Wheelchair Mama

Renovation

2011-09-10T01:47:00.002-05:00

Where to start? We knew we had to rip out a wall to access the bathroom easier, so that came first. Such a God thing this rig...we found a sturdy metal beam going across the top, so we had no fear of "cave-in". Husband was able to reuse the "pretty" wallboard to cover the bare wood we'd ripped out! He's so good at this stuff! We gotta keep the fake wood looking 80's motif, you know!

After this was accomplished, the big job was to install the flooring. After ripping out the bed in back for wheelchair accessibility, ('cause who needs places to sleep?) in went the this roll out vinyl that a contractor friend introduced to us this summer. It was light, and only need some trim and glue in some parts. We now have more "fake" wood flooring and it looks awesome.

Miraculously, the generator that kind of worked was an answer to prayer. Our mechanic neighbor came over, tinkered with it and started it right up. He gave us some lessons on generators, which was so helpful. Now we know that a generator goes bad from non-use. So use those generators, people!

We have yet to "use the facilities" or water for that matter. We still have to check if the water heater and furnace works. Although if we are in a place that needs a furnace, we are in the wrong place! More next time...

Bureacratic BS

2011-09-08T06:11:00.002-05:00

Taking a break from RV related topics to speak my mind this early Thursday morning. I just got some dishwashing time in (my thinking/praying time) and wanted to say I don't want to be a part of any organization. Anymore. Be it Boyscouts, a church denomonation, whatever! I so want to be a part of a real movement of God. Maybe the free spirit in me doesn't want to be tied down to rules anymore. Maybe some of those rules prevent us from loving people like we should. I have been guilty of that. Because I am part of this or that, I can't do this or that. How do we breath life into these clubs, etc. that we find ourselves a part? How do we love people, but not be in charge of everyone's well being? My brain hurts, I become bitter, then "burned out" as churches like to say. Loving shouldn't cause burnout! I've felt like I've lost my love for my community. Maybe our answer is to leave so that we realize what we are missing. But will we miss it? Time will tell. The world is there. And we're gonna explore it. I can have hope that we will find community wherever we go.

General Business and the Retrieval of DV

2011-09-05T02:54:00.002-05:00

Right on the heels of the Speak conference my oldest attended church camp. It was a miserable week for all of us, as it just doesn't feel right when we aren't all together. Youngest was extra sensitive with brother being gone, and by the second night had many tears. This same week came the NEW WHEELCHAIR. I will decline to comment on it as, we'll just say, it's not the one I'm using right now. Adjustments are still being made (as in a whole back replacement) and I just hope it is done by the time we leave.

Tangent: I'm listing myself to death (and in my brain) on what to get rid of, what to do before we leave, TENANTS and fall activities coming up.

Ok, back to August. Right after new wheelchair and camp return, we traveled back down to my dad's to get DV. It was bittersweet, knowing I would be driving the minivan back home while husband and children would ride in DV. Oh how I wished we had a car dolly to pull the minivan! But I was just so happy that DV would be home. Dad, as always, did an excellent job on his handywork.

During this visit I got to visit my dad's work. He works for a nursing home as the head of (and only) maintenance. It was nice to see how much alike (once again) my dad and I really were, as I just love elderly people. I got to talk to a resident my age, as my dad thought I could give him some encouragement in his situation. So after a night stay, a few pictures and some instructions on lift usage, we took off back home.

Next up, the renovation...

The Speak Foundation and Hot-lanta

2011-09-02T08:45:00.004-05:00

While waiting for the lift project to be completed, we attended a conference. This conference is for people with disabilities such as myself. It is put on by
The Speak Foundation, which was started by a beautiful Christian lady named Kathryn Bryant. She probably never dreamed it would be this big, but oh man it has grown. How exciting to meet up and make lifelong friends with people who know exactly the things you go through from day to day.

It was so much fun traveling around downtown Atlanta, GA, or Hot-lanta as we Speakies like to call it, in our wheelchair posse. Even getting caught in the rain was fun! What's more important is that we now have friends around the country (and Canada) that we will go to visit. How exciting! I can't tell you how invaluable this conference was for me. Good thing 16 hours in a minivan without a/c at the beginning of August didn't stop us! While in the area, we had to visit a Diners, Drive-ins and Dives restaurant, The Silver Skillet. Good old southern fare, complete with grits and lemon pie! This place hasn't been changed since its inception in the 1950's. That goes for accessibility. Since there are stairs in the front, I had to roll (squeeze) through the tiny kitchen, past the fryers and all. What we do for experience!

If that wasn't fun enough, we went to the most awesome restaurant ever with the best sister in the world on the way back: Blueberry Hill in St. Louis. This restaurant seats over 300 people, and we sat in the darts room. Yes, that means real dart boards, for free! The boys were in heaven. I loved the variety of food as well as all the framed pictures of famous people who had passed through the venue. Chuck Barry still also plays there! What a great trip!

I am Janice Joplin

2011-08-27T10:13:00.002-05:00

It was July 2011 as Me and Bobby McGee came on the radio. Flying down the road in my (way cool) minivan, bandanna wearing, windows open, praying to God that what I was following would not fall off our rig and kill me. I was following our future: the very RV (henceforth referred to as Da Vinci, or DV) that would be carrying our family into the unknown. I was the watchdog for the 400 lb wheelchair lift that was strapped to DV, being transported down to my dad's, and magically, somehow, installed. It was a 3 hour journey down and within the first hour, tow straps had already broken twice. Was this even worth it. We were irritable. Neither the minivan or DV had a/c. It was 90 some degrees without heat index. What the crap were we thinking?

Faith does wonderful things. I knew if we got it down there, dad would work his magic and get it installed. We made it down safely, got to see the local museum (love small towns) and had a heart to heart with my sister. It was a nice time. We then headed back without DV, as this project was going to be more than a few days.

I think that most people think we are crazy. Good thing my mom taught me not to care what people think. It has served me well. So I'll just keep singing this crazy melody of traveling fulltime. 'Cause it's gonna happen. More to come...

Blog: revived!

2011-08-22T17:11:00.002-05:00

Well, it's not going to be all fancy, but I wanted a place to record our travels. That's right, people, we will be traveling full time starting at the beginning of November. We are taking the kids to Disney World before they get too old, and we are very excited. I will be blogging about taking Da Vinci (our RV) down to dad's, getting the lift installed, and about DH's injury at the beginning of the year that threw us head first into this craziness. I'm also going to record some recipes I need, so I'm not travelling with paper/books on the road. Stay tuned...

Fall Update

2010-10-26T08:52:00.002-05:00

So, according to my last post I stated that we'd have our debt paid off by mid-October. I WISH! We ran into some unexpected contractor fees at hubby's work, so we had to use $800 of our savings money toward these. That's ok though, as I know we will get that debt paid off again very soon. Although www.Ambleside.com is a great resource, we have been mainly using www.lessonpathways.com. It maps out the whole year for us! Heavenly! Football for oldest was added to our fall schedule, and can I just say thank God that is over? He enjoyed football, but 3 nights a week and Saturday games is a lot to handle. Our only consistent activity, besides scouts and Awana, is youngest's bowling league.

We dived into Halloween full force. For several of my married years, we had not celebrated this event. I feel that was a bit religious of us, but we were only doing what was expected of "good Christians." We do not live under the law, and dressing up and getting candy does not diminish our relationship with Jesus. That is the long and short of it. We do not celebrate the undertones of this holiday because, um, we don't worship satan. I have such great memories of Halloween as a child. I wanted to pass that on to my children and not have them live in fear of this holiday. Why should the devil make us hide away? Let's be a light to the world! Ethan was a clown, and Luke was a spiderman/knight (whatever he felt like at the time).

Well, youngest one is up, so I must head off!

Summer and Stuff

2010-08-18T00:58:00.002-05:00

Has my last post really been that long ago? That's ok, no expectations here! Anyway, we have taken 2, count them, 2 trips to Texas this summer. (3 total for the year, counting the new year). We just love that state, but there were events going on in which we were a part: 1) my brother's wedding and Air Force graduation, and 2) my cousin's wedding. It was a crazy ride, literally, we drove both trips. No a/c. Texas in the summer. We went into debt for these excursions, but will have it paid off by mid-October.

We have finally (I hope) found our happy medium for homeschooling this year. I'm pretty excited about www.Ambleside.com, a website dedicated to Charlotte Mason-type teaching. It even has a reading list. I'm so excited to try this this year. I know my limitations, so we are doing a 2 week on, 1 week off schedule, with taking all of December off. We are also using a supervising teacher instead of testing--so much less stress!

Overall, I'm just happy to get to know the boys better this year even more than last. I've felt that our lives have been taken over a bit by electronics, and that will be very limited starting Sept. 13th. Our fave "real" game right now is the Monopoly card game. So fun! Ethan went to 4, one day military camps this summer, as well as a 4 day, 3 night trip to church camp. My little homebody, Luke, and I have spent quite a bit more time together, and it has been a joy. We are a lot alike, being pretty happy with calm activities, where Ethan is more of a rollerskate down the hill type of guy! I love them both. Time is fleeting at the age of 6 (almost 7) and 9.

Moving into the fall will put us heavily involved in Scouts and Awana, so we are looking forward to that. It's nice to pare down to mainly those activities as we move into fall. We still have the Labor Day telethon coming up, so you locals may see us on tv that day!

Things I have learned this summer, more deeply: that church is not necessarily in a building, but made up of the people. Also, that we are not to follow man, but the very voice of God. He guides and directs our steps, and has great plans for us. Thank you, Lord!

When Leaving is the Right Thing to do...

2010-04-15T22:17:00.002-05:00

How do I start this post without offending? Hmmm. It's my blog, my "diary", so let's just say screw it. I barely update this anyway! My big guy, his name is Ethan, by the way, got a dose of the real world today. In retrospect, it wasn't a huge deal; I knew that things were escalating, violence, sticks, so many boys playing together without supervision (my fault). Ethan had hurt someone, apologized, and all was fine. The little bro of the person that was hurt retaliated once (in front of me). Understood, good brothers always do! It was after that that the laying into happened. This said little bro started hitting Ethan. Ethan actually cried. If you know E, you know it takes a lot of pain to make him cry. The long and short of it, that's when we left. I am so thankful this happened in my view instead of a random playground at a school somewhere, unwitnessed. All in all, it did open my eyes to how my children act after this regular Thurs meet-up. I ignored it because I was selfish! The moms are great people! But I have to get back to the reason we are doing this (homeschooling): to bring up boys of character, and have a closer relationship with them. If anything gets in the way of that, then it has to go.

It's been an unusually quiet day, but I think my bubbly Ethan is back, at 10pm no less! God granted us boys with sensitive hearts, especially E. And just so this post ends on a positive note, with the nice weather, we've had the neighbors over more. I can tell that we haven't had people over in a while when Luke (my youngest) goes around to the guests and asks if they want drinks, would they like to play legos, wii, outside etc. So funny, we have a little host on our hands!

I Need My Mom

2010-02-09T08:42:00.002-06:00

It's one of those days...do you have a moment? My wheelchair has been broken for 10 1/2 days now. I am thankfully borrowing a chair, but it's definitely not the same! Even though my beloved chair does not move forward, I can still sit in it to get comfortable, to lean back, etc. This is the longest I've ever been without it. Praise the Lord that it's getting fixed today, but that means it's not at my house to rescue me; one whole day without the hope of real comfort. It's a little scary. My birthday is tomorrow and I've got so much to do outside the home, it's ridiculous. We haven't had actual groceries for days. Just random food purchased here and there.

Did I mention that my youngest son woke up and promptly threw up all over the floor and couch? Mom, this is a time I need you. These are always the times. Maybe that's selfish, but she always knew how to save the day. I will miss you on my birthday tomorrow. 32 years ago, my 9 lb 9 oz body was taken by cesarean. 'With a due date of January 16th, it's no wonder I got so big! Well, look down on me today and give me strength. Love you.

Teeth!

2009-12-10T23:47:00.002-06:00

So I forgot that around the age of 6, they start losing teeth! Youngest son wanted to do something special, so he lost two teeth in two days! Dec. 8th marks the loss of his first front bottom tooth. Dec. 9th was the day for it's neighbor to go. I'd had a headache Dec. 8th, so I couldn't get to sleep. It's a good thing, as I hear a gasp, then "my tooth," then "Mommy!" All but dad got up for the momentous occasion. We immediately started working on the neighboring tooth, as it was just hanging by a thread. Oldest son tried to watch, squirming and covering his eyes. How exciting! So my little bugger earned $2 in two nights sleep.

On another note, Facebook.com kind of sucks up my blogs. It's so much easier and shorter. I'll try to be better, maybe stopping in for an important event. Maybe I'll post my updates here! We'll see. We've been home for three days straight, since the big Dec. 8th blizzard. It was fun at first, but now it's getting old, and we're running out of food. I'm counting the days until our house is paid off and we can leave for the winter. It's not only for me anymore, as hubby has already had pneumonia this winter. Life is too short. We'd like to be warm. So glad I married someone like-minded.

Still Here!

2009-09-23T08:54:00.002-05:00

Boy, Facebook really does suck all my good posts! Here are a few things coming up for posts: Atlanta trip, babysitting a sweet girl, starting school, home improvement.

So check back!

Things that make me happy

2009-08-18T22:33:00.003-05:00

Maybe it's because he calls me babe, or maybe it's because he delivers our sweet kernels to my van window. I just know that when I see his pickup in the DQ parking lot, and his over 70 smile beams, I am happy. Another thing that make me happy is when my oldest son dances. He's got the moves. We went to the Coolio concert at the State Fair. Thankfully, we couldn't see or hear much, but the beat made him dance.

We just started to participate in Halloween, and this year oldest son wants go as a biker. I just had this feeling that he would be blessed, as whenever he decides something it almost always comes true. Sure enough, we went to the thrift store and found a motorcycle jacket, bracelet and helmet. Amazing. I'll post pics when my camera is up and running.

Fevers are running amok in our house, so a lot of immune system strength is being built. Pray that it is over soon, as we leave for Atlanta in 9 days. AAaaahh! Ordered some curriculum called Growing with Grammar. It was only $30 for the whole year, and this covers the things that I am most concerned about for oldest. On deck for extras this year include: tennis, basketball, music/choir, art, Awanas, chess club, and various co-ops and workshops done locally. It will be an exciting year, as school ages this year are kindergarten and 3rd grade.

Thus ends our update!

2nd Tooth Removal

2009-08-07T04:48:00.003-05:00

Since I am apparently unable to sleep, I thought I'd document another tooth escapade. This time it was with the oldest son, and it was his first molar. Apparently, an infection was forming under this tooth (which was capped). He had it removed a week ago and also got sealant on his other molars (Godsend), and everything went well. Might I just add that I have no cavities, and have had only 2 wisdom teeth removed? I don't know what is wrong with my children's teeth. They do brush, and we even use fluoride toothpaste (we're not au naturalle in that area). So, like in one of my previous posts, at least kids' teeth have a second chance!

Cataloging our day

2009-08-06T22:05:00.002-05:00

I must start out with the funny conversation between the boys in the back seat:

Youngest: I just love these seeds! (Referring to sunflower seeds).
Oldest: But they do make you thirsty.
Youngest: Will a flower grow in my stomach?
Oldest: No, only when you poop it out. Maybe in the sewer or something.
Youngest: Oh.
Oldest: Wait! I just swallowed one whole. I wonder...

Oh and it just keeps going on and on, folks. The wonderment of children.

We had a full day. We have started with their online schoolwork as of Monday, and have been successful doing a little every day. Lots of laundry done, check. Dishes unloaded and more loaded, check. Husband doing great building our desk, check (more on that later). The boys also played with the neighbor boy, who is moving away. They are very sad about this. He is a very good boy. We also went to a friend's house to play army and legos (the moms sat and chatted), which was such a joy. I love seeing this mom friend of mine, parent. She is a very loving and patient mother from whom I can learn a lot!

We also went to the farmer's market. We spent money on food that we shouldn't, and I was disappointed in the produce there. No small farm, non-chemical produce type stands. So, we just spent money on the already prepared variety.

I wanted to get back to the home improvement side of our life. Hubby is currently making an 8 ft. desk out of pine. It's gonna be so great! We will be able to fit both computers on it, so we can all do our work together. It's going to be installed into the corner of our new addition room, and it matches the knotty pine that will soon be our trim and "crown moulding". The room is coming together, which is one more step to organization. Woo hoo!

Well, there's my update. Hope everyone is having a great summer!

A Very Nice Day

2009-07-22T22:02:00.002-05:00

We are locked in to the 9:15 am swim lessons through July 30th, and it has not been swimming weather! When it's in the 60's in the morning, swimming is the last thing on my mind! But, the boys are doing great. Oldest is in level 4, and youngest is in level 2 on a 1-5 scale.

If you know our oldest, you'll know that he has a very social personality. He asked if he could get together with friends more. We knocked around the idea of sending him to school, when we heard of a new Christian school opening this fall. We felt strongly that we should do something for him, and we thought this was the answer. When we visited and found out about their long school day, we decided that it was not the answer. In my hormonal state, I cried out to God to give us the answer. He gave me a verse in 1 Peter to love people. Huh. So Your telling me I should just love my children and things will fall into place? Fancy that! Well, as hubby prayed, he got a pretty obvious answer: we dual enroll. Duh. We already officially do that for the testing, but we haven't actually taken advantage of it, so next step is to check the local schools for gym/music/art classes. Problem solved! God is good!

I'm also taking a spiritual gifts/Holy Spirit class at church. I love the leaders of it, and I'm really excited to see where it goes. I had some practice at prophecy at my last church, so we'll dust off that gift and give it a whirl. That's right, folks. You can practice God's gifts. You don't have to be perfect. Amen to that!

Cooking with WM, part 1

2009-07-21T19:42:00.004-05:00

That's right, folks. I'm gonna post a recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Rice--Beans-Haitian-Style/Detail.aspx. This went over pretty well tonight. Comment from the 8 yr old: "Looks gross, but tastes great!" We also had sauteed kale with minced garlic. Not every one's fave, but we were all healthy and full. As I endeavor to go more "raw" or uncooked food, I will try to post what works for us. For breakfast this morning, we had freckle faces. Eyes and mouth were blueberries, half a banana nose, then granola thrown on everywhere . Oh, and I did have a small amount of whipped cream left, from which I made little cheeks. Gotta be balanced, right?

Riding Down Hills with Boys

2009-06-25T19:08:00.002-05:00

When this family is without a van, we shall walk (or roll). So, off to the store we went, nothing shall keep us down! It is an uphill climb to the store, but so much fun on the way back. Since we hardly stay at home during the summer, it is hard to suddenly be without transportation. My van door has had problems for...a long time. Now, the ramp has followed suit. We can handle opening a door without fancy electronics, but not a ramp. It is a blessing, though. We were able to visit some neighbor friends at their garage sale, the boys got exercise, and I got a coffee from Caribou!

There has been so much more going on, but this day stood out from the rest, because it was a day of rest (in a sense). The boys enjoyed it, and so did I. Now hubby is installing gutters, and generally fixing the rest of the addition. We had a slight flooring dilemma since we have a low threshold door (for my wheelchair). We can't put actual flooring down, so we went with doing a cool looking stain on our cement floor (like you see at some independent coffee shops). Thank you, Abby, for the flooring idea! The walls and ceiling are textured and painted. We went with sage and chocolate. I love seeing things come together. By the fall we will have it done, I declare!

This weekend, we have a cub scout campfire and fishing day, as well as going to church, as we have missed two weeks in a row. For father's day weekend, we went to see my dad. I really see a lot of my dad in myself. As much as I don't like change, I do have the sense of vision that my dad has. He is thinking of buying property to make into a family/recreational cabin. I love it. That value of property ownership runs deep in my veins. Once our house is paid off, we fully intend on buying land somewhere (down south) to use in the winter months.

We would love to travel semi full time. This is another dream of ours, which brings me to something ironic. My ancestry is mostly found in Denmark, Germany, and Ireland. At one of the free lunches we frequent, I start talking to another mom, who is moving back to Ireland! She also says she loves having visitors! Now I am on the search for a carrier cruise (is there such a thing) that would carry us and our vehicle. With that, I must be on my merry way!

The dog blog

2009-05-29T07:17:00.002-05:00

Our experience with the pup was short-lived. I really tried to be a dog person, for the kids' sake. She lasted 2 whole months. At least the vaccinations were an investment into a living being, as was her 3 classes of obedience training (that the new owners are continuing!) She just overpowered me, as a pup! Imagine when she would have been full grown! She would not stop biting the boys, and she dug up our yard (she was bored). The boys were chased out of their backyard. Cutie (now Lucy) is on a farm, where she is happy, and can have a job.

The transition went great! We actually got a kitten the day before we gave Cutie to the farm. That softened the blow. I don't think they even said bye to "their" pup when we left the farm that day. Maybe the boys will be cat lovers like their mom :) I will be getting some pics of the new kitty, Silver, on here soon. I never even got any good pics of Cutie, as she was so wild. And if we weren't gluttons for punishment enough, we are getting Silver's sister today. She is at my friend's acreage, at which their 2 female cats had kittens, 9 between them. They are slowly being preyed upon by a fox, so I couldn't say no! Then the conversion will be complete in the Wheelchair Mama household: 3 boys, 3 girls. We're a regular Brady Bunch!

A Trip Taken, A Trip Delayed

2009-05-19T00:55:00.002-05:00

We're back from our short trip to WI. It was a sad, introspective, family-filled weekend. With respect to privacy, I will not use names. A close cousin died last Wednesday. She was a private, intelligent, outdoorsy, mother of a young one. This last one just kills me. Kills me. Her husband is wonderful, though. A wonderful dad, devoted husband. I wish I could share my whole thoughts of this experience. It would just take too long, and I would end up crying...again.

The boys got the most in depth view of death this time. The burial was in the forest; we all put flowers on the box, it was lowered, and those who felt lead, sprinkled a handful of dirt. Trees were planted afterwards, then we all adjourned to have food on the property (owned by her dad). This is just a short summary, but there is oh so much more. This cousin was the best listener, and a wise person. She had a memory like a steel trap, and she was a great mother. My memories of her consist of her laugh, playing games together, her willingness always to help, and her close relationship to her sister (my other cousin)--their bond was unmatched--I have not seen any other in a sister relationship.

Her sister and I stayed up until 3am Sunday morning. Talking. Laughing. Crying. Reminiscing. Oh, what an impact this death has on our family. My sweet, elderly grandmother (mentioned in earlier posts) was beside herself that she had lost a granddaughter before her own passing. It's just not right. I agreed.

I sit here now, tears streaming down. Reality of a 7-8 hour drive...one way. 4 humans and a pup. We kept our personal reality close by for this trip. I'm glad for that. We don't know how many days we have here, people. I ponder this--every day I will ponder this. I will have no regrets. Every day is a new day. We can always say sorry, always forgive.

Needless to say, our memorial weekend trip will be delayed. I'll have to post happier later, just thought I'd stop in to give you and update.

Finally Goin' a-Campin'

2009-05-09T01:52:00.002-05:00

Well, the plans are somewhat in place. We are going to see the land of Lincoln (Springfield, IL). While planning to see the museum and some other Lincoln-ish sites around the area, the kids also want to see castles. We've been reading a bedtime story book on castles lately, so I thought that maybe there'd be some close by. I actually didn't expect to find 3 of them in the state of IL. Unfortunately, they are almost 4 hours from the Springfield area, but they are still on our itinerary as a possibility. While I'd rather go to a warmer climate (AZ, TX), I know that frugality is leading us to travel closer to home.

The boys are staying up later and later. Maybe it's just my laziness, but it's kind of fun to let them be up. We do have a normal bedtime routine, but it can be fun to break that for a season. Why not? They don't have to be anywhere the next morning (usually). It's so great to be free. The boys also attended the final Awana ceremony, thus ending our 08-09 year of Awanas. It's bittersweet to see them moving up to different classes next year. That will put hubby and I in a (possibly) different teaching opportunity--we'll see where God leads.

Looking forward to Mother's day, and having our acoustic, coffee shop set on Sunday morning at church. It will be different, and also be followed by going to my favorite restaurant. That night we will go to my nephews birthday party, so also no cooking there. I know that it is necessary to spend time in the kitchen for my families health, I'm glad to have a break on "my" days :)

Just When I Thought We Were Ahead

2009-05-06T02:39:00.002-05:00

The only thing left of our debt after our tax refund this year: mortgage, commercial vehicle payment. (As stated in a previous post). Yay! Almost. My van needs new brakes--$600 worth. Exactly what we have in savings. Oh, and I semi-forgot to pay our tax guy from 2008. So we're not out of the clear, yet.

Funny story: we owed our library a good chunk of money. I go up to the counter to pay it. It's under 3 different names. Apparently you can't pay it all in one chunk? I give my name, none owed. Oldest son's name, $55 owed. Youngest son, $28 owed. Husband, $8.75. With each name the quiet, kind librarian guy pulled up, he went, "whew"! Good thing you can't be loud in a library, or he'd be sayin', "Man, lady, keep track of your crap, for goodness sake!"

We may be able to pay the brake thing from savings, and our general fund that goes to house construction (sorry house). That's OK--there are so many more things to think about. Upping our vitamin D intake to fight the flu, praying for our nation, just two examples.

Tomorrow is the last night of Awanas, and for part of that I will be taking our Cutie pup to obedience training. She needs it. She is a biter. I will be interested to see how it turns out. We want to take her camping, but we can't even let her in the house! We're thinking IL for memorial weekend. Not sure where, yet, but there are castles and a Lincoln museum. Any other suggestions?

Another night in the box

2009-04-29T22:27:00.002-05:00

We got a dishwasher! Since I've moved out on my own, I have not had a dishwasher. That's been 11 years! So, the boys have been sleeping in the box for the second night now. I love that they are able to do that. We have nowhere to be tomorrow, except baseball practice in the evening. I love those days.

I have some documentation of our life that I'd like to share. While Heather over at Moving Castle is talking about the birds and the bees, my youngest is having discussions about death. We've had a lot of death in our family. I'm sure that weighs on a little brain.

Youngest: So you (me) will die first, then daddy, then [oldest], then me. So, how old will I be?"
Me: Well, we don't know when we will die.
Youngest: So, how old will I be?
Me: I don't know how old you will be.
Youngest: Will I go to heaven?
Me: If you know Jesus, you will go to heaven. Do you believe in Him?
Youngest: Yes.

So that has been our conversation a few times. What a great kid.

On another note, it's been raining forever. And ever. I'm behind on the laundry...but not the dishes! My house is a mess. Obedience training for Cutie starts in a week. There are my rambling thoughts.

Just Say No to the Deo

2009-04-26T17:54:00.002-05:00

Huge rash on armpits. Aloe will hopefully work. Cease using homemade deo for me! Warning: will be without deoderant for unknown amount of time!

So far today: Church was great--hubby rocked it in worship, met a new homeschooler that came, then went out eat with our best friends, relaxing in the stormy weather. Life is good.

Starbucks roobios sucks

2009-04-25T01:28:00.002-05:00

So, now that I got that out of the way, this post is not really about Starbucks. I am a Caribou fan, myself, btw. Today was be-u-ti-ful. How wonderful to feel a little sweaty. My van temp said 88 degrees outside--heaven. But, we still had wind, which made it nice.

Well, I wouldn't be honest if I didn't cover our Thursday park day experience. It's been very hard to find friends for oldest son. He finds friends everywhere he goes, but I gravitate to moms with children with youngest son's age. Oldest found some boy(s) that are cool buds. Then girls came and messed it up. Can I say that, being a girl myself? It's nuts that it starts so early. Nothing that I can control, but I can control us being there. Still praying on that one. So here is the story, in a nutshell: Oldest was tired of playing magic and harry potter. He stated that he did not believe in that stuff. He was then made fun of. I think that's freakin' awesome. He is strong enough in his beliefs that he stood up for them. Yay. Now, I don't want him subjected to this on a weekly basis, but I'm glad that the beliefs we instilled are manifesting in his life.

Insert comment about harry potter: when oldest asked me "what a harry potter" was, I kind of laughed and said, it's a book. He then asked what it was about. What I know of the book is that it is about a boy who goes to witch/warlock school, and learns the ways of spells and such. Now, that's a dumbed down version. I didn't shed any negative light on it at all. I wanted him to make a determination on it. He then asked if it was OK. I told him to pray about it and to see what God would think about it. A very short time later, he said that God wouldn't like it. End of story.

Anyway, he apparently has a girlfriend at said park day. She's cute, and I think her family are Christians. Interesting that we would go to a secular home school event, yet end up with Christians around us. It's inevitable! God is good. Oldest told hubby about it, and told him not to tell me. Yikes! He thought I'd be mad. Man, I don't want to be a hard a$$, but I am a little overprotective. We all ended up talking about it tonight.

Anyway, sleep will hopefully call to me soon, so we'll talk soon, K?

A very earthy day

2009-04-23T00:26:00.003-05:00

What a full day! Art class for the boys, then to the Botanical Center for the free admission. I admit, with my boys (ok, and me), we can't make it past an hour there. I love botany, but if I can't eat it, it's not as fun. We then went to the free organic food tastings at our local Hyvee. Oh how we love you, Fleur Hyvee. We visit you often, and you bless us with 10 percent off every Wednesday.

Then it was off for some more free stuff at a local (vegetarian) coffee shop. Oldest was with me for that one, as youngest got tired of not being home (my little home body). So, I dropped him off to hubby, as he finished deliveries with youngest in tow. I met with a blogger friend at the coffee shop. How lovely she is. Pictures will be following shortly. (But have that baby first, Sar!) Funny note: there was a big sign that said Vegetarian, as we walked in the door. Oldest stated that he eats meat and likes it. I wonder if he realizes that I don't cook meat. LOL. I buy a chunk of ham for sandwiches on occasion--maybe that's what he means?

We were then off to church, where there is--count it--2 more classes this spring. I love my 3-5 yr olds, but after 8-9 mo., I need a break.

Learned of a dear friend who is moving. While I am sad, I know this has been her desire for a long time. Good for you, girl. I will visit--you can't stop me. We are a traveling family. Oh, the camping trip this weekend was cancelled due to cub scout sign up being low. We will camp as a family, soon, though. I'll keep you updated on that.

Looking forward to 80 degrees and park day tomorrow. Iowa is not looking so bad, when it's warm. Another not fun to do on my list: go to DHS. No, I'm not in trouble ;) It was suggested by my multi-faceted muscular dystrophy clinic that I try to get some help to fix my van. If you know me well, you know that my boys (all three) have been muscling (is that a word?) my ramp door open for some time now. Slowly parts fall off of this wonderful van, but it will serve us well for many more years. Another one would be $30,000+. Gulp.

Well, I'm up way late, but I've had wheat grass juice, so I'm very chipper. Pray I can get SOME sleep tonight!

Sassy Seven

2009-04-21T02:13:00.002-05:00

I've come to find out that my oldest is not the sassy one. It's me. Why to kids get sassy? They mirror their parents. It's a hard truth. Found out, also, that oldest was lying about brushing his teeth. It was only 2 times. You can't get anything past the youngest. Youngest told me that oldest was not brushing his teeth because he had felt his toothbrush and it was dry! How did he know to do that? LOL. He will be a good dad someday. As for the lie, I just calmly asked oldest why he wasn't brushing his teeth. He just said that he didn't want to. I kind of laughed and told him that the dentist wasn't too fun when you have to go due to rotten teeth. He just said OK. I knew he had felt bad for lying. He has an almost immediate repented heart, that boy.

The oldest boy just told us tonight that he wanted his own room. I wondered when this was coming. I'm going to give it a few days to see if it's mentioned again. If it is a repeat request, we will be doing some rearranging. Since the computer would stay in his room, does anyone know any good parental controls/blocks from unwanted nasties on the computer? Right now, they know what sites they can use, but sometimes there is an ad that pops up, and it's accidentally clicked, then they are off to God knows what.

We are going to start the transition to summerish clothing. That will be interesting. What do ya'll do? It bein' Iowa and all, I still want to keep jeans and sweatshirts for the evenings and camping. Where on earth do you store it all? We have 2 four drawer dressers, and they share a closet for hang-ups and blankets. Looking for ideas on space management!

God grant me patience for tomorrow. Last cub scout meeting of the month, one baseball practice, clothes rearranging, and maybe a trip to the toy store for youngest to spend some of his money. Also need more dog bones. And that's my Tuesday list.
Ciao!

Deo

2009-04-14T22:26:00.002-05:00

So today was the first full day for the homemade deodorant. My wonderful bff had some left over from her makings, so we were the recipients of the coco oil/cornstarch/baking soda masterpiece. I love it. I smell like coconut; I also don't sweat with it. It is good piece of mind that I'm not clogging my pores with cancerous chemicals.

The boys and I ran some errands in this (finally) glorious weather. Oil change, in which they gave us the most expensive car wash for free (we are blessed). Also, I think we have found our Easter tradition. You may think we're cheap, but here it is. We bought Easter baskets after Easter. The boys were so excited. They got to pick whatever one they wanted since they were half price, after all! They get so much stuff at the in laws and from family, that we don't do much at home with baskets/candy. We also went thrifting, where I found sandals for the oldest boy, for $1.99. Yippee!

At the end of our day, hubby was still not off work. I ended up carting the boys around to practice on opposite ends of town. Boy 1 had ball practice, then boy 2 had practice 1/2 hour later. We rounded off our day with all of us going to cub scouts. They made spaghetti towers with spaghetti, gum drops, and marshmallows. Very fun. There's an update on our day...April is looking very busy. I am trying my best to be excited about the things that the boys are excited about. Maybe I'm just grumpy. Oldest boy would like to learn to make soap. So, we will make soap tomorrow, after art class. I'm off to look up ingredients.

A Relaxing Day

2009-04-13T22:33:00.003-05:00

It was a cold and rainy...oh wait, that was today! We stayed in today, and found a new funbrain.com game on the computer. The kids now know who Thomas Edison, so my work here is done, Amen. We skipped our scheduled music lesson, made tortillas from scratch, and mudballs. It was a good day. I am more and more praying and thinking of Texas. Oh, I didn't mention this yet? Well alrighty. Ever since my hubby came home and shared a story he'd heard about TX, we have been thinking of moving there. Now don't freak out--we're thinking 5 years down the road. I've also had these thoughts about Virginia, shortly after my mom died. I have family in both of these states.

The Iowa weather is very hard on me. While others are excited about 50 to 60 degrees coming, I long for 80's and 90's--it's like anything lower than that makes me physically tense. I'm tired of being a prisoner of the indoors. I love being outside, and it feels like I only get a good 2-3 months a year that I can do that. I sense my kids becoming the dreaded indoors kids that I don't want them to be.

I'm excited to report that we will be debt free when we get our federal refund this year. Yahoo! Well, let me note, except for the commercial van payment and our house payment. Does anyone ever imagine being without a mortgage payment in their lifetime? It seems people our age don't even envision themselves without it, so why try? I tell you, 20-30 year olds out there. IT IS POSSIBLE. You can do it. With a little self restraint, and some extra payments toward your home...can you imagine freeing up that money?! I only think, with our van and house payment gone, that frees up $1000 for us a month. $1000! There is so much we could do with that money.

Speaking of money, I have to get something out there. We don't save for our childrens' college education. What? You horrible parents, you say. No, we save for them--they each have savings accounts. We just do not designate what they are to be used for. I figure they will need that money someday, when they are all grown up. At that point, they can decide what they need. A car, start a business, go to college. They will know--God will direct their path. That said, I'm glad they are not going to be forced into college like I was. While it was a good experience, I still felt like I really didn't know what I was getting into, and how many 18 year olds know what they want to do with their life? I'm guessing not too many. With this economy, we'll see what the future holds for my boys. I feel for this upcoming generation. It will be interesting to see how America changes, and their part in it all.

A blizzard and the DOT

2009-04-06T07:42:00.002-05:00

So we experienced the forcasted blizzard yesterday. Yay. April 5th--only in Iowa would we get a blizzard in the spring. Thankfully, little pup was not entirely confused about going potty outside. The boys cleared a little snow to make way for grass. Boys played outside. They've been playing Indiana Jones by unhooking the chain of their swings, on one side, and swinging on it. It's a nice break from Star Wars. I guess it's a natural thing for boys to be hooked on something for a long time. At least it's Star Wars and not Strawberry Shortcake (darn).

Interesting experience at the DOT aka Dept. of Transportation. I have to submit a medical report every 2 years. So, Saturday hubby and I travel to the suburbs to (quickly) renew my dl. Good friends did manly stuff at Home Depot with the boys while we went on this errand. After reviewing my medical report, the DOT found that my doctor filled something out unsatisfactorily. Long story short, I have a temporary license until April 10th, after which it will be suspended. I have to bug my doctor, yet again, so re-fill out my report so I can fax it there asap. It is also time for heath insurance renewal for the kids, as well as the first week of baseball practices. I WILL NOT BE STRESSED.
I tend to get caught up in the details, and not enjoy life. This is why I surround myself with friends that are not this way.

On another note, here's an update on some medical things. My annual doc appt with Iowa City folks was on April 2nd. Good news, my breathing is stable--even a bit better. Some bad news: my kind of muscular dystrophy has a heart component with it. Cardio myopathy. Haven't looked anything up on that yet, but I am going to get an ultrasound of my heart soon. I really am not worried about this. If I cured my kidney infections by changing my diet, surely I can keep my heart beating a bit longer?! :)

Thanks for listening...now back to your regularly scheduled day!

Peekin' in

2009-04-04T07:45:00.002-05:00

I forgot to mention a friggin' hilarious comment that my hubby made the other day. Here goes...
A lawn care co. knocked on our door. Hubby answers. He does that, you know. He likes confrontation aka sales people. Me, not so much. The sales guy, I will lovingly call him Dude.

Dude: Hi, sir. We're doing lawn care plans for people in the neighborhood, and I was wondering if we could start one for you.

Hubby: We don't use chemicals.

Dude: Oh, but they're EPA approved...

Hubby: I don't care if they're NASA approved, we don't use chemicals on our lawn.

Dude: (stares at Hubby)

Hubby: All righty, have a good day.

Dude: Oh, oh, OK sir, have a good day.

I almost pee my pants just typing this. I don't think that guy will ever try to sell us again! I think my hubby has finally been converted to my natural ways. Waaaahhaaahaaa.

We're Still Alive!

2009-04-02T00:25:00.003-05:00

So we're right in the middle of tests for my oldest homeschooler. I actually cried when I dropped him off today (but just a little). You know how you just get caught up in the blog world, and it concurs with your thoughts? Well, I feel--why blog for myself--they've said what I wanted to say. It's laziness. I'm currently listening on Pandora, Karen Carpenter doing 3 part harmony with herself. Don't ask, she's the best singer there ever was. I try to model her, as I've spent many nights in my life with headphones on, just soaking in her voice. Such a tragic life, but what an emotion evoking voice.

So we got a pup! What? Yep that's right. I'm not a dog person, but d*** is she cute. Her name? Well it's Cutie, of course. Now if I can figure out why my camera keeps dying. Or how to download pics. Laziness again. While son #2 sometimes feels like a prisoner in his own home, with her jumping and chewing (on us), he is starting to take responsibility. Son #1 has pee puddle duty, while son #2 has poop duty (outside). Poop is always outside, but pee is not there yet. Thankfully, we only have carpet in our bedroom, which she is not allowed in. And yes, I said she! Woo-hoo...more females in the house. Give me a whoop! Now we only need a female kitty...it will happen, and soon!

I've been a terrible mom, so I must blog that, to be transparent. I bark orders like a drill sergeant. I'm starting to see that in my sons. Crap. I am reading a book on how to raise kids like Jesus would. I actually made my son #2 cry when he spilled all over my lap today. I love smelling like sour milk. Yippee. And just before I am to teach his Cubbie class. What an example. I guess we are all sinners. Can I be more honest? Did you know I never intended on having kids? I knew I was too selfish, I have no patience, it would wreck my body, and on and on. Boy, there are only 2 distinct times that I've heard God's audible voice. '"Get married to this man."' and '"Have children."' That was a great thing for a feminist to do--I'll get right on that. Well, I'm no longer a feminist, and I serve Jesus. What a 180 life change. So, I still have no patience; I'm selfish; and it wrecked my body. But, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

So now it's your turn--what audible things have YOU heard from God?

An unusual day

2009-03-11T02:22:00.003-05:00

So I'm up late again. Meal plannin', listenin' to pandora.com (thank you, John). I'm reading about schooling methods/parenting methods. One can never learn too much. This post, I'm going to talk about Monday, March 9th. It started out slow. Hubby came home after delivering his pharmacies, achy, nauseous, generally flu-like. He called a wonderful friend to work the rest of his deliveries, which he did. It's times like these, that I pull up my bootstraps (if I had any) and get on my single mom persona. I know that I will not have a break from the kids. At all. All day. Am I such a bad mom? I love them enough to take a bullet for them, but also need a break at times. Needless to say, I got a little pushy with oldest son's spelling practices. I got a little snappy at youngest's winey-butts. (That's what we call them).

So I will apologize. That I will do. I've learned that while I am still the parent, I know that when there is wrong--an apology required. Fast forward to Tues. night: I'm thinking that I don't listen to the kids enough. How can that be when we eat, breathe, school together? Maybe it's the mundane. Our voices become boring and common. So we get out a bedtime story, and with Youngest on my lap, Oldest on the swing (yes, they have a swing in their room) we read. After the book, we start talking of dreams. I've known for while that Oldest has pretty vivid dreams. My hypothesis is that he doesn't get much stage 4 sleep, and participates a lot in the REM dream sleep. (I'm yanking this from my college Psych, so if I'm not correct, let me know).

Without getting into all the details, he is having frightening dreams. One that especially caught me: he was being "stolen" if you will, from ghostly hands being on fire with horns, coming down from the clouds. I instantly felt a spiritual attack on him. Just last year, he accepted Jesus, and I know satan would like none other than to take him back. After talking to him a bit more, we prayed. I don't mean a cute little prayer. This was a prayer of a mother telling satan to get the hell out (literally). Even if that dream wasn't an attack, I still wanted to take precautions. I believe, firmly, that satan will not be back.

Well, tomorrow we go on another field trip with our Krispy Kreme group. They have a name, but I will henceforth refer to them as the KK group. (Don't add another K, please). We are going to the Art Center to see American Gothic. Awesome. And this one is at 11am--now that's more like it!

A day of recovery

2009-02-27T02:16:00.002-06:00

Well, it's now way too late (early) on a Friday morn, and I am unable to sleep. Note: don't have coffee so late in the day. Thurs. (yesterday) was a day of relatively nothing, but I'm going to post anyway, so lucky you! Oldest was recovering from an all day fever he had on Wed. Our Krispy Kreme trip was a hit--especially with the youngest. With arrival time at 8am, we were lucky to only be a few min. late. I was not concerned about my oldest lack of energy as per the aforementioned evil early morning. So when we came home and he promptly went to sleep, I wasn't surprised, as we homeschoolers don't rise that early. Well, after several hours of sleep, he was still a bit frumpy and not hungry. Odd. It wasn't until early afternoon, when a friend and her kids were over (sorry, Dawn) that I realized he may have a fever. (Here is when I insert my apologies for possibly exposing the whole meetup group, as well). Oldest went on to sleep most of the evening, and awoke on Thurs. with only a tummy ache.

The story doesn't end there. Youngest had a touch of the frumps on Thurs. I never took his temp; he just wanted to lay around, but was still up for eating. All things said, we missed "park day" on Thurs. All is well now: boys to bed early, watched Survivor with hubby, and stayed up reading blogs. Oh, oh, I almost forgot! We ordered the gargantuan tent and camping stove on Thurs. We should at least get the tent on Monday. Then our tentative plan is to go see the Abe Lincoln museum, or something like that. It's still undecided.

On the nutrition front: I had my first green smoothie in a while. I need to have these, as they keep one regular, and cancer-free! On the menu for tomorrow (today): Kale chips. Woo-hoo!

Wii are doing fine

2009-02-25T00:05:00.002-06:00

Sorry it's been so long, again. Did I ever tell you we got a Wii for Christmas? Oh, I didn't? It's because the fighting had not begun. The playing starts out all nice and friendly, but escalates into, "Stop killing me." Or, "I want to be the storm trooper." To add to the excitement, we also just purchased the wii fit. That one is exciting, because it's for hubby. He wants to work out and get fit without paying monthly for a membership somewhere. I laughed so hard I was crying when I watched him do the hula hoop exercise. Man that was funny.

School is going well. We're working on spelling, hardcore, with the oldest, and working on learning to read with the youngest. I have not had proud parenting moments the last few days. Could be pms, could be that son #1 test is coming up. He will be tested as a second grader. That means all we've done up until now have better been right! (According to the state of IA).

On another homeschooling note, we are touring Krispy Kreme tomorrow. That should be fun. I'll have to let go of my organic foodiness for at least an hour. We are also very much enjoying the Webkinz site. The boys are enjoying taking care of their virtual pets. You know the scary thing? We agreed with the boys that if they kept the toy room clean for one whole month, they could get a dog. Darn if they aren't on day 12. Crap--I didn't really think they'd do it. Looks like we will be checking into a dog soon.

Another dream of ours is soon to be fulfilled. We love to travel. Traveling is expensive--unless you stay in a tent! How are we to do this, you ask? We get a huge canvas one with no floor, and a wood burning stove. That's right folks, we are the new and improved camping family. I'm pretty excited, but I did have to work up to it. Wheelchair + camping = not always a good time. But I'm hopeful that with my hubby's camping skills, and my sons' enthusiasm, we'll make it through.

Thanks for listening, oh, and she's already on my blogroll, but I want you all to read this post:
http://lifebysugarcreek.blogspot.com/2009/02/more-thoughts-on-my-previous-post.html

I love being thrifty!

2009-02-02T23:22:00.002-06:00

Who else loves going in to a musty, semi-dirty thrift store? Am I the only one? It's the thrill of the hunt. Before I went this time, I prayed for some snow boots for ds 1, as he has way outgrown his size 2's. Well, you can imagine what I got. No, they aren't exactly his size, but I didn't pray for that (note to self). They are brand new, red--his favorite color. Also got some future size boots, cool "skater" boy hats, a scarf to add to my fettish, and some vhs to add excitement to our life. When I actually find my camera, I will post the booty. Maybe I will have to settle for a cell phone pic...I'll try that soon.

Well, also on the blessings front, this is what's goin' down: Hubby's route was supersized. Not so fun on the back, but nice on the pocketbook. Other delivery companies have closed, so ours is picking up the business. Along with that, we had to invest in a bigger truck. It all works out--the pay increase will more than cover it. Thank you, Jesus. I'm not sure if I've ever talked about tithing on here. Let me give you a quick tithe 101: Always do it. The minute we don't give to God financially, we (personally) have bad (really bad) things happen. Now, God is a loving God, but there are spirtual laws of sowing and reaping that really do work.

Quick update--ds 1 is sniffly. And he hates it when I make him sit with his nose over a cup of steamy liquid. So please pray he heals quickly!

Why I can never eat "normal" again

2009-02-01T23:15:00.002-06:00

I really tried to eat the pizza and cocktail wienies at the super bowl party tonight. Instead, I ate carrots, tortilla chips and my homemade salsa. I was very bummed to find out that my favorite ramen noodle oriental salad had msg in it. ugg. I know that already my body is less of a performance machine than a normal person. I know that my chance for the big C is not in my favor. I'm going to change that--with God's help. I feel that educating myself is the first step. Why would God give us our body, only to fill it with junk? I think that the majority of people underestimate what we put in our body, and how that effects our daily life--how we feel: headaches, regularity, periods for goodness sake. Everyone has to draw their line. Mine is with HFCS (hello mercury), MSG, hydrogenated anything, meat, and a lot less refined/sugar (that's a hard one for me).

Now, how do I translate that as a mom, who feeds 3 males, cannot meal plan worth a darn, and panics whenever I go to the store? It's like a life or death decision on what to buy. I feel so strongly, though, that it is a choose life decision. God had rules for His people in the OT, and there was a reason for that. He knows best. So as we sat and watched our team lose, I starved a little. Maybe fasting at times will be the right thing for me. After all, I don't burn many calories sitting on my bum :)

Now that my soapbox is over (for the moment), I'll go on with QSFTC, or affectionately known as Quirky Sayings from the Chillins'...

Me: "Yes, you can play the wii."

#2: (Running over and hugging my leg) "You are the best mom in the world." (Pause, then a pfttt) "I farted." (Then running off to play the wii).

These moments I will not soon forget. They bring a tear to my eye. Literally.

25 Random Things about Moi

2009-01-23T21:21:00.002-06:00

About half of my blogroll has this going on, so I'm just following the crowd (for once).

1. If Jesus hadn't of saved me, I don't know where I'd be.
2. I have 2 wonderful boys, ages 7 and 5.
3. One great husband of almost 9 YEARS!
4. My butt rarely sees the sunshine (but who's does, really)
5. I love to sing. I think I've always loved to sing...I have audio tapes of made-up songs and radio shows from when I was a kid.
6. My mom died 5 years ago this April. In fact, both parents I grew up with in my household have died--both of cancer.
7. My biological dad is still living--he lives 3 hours away.
8. Because of #7, I have a brother and a sister. I love them bunches.
9. I wert public schooled. (I really did enjoy it) But the 80's were different than today. They now have metal detectors at my high school.
10. I struggle with anger.
11. I love fire. In general, I like being warm. All the time.
12. We plan on having our house paid off before we are 40.
13. We eat organic, and rarely eat meat.
14. I am an interesting cook, but I'm getting better.
15. We are going to take mini-trips once a month. And stay in a tent.
16. I'm doing the best job in the world--being a mom and wife.
17. My house is cluttered. It bugs me, but I get overwhelmed when I try to reign it in.
18. I want dreds. I may get them for my birthday (FEB!)
19. I not only homeschool, but I teach the preschool age at our church.
20. I want to help the poor, elderly, and orphaned.
21. Coffee and tea is wonderful
22. I am trying my hand at gardening, and plan to do some commune-type gardening so that I don't have to take care of 10 differents crops.
23. I heart blogs--they enrich my life and teach me.
24. Reading is a renewed passion in my life.
25. I will be a winter bird some day, as Iowa is so d*** cold.

YOUR TURN!

Inauguration Thoughts, oh, and the tooth.

2009-01-20T22:23:00.002-06:00

First, I did not watch the inauguration. I don't think I even watched Bush #2's inauguration. I think I did watch Clinton's only because I was a young adult then, and my parents were liberal. Now the issue is that I just don't watch TV, unless it's Survivor or a movie. In college, I loved TV to get away from reading. Now, I get away from TV to read.

Anyway, I knew I wasn't going to watch it. Why? Well let me tell you about something that made me cry inside. On our local news, there was a mini-parade honoring our soon to be president. Do you know what he was riding on? A donkey. There was also a woman waving a palm branch. Does any of this ring a bell? No, I say, this man in not our messiah. I felt so ashamed--like what is our country allowing? He may instill hope in America, that's great. We need it. But people are carrying this too far. What I foresee happening is that he will instill hope, America will start buying crap from foreign nations more than ever, and our economy will heal. Yipee. Sorry to be so bleak, but how much more end times can we get?

Moving on to more positive--well, kid-related events. My youngest son had a tooth removed as nature did not intend. It's sad that his first tooth had to be so unpleasant. But, he survived and was so brave. We did lots of hand puppets (his favorite) and had some good laughs together. If I didn't say from the last post, he did not need nitrous oxide. He had the max dose of Novocaine. All of his cavities are starting in between his teeth. Also, his teeth are so small and tight together like mine were. Poor guy. Oh well, at least with teeth we get a second chance.

Emergency

2009-01-13T22:55:00.003-06:00

On the search for a mercury-free dentist. Why, you ask? Oh, only that my 5 year old has horrible teeth. I feel like a wretch of a mother. Thursday was the day of my wee one's tooth extraction. The dentist then informed us to eat cold items the rest of the day. Ice cream...um, sugar? Here is a glimpse into my hindsight thinking. Children do not go to the dentist until they are school aged (5), or so I thought. I only have my father to ask, and he also told me I did not go until then. So dutifully, I brought my oldest when he was 5. My first tip off should have been when my oldest had cavities. Just a fluke, I thought. I'm 30 and have never had cavities.

Last Wednesday after art class, youngest keeps saying his chin hurts. Odd, so we stop in to see a dentist. Maybe he can look? Of course not. So we make an appt. Well, by the time I drive back over to our side of town, I'm really concerned. He is still crying. We get to the grocery store to buy some gum numbing agent. By the time we are home, his face is swelling. This is not just his mouth. I take him to the walk-in clinic, praying that we don't get something that is actually contageous, only to wait an hour with a boy throwing up in the waiting room. Enter praise moment: The r.n. on call is anti immunizations. Holy cow. We had a good talk--her name is Monika A. and she works there on Mon, Wed, and Sat. (note to self).

The doctor does not know what this swelling is. A blood test is taken. His white count is 11. High is 13. Finally I just ask if she could, as a doctor's order, refer me immediately to a dentist. Dentist land will not take me if it's not an emergency. They would also need him on antibiotics (which he now has). For being so patient, I want to give my little one anything he wants. He's had such a rough day. He insists on Arby's--remember we hadn't eaten all night, and it was already 8:30.
We had a surprisingly healthy meal, and more bonding time. I love that kid. I'll have to tell you about the extraction day later. I'm tired. Good night.

No, I'm not still in the elevator...

2009-01-07T00:02:00.002-06:00

I'll shortly wrap up the elevator story in a bit. First, some thoughts rambling in my head. "Sayings from the chillins,'" and 2 more lost teeth for December 2008. Here we go.

#1: "I need overalls and to color my hair yellow."
me: (thoroughly confused). "Whhyyy?"
#1: "Then I'll be like Dennis the Menace. I do have a slingshot."

God gave me children to make me not be so serious. I just had to burst out laughing on this one. How random.

Second, tooth # ? happened sometime at the beginning of the month. Tooth # ? happened while out of town at a campground with hubby's family on Dec. 27th. More on that trip in a later post. Sorry for the saga of the oldest's teeth; I just have to get it down on "paper"as a memory.

OK, now for the "rest of the story..." Last post left me yelling for my sons', as I recall. Oldest hears me, and goes to get a librarian. Right about then, I'd wished I hadn't left the house so darn fast. I always leave my dang cell phone. Oh well. I happen to have paper and pen in my purse and send oldest on an errand to have librarian call hubby. Who knows how long I will be here? I want him to come with my mobile ramp to hitch me off this ride. I realize at this point, I have a choice. I can be ticked off, or have a good attitude. I picked the good attitude. Yahoo me. We homeschool--we don't really have to be anywhere.

So the librarians fiddle with the buttons, but to no avail. It would be 10-15 minutes until the repair guy would show. Woo hoo. Shortly after, hubby came to the rescue b4 the repair guy arrived. I was safely out to the bottom floor. There was no way up their steep steps back to the main level--my ramp's not that glorious, so we were "stuck" on the childrens' book floor. The chair lift had to be fixed, or else I'd be sleeping at the library that night. Lo and behold, it was "fixed" and I was set free. I'm not saying completely fixed, folks. It barely got me to the main level. I will never ride that thing again.

Love to all!

My Elevator Experience part 1

2008-12-05T07:12:00.002-06:00

I don't have a fear of elevators. How could I, when they are the very thing that get me up to a second, third floor and beyond? But you know when you get that bad feeling--you know the one: when you are about to do something that may not turn out right?

Our neighborhood library had a Christmas puppet show we attended. And it wouldn't be a trip to the library if the boys couldn't play on the computers. (Yes, we do go for books, too). Mind you, the childrens section (with computers) is about 6 steps down to a lower level. Now, it used to be that there was no elevator to get down there. Imagine much younger children and trying to coax them back upstairs to go home. Ha.

Needless to say, we boycotted that library until they got an elevator. So enter, the elevator, or maybe that's too glamourous. We'll call it a wheelchair lift. I push the button to open the door, roll on in, the door shuts behind me, and I push the button to go downstairs. Remember the bad feeling I had before? Yep, it's the one that says this lift might stop half way down. And stop it did. Thank God my children are older, and they were happily preoccupied with the computers.

How embarrassing is it to have to yell for someone--yell--in a library? But yell I did. I shouted for my oldest son to go get a librarian...story to be continued.

More quirky sayings from the chillins

2008-11-24T21:56:00.002-06:00

son #2: "Why do our real clothes have to match, but not our pajamas?"

Note to self--try to wash correct tops with the matching pants, at the same time.

son #1 to son #2: "Let's sleep out in the living room. But don't worry, you won't be scared. The tree lights will be on all night."

Note--yes, we are wasteful and leave our tree lights on all night. I love Christmas, OK?

There's A Puddle in the Kitchen

2008-11-12T00:20:00.003-06:00

That's right, if you haven't guessed, our [7 year old] fridge crapped out. Praise report #1) I already had plans for supper that didn't include fridge food. 2) It's winter--the necessities are outside! 3) Things just kept coming up, so I didn't get to the store for our big grocery trip.

We took a trip to good 'ole Jim's Appliances, a southside shop that fixes stuff and resells it. We bought our flat top stove/oven there about 2 years ago. $125=Love it. Just to have Jim come out it would be $55, not including parts etc. So off to Craigslist. Lots of options there. Then the answer: the in-laws! When my in-laws moved into a different house, they did not want the fridge that was there. It's just been sitting in the basement used for pop and such. Yahoo! We pick it up tomorrow.

Today's List

2008-10-22T08:26:00.002-05:00

A dreary day, but a long to do list.

Walmart--I know, I usually, at all costs avoid this place, but today it is necessary.
Hoover state tax office--anyone who will help me with our 2004 IA tax fiasco
DS2 art class
Another trip to the grocery store--forgot my organic oranges
Review verses with the boys for tonight
Possibly eat at McD--why do they make it so cheap on Wed?
Possibly trip to Science Center with local hs group

Writer's Angst

2008-10-18T00:57:00.003-05:00

I've always loved writing. Ok, so my blog doesn't show it...I mean actual handwriting. Growing up, poems and stories were my life. My 7 year old son? Not so much. As evidenced in a recent Cub Scout meeting, all the boys were done writing Fire Department and ds was still at FIR. I wish I had been more patient with him. At the same time, it was certainly an eye opener. So we got to the task of writing this week. Much tears, much tears.

Our dialogue:
Me: What can I get or do for you to help you like writing?
Him: Get me something that I can take a break every 10 minutes.
Me: That's no problem, we can do that.
Him: (contemplating) Yeah, sign me up for that one. The one with the breaks.

Love that kid.

So sorry, Mama P, for not calling you back. We were deep in the writing turmoil, so park day was not an option!

Note to self: All males that live under my roof do not like acorn squash. However, they will eat red bell peppers and not green. That is encouraging.

Teeth and lice

2008-09-22T01:47:00.003-05:00

I almost forgot to record this event--the first eye tooth has been lost! (Is that called an inciser)? Now I can't even remember the day, but I know it was this month. Boy #1 was working on it at the bathroom sink, and whoops, down it went! So that was a bummer, and he was afraid that he wouldn't get any money. Lo and behold, even the tooth angel (as we call it) forgot the money. My clever husband remedied this situation. He was home briefly in the morning, and asked if Boy 1 had been to the bathroom. He said yes. DH then asked, then how could you miss this? Boy 1 came running, to find the money in the sink--where he'd lost the tooth in the first place. Very clever, I say.

On another note, head lice has been in the house. The neighbor girl has lice and told us (after we took her to church). It is confirmed that I have it--I hugged her just recently. I'm taking the boys to the clinic tomorrow. Oh, and vinegar does not work. This has been the day from hell.

The Thrifting Faith

2008-09-18T23:13:00.002-05:00

I exersize a lot of my faith by shopping at thrift stores. Sound weird? I'll explain. Whenever we need something non food related, I hit our local thrift stores. Just 3 weeks into soccer season, oldest boy tells me that his cleats are too small. Great. It's very hard to find cleats under $20. So I go to the wonderful Goodwill store, and low and behold there is a like new pair of Nike cleats. Amazing--we praised God right there in the store. It might seem small, but there is such satisfaction in ringing up a $2.50 pair of cleats. One, we are reminded that God takes care of all of our needs. Two, I feel so anti-consumeristic (is that a word?) At least I know a good middleman is getting a cut, and that it's not coming directly from the sweatshops.

On another note, I have some wise sayings from my oldest:
(While in said thrift store)
Me: Could you reach me that shirt off the rack?
Him: (Sighing, but compliant)
Me: (Looking at shirt)
Him: Mom, it's too short for you.
Me: How do you know?
Him: I'm just a sensitive boy.

I laugh and agree...we did not buy the shirt.

Another unrelated conversation with the oldest, today.
(He comes in from skateboarding with a scraped ankle)
Him: It hurts! I wish they made ankle pads.
Me: They do.
Him: They do?
Me: They're called socks.
Him: Nooo. Wait, oh. (Goes into room for a pair of socks).

It Feels Like Fall

2008-09-10T11:17:00.002-05:00

Fall has come early this year. This morning, the kids and I read a book by the fire. Mind you, it doesn't take extreme cold to urge me to turn the fire on. I already had it going a week ago. While reading, I exclaimed, "Look kids, the leaves are falling!" I don't love the cold, but I do love the changing of seasons. Son #2 then said, "That means it's my birthday!"

There is so much to do, with the obvious daily chore of cleaning the house, trying to create a meal plan that everyone will be happy with, 2 boys in soccer, Awanas, and one in scouts. I do like being busy for a season. I'm glad there is an ebb and flow to it, though. Summer and winter are usually our non-busy times.

I have a son that wants to be in everything: dance, tennis, bowling, soccer, you name it. Then, a boy who is happy being in nothing at all. It's a given that they are in Awanas, as we teach it! We did start last week, by the way. It went very well. We have more kids this year, but at least I feel like I know what I'm doing!

I realized, recently, that I haven't filled out my CPI yet! Oops. I'm going to truck on over there today, so that we're legally homeschooling. I guess I'd better get on that. Sorry for the short post. I'll have more later!

Blessed Indeed

2008-08-30T23:30:00.002-05:00

I just want to take a moment to be happy about all of the homeschool groups available in this free country of ours. I enjoy different aspects of the ones we are involved in, and the people are just great. We have already gone to 2 potlucks to "get the year started." We had so much fun.

My current passion: investigating raw foods. No, not sushy. It's a lifestyle way of eating in which you don't cook your food, and by not doing so, preserving the enzymes. Now, translating that into what to make for your family...hmmm. I'm reading the book The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose. Loving that book. It gives you practical ways of accomplishing this lifestyle, but not going crazy. Like, have ice cream and cooked foods for goodness sake. We must live life after all! I highly recommend it. It will change your outlook on food.

Now is the time of year not only for homeschooling, but for Awanas, specifically Cubbies. Cubbies are the "preschool" kids--one and two years before kindergarten to be exact. I'm studying the curriculum, making out a schedule, and generally preparing myself for this year. We will literally have something going on 4 nights a week. Woo hoo! I am looking forward to it. Does it feel like fall already? On our way home from the park today, we tried to count how many trees were already turning. There actually were some! Happy almost fall, and to a productive, fun, learning-filled season!

'Twas the night before...

2008-08-20T22:09:00.002-05:00

School! In our district, regular kids go back to school tomorrow. Poor them. We are the irregular ones...or not? Homeschooling is becoming more and more mainstream. We have already started his official 2nd grade year.

When he realized that the neighbor kids were going to be gone all day, his response was, "That stinks."
I replied, "That means we get the neighborhood all to ourselves!"
He said, "But they have to be in school all day!"

I remind him of this when he's complaining of school work and chores at home. He's got it so good! I was nervous last year, as the first day of school drew near. Was I doing the right thing? This year, I am fully sure we are. Everyone does what is right for their family, and this is certainly right for us.

Today was the NBTS (not back to school picnic), which is always fun. This group is a group of mainly unschoolers (see Mama P or Lifedreamed for those of you who don't know what that is). This group has always been so nice, eventhough we don't necessarily unschool. I even invited someone from church who is considering homeschooling, and they dove right it taking care of her. What great people!

We're gearing up for St. Louis this weekend! My sister's bachelorette party will be there. It will be a fun time. Dueling piano bar, Trader Joes, heaven.

The Gardening Habit

2008-08-19T23:37:00.003-05:00

It seems that a lot of you out there are having a bad harvest. Well, here's the solution: only one food at a time. Yes, it seems a bit of a time waster, but it's worked for me 2 years in a row! Last year was the mother load of lettuce, this year it's cucumbers. (Anyone out there need cucs, by the way?) I have a little 4x8 ft raised bed garden, so if one plant takes over, it's curtains for all the others! I also planted a tomato plant and strawberry plant. The tomatoes are still green, but I have picked 2 yellow/red ones thus far.
I didn't think I'd enjoy gardening, but scavenging for weeds is quite fun. I love picking the food, um, cucs. It's amazing how fast they grow. I want to plant some kale and some "fall crops," but fail to know what they are exactly. What do I do with my strawberry plant? It's produced nothing, but still looks beautiful. Green leaves, not even dying! In general, do you just let everything go back to seed? Give me your gardening wisdom, all ye gardeners.

On another note, I thought I'd share with you the spiritual journey I've been on lately. I just read the book Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. I'm still digesting it. He basically takes the New Testament and lives it. It sounds simple, but would anyone raise their hand to live in a leper colony? Or, live with the homeless out in the park? Did you know that Jesus was homeless? He stayed in peoples houses, yes He did. He loved the unlovable...am I doing this, too? Yikes. Sometimes I even struggle to be nice to my kids! Seriously give it a read. I'm going to be checking out his other books, too.
What more can I do for my community? It's not enough just to bring people to church. Who wants to wake up early to be just one more place in their week? I need to be Jesus to them. Form a relationship. So you know what I'm doing? I'm having a block party. A good ole fashioned block party. I don't know half the people on my street...isn't that sad? 50 years ago, we'd be in a out of each others homes, borrowing flour, kids running across the street, playing. Why can't we have some semblance of that again? Where is our community roots. So, mid Sept., in the midst of sister's wedding, soccer, boy scouts, and Awanas, we'll be partying. I'm not the best organizer, so I lean on the Lord for wisdom to pull this crazy thing off.

The Woman I Want to Be

2008-07-28T23:39:00.002-05:00

How do I start? I am beside myself with admiration for this lady. This is my grandma. My dad's mom. The second oldest of 12. The one who does for others before thinking of herself. See her beautiful blue eyes? They are always twinkling--with stories, advice, love. I want to be this beautiful at 81.

If my memory serves me, she and my grandfather almost hit 60 years of marriage before his passing in January 2006. The product of this marriage were five children, in a small town in central Wisconsin.

Grandma grew up on a dairy farm--it was not an easy life. Being the oldest girl of twelve, you can imagine she had a hand in raising her siblings as well as taking care of farm chores. There is a varied and interesting story involving her parents, but maybe I'll address that in a different post. For now, I speak of her in the hopes that you would extend prayers for her. She has and is having several mini-strokes right now. Ones that affect her short-term memory. I just have to remind her on the phone that we already talked about such-and-such.

She is rich with stories about the past, and has even written a book of short stories about her life, and of raising her own children. I only hope to be like this--taking advantage of what I have left. Not complaining, not fretting. She has never been negative. Oh, Lord, help me to be like her. Until then, I'm looking forward to our annual visit where we take her to see the turning of leaves in Sept.

A day in the hammock

2008-07-05T00:09:00.000-05:00

My how kids can be creative. This is the homemade hammock built in between the top and bottom bunks of their bunk beds. To the brothers that fight like cats and dogs, yet refuse to have separate rooms, fighting over toys, to giving sloppy kisses to each other. To their creation: the hammock. Thou art more creative than your mother!

Birthday Fun

2008-06-08T01:08:00.000-05:00

So now that I've actually entered 2008 and learned how to post pictures on my blog, I'll backdate some posts to catch up on the happenings. I want to first post a pic of my oldest. This is his cute self, 7 years old and all grown up looking. He chose to go to the Science Center, and see Kung Fu Panda on the IMAX. I can't believe it's been 7 years. The best words to describe him: energetic, athletic, helpful, and smart. I love you, boy.

The Stitches

2008-06-03T06:58:00.002-05:00

It takes a big event, or a big inspiration to get me to write. So here it is. It was ds1's turn for the ER. He had just run out to play on the swingset with his brother and neighbor friend. The neighbor friend was swinging on the one with the 2-bench seats (does everyone remember those?) Ds1 somehow got in front of it, and it clipped him right beside his right eye. I personally think that is a perfect little scar for a boy--it's cool, man. As ds1 is my more physically agile one, he has hardly had visits to the ER. He's so brave--he was only worried about getting a shot. Let me explain the dif in ER visits of the 80's vs. 2008. My son played a video game through the whole procedure. Now if that's not service! He even got a topical ointment that took 30 min. to set in. Don't remember that one from the 80's! I think I just remember being held down. Yep--that was the 80's procedure.

All-in-all, he will have a band-aid in all his birthday pics, but such as life for a boy!

Waking Up

2008-03-17T22:20:00.003-05:00

Often, it's only my youngest son and I waking up "early," as my oldest sleeps in. Youngest Son says the darndest things, and I need to start writing them down. I'm not really sure what I said that facilitated this comment, but here it is:
him: "Mom, you crack me off."
me (as I almost spit out my tea): "I think you mean crack me up."
him: "Um, no."

*Pay no attention to the mess behind him--did I mention I have 2 boys?

Desperate

2008-03-12T22:48:00.002-05:00

No, this is not part 2 yet, but I thought I'd update you on things. First, we did not get missed by the strep throat epidemic going around. Monday, ds1 slept the latter half of the day, only to wake up talking like he had swallowed his tongue. Right away on Tues, I brought him in to the clinic to get the "pink medicine". I don't mess around with strep. That's only half our news.

Rewind to just before entering the clinic. I am exiting my van when all of a sudden, my wheelchair stops. It flashes at me--short in motor. Can't be good. Thankfully, dh is in the neighborhood. He comes to my rescue, jiggles a few wires, and yippee! He leaves, I roll a foot just to be stopped by the same message. Frustration sets in...but a little laughter as well. It is just so unbelievable. Thank God it was nice weather the last couple days. Just think about poor little ds1...he asks, are we going to go in now? Um, no, not yet honey. We are 3 feet from relief for you, but I just decided to hang out in the parking lot for a while. Poor guy. Dh comes back for the second time, puts me in manual and rolls me in to the clinic. It's funny. I had to joke about it to the nurses that we really were there for my son. The nurses had to push my 378 lb chair (and me) to all the necessary rooms. It was good times.

If you think that's all of the story, think again! After the doc visit is over, I drive myself up to the medical supply store and have our "guy" come wheel me into the store. After taking some parts off, messing with wires, it works. I mean really works--zoomed around the store, tried all the drives (I have 4 on my chair), said thanks and headed home. I was giddy, as we had a big fancy grocery store open up by our house, and I promised the Science Center to the boys today. There were things to do, darn it. Once home, I pulled out of the drivers seat and short in motor. Aaaaah! Unbelievable. To shorten this a bit, I am now sitting here, typing in my borrowed wheelchair. Unfortunately, I don't have the gadgets of recline, raising etc. So, I can't do dishes, cook, etc. I know--bummer, he he.

I will continue onto "today's outside excursion" soon--so don't worry. There's more to come!

My life on wheels--part 1

2008-02-28T07:53:00.002-06:00

It must have been around 1986-87 that my step-mom and mom noticed me "walking on my toes." I remember walking down the sidewalk with my step-mom "teaching" me to walk heel-toe, heel-toe. Fast forward to softball on the Scorpians team. This was the summer of 1988, or maybe 87?. It must have been almost halfway through the season when my mom decided to take me to Iowa City. Oh the first visit. Such joy. If you have ever had an electromyogram (sp?), it's where you get to have little needles put into the very top layer of your skin. Then, they send tiny electrical shocks through your muscles. Now before you go calling DHS, (too late now, by the way), they did have a purpose. Eventhough I screamed like something out of a Frankinstein movie, these electrical currents bouncing through muscle tissue told us about my muscle tone. Why does that matter, you ask? If there is too much reverberation, (I think in a normal muscle, it's 600-1200) we know there is a problem. I think my score was 6,000+ or 60,000--it's funny how things get jumbled in your memory.

It turns out that was not the end of my problems that summer. Getting back to softball. I really could hit that ball like nobody's business. I just wouldn't. I knew I couldn't run. It felt like a strong wind was pushing against my chest. I accidentally hit the ball once, and that was the end of it for me. That's when my mom KNEW there was something wrong. Hence the Iowa City visit. Shortly after my first of many visits, I was scheduled for a biopsy. A full-on going under the knife biopsy. I have to interject that my calf muscles were the ones that worked. That being said, do you know what muscle they cut into? That's right, the calf muscle. Commercial time: does anyone know my fear of IVs? Hate. Them. Knowing that I would have them if I had kids someday. I'm surprised I had kids! Just the thought of a needle staying in you. Eeeew.

OK, back to the story. Needless to say, I freaked out. Good thing they put me under right away. That whole summer, I couldn't walk. I would crawl, or try to use crutches, but I wasn't very good at those. After getting the surprising results back that my calf muscles were fine, I was scheduled for another biopsy. This time on my thigh. Duh. That's where the muscle weakness was. I refused an IV. They sedated me some other way. I remember throwing up twice through the surgery, but that was better than an IV. By the way, I got right up off the table and was walking after this surgery--only a little limp. Gee, I wonder what muscles I was using to walk? Just for my memory's sake, I remember either having my first biopsy in 87, and the second in 88, or both were in 88. Either way, I was diagnosed in the latter part of 1988.

More to come...

Update and stuff

2008-02-27T07:34:00.002-06:00

Sorry again, for the long wait. Why oh why do I have writers angst? I'll start out by sharing a little quip from DS2. This young man likes his time in the bathroom. While on the toilet one morning, (he does this every morning), we like to have a daily chat. Sometimes we play I Spy--in case you ever wanted to know this. DS2 randomly interjects, "this day just keeps getting poopier and poopier." How fitting! I had a good laugh. Kids say the greatest things. I will update again today. I just had to share that.

The Best Birthday Ever

2008-02-10T23:04:00.003-06:00

I am 30 today. There, it's out. I did no cooking at home, and got 7 inches cut off my hair. I went all out today. Here was our day: God forgives me for sleeping in, I believe. (Also, half of E's throat has been swollen and hard for him to swallow, so we didn't want him in an enclosed classroom setting with other kids). For lunch we went to a restaurant with fireplaces. When it's 3 degrees out, is there really any question? I had bananas foster, yum. Then onto the movies to see the new Veggietales movie. Yes, I like them too. And to hear the kids say, you're the best, mom. That was nice, too. You see in our family, the birthday persons' day is actually their day. We make a big deal. So if that person decides to do something we all like, it also shows that we can be selfless, even on our day.
Next it was off to the mall for a grown up hair cut. I actually spent money and had someone wash my hair and cut it. Not skipping myself as usually all the man-boys in the family get dibs on the money for haircuts. We then went to the movie, then on to Ohanas. Anyone who has been there can attest: it's just plain cool. It is a Japanese restaurant where they cook the food in front of you and do cool things with knives. A boy's dream...oh and I guess I liked it too! I got a polaroid of our chef pointing knives at my head. It was great times.
I am now approaching the time of night that I was actually born, 9.9 lbs by c-section, into this wonderful world. I am so thankful for these 30 years. I plan on living to be very old, so I'll be seeing a lot of those birthdays ending in zero.

I had a new commenter, http://atomiccity.blogspot.com/, wonder why the wheelchair. I got to thinking, have I ever actually talked about it, and how many of you actually wonder about that? So fear not, I will be posting about that more in detail in the next 1-2 blogs. So hold onto your hats for a glorious medical journey.

Snow Day!

2008-02-06T22:25:00.000-06:00

Technically, our school district had a snow day. We got about a foot of snow, so that cancelled church as well. Basically, I've been in this house for 3 days straight now. I'm actually not going crazy. As stated in last post, I am blessed to not have to BE anywhere in this weather. All vehicles are finally fixed, $480 later. That's OK. God takes care of all things, so what do I have to worry about?

In March, we hope to get our house refinanced. That will also take care of residing our house and hopefully another down payment on other property. Owner ship is 9/10 of the law or something like that. We don't want to be in this winter crap, I mean weather all our lives. We homeschool for goodness sake, we should be able to do that anywhere and have our main residence in Iowa.

I have to admit, I let the kids play too many video games and watch too much TV today. Our internet was sketchy, so our online schoolwork was not happenin'. We did play board games, puzzles, and listen to Adventures in Odyssy (thank you minimemoirs). I made some rockin banana muffins. Yes sir, from scratch. I am getting culinary in my old age. But, Mama Podkayne needs to tell me how to make her butter.

DH is currently going through our filing cabinet. Bless his heart. I am an organizational disaster. I figure once I have a system, I'll actually use it. That's the plan. With 400 extra square feet, I will have to change my habits and not just pile up junk (aka papers). Does anyone else cringe when the mail comes? I am half excited at the prospect of getting good mail (not bills or ads). But for the other 98% I get flustered. I am a hoarder at heart.

Hope all is well with all you blogsters out there. Sweet dreams.

Surprise!

2008-02-05T22:27:00.000-06:00

It has been a great week. It all started with the surprise party my husband threw for me. He had accomplices, but the idea was all his. There were people there from local to Quincy, IL. I was so shocked. It was great. I can't even tell in words how loved I feel. To know that these people dropped everything for one night just to celebrate some girl turning 30. I feel blessed.

Our weather has once again driven us inside. That's so OK with me. I remember the days of having to go to a job outside the home. Ick. My hubby is even having to drive my van as his is broken down at the moment, so I am not running errands or anything...yahoo!

Today was such a great day. A good homeschool day. We did math to our little hearts content. We did so well that I forgot language arts. Whoops. But we did read. Older DS is really digging the Magic Tree House books. So am I! Does anyone remember those pick-your-own ending books from the 80's? I loved those things and think I want to read some. I really want to pre-read anything my sons read, so I might as well start now. As I write, I can hear DS reading to himself in his bed. So wonderful. I almost cry. And you know what? We don't have to get up for school tomorrow, so he can read all night for all I care. He is READING.

I want to thank all of you for the patience with my absent writing. I really have writers angst. I want to read all about others lives, but not write about my own. Thank you for having such interesting lives. I plan to complete a couple of tag-me posts while I check blogs tonight. I just love you all and if you're in the area, travel safely!

Update

2008-01-23T10:27:00.000-06:00

No Wellspring for us today...pool of power steering fluid under my van. My steering usually goes out once per winter...but twice? We'll be home today!

A Monday Tooth

2008-01-23T07:22:00.000-06:00

So Jan. 21st, my oldest child became front toothless. Pizza was the culprit. We'd tried everything, as this tooth was becoming bubba tooth and sticking out over this lip when his mouth was closed. Now, when he says the word fastest--actually, any words with S's are just hilarious. We were at Chuck E Cheese, hanging out with the wonderful woman who does craft/story hour at our local Christian bookstore. She has 4 boys, her youngest is my oldest age.
This past weekend, we went to a birthday party of a homeschool friend. He turned the big 0-5. Happy birthday, K! My sis was also in town for her final wedding dress fitting. What a beautiful dress. We had a good time romping around the mall, just catching up.

Backing up to last weekend (Jan. 12th), our furnace finally kicked the bucket. Our 1983 baby needed to say good-bye. We now have an efficient, younger baby, which will be paid off in 10 months. I have to give a whoop whoop to Leechmans Service Legends. They have great service, and I'm not afraid of having them in my home when I'm alone with the kids. We even got a plant from them yesterday!

While on the subject of this particular weekend, my sis-in-law turned the big 3-0 on the 10th. My long-time good friend, B also turned 3-0 on the 16th. My turn will be on Feb. 10th. I just have to reflect for a moment. It's incredible that we can't fall back on the irresponsible 20's anymore. I feel like I'm entering a time of truly growing up. No more resting back on how my parents messed me up, or such and such happened to me. I AM IN CHARGE OF MY REACTION TO THINGS. I had to caps that just for my own remembrance. This has not been a good mommy week for me. I have relied more on my yelling capabilities. I plan to get up before the kids to have time to myself and read the Bible. There is a Proverb that hit me. I am going to memorize and recite to the kids when things get crazy around here. If you haven't tried it, you should. It's funny when mommy responds with something that makes them think:

Proverbs 1: 7-9....7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
8 My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
9 What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.

And that's all I have to say about that! We're off to our story/craft hour today, Wellspring Wednesday. It will be a lovely day.

A Wound, but all is well

2008-01-10T23:16:00.000-06:00

I really have to be inspired to post,so I've been saving this one in my drafts. Yesterday (Jan. 9th) we had a little trip to the E.R. While at church, Luke was injured by a door opening while he was on the other side of it. It sliced his lip pretty good, but I'm happy to report--no stitches. Because it didn't go up above the lip into the skin, he was in the clear. Praise God! He also got some cheapy hotwheel type cars out of the deal. It was the most pleasant E.R. experience we've ever had. And he's been there several times in his little 4 year old life. I will have to write sometime about his breathing difficulties as he was growing up. Many scary trips, and an overnight hospital stay on New Years Eve when he was not even 2 mo. old.

To update on more normal happenings, we visited my dad for Christmas/brother's birthday on Jan. 4th. For those of you who don't know, my parents were divorced when I was 5. Shortly following, my dad (and mom) were remarried, to which I, later, got some pretty cool siblings out of the deal. I don't know if they want me to share names, so I'll just call them T1 and T2. My sis is 7 years younger, and my bro is 11 years younger. I'd say that they were the only blessings I got out of the situation, but I also got some step dads that were (and are) very important to me.

Getting back to the celebration, we talked politics (caucus was the day before), ate yummy food, played games (Apples to Apples--woo hoo!), and the kids, once again racked up with the gifts. It was nice to visit with dad the next day. He made us breakfast, but then I could tell he was antsy about getting back to work. You see, my dad is a work horse. He is the best employee you could ever have. That is another story, though. After leaving for the 3 hr trip back, we decided to stop in Coralville and let the kids romp at the mall. After getting back pretty late, we realized we have to get up early to sing the next day. Oh the life of people with responsibilities!

The Sunday Tooth

2007-12-30T22:07:00.000-06:00

I realize that it is still the same day of my last post, but much has happened. E's 3rd tooth, (a front one no less) has "fallen" (has been pulled) out today! We have been working on this bubba tooth for a while now. It would cross over the other front one, push back behind it, it even stuck way out over his lip at times (hence Bubba). We used dental floss and twisting and got it so it was so crooked it was hilarious! After frustrated (almost) tears of can we quit now, this mama does not give up. I couldn't send him out looking like this now! I told him, "just go over to the mirror and try yanking real hard." And out it came! He was so excited...it just took a little perseverance. So we then practiced our "s" and our "th" and sometimes "f". It was so fun to hear his "new" sounding letters! Oh well, just had to share.

OH, I can't forget: I came home from church fully expecting a double ear infection for E, and the whole deal. He met me in the garage, jumping up and down. "God healed me," he said, "yeah for my God!" And I believe it.

I just washed my hair with beer!

2007-12-30T00:20:00.000-06:00

Wow, I never realized bar soap would work so well on hair. Especially my thin, flat, do nothing hair. Prairie Land Herbs is my new store. And I know there's nothing nasty entering my skin. Alleluia. My bar of choice was the Ginger and Beer bar, as they suggested. I heard they were going to be at the downtown winters market, so I hightailed it down there a couple weeks ago (slight fever and all) just to check it out. I'm going to add them as an official link on my linky-do's soon.
Note on health: unfortunately, the pukes passed through (so to speak) all of us. L was Wed., E was Thurs, and hubby and I were Fri. Now, E has an ear ache and is now sleeping on the couch. (We had to be fair after all). When E has been congested (which he has), it generally goes into the ears for him. I try to treat it at home with garlic oil and heat pads, but most end up as trips to the clinic. On another note, L's sickness usually ends up in wheezing, for which he has been on the nebulizer on and off these last few days. Can I just say that December has been crap? Just plain crap. We've never been so sick. I always pride myself on my kids being the only ones not sick! (Maybe I needed to be brought down a notch?) Anyway, that's our crappy health update. Just how many times can I say crap in one blog. It's quite fun.

A question to all you bloggers out there: how does one find other's blogs? Is there a way to search by name/profile? I usually link off others, but would like to do a search on my own. Our day today will hopefully be uneventful. I sing for our worship service today, and it probably will be only me going to church. As http://mytotalpv.blogspot.com suggests, I have made a list of organizational things for this year:
1) Papers, papers, papers. I let them pile up, mail, kids' stuff, it doesn't matter. It runs my life!
2) Go through kids' toy room and fit all Christmas goodies into it.
3) Take down Christmas decor--fully. I don't want to find bits and pieces of it in July. Like usual.
4) Addition done--that's more on hubby's to do list.

*These aren't in any particular order

What's yours?

Of Christmas thoughts and food replacement

2007-12-27T00:00:00.000-06:00

What a whirlwind. Going to 3 Christmas functions 3 consecutive nights. Maybe I'm getting old and fuddy duddy, but do we have to please everyone? By the time we got to our Christmas morning presents, I was burnt out, and the kids had opened more than their fair share the previous 2 nights. Gah. I hope to do it differently next year. With in laws, how do you change things? So, we'll see. All in all, I always enjoy Christmas. Maybe I'm partial, but I always enjoy my family gathering (Gpa Dennis) as it is calm. It's so peaceful. We sit and talk, eat, and exchange a few presents. There are no other kids. There is the only child coming out in me! It's nice that my kids get all the attention, darn it. They are the only grandchildren/great grandchildren on my side.

My kidneys are getting better, so to speak. I didn't post for a while, as I had fevers of 103 on and off the past 3-4 weeks. Finally, an antibiotic later, and I'm feeling great. No long term solution, until insurance kicks in and I can go see a urologist. I just hate talking about my health. But if this is to be an online journal of sorts, I really can't avoid it. So sorry for the non blogging--that's how you know I'm having some health issues.

Speaking of health issues, my little one threw up about the last half of the day. None of us are sick in that way, and he still seems hydrated, so we're just waiting it out. He is currently sleeping on the floor in the living room in blankets. He was so sweet and asked, "Mommy, will you sleep out here with me?" Of course! How cute is that little guy. Big bro thought it was unfair that he had to sleep in his bed, so I told him that if he pukes he can sleep out there too. Gee, I hope that wasn't an encouragement.

Since interesting things all happen in threes, here is number 3: Does everyone have little dials on their fridge to tell them what the temp is? Yeah, everyone has something. Well, ours are out in front when you open the fridge, and apparently someone had turned them all the way down. Pink liquid was leaking out of our fridge, so when hubby came home, he investigated and found that our candy cane ice cream had melted all the way down our fridge and was leaking out onto the floor. Oh glorious day when you have to go to the store to replace the whole contents of your fridge. Hehe.

I'm very excited about the new year. Always my opportunity to become and organized person. We'll see what happens this year.

My "Last Minute Shopping"

2007-12-12T22:09:00.000-06:00

I generally do not "make" things. I really want to be that way, and I'm getting better. I'm just not there yet. I did the long haul of gifts for the kids from a random toy website today. Sorry for the non-postings...Internet Explorer has been down. There are still some things that Toys R Us will help out with, but we usually end up spending about $300 or so on the kids all together. Considering the crazy in-debtness that goes on at Christmas, we definitely don't go that far. We've learned our lesson, and are no longer in debt (except our house).
We have already purchased "our" gift. Hubby and I have already gotten our "we won't get anything for each other if we get this" gift purchased. The only thing left is our stockings. So that is our "budget" per se. We have yet to get items for family we are getting together with. I am not so stressed knowing that we have the kids taken care of.

The kids have been really wanting to go sledding, so they will get some daddy time on Saturday. That will be great. There's also a winter farmers market downtown, so yeah for me. I love those things. I'm so excited for Christmas. We still have much to do, and I'm still working on the ginormous pile of dishes that stacked up for me while I was sick. I should take a pic...you wouldn't believe it.

E's first front tooth is just about to come out. It better happen soon. I've never seen such a stubborn (and silly looking) thing. It's actually starting to cross over the other one! The poor boy will have to become good friends with the dentist. I have thumb-suckers. Even at age 6 1/2 he isn't giving it up.

I am well!

2007-12-09T22:35:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the delay, folks. As yesterday went on, I felt better and better. We struggled with the decision of going to urgent care or not, and I'm glad we didn't. ($70 for the urine test, $80 for the visit.) We self pay, you see. It's so interesting when you're not covered under insurance. When you ask doctors, "how much will that be," they look at you as if you were a freak. I want to say, "I'm sorry, did you expect me not to care about the bill, because you thought I'd only be paying a small portion or none? Medical costs in this country are nuts. For whatever the reason. I believe it's because we're all so damn unhealthy! Needless to say, my usual kidney supplement, Naked Power C, and water did the trick. I realized it was my own fault for not drinking the water I should. My Power C's are $2.99 a pop, but having even 2 of those a day beats the cost of the doc visit (and better for me than antibiotics--oh yeah, those aren't free either!)

On to normal things. My in-laws moved this weekend. Yeah. Fun. We were there most of the day yesterday, so I entered their house as crazy-lady, wrapped in my down blanket, flannel one around my face, my knit cap, and slightly delusional from fever. You should have seen it. LOL. Just before I came in, my hubby says, oh yeah, there are people you don't know here from my dad's work. Whaaa? I had to tell everyone that I really wasn't crazy, and that I'd be taking my leave to go lie down in the other room...nice to meet you?

I always see pink everything when my fever gets high. The room also bends. Quite '70's really. Now it's your turn to tell of horrible sick stories...I'll be reading your blogs!

I've Done All I Can

2007-12-07T15:59:00.000-06:00

I tried my home remedies, and it's just not working! I will be going in to the clinic tonight. I apologize for not visiting here twice yesterday, but I was in a delusional feverish state. This will be a short post, as I must get ready to go. I'm ready to do the rest of my shopping--online. This is the point of the year when I don't visit anymore stores. Especially with the shootings and all. Our weather is crazy, and we're supposed to get another snow storm. It's so fun to be inside while all of this goes on. Any of you out there of the praying variety, please pray for my kidney situation. It's a little scary that these things keep happening.

I missed a day!

2007-12-06T10:41:00.000-06:00

I'm so bummed I missed, so I'll post today at 2 different times. I do have good reason, though. I usually post late--after midnight, so I'm not taking up the kids' time on the computer during the day. Last night (graffic content) I was puking my guts out. How horrible it was. My muscles already don't work right, then they are forced to work even harder. Man, am I achy. I'm a self diagnosis person, so I can say that I have a kidney infection, which upsets my stomach. The 2 times I had gone to the doctor for these, they told me that vomiting is common. This one came on strong. Thankfully, it happened after Awanas. Hubby had already been throwing up all Wed., so he wasn't too keen on taking care of me, too.
On to a better topic--Cubbies. I teach the 3 & 4 yr olds in Awanas. Their class is called Cubbies. Without hubby there, it was a bit crazy, but with our wonderful helper it went a little smoothly. All Cubbies (except one) said their verses. It was great. We have a lesson, craft, snack, game time. We have a theme song, we say the Pledge of Allegance, they have a great time.

Well, the big snow storm is to happen today, so I checked out some documentaries (thanks to http://mylittlesoapbox.blogspot.com for the ideas). It's nice that the WDM library lets you have media items for 3 weeks. We're going to curl up and learn el TV style. We only have the TV on for specific shows throughout the day. PBS is the only station I let the kids watch, so it's Cyberchase, Word World (sometimes), and Dragontales/Super Reader if they're up in time. Usually we miss these 2 since we are just waking up and getting breakfast and such.
Well, time for kids to do their lessons...talk to you later!

Ticked Off!

2007-12-04T02:39:00.000-06:00

I just spent a long time blogging, for Blogger to erase my work. Needless to say, this one will be short. Our dinner with Shawn consisted of talking about how messed up we are, being a product of the 70's and and 80's and all. Everything from divorce, quasi only-childness, to abuse and family relationships. Yipee! It's good introspection, though. It's good to get it all out and realize that we are becoming better parents/people. Also, for anyone out there, Shawn is in search of a Christian hippie-type lady. Hard to come by, I know, but in the blogosphere, anything is possible!

As for the bulk of my day, the kids and I went to the library to check out loads of books. We also hit the new Mustard's kiosk to have lunch. Yum-eee. I love these days. Having fun, reading, doing our school work on the computer. I've boycotted all curriculum for the time being. I do actually use it sparingly, but I'm non-committal. (80's child?) LOL. Anyway, we got to visit with my misunderstood neighbor. He helped us salt our iceway, I mean driveway. It was good to have the opportunity to talk to him. He is good hearted, but as a grandfather, he does not agree with homeschooling. He has told his grandson (who is E's age) that homeschooled kids are screwed up. I have to laugh at that. I suppose that's not the first comments we'll get! I wonder, though, as homeschooling gets more and more popular, there has to be some kind of educational change going on in our kids generation. It will be interesting to see where it all ends up.

I was going to answer http://lifedreamed.blogspot.com on the soccer coach, but that will have to be a future post. So here's the list of future blogs:

1) Boys curtains and my craftiness
2) Soccer coach from hell
3) The new organization in the school/play room

PS--http://mytotalpv.blogspot.com, you can post pics of my kids from the card crafting!

We're Up Late Tonight

2007-12-03T23:53:00.000-06:00

Almost forgot to blog for the day, my friends! We had a guest over for dinner tonight. He is a long time, SINGLE friend, who's name is Shawn. (I didn't ask him if I could use his name, but oh well). Hubby works with Shawn, and he has been a friend to us from a previous church we went to when we were new parents. Shawn is single (I say again) and never been married. I will plug that from time to time...OK, I will end here and see you in a few minutes to tell you about our night and day. (After all, it's almost Dec. 4th!)

My Previously Mentioned Secret

2007-12-02T00:02:00.000-06:00

Most of you that know me already know this, but we have built an addition. Yahoo! This has been our dream since we moved here in 2000. Patience is a virtue. It all happened so suddenly, and this is how: my long-time friend from junior high, flips houses, along with her husband. They were in the midst of buying an acreage to live in and wanted our hot tub. Hmmm, I thought, "what's it worth to ya?" Needless to say, her husband is an engineer and has built houses, so 2 weekends later, we have a shell. Now we (husband) just has to finish the inside. I have much faith in him. We had hoped to finish by the end of the year, but did not want to use credit cards, so it may be after the new year.

We have been thinking a lot about the future, how are we going to retire, etc. Landowning (free and clear) seems the only thought we are OK with. Investments are risky and social security, HA. There are savings accounts with 4+ interest, and while we know that can't compare to inflation over the years, we'll start out there (and paying off our house, of course). Any thoughts out there on retirement? What are your plans? It would be so amazing to own, free and clear, our little house on the southside. To own that house well into our retirement age. Who does that these days? I look at my grandparents, who built and owned their house for over 40 years. I'm sure they got a pretty penny when they sold. They also owned other land, and gramps was an insurance man--I'm sure we was well insured. Grandma seems to be getting along great, able to live in a retirement home with independence. When you can still send money to the great grandchildren, I consider that a generational heritage. I want to be like that! The grandma that all the kids are excited to get a card from! (Not only that, but she used to hand-make her cards). I begged her for that creative ability when we went up to see her and she just laughed. (I guess I'll have to rely on God for that one).

We are in the midst of an ice storm, and there is no place that I'd rather be. I love being "stuck" at home. Listening to Christmas music (since Oct. 18th, by the way) and drinking hot beverages. Playing games with the kids, watching all of the Veggietale Christmas videos. My oldest knows about every x-mas song, and especially likes Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree. The kids take turns swinging around (real fast) in my wheelchair and it is great fun.

I guess I'd better sign off, as it is getting late. And to all you bloggers out there, this is your challenge--to write every day in December (and to hold me accountable, too!)

An Inspiration

2007-12-01T23:56:00.000-06:00

A lot of my blog friends have been challenging themselves to post every day in November. Well, I'm going to do that for December. And here's number 1.

I'm Still Alive!

2007-11-27T16:15:00.000-06:00

Yes, I fell off the blog train. NO, the scary guy didn't get me. Where do I start? I guess first, with Thanksgiving. This is the first year my dad asked us down for Thanksgiving. I was very glad to get away as we are always with my in laws. That is usually fine, except that we didn't have turkey. I think this is the 2nd or 3rd year now, and I'm going to have to talk to the powers that be. So, thank you good old dad, for providing us turkey, and leftovers.

We are thinking of getting a dog for the boys. We want a free one. And it has to be good with kids. We'd like to start with a puppy that grows to a medium size, but that means we have to train it. Ugh. Angie shalt not train dogs. Angie has not had a dog since she was 4. Dog/pup shall be a female since I am already outnumbered. Those are my own personal requirements. I'm so picky :)

I will update soon, but in the meantime, shoot me some ideas on this!

Scary guy at the store

2007-10-27T01:27:00.000-05:00

I've always loved going to the store at night. Especially now that I have kids, there is no disagreements about sugary cereal and the like. One downfall: scary people. The minute I rolled into the store hear, "do I know you from somewhere?" Maybe I'm too nice. I should have just said no and rolled away. 5 minutes later he is telling me about his ex-girlfriend. After my shopping, he is at the checkout. NOT checking out, BTW. He's just standing there watching everyone checkout. Thankfully the checkout guy notices that I'm uneasy and has someone walk out with me.

Not in the clear yet, as scary dude is standing there at his bike; I decide to not wait, but to high tail it out of there. As I turn onto the main road, he starts his bike towards me! Aaaah!! I speed, I mean SPEED down the street to make it safely home. I live very close to the store, but there is enough turns that I could definitely lose someone if I had to. This may turn into an interesting blog. Did you know this has happened to me before? Seriously, scary guys coming after me: at a QT while in college and at my apartment (while riding my bike) when I was in grade school. God has protected me thus far, and don't think He'll stop now. I still sit here though, uneasy, thinking what if this guy knows where I live? Now that I have kids, I have more irrational fear. I think of my defense: this guy has a bike, I have a minivan and a powerful $26k wheelchair. He has no chance!

There is so much more going on right now that I can't tell as of yet, so I will leave you hangin' with that!

My little man is 4!

2007-10-19T00:11:00.000-05:00

So 10 days is the approx. time I feel like blogging again. I really have to get a wild hair to get it done. It seems, though, that timing couldn't be more perfect. Our youngest turns 4 today. Oct. 19th, 2007. We stayed up tonight making pumpkin muffins, playing with his new toys, and listening to Christmas music (it gets earlier every year!)

Here is my reflection on how this little guy lights up my life:
1. When he wakes up, and it is still dark (more often than not). He asks: is it the day (or today) yet? I say no, it's still dark, so you should go back to sleep.
2. Whenever he caused a spill/hurt his brother etc. he immediately says "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry....I said I'm sorry!!!" (He really wants us to know)
3. He has always been fascinated with his lips since birth. The moment he started sucking his thumb (at 6 mos.) he noticed them. Now it has moved to others. It's like his comfort blanket. He wants to be able to feel our lips if he is laying down to sleep, watching a movie, etc. Big brother's lips will also do.
4. He is still small enough to cuddle on my lap. (Tears)
5. He said he still wants to nap even though he is 4 now.
6. He is thorough. He will finish an activity book/maze/connect the dot to the end. Hours I tell you!

I love this kid and can't imagine our life without him!

Worship Leaders...again?

2007-10-08T23:59:00.000-05:00

Ok, so it's just temporary. While our church looks for a full time leader, a few of us are going to "fill in the gap". It's pretty exciting. I admit, we can't stay out of direct church involvement for long! It is a part of our life, and always will be. The kids love their Awanas groups, and I am really liking the age group I teach. I had real doubts. Pre-K isn't my strong suit. You know what, though? They have a very similar schedule each week, and it's nice. They really need that security, and so do I.

Other things going on: we went to WI to visit grandma last weekend. It was nice. I think we tired her out, but we got to see the fall leaves (as they already are changing up north). We also got to see the house she grew up in. And yes, my grandma did walk to school 3 mi. one way. I'd say that's a big proponent for homeschooling! Can you imagine the central WI winters, and having you and 7 other siblings walking to school each day? Yikes!

Tonight we went to Dennis' house. He is the only family (in my family) that I have close by. It's so funny that a man that was married to my mom for the last 3 years of her life has become one of the closest members of our family. He is very special to us. He also challenges us on our conservative ways, in the same way we challenge him on his liberal ones. It's fun!

My youngest will be 4 in 11 days...where does the time go? I've recently started enjoying this age, where I was so uptight before. He will only be 3 for a short time, then no more. Tears well up as I type, knowing I will have no more of my own. God, don't let me take this time for granted. Sooner than I want, they will be men. God help us to do a good job raising them.

Lost Tooth #2

2007-09-28T12:45:00.000-05:00

For being an online journal, I really haven't been very faithful! Either I have no life and, thus, nothing to write about, or I'm just lazy. Probably the latter. Don't you just like to read about other people? I have to force myself to write about myself. (Does that make sense?) Well, the tooth losing seems to happen on Sundays. Sept. 23rd. About 6 weeks after the first one. Much excitement. E then had a double header in soccer that day. It was quite a crazy day. Little one has been on the nebulizer, and I think he is past the bad part.

I am having trouble with the growing mound on my kitchen table. It's like we try to homeschool, and I don't have the supplies, then the mail comes, then we have to eat... It may not sound like a big deal, but that stuff overwhelms me. I have been having this annoying headache the past 2 days, then there's the gutting of our bathroom. Oh, haven't I mentioned this? That's right, our friend and contractor came over to install an exhaust fan. We knew that paint/drywall was peeling off our walls from water damage and mold, we just didn't know the extent. We knew, right then, that we needed to just gut the whole thing. It should be done sometime next week.

We are planning to leave today for WI to see my grandma. It will be good to get out of this house. Hanging out by the lake, looking at the changing leaves, and the best: eating at Chet and Amos. All you can eat, family style--so much for cutting calories. But it's worth it for my grandma. It's certainly not the same since my grandfather passed away Jan. 2006. I feel like grandma is all alone up there, eventhough she now lives in a retirement community. She is such an amazing woman. I love talking to her.

Well, I hope everyone is doing great, and I'll talk to you again in October!

Random Musings

2007-09-18T23:51:00.000-05:00

OK--now for a more positive post! We had an interesting experience that I'll tell you about: we saw the RV that will be driven on the Live Lightly Tour. This amazing family converted their RV and personal vehicle to run on veggie oil. What's amazing is that they totally rely on God to meet their needs by traveling full time. How many of us out there would abandon our house, lifestyle, job to just just travel? I would so love to do that someday. These people have done this, and here's my plug to support them.

Another thing on my mind: What happens from age 3 to age 4? My almost 4 year old is testing testing testing his independence. I admit, I yell. In my case, just picking him up out of the trouble does not work. Corner time and taking things away is what we use at this point. I definitely tell him the times that he is being good...maybe not as often as I should? Maybe because it hasn't been happening very often. Aaaaah! But I love him.

How sad is it when you hear of someone your age dying? Recently, there was a car accident up by Ames in which the deceased was a guy from my graduating class. I will be going to the funeral tomorrow. I didn't even know him well, but I remember at my mom's funeral, I wanted as many people there. There's something about a lot of people making time in their day...people who have been touched by the person, even if they've only ever heard their name. It's comforting as human beings that we can go up to someone we don't even know and say, "I'm sorry for your loss."

Next stage of house remodel: we are gutting our bathroom. Yipee. Our original plan was to just install an exhaust/heat/light dealy-bob. But, if you've seen our bathroom, and most everyone reading this has never seen our master bath (if you can call our 5x8 a master). The drywall is peeling because of 7 yrs w/o this said fan/exhaust thingy. Hence, there is mold. Everywhere. Not the dangerous black stuff, but the let's quick put this bathroom in to bring up the house value and skimp and not put in an exhaust fan kind of mold. So we go from a $50 fan to $3000 renovation. Yikes. But, we like our little house. It teaches us daily that things are not important. Not material goods, space, things.

Thanks for listening.

It's 9/11, and I'm still uneasy

2007-09-11T02:14:00.000-05:00

I have been up way too late studying up on my terrorist knowledge. I believe I've become a bit paranoid since having children. No one would have believed that 9/11 would ever happen. To America, no less. After all, who would attack America? Here is some history and some current events. Use them as you will. March 2007: threat that terrorists may hijack buses in the U.S. We are told they are still the safest mode of transportation for millions of American children. Sept. 2004, Russian school attacked by Islamic terrorists, 334 students killed: I won't give you the details. Sept. 2001, World Trade Center attacked by Islamic terrorists. A trend, perhaps? Now onto current events: In the Austin/Houston area there are 20-some buses that have disappeared. Aaaaaaah! Is this an every 3 year event? And is America next, again?

Thank you, Lord that our kids are not in school. I say a prayer for every child in every school.
Surely we cannot be blind again. Thank you to my dh who loves talk radio and fills me in on the important stuff. Even if it keeps me up until 2:30am.

Sick sick and more sick

2007-09-05T22:14:00.000-05:00

Does this cycle ever end? I don't remember a single time that we have all been ill so often. Both hubby and my youngest have had allergy/asthma related sickness. Youngest was even thought to have had pneumonia! What the...? Needless to say, they have been both living on the nebulizer, and are now only in the phlemy cough stage. Ya hoo. This is all after the oldest had the ear infection/throat sore thing. In the midst of all of this, Saturday, my kidney really started to hurt in the evening. I told it to go away. I seriously said...God, I do not want this and I'm not having it. The next day it was gone. Now today, I've had a mild fever and both kidneys were hurting. They are feeling better now, though. I went on with life like nothing was wrong, and I plan to dang it. I'm sick of this (pun).

So, now that you know all our aches and pains, I'll share some good news. We have officially started homeschooling as of Tues. (with curriculum and stuff). It's fun! Pretty soon we'll get it down to where it won't actually take a full day! Poor youngest, he watched a lot of TV today and I feel horrible. I've just got to learn to multitask the boys. It's so great, though. I am loving them even more every day.

Wow, and Awanas. I am officially going to be the director of the Cubbies. (That is the pre-K). I feel like this is the time. I know it, too, because we are getting attacked with sickness so badly. I was about to give up, but then remembered all the support at this church. Everyone will be learning. It won't just be me. All this starts in 1 week! Also, flag football is starting for the boys on Sat. I have learned that I do really thrive on being busy. I don't like deadlines, but I do like knowing that I'm being a productive member of society.

Fall is approaching...leaves, thanksgiving, pumpkin farms, corn mazes. It is a truly wonderful time of year. Get out and enjoy!

Nice Award!

2007-08-30T21:44:00.001-05:00

OK, so it's taken me 10 days to figure out how to get this image into my blog. It's quite a lovely award, isn't it? I thank Heather over at Mini Memoirs for awarding me with this. She is a wonderful friend, and just announced the news that she is expecting #4! The neat thing about her is that she is so strong. I am not just talking physically, people. She can handle and conquer about anything that comes her way. She is the kind of friend would do anything for you. I'm so glad I met her, and get to spend even more time with her on this journey of life.

So now it's time for the awardees...I'll try not to nominate people who have already been nominated, although it's hard!

1st) D. at http://mytotalpv.blogspot.com/. What a sweet mama to a smart as a whip toddler! She is the epitome of "being there" for a child if I've ever seen one. She is always ready and willing to make every moment a teaching moment. I love just watching her in action. I really enjoy spending time with her, even if she is ten times smarter than me!

2nd) Abby at http://lifebysugarcreek.blogspot.com/. Wow, we've known each other for about 6 yrs now. I'm so glad that we were "reacquainted" after a time. We've come to a place that our values, and just generally life have meshed, with kids, marriage, house, loss of parents--all the things you encounter "growing up". She is also a friend that would do anything for you, and I thank her for making herself and her home feel like home to me.

3rd) Sara at http://walkslowlylivewildly.blogspot.com/. It's just crazy when you, by chance, find someones blog that would change your life. From her Christian walk, to her declutter/compact experience, I have learned immensely from her. It's great fun that I've actually run into her twice in Des Moines. God is just awesome like that. She is truly someone that I could become friends with, and I am excited about her journey into a new season of traveling and relying on the Lord.

4th) Another Sarah, at http://theviewfromhere.wordpress.com/. This is someone I haven't actually met, but "know" through mutual friends. I love her personality and her perseverance as she waits on the Lord. She is so fun to read, and I just pray blessings for her throughout her life.

Teaching Meme

2007-08-22T22:42:00.000-05:00

This was passed to me from my friend Laura:

Teaching Meme

1. I am a good teacher because… I guess I persevere and make my kids do the same. I don't know that it really makes me a good teacher, but it's been my life song, so it kind of weaves throughout everything I do.

2. If I weren’t a teacher I would be a… mom, a pursuer of better health, a volunteer for Hospice or other organizations.

3. My teaching style is… I need structure. A beginning and an end. I use a lot of repetition, especially with the youngest. We make up silly stuff, songs, and rhyming tricks. I really don't feel like I've actually started!

4. My classroom is… the world (OK, so I'm stealing that from Heather and Laura). I would love for our classroom to be a traveling one. Let's learn about the Grand Canyon--then travel there.

5. My lesson plans are… So far I don't have any. I picked my curriculum for the year, and I've taught the basics out of workbooks I've picked up from here or there.

6. One of my teaching goals… is to raise a person who knows who he is, what he knows, and how to learn what he doesn't know. (OK, I'm definitely stealing from Laura on this one.)

7. The toughest part of teaching is… keeping organized and on task. Oh wait, are we talking about life or teaching? Also, working on patience.

8. The thing I love about teaching is… definitely when the light bulb comes on. It's neat that I get to see that with my own kids as they progress through their academics.

9. A common misconception about teaching is… that you have to know what you're teaching. It is good to learn together. (I am so stealing this one again!)

10. The most important thing I’ve learned since I started teaching is… I am not perfect, so I shouldn't expect my kids to be.

$2000 and a lot of days later

2007-08-20T22:11:00.000-05:00

Wow, somehow my last 2 blogs were lost in blogger space. I went to look at my saved drafts, and apparently, that's all they were. Sorry about that. On with the current events. A week ago, we had some serious work done on my van. Oh, the lengths you will go to to keep a 40,000 van running. About 4 days at home, and I was ready to go out. So, a friend and I went to see Stardust the night I got the van back. Good movie.

Next day, Aug. 11, we went up to the repub. straw poll in Ames. What an inspiring thing to see and hear. People who still have faith and the fight to return America to it's original values. I never tire of hearing about the original values speech. Back to family, morals, fiscal conservatism...let's add environment to that. I realize that the party I most commonly align myself with, is not very strong on the environment. I do think that it is a concern, and we cannot rely on foreign oil. I also know that this party is big on life, business (particularly small business) and getting out of debt. That pretty much sums up my life in the last 7 years. So, of course I'm going to align myself with people that I meet my core values. Another bonus, is that our guy placed 2nd in the poll...he's also a HUGE home school supporter.

Next day, we went to Rockford, IL for a family reunion. It was great to catch up on family I don't see very often. I again, stop to marvel at my grandmother for her strength and positive attitude. I love her dearly. That woman never has a complaint...and she's nearly 82! I can't wait to see her again in Sept. And for the kicker...I reconnected with a somewhat estranged uncle, who is by the way, my God parent. He travels around in a $93,000 rv, just floating from one place to the next. Neat, and quirky guy. I found out some very horrible things about my grandma's side of the family. That was an eye opener, and it really made me reflect on what kind of generational curses exist in our family history. Yikes.

Well, I'll have more later..it's late, and I'm filled with thoughts of having to prepare for our homeschooling lessons and the fact that I'm putting that off.

White rice and maggots look the same

2007-08-09T21:48:00.000-05:00

So I'm not great at the green thumb/gardening thing, but I'm getting better. I have a huge load of lettuce already turning back to seed! That's right, I planted so much lettuce that we couldn't use it all. Even offering it out, we still had too much. Then I thought, every gardener has to have a compost pile. Now being a perfectionist oldest/only child, I did not want to just dump things in the corner of my yard without the proper bin etc. But waiting until everything is perfect to do something, is just procrastination. So, I have an open compost pile in the corner of my yard. It certainly did cut down on garbage! And, oh, the maggots. How I did not realize the grossness (is this a word?) After dh stirred my "pile," he lovingly dumped the spoon in the sink that I was already washing dishes in. The title of this blog says it all. I would not reach my hands in that sink for anything. Thankfully, dh, is not squirmish with these things.

Herein, a life lesson for me. I didn't know how to parent, and still am not perfect. I found out that the gross things that others think are cute about parenting (vomit, poop), are still gross to me. I thought that I would not have the nurturing instinct. I do...I don't know if it's overprotectiveness, but I don't care. There are quirky things that I do/don't allow my kids to do, and it's starting to be noticed by the in-laws. I don't let the kids watch more than an hour of tv per day (except for sickness). I am a hawk about what they eat. I am anal about them washing their hands. I can hear what's going on in the other room, and know what's going on in the other room. I hope it doesn't come back to bite me, I just don't want things from dh and my past to be present in their lives. I want more for them. So this all from a simply 4x8 raised bed garden...go figure!

I'm back!

2007-08-05T22:51:00.000-05:00

Well, after a spell of our computer being on the fritz, I'm back to blogging. With our desktop telling us it was performing a "physical memory dump" we thought, that does not sound like a good thing. So, when we lost the internet on it, we were for sure that it was going to crash. While backing up our files like mad, we used the laptop, which was incredibly uncomfortable to type on for any length of time. Hubby was doing some computer work today, so he tried reinstalling our internet software back on, and low and behold it worked! We'll see for how long!

Let's see, updates...I am finally done with the horse pill antibiotic. Yeeaahhh! Now I have to keep up the water consumption. Someone recommended a naturopath doc that works in 3 different towns. I believe that Des Moines, or a city close by, was one of them. If you were the person who recommended him, please leave me a message.

School and AWANAS are starting up soon. I'm pumped. Heather recommended "Learn at Home" curriculum. Just looking at the first few pages, I know that it's exactly what we need. I need structure. Always have. We get our lesson done, and we can add to it with anything--games, field trips; I'm starting to really love homeschooling, and I'm not even official yet! As for AWANAS, it looks like I will be one of the preschool teachers. That will be a stretch for me. Even though I have a child at that age, it's not my strong suit to teach them. But, that's why God likes to stretch us to do things we wouldn't, on our own, be comfortable doing.

I'm going to sign off for now, but I'll be back with more details. Just tired, and I have to go drink the rest of my water allotment for the day. Yipee.

On the Road to Recovery

2007-07-22T16:14:00.000-05:00

What an eventful week. I'd started having a fever Thurs, then Fri. It seemed higher than normal for me. I had pain in my kidney. (My husband always laughs at this. He thinks it's funny that I know what ORGAN is hurting. I guess it's like saying, oohh, my pancreas). For real though, it's always that right kidney. I don't know if I put pressure on it or what, but I'm going to have to change my lifestyle a bit. I've decided, I will drink 5 oz of water an hour. I hate water. No, I loathe water. I'll come back to that...

So, the diagnosis was that I have a kidney infection. It freaked me out; it still freaks me out. The Dr. was very serious that I don't want another one of these. I'm on these huge antibiotics that make my throat sore. And, I can't be out in the SUN :( What timing...July. Hubby's b-day is coming up this week. I want to make it good. He's very special. He's quite a guy to deal with my sickliness...again. During church today, I just wept and wept during worship. It's just what I needed. I just have to quiet myself to hear Him, too.

So about the water, I have to drink "plenty of water" with this med. Isn't that specific? I could go the whole day and not drink a thing, and now I have to drink loads of this stuff. Help me Lord, I'm going to have to do it. It's a lifestyle change for sure. I've pretty much stopped eating meat. There's too many weird stuff with meat, and the fact that it stays in the body for so long, that it's easier to avoid it. So that's another change. I also may start taking milk thistle and dandelion (detoxin), but I'm up for suggestions. I just have to make sure I am getting rid of toxins.

On a 2nd? 3rd? note, I don't know what we're doing for school this fall, so I better get my butt in gear now that my butt is not 102.7 degrees.

I Feel Like a Kid Again!

2007-07-17T23:11:00.000-05:00

It's so fun having an amusement park pass. Thanks to Laura, she inspired us to purchase a year pass for our family and have since used it twice this month. I was kind of bummed after the first visit, to have paid full price for a year pass and only be able to ride the Ferris wheel. But alas, it was only fear stopping me! I thought if I rode anything remotely crazy, I would for sure end up with broken bones. Well, when we went yesterday, I rode the upside down roller coaster, the Space Shot (it shoots you into the air), and many more.

We have a quite interesting situation in our family. Me, the one in the wheelchair, will ride anything. My big strong husband? Not so much. So when E wants to ride the big ones, who has to go? We have to pick between actual safety of my body, or my husband hurling up his lunch. I feel really great that I took a chance, showing my son that "mommy can do it, too". Hubby actually rode some that he swore he never would go on. Then, he swore when he went on them. It was hilarious. The greatest was probably when the amusement park employees offered to watch the kids while hubby went on the Space Shot. Man, did he try to get out of that one. But, he rode. What a man! He does feel bad, however, about the number of times he said "shit" sitting next to 8 & 9 year olds. If you know my husband, you know that he hardly ever cusses.

Moving on, our day today at home was great. It is nice when you're on the go all the time, to just not have anywhere to be. I could tell the kids got a little restless by the end of the day, though. Our window a/c DID NOT keep up with this heat. It was 85 in our house most of the day. Yikes! I'm excited about our upcoming planning meeting this Fri. for our home school group. I'm excited and a little anxious about this school year. It's our first "official" one. I'm so glad we are in the group we are. There are co-ops, and great people. One common goal of educating our children. No hidden agendas. That's how it should be.

A Day of Firsts

2007-07-09T23:16:00.000-05:00

July 8th, 2007 will go down in history for my E. In one day, he lost is first tooth and learned how to ride a bike. I tell you, this kid has the knack for picking up anything sporty. He was on this [2 wheel] bike for, not kidding, 5 minutes, and he'd ridden a half block. On the way back to our house, he rode the whole way down our street. Yeah hoo, another 6 yr old milestone!

We are, as a family, attempting an actual sabbath day. For a long time, we haven't really rested and enjoyed each other because of this or that. While it doesn't matter what day you choose to do this, we chose Sunday. We spent the day playing games, and eating mexican straw hats (another of my hubby's "recipes"). It's basically tortilla chips and every possible taco fixin' dumped on them. That evening we went to Grays Lake, for an impromptu bike ride/bbq. Since it was so impromptu, we didn't bring silverware/napkins/plates. We only had our meat, a bag of frozen corn, watermelon, a knife, and foil. We made those little camping out packets of food. I'd never heard of them until I met my husband. (I was a suburban girl). All in all, a very good time.

To catch you up on today, we went to the wading pool with some home school friends. What a great time. I just love Mondays at this new park. Even though the kids come back semi-burnt, we all have a ball. It doesn't seem to matter how much sunscreen I put on the boys, it always rubs off. I'm going to invest in a different kind, with more natural ingredients, but more waterproofing if that's possible. Any suggestions?

Aaaaah, the smell of paint!

2007-07-06T00:01:00.000-05:00

Yes, we're at it again. We went to the Bondurant waste facility to collect paint for the kids' bedrooms. Yes, that's right folks. We's here paint our house for FREE; we spare no expense. One will be a park theme (with slide, swing). One will be a schoolroom/toy room (with city/superhero theme). A good friend came over (the one that will be doing the actual artistic painting). And she will be here all tomorrow, too. Some bad news: hubby went to mix the white paint for the base coat and realized that is is a hazy, 1970's greenish-white. So, that is the color of one room. Oh well, it will go with the general chaos that is already in that room. So I am sitting here smelling paint fumes. Again. You know what, though? Our house is going to rock. Maybe not according to proper decorating standards, but I think the kids are going to really like it. So here's to redecorating. It's not so fun while your in the thick of it, but it feels great when you're done!
My friend H mentioned that she had her kids watch(ed) Rescue Heroes. WHAT A GREAT SERIES! It not only teaches things (like what to do in an electrical storm). It shows how and what they do to actually save people (in cartoon language). They are my new fave, and E is just sure he is going to be a fireman. I think he really is serious this time. I can see in his eyes the desire to help people. "To save that little Billy Blazes from the burning building." We just had so much fun today. While L took a nap, E and I went for an outing. I am trying to get in the habit of taking them both out individually. They are together so often, that I want them to figure out their own likes/dislikes and who they are as a person. Anyway, while on our outing, we went to Salvation Army and picked up the aforementioned movie as well as a much wanted Magic School Bus and When Harry Met Sally (ok, that was for me). We also went to Starbucks and played checkers. It's funny, E always goes up to the counter and asks for a strawberry latte. They look at me like, he orders lattes'? Why yes, yes he does. What he really means is that strawberry frappe thing with all the whipped cream. Yeah, like I'd let my 6 yr old go up and order himself a latte. It's funny, because they look at me with confusion every time. And we go to the same Starbucks every time we go! I just take true delight in E's outgoingness (is this even a word?) I have realized, though, that L is not like that as much. He is in subtle ways, but I was noticing that with his cousins, he just did what they wanted. Not good. I want for my kids to have a mind of their own, to stand up for their beliefs. It could be that they are just different kids, but I think parents shape their kids more than they'll ever know. Heck, I didn't grow up with my dad, but I am still tight with money and stubborn as hell. So what does that say about genetics?
Well, I guess it's getting late, I'll update everyone on the room adventure. You never know what color our house will end up next!

Happy 4th!

2007-07-05T01:27:00.000-05:00

I won't delve into it here, but for anyone who would like to know the facts about Francis Scott Key, please look it up. You will be amazed at the bravery, the pride, that Americans can have. Do we still have the pride and sacrifice it takes to make this country great, I mean really great? That's my only deep question on this day that "the bombs bursting in air" once again happens, to remind us of the ones that went before us to make this country great.
So moving on to our day! We had a pleasant day. It started out with meeting a friend for a parade, then we got confused about the meeting place. So, we sat with family. I say that in a kind of down tone and this is why: I have no family left close by. I do have my step-dad close by, but he's not a go out with the fam type of guy. We usually go over to his house for dinner about 2x per month. Our only option is my inlaws, and since I'm not at liberty to complain, I'll just say that I was glad for the day to finally end. I guess I feel hemmed in at others' house the whole day. I can't get around, check on the kids, make my own food. I feel like an invalid. But the kids had fun, and we did light fireworks when in got dark.
One awesome bit of news: my sis called me during fireworks to tell me that she is engaged! Her fiance is such a great guy, and I am just tickled that I was 2nd in line to hear about the news (after parents). We actually have different mothers, for those of you who didn't know. Although my sis and I did not grow up together, I had always hoped for us to be close. I am so glad we are. I always wonder how it was growing up knowing that your dad had been married to someone else and had had a child. I only know about it from the other end, being without my dad.
Oh well, I guess it's late and I'm rambling. I'll close it for tonight and dream up something for the next day I post. Hugs to all!

I See the Clouds' Butts

2007-06-26T23:38:00.000-05:00

So, as we were looking up at the sun-setting sky on our way home today, the 3 year old from the backseat says: "I See the Clouds' Butts" That got quite a chuckle. I realized today how different my boys are. 3 year old: cautious, not taking risks, sensitive, never knowing what he is thinking. 6 year old: exact opposite. Although, they are both sensitive and caring, especially when someone needs help. That could be due to me being in a wheelchair. E has been praying at the end of every prayer: "...and help mommy." Translated, this means, help her to walk. I believe someday I will...be it by medicine (God), God himself, or when I get to heaven, eventually I'll be healed.
We had such a full day today, from swim lessons, to movie theater, to park/lunch. After some time at home for nap and school, we went off to the new play area/jump equipment night at the mall. I just love having things to do. Our marvelous a/c units don't quite keep up during the day, so we plan to be gone a lot! Yesterday we had a full day with a brief jaunt at park day, to lunch, to the historical building. It was a lot of fun, plus I got to know a homeschool mom a little better. L had his last bam bam ball game on Mon. night, so we have an end of season party tomorrow night. I guess I am the parent that's in charge of putting together something for the coach. (And you know how creative I am!) I guess that's all for now. I updated the blogroll, so check out the people that give me insight on life.

Continuation

2007-06-22T23:01:00.000-05:00

Well, exciting things sure did happen throughout the day! We lost our power from the horrendous storm that blew though here, at about 5:00. Just, might I add, as I was starting supper. We snacked for a while, played Chutes and Ladders by candlelight, then just got plain hungry. So off to the mall we went. A good food court and play area date. It was good for all of us. One bad thing that happened: when the aforementioned dinner cooking was beginning to happen, I had just turned the burner to high to start the rice boiling. When the power went out, you see, I did not turn the burner off. While we were at the mall, the power did come back on. Thank you Lord that you spared our house. It was filled with smoke and the smell of burning wild rice! We figured out it had been boiling (and burning) on high for 53 min.
So, all in all, a pretty eventful day. I have to admit, my patience level for the boys was at a low today. Lord, help me do better tomorrow.

More about teeth...

2007-06-22T10:33:00.000-05:00

This is good news, and just want to log it: E has a loose tooth! We discovered it Tues. June 19. In the midst of flossing his teeth, I saw an adult tooth popping through. We hadn't even discovered the loose tooth yet. I figured, it was probably loose, too. We tried it, and low and behold...looseness. I about cried. I'm sort of emotional. My first baby, his first loose tooth. OK, I'm done with the tooth bit.
I'm pretty excited, we now have a system in our hottub that is virtually chemical free. Just in time for the homeschool BBQ. I'll go ahead and post now, then pluck my brain for better things later.

30 days of no complaining

2007-06-18T01:56:00.000-05:00

This means to friends, in my own head, etc. etc. I have a family heritage of complaining, so God, please help me to be positive. I realized that I sounded a bit negative in my last blog, but I truly am thankful for free lunch...yippee! So at the start of a new week, with a great Father's Day having been had, I shall, at the end of this blog name 10 things that I'm thankful for. Going back to Father's Day, I had a semi-long conversation with my dad today. It was nice. He has given me a heritage of frugality, and stubborne...determination (had to change that as to not sound negative ;) I appreciate the talks we have, as I did not grow up with him. Nor did I see him in the best light growing up. As an adult, it's neat to get to know someone who essentially gave me life!
I have not blogged about my oldest's b-day party. We had about 19 kids present. Yikes. It was loads of fun. Pirate themed, treasure hunting, pinata, the works. I'm sorry if you're reading this and you were not invited. We had to trim the guess list, and it ended up being mainly home school friends. My oldest son has quite the outgoing personality; it's a good thing we are "socializing" him properly. LOL.
We are looking forward to an exciting summer of swim lessons, park days, killing gardens, then begging my friend Abby for some of her produce. I cherish this hot weather, but I'm not good at watering my photosynthetic friends. I plan to also hit some farmers markets this week, a birthday party, a bam bam practice and game, taking my father-in-law out for Father's Day, and finishing this house up in preparation for the home school barbecue. Sorry if this sounds like a diary. I just want to be able to look back at this journal and see what was going on in this part of my life. Sometimes I need to do that--mentally plan, or go over what's already been done. I guess it's part of my only/oldest child perfectionist in me. I sometimes over-plan, then if plans fall through, I'm disappointed. God is helping me with this. He is also helping me with patience. Especially with my children. I'm a SAHM for goodness sake, shouldn't I have patience? It (I) am a work in progress, as we all are.
Thank you for listening to my rant/non-complaining/electronic journal...and for your endurance, here is my list of 10 things for which I am thankful:
1. God, that He loves me even if I am not perfect
2. My husband, that he loves me even if I am not perfect
3. My children, that they love me even if I am not perfect (I sense a theme...)
4. The family I have not under this roof
5. My wonderful friends
6. Organic food
7. Hot summer days
8. Our country, and the freedom it stands for
9. Garage sales/thrift shopping
10. Yummy yummy tea

Now it's your turn...10 things for which you are thankful!

Free Lunch!

2007-06-06T22:40:00.000-05:00

Where have I been--this is the first I have heard about the free lunch program through the summer. Today was the first day of our free government hand out venture. Here's how it went:
I have to say, it's amazing that public schools have not changed since I was in school. For the most part, this elementary school looked the same as mine did in the early 80's. I find that to be really sad. We have new government buildings, shelters for the homeless, etc. etc., but can not scrounge up the finances to update a school. Smells of fresh paint wafted into the lunch room. (I left with a head ache). Star Wars posters hung all over the walls. Is this an educational center, or a dropping zone for busy parents? Yikes. I'm so glad we homeschool. Not to mention the lunch lady...man they haven't changed either. A woman? that strikes fear into any 6 year old heart. OK, hear ends the negative. Now the positive: free lunch. OK. So, we'll be going to the park next time free lunch rolls around. I figure that we have to pay property taxes for the school, we don't use the school, so we should go for free lunch (at least we're paying for something). Folks, I want everyone to research the beginning of public school, how it was all started. Tell me if you don't find that it has its roots in socialism...indoctrinating...check out this blog: http://www.mommylife.net/archives/2007/05/a_wake_up_call.html
Pray for our nation. Pray for our children.