with our pastors wife who is also our Education Coordinator, Kindergarten sunday school teacher, and he just loves her. Oen loved to sing along sure he didn't know the words but he made the best of it as he hung onto his favorite person our neighbor :) The community here is awesome they got together and donated presents for my children as well as some friends that sent presents, a gift card, and an update to our favorite video game you all know who you are and I am so thankful to have you in my life!! Aidan said it was the best christmas ever! We are working on temporary disabilty for Bri since the doctors say he can't work right now and I totally agree. Its a process though no one wants to be responsible for the paperwork. I hope it all works out soon so I can continue to pay my parents rent as we are still living here without hope of moving our anytime soon. Brian got accepted to AI and is going to start classes online on the tenth he got a good scholarship and applied for the FAFSA so hopefully that all goes through I can't wait for him to get going. He will be working toward his dream job so hopefully that will lift his spirt some. New Years was ok we were all so wiped out that we oldies were all falling asleep lol but it was good and I am looking forward to a year that will be better than the last if not in my living situation but in my attitude and in my walk with the lord at the very least. Here's to a new year that God has given us all :D
Our Thanksgiving meal.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Just a Few of my Favorite Links
Ok today I am going to post some of my favorite sites enjoy :)
Thats pretty much it my favorite sites that I can think of and link right now next I might post what blogs I've been reading :) If you get time check these out and have fun let me know what you think of some of them.
- Newest fav site: http://www.funmoms.org/
- Reader http://www.google.com/reader
- Free online Book site http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
- Family fun http://www.disneyfamily.com/
- http://www.beingintentional.com/
- http://www.cogito.org/default.aspx
- http://commoncraft.com/
- http://dictionary.reference.com/
- http://www.studystack.com/
- Free Audiobooks http://librivox.org/
- http://www.livescience.com/
- Ideas worth spreading interesting talks by remarkable people http://www.ted.com/
- A thesaurus http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryHome.aspx?lextype=2
- http://whatkidscando.org/ You may be surprised I was
- Translation fun http://babelfish.yahoo.com/
- http://www.sparknotes.com/
- Learn for free about anything http://www1.teachertube.com/
- Find family friendly sites here http://tourthesites.com/
- Free toy printables gotta go look to know what I mean http://thetoymaker.com/
- Looking for some truth check here http://factcheck.org/
- Strange site http://justincaseidie.com/
- http://www.snopes.com/
- http://web.archive.org/collections/web.html
- Check out what patents people have put in for I'm sure you'll find some laughs http://www.colitz.com/site/prior_wacky.html
- I'm not a dad but I like this site and I want to get the book http://geekdadbook.com/
- Read what some stranger is thinking, doing or feeling interesting for sure http://anonymousjournalentries.com/?gclid=CJ7O3oGIuKMCFSFciAodQCj5eQ
Thats pretty much it my favorite sites that I can think of and link right now next I might post what blogs I've been reading :) If you get time check these out and have fun let me know what you think of some of them.
First Post in November What did I learn this year
Ahhh first post in November maybe this month will go a lot better for posts don't hold your breath though lol. I had a busy month in October. There was my in laws and parents anniversary's, Brennen turned two and I turned 27, Halloween, and a bunch of other things. So what did this last year of life teach me hmm... I'm not sure probably not enough. I feel like I wasted this past year. I can't really remember anything that I've done that was worth anything....except taking care of my children which I know is a big deal it's just that there feels like there should be more another year is gone off of my life and I didn't do anything. That includes spending down time where I just think and relax close off the working part of my brain and the distracted by electronics part and just be. I need to just be more. I remember as a young girl sitting for hours and just being. I would lie in the grass and look up at the sky just feeling everything..the way the grass softly tickled me in its little dance with the wind, the wind as it swept across me off to some far away places I only dreamt of, the airplanes taking people to their loved ones and I wondered where they looking down on me? Did they see any of it? The farm house? The Barn? What were they thinking about? I just was and I haven't done that in so long that I'm afraid I don't know how anymore. I feel like I need a babysitter for a half hour so that I can just go be. I could go be in the woods listening to what the trees whisper to me, feel the pine needles under my feet, wonder at the beauty as the sun is splintering down on me through the canopy. Then I would feel rejuvenated and ready to take on more as I am centered back into my self and the world that God has made. I wonder if this is something I could teach my children...and if so how would I go about it...individually take them or try to get them all at once to lie in the grass and listen to the crickets dancing song?
I feel as though I kinda got off track with that topic obviously its something important to me :) so what else about this year...I did learn to just try things jump on in I'm still not that good at it but I am putting myself out there more and i am learning a lot about myself and other people. I learned that we are all a little judgemental, we all gossip even though we think we are just talking or just helping out someone, we all are a little afraid of putting ourselves out there, and we all love someone. Even the cranky man across the way loves something. I learned to look into the heart of people and see their hurt and let it reflect back into me so that I can respond more lovingly then I ever would have before. This is still a work in progress and I believe will be for the rest of my life because there are people that just rub me wrong and I know I need to see them in the love but I stubbornly just keep ignoring it maybe this year I can learn to love those that I really don't like right now.
I have learned that I still need to hug my six year old all the time because he still loves it and he needs that more than just every now and then he needs it everyday several times a day. He gets a goofy grin and I know that All is right with him. I want my boys to know that no matter what I will always love them and they are never to big for me to show it (embarrassing or not lol watch our teenage years :P)
I've learned that I am not a super mom and that's all right because no one is and it's good to not be alone. There may be a mom out there somewhere who bathes her kids every night, finds time to read them several stories every night, never raises her voice, never has to chase her kids out of grandmothers trees, never has to remind them that cats don't like to have their tails pulled and dogs don't like to be hit, and if she is then star stickers to her but I'm betting she's not. I believe that children are the iron that sharpens us we are so flimsy or to tough before kids and they come along to melt you just the right way but harden you in the right way also.
I've learned that when God is silent I need to just wait it out because he will move again but I need to wait for his time because his time is perfect and mine well mine burnt the kids cookies yesterday.
This year I hope to learn so much more than this year including how to enjoy my years more fully that doesn't mean I need more money or I need to go out more or have more stuff but I need to breath and I need to hold my family and I need to make God the center more so than ever. I want this year to be the best so far :)
I feel as though I kinda got off track with that topic obviously its something important to me :) so what else about this year...I did learn to just try things jump on in I'm still not that good at it but I am putting myself out there more and i am learning a lot about myself and other people. I learned that we are all a little judgemental, we all gossip even though we think we are just talking or just helping out someone, we all are a little afraid of putting ourselves out there, and we all love someone. Even the cranky man across the way loves something. I learned to look into the heart of people and see their hurt and let it reflect back into me so that I can respond more lovingly then I ever would have before. This is still a work in progress and I believe will be for the rest of my life because there are people that just rub me wrong and I know I need to see them in the love but I stubbornly just keep ignoring it maybe this year I can learn to love those that I really don't like right now.
I have learned that I still need to hug my six year old all the time because he still loves it and he needs that more than just every now and then he needs it everyday several times a day. He gets a goofy grin and I know that All is right with him. I want my boys to know that no matter what I will always love them and they are never to big for me to show it (embarrassing or not lol watch our teenage years :P)
I've learned that I am not a super mom and that's all right because no one is and it's good to not be alone. There may be a mom out there somewhere who bathes her kids every night, finds time to read them several stories every night, never raises her voice, never has to chase her kids out of grandmothers trees, never has to remind them that cats don't like to have their tails pulled and dogs don't like to be hit, and if she is then star stickers to her but I'm betting she's not. I believe that children are the iron that sharpens us we are so flimsy or to tough before kids and they come along to melt you just the right way but harden you in the right way also.
I've learned that when God is silent I need to just wait it out because he will move again but I need to wait for his time because his time is perfect and mine well mine burnt the kids cookies yesterday.
This year I hope to learn so much more than this year including how to enjoy my years more fully that doesn't mean I need more money or I need to go out more or have more stuff but I need to breath and I need to hold my family and I need to make God the center more so than ever. I want this year to be the best so far :)
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