The Giving Tree

I have been running myself into the ground this past week. But I'm not complaining. Every year we spend a certain amount of money on a family in the area who needs it desperately. I had been buying and wrapping these presents and then delivering them to the drop off point.

When I saw the "giving tree" at my daughter's preschool this year I couldn't stop crying. I pulled many items off that tree. How sad is it when a family asks for a rolling pin or some bath towels because they cannot afford them. There was a grandfather asking for shoes and a grandmother asking for kitchen towels. They also asked for shoes for the 2 1/2 yr old granddaughter that they care for.

The possession of these items and many more are just things that I take for granted everyday. I am so blessed to be able to say, "I need such and such" and then have the means to go out and buy that item. Some days I think my life stinks and then I come back to thoughts of the "giving tree." It could be me asking for these things but it's not.

I remember one Christmas when I was younger when my family didn't have a dime to spend on Christmas. We got a small amount of money from our grandparents. It was a sad situation but we accepted it. When you don't have extra money for anything in life you learn to accept it because there is no other choice.

Some of the most impoverished times in my childhood were the most blessed times. There were days when my parents didn't know where dinner was coming from that evening, but somehow it was always there. Someone would just happen by with left-overs from some church function or something like that.

It's things like this that I will never forget. I will never forget where I came from and for that, I will give of myself during every Christmas season as much as I can afford and even more so than that.

Slacker Blogger Speaks

Oh my dearest blog. I have been remiss in my responsibility toward your up keep. I miss you so much. I have substituted good writing with forwarded emails and silly blog quizzes. I hope you understand. Don't worry. I haven't forgotten about you and I will be back after the chaos of Christmas shopping is over and before I start the next semester of college. All will be well again in the future. Until then........

A Great Lesson for All

Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock, did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks out of her classroom. When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks.Looking around, confused, they asked,"Ms. Cothren, where're our desks?"

She replied, "You can't have a desk until you tell me what you have done to earn the right to sit at a desk."

They thought, "Well, maybe it's our grades."

"No," she said.

"Maybe it's our behavior." She told them, "No, it's not even your behavior.

And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom. By early afternoon television news crews had started gathering in Ms. Cothren's classroom to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room. The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the deskless classroom.

Martha Cothren said, "Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you." At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.

Martha said, "You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it."

By the way, this is a true story.... If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you read it in English, thank a soldier. Yes, it really is a true story...

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/nodesks.asp

What's Your SuperPower?

I thought this was cute since my three yr old tells me everyday that I am her superhero. I know it won't last forever, but I will cherish it for as long as it lasts!

Your Superpower Should Be Mind Reading

You are brilliant, insightful, and intuitive. You understand people better than they would like to be understood. Highly sensitive, you are good at putting together seemingly irrelevant details. You figure out what's going on before anyone knows that anything is going on! Why you would be a good superhero: You don't care what people think, and you'd do whatever needed to be done Your biggest problem as a superhero: Feeling even more isolated than you do now

What Should Your Superpower Be?

Family News

I'm tired. Very, very tired. I have a migraine and so much writing to do for school. It's going to have to wait another day. I was up until 3 am last night writing a paper. It's not due until Sunday but I wanted to get it done because I have an Algebra exam on Sunday. I will be so glad when I am done with all these writing intensive classes and can concentrate on my science and math.

Monica is doing well in her studies. We are concentrating on social studies this week because next week is her 5th grade social studies standardized test. She tests well and doesn't mind going into the public school for the tests. It saves me the hassle at the end of the year and I get bragging rights when she scores in the highest level. Nope, I don't mind at all.

Lucianna's second blood tests have revealed that her lead levels are coming down and her iron levels are going back up. Whew! That is a relief. This has been a very scary time for us. In the middle of this we have to change pediatricians. I just found out yesterday that our insurance company won't pay a penny of her doctor bills if I continue taking the children there because the doctor is not on the network. I won't even get started on the whole story but I will tell you that they are making an exception for the bills up til now. They admit that the way the doctors are listed on the website is somewhat confusing and they can see why I would think that he was in our plan's network. Oh give me a break.

We Found a New Church!

It has been a year long journey, well not really because I wasn't entirely diligent in my search, but we found a new church for the family. It's right in town and has a great children's program.

My daughter Monica hasn't been this excited about going to church in a LONG time. She has met other girls her age who are also homeschooled. They have invited her to be on the junior Bible Quizzing Team and she has already attended her first youth group meeting.

Alexandra loved it and already has a part in the Christmas pageant as a donkey. Awwww! It will be adorable.

I found myself in a wonderful mixed adult Sunday school class on discipleship. I was so happy to be accepted into a group that reminded me so much of a group I once led in Sunday school back in 2002 (we reluctantly moved from that area so I had to leave that church). I was absolutely floored when the leader of the group handed me the set of study books at the end of class. He told me that they were mine to keep. I looked these books up online and they cost almost $40.00. Wow! I will put the money into offering next week even though I wasn't asked to do so. I expected them to ask for money for the books. I was going to buy them regardless. This group showed me exactly what I wanted to see in a "home church" on my first visit!

Oh, I am so happy. I'm pretty sure God has led me to the church that I can be actively involved in, learn from and call Home!

Home School Websites -- Free

Here are a few free educational websites that have balanced my homeschool chaos.


Sheppard Software -- fantastic learning games
Core Knowledge -- Check out the lesson plans and study guides
Language Arts -- Games
Math Games
Virtual Math Manipulatives for preK through 12th grade
Social Studies for Kids
American History with Lesson Plans
More American History
Even More American History
E-Learning for Kids -- All Subjects
KidsSpell

My CafeMom Homeschool Group

Come on over and check out my homeschool group on CafeMom. It is all about sharing free and inexpensive resources to homeschool for practically no money except the cost of the internet and some secondhand curriculum choices. It can be done. The group is free too. No ads and no spam allowed on my group (this includes curriculum dealers).

Homeschool 101 (On a Budget)

Check out my group at CafeMom

Household Happenings

Okay so I haven't posted for a while. Not a legitimate post about me anyway. Life is chaotic. What else can I say? I am a full time college student. I'm a stay at home mom to three girls. I homeschool my oldest and soon to be our middle daughter as well if things don't start going better at preschool. My husband is out of town every other week on business. I guess I am a single mom 50% of the time too.

With all that said and done I have to say I feel more balanced than I have in a while. I love school. I love learning. I love being able to do something substantial for myself for once. I love all the other things too but college balances it all out for me.

So far this semester, I have all A's. It's really exciting. I want to do the best I can do. It's funny how age can do that to a person. My first time around in college I thought I cared about my grades but I really didn't. Had I cared about my grades I would have put my social/party life on hold. I would have taken it all more seriously.

Homeschooling is going great too. Monica is excelling in all subjects. She told me the other day that she loves chemistry and thinks that she would like to pursue the career of a pharmacist. That makes me very happy. I know that it can change in the future but at least for now I have a direction in which to guide my daughter. We went to the library today and checked out some books for kids on basic chemistry.

Alexandra is not liking preschool as much as she did last year. I haven't pinpointed the exact problem but I will bring her home to homeschool too if I have to. Hopefully, we can get to the root of the problem before it comes to that.

Lucianna is my little ball of trouble. Now we know for a fact that she is allergic to all dairy and eggs. That means that the goat milk I've been giving her is an allergy too. The reaction wasn't as bad. Well I took her off the goat milk. She hated soymilk but loved hempmilk. So now we pay over $30 a week on milk but it's worth it to have a healthy baby again. She is so full of energy now. The hempmilk is full of vitamins, minerals and omega 3 fatty acids too. It's really healthy. Hopefully that will aid with the anemia.

Cute story! The other day it was thundering in the distance and Alex was outside without shoes on. I told her to get inside and hurry. She asked why. I told her because she was outside in her bare feet. She said, "MOOOOMMMMMMM, I have kid feet not bear feet!"

ROFLMAO!

Wordless Wednesday 22 -- Apple Season in NY

Wordless Wednesday 21-- Lucianna and Friend

Lessons in Nature

So yesterday I was getting out of the car and I saw a huge green bug fly up onto the outside wall of the house. I assumed it was a grasshopper and went over to investigate because it was not flying or jumping away. Lo and behold, it was not a grasshopper, it was a praying mantis. I got the girls outside and we had a mini lesson in nature. I was probably about 8 or 9 years old the last time I saw a praying mantis. I wasn't able to get the camera. Yes I'm mad about that.

Today we went to the apple orchard on a field trip. They have a bee hive there and the children were looking at it (They have one of those plexiglass hives that come into the building so you can see the bees in the hive). There were tons of bees everywhere when we went to pick apples. Come to find out the queen at the resident hive had decided that her colony had grown too big. When this happens she designates one of the larva to be a queen. She picks drones and workers to go with the new queen. They swarm until they are able to build a new hive. The orchard worker who gave us the tour told us this golden nugget of information and showed us the end result. Here's a picture. I was less than 15 feet away from this. I would have loved to have gotten closer but bees scare me. The dark brown spot on the ground is the swarm of bees.

First Graded Assignments

Woo Hoo! My grades for my first two writing assignments were the maximum amount of points available! A+! Go me! Yippee! Can you hear me jumping up and down? I guess I will add that I got an A on my first two quizzes in Biology! Yeah!

Algebra Fun?

Yes, you read it right. Algebra and fun in the same sentence. I'm actually enjoying the Intermediate Algebra class that I feared the most. I haven't taken an algebra class in 21 years yet I'm doing pretty good. I did brush up a little on my own over the summer and that helped quite a bit, so much that I passed the placement test to get into the second level class rather than starting all over in the beginning, non-credit course. Regardless of how long it's been though, I think I'm doing pretty good.

I love all my classes. I think that this thirst for knowledge has gone on unattended for way too long. Going back to school is just what I needed in my life.

I Went to an AA Meeting

I'm taking the required Health class in my first semester back to college. My assignment this week in that class was to go to an open Alcoholics Anonymous meeting as an observer and write about my observations and thoughts on the meeting and it's structure. I really didn't want to do it. I was going to try to get out of the assignment because I was so uncomfortable about it. As uncomfortable as I was, I'm really glad I went. It was an enlightening experience. I thought it was worth posting so here is the paper I wrote:

I have never been in a room with so many desperate people. There were people desperate to stay sober because they have just begun their path to sobriety. There were people who were desperate to keep the life that they are living because AA meetings have shown them that life is worth living and they are just starting to feel that they are worthy of that new life. There were also people that have been sober for a very long time (25 years) and still attending meetings. They seemed desperate to lead others to this life that they say is so much more today than it was yesterday.

There were people young and old, male and female and black and white in the room. They were students, business people, retired people and blue collar workers with one thing in common -- addiction to a substance. Most were alcoholics, some were addicts and some even introduced themselves as an alcoholic and an addict.

I was welcomed as an observer. They did ask me to introduce myself as an observer in case anyone had issue with a nonalcoholic being in the meeting. I was also asked to read a card which had the tradition stating anonymity on it. I did promise the group that I would abide by that when writing this paper. The “Serenity Prayer” was prayed. The 12 steps were read. The 12 traditions were read. There was a reading from “the Big Book” as they called it. It was a hardcover book that said Alcoholics Anonymous on it. Each meeting has a “topic” and then the floor is opened for everyone to speak. Each person who speaks starts by saying “My name is -------- and I’m an alcoholic. Everyone else then says “Hi ---------.” I heard stories that were heart wrenching. They were stories of drinking themselves into comas, the pain that they put family members through, the pain that they caused themselves, everything that was lost due to drinking and the long lasting effects, physical and emotional, of the disease on their lives. At the end of the meeting everyone stands in a circle and holds hands to say the Lord’s Prayer.

Everyone leaves with hope and renewed faith that they can get through the next 24 hours without taking a drink or doing their drug of choice. They know and understand that everyone in that room faces the same demons that they do every single day. I heard several people say “I come here and know that I’m not alone.” One person said, “I’m 21 yrs old. I have a rap sheet 4 pages long. When I come here, I can leave that at the door because I’m just like everyone else when I come into this room.”

Alcoholics Anonymous is a non-judgmental program for an alcoholic. It’s not a healing drug or a bandage to cover the pain. It is a program to get to the root of the problem. It helps people recognize who they are and what they have done and how to overcome that. At the beginning of the meeting the leader asks, “Is there anyone coming back today?” I did not understand this question until some one explained it to me at the end of the meeting. It is asking “Did anyone go out drinking last night and come back to the meeting today?” If anyone raises their hand they stick to steps 1 - 3 for that meeting. Why? Because bringing that person back is worth it. They are worth it.

I asked the woman who had told me she just received her 2 year chip if she could have done it with out the AA program. She said not a chance. She tried. It did not work.

Historical Quote -- Civil War

"It appears we have appointed our worst generals to command forces, and our most gifted and brilliant to edit newspapers. In fact, I discovered by reading newspapers that these editor/geniuses plainly saw all my strategic defects from the start, yet failed to inform me until it was too late. Accordingly, I am readily willing to yield my command to these obviously superior intellects, and I will, in turn, do my best for the cause by writing editorials - after the fact."

- Robert E. Lee, 1863

College is Fun

I'm really having a good time in all my classes. I was scared at first. I really didn't know what to expect. I had way too much fun in college the first time around 15 years ago. I had so much fun that I didn't do so well. College is fun now for all the right reasons. I enjoy the discussion. I love learning.

It's amazing how much college has changed over the last 15 years. Wow, I can't believe it's been quite that long, but it has. My laptop and I are one. I'm taking 4 classes on campus and 3 online. It's kind of crazy.

I got a 100% and a 90% on two Biology quizzes so far. I'm excited about that. My first intermediate algebra class went well. It's been over twenty years since I've sat in an algebra class so I was frightened to say the least. I did brush up this summer. I think I've prepared myself well. I start my English 102 course in the middle of October as well as my American History class. The others are required PE and Health courses. I will have all general education requirements done except for one. I will take that class next semester and then I can really concentrate on all my science and math courses.

I meet a lot of young kids in my classes who just aren't taking their education seriously. I see myself (15 years ago) in them. I just want to shake them and scream at them. They have no idea what they are doing to themselves. I didn't. At least now I have the opportunity to fix it!

Wordless Wednesday 20

September 11, 2001

It was a day that changed my life. We all know what the events were that happened that day. It changed my life forever in many ways. I wish it would have never happened but I am thankful for the positive changes and sad about the negative changes.

I was in a hotel in Kingston, NY (less than 90 minutes away). I was stunned as I watched it happen on TV. We were looking for an apartment because my husband was being transferred. A couple of hours later someone was showing us an apartment as people were walking and running around. They were all talking about going and getting their children out of school and how we were under attack. The pandemonium was scary to say the least.

Things in my life that are changed:

I am a Conservative Republican now rather than a wishy washy Liberal.

I am afraid to fly.

I do profile when I see Muslims, especially since the results to that poll that came out which said that 25% of Muslim males believe that suicide bombing is okay in some instances. What?!!!!

I do think that a terrorist attack on American soil will happen in my lifetime (again). I never thought it was possible before and I'm surprised it hasn't happened again already.

I care about politics and who is elected in office. I can't say that I did before 9/11.

I like Dennis Miller now.

I can't stand most celebrities now. They make me ill with their treasonous remarks and actions.

I don't take things for granted as much as I did before. I am thankful for every day that I have with my family.

Home School Daze!

So yes, we are back in the rhythm of school again. Monica is doing well in all subjects. The decision to homeschool has proven to be the best decision I think we have ever made concerning Monica. She is excelling so much. She works so far above the level that public school had her that it's a crime. Not only for her but for all students that excel in school.

What a shame that this country's educational system has dumbed everything down in the name of "political correctness" and "discrimination" against children who are special ed. I'M SORRY. I do not agree with integrated classrooms. The day that integrated classrooms happened is the day that teachers could no longer do their job. It's the day that my child started getting a "mediocre at best" education. It's the day that discrimination against MY CHILD began.

What a shame that this is what it has come to in our country. No Child Left Behind is not what it sounds like. It should be called, No Learning Disabled Child Left Behind -- All Those Who Excel, Get Out If You Want A Good Education.

Slow Load

Can anyone tell me why my blog loads so slowly now? Of course not, because no one is silly enough to wait the ridiculous time required to view the blog!

I am going to try and work on this. Hopefully I don't ruin it!

Back to School -- For Me!

Okay, so I finally did it. I'm making the plunge. Last year I tried to go back to school but it was not going to work out. We were in the middle of closing on a house, a major move and my smallest was going from specialist to specialist to try and figure out just what was wrong with her leg. The timing was not right.

This year I got the all of the paperwork in on time, I bought all of my books and now I just wait for classes to start. It feels really strange. I'm so excited to do something for myself. I'm a little frightened but I know that my age, maturity and many years of wisdom LOL will play into my college success. I really want to do well (who doesn't) and be successful in my classes.

I am still homeschooling my oldest daughter, Monica. She is doing so well and she has no desire to go to public school for now. Thank God for that. I don't think she could handle the stress and peer pressure. Maybe she's stronger than I think she is right now but I don't want her to go through the stress of it all anyway. She would be bored out of her mind anyway. She's so far ahead of where the 5th graders are in this district. I just want her to be happy in her education because she's so intelligent. I don't want to waste anymore time with her. We are starting her on some programming languages in addition to her regular studies. She is very excited to have the additional challenge. It's a very exciting time!

Wordless Wednesday 18 -- HippyChick

Wordless Wednesday 18

A Young Man at Shriner's Hospital

Each time I go to that hospital I see at least one child that touches my heart in a way that's really hard to express. I met a young man (approx 9 - 12 yrs of age). He had just had surgery on both legs and had undergone surgery on both arms earlier to fix (as much as possible) deformities (assuming congenital). He was so upbeat. The positive life and energy flowing through this boy touched me like nothing I've ever experienced. He was talking to another boy who "had something in his leg" as his father put it. The young man in the wheelchair told the other boy's father not to worry in his Spanish accent "because the doctors here are miracle workers man."

The boy then wheeled over to me and told me how adorable Lucianna is. I asked him about himself. He had been in the hospital for 5 months undergoing surgeries to fix his body as much as possible. He was going home to Puerto Rico the next day. We talked about how excited he is to be going home.

I wish I would have asked the boy his name. He doesn't know it but he touched my life. No matter what life deals you, the choice is yours to be happy and enjoy life or to be miserable. This child chose to be happy even through all the gauze covering his stitched up legs and his scarred arms from recent surgery which were way to short for his body. I pray that he stays happy and continues to touch peoples lives as he did mine. God has given him a special gift. His love, compassion and encouragement shines like a beacon. I can only pray that he uses his gifts to their full potential. He is definitely on his way to making a lasting mark in this world.

I ended our conversation with Good Luck. I wish I would have said "Shine your light young man. Shine your light for all to see!"

Wordless Wednesday 17

Only One Rainy Day

So we had a great time camping this year. It's not quite as relaxing as it was without small children. The books go unread. The knitting project is not knitted. All in all though, we had a great time.

It rained one day all day. Tuesday. It was really funny because we had a brand new Coleman tent. Camp Dry and Seam Sealer were both applied on Saturday. It still leaked. Not a lot mind you, but it leaked around the seam between the walls and the floor. This made my husband mad. A few towels placed in the right spots and all was well. It rained so much and for so long that the rain fly became saturated and it started dripping. This infuriated my husband. He hates to have his bedding get wet while camping.

This wouldn't have been such an issue had Coleman not guaranteed the tent not to leak. That is why we bought that tent. So there we sit in the pouring rain in our somewhat leaky tent. We did have an extra tarp (always have an extra tarp for every camping trip) to put over the tent. That took care of the leaky rain fly. My husband goes to the van, gets the tent bag, looks for the Coleman number and calls on his cell phone. He waited on hold for what seemed like forever (which made him even more mad). When he finally spoke to a person he held the phone up so they could hear the rain and told them the situation (nicely). He ended his nice tirade with "So what is Coleman going to do for me?"

Coleman does stand by their guarantee and is picking up the old tent and sending us a new one. They are sending a different tent. Apparently, the Coleman tent that you get at Walmart is specially made for Walmart. Even though the CSR didn't come out and say it, she eluded to the fact that those tents aren't quite as good as other Coleman tents because they made them to Walmarts specifications and not their own. I don't know if this is true or not but if it is, why put your company's name on the product and why guarantee the product?

We are not the type to complain about every little thing. We probably complain less than a lot of people, but when a company guarantees a product to do something and we pay extra money for it because of that guarantee, we expect 1) the product to do what the guarantee says and 2) the company to stand by that guarantee. It's really the priciple of the matter. Had they not had "guaranteed not to leak" all over the tent and the literature that came with it, we probably would not have complained.

Camping Trip

Well I've been pretty busy this week preparing for our camping trip. We go tomorrow and don't come back til Friday. Yippee! I love camping. I love the outdoors. I once tried to convince my husband to camp all summer long. He didn't go for it. I wish I would have thought about it when I was younger. Who knows where I would have ended up though.

Now we have three children and I think one week of camping is quite enough. Maybe when they are all older we can go for longer periods of time.

Sunday is my birthday. The camping trip and my birthday usually go hand in hand. My husband asks what I want for my birthday and I say I want to go camping. I'm feeling kind of depressed about the birthday but the camping usually makes me feel better.

Wordless Wednesday 16

You Name It

My husband says this photo I took of the kids looks like a seventies album cover. I want to do a collage with it. I can't come up with any good names for a fake seventies album. Any good ideas out there?

A Reason To Be Joyful!

One of my best friends called me today. I haven't seen her for at least three months. She told me she is pregnant with twins! I am so very happy. I screamed and cried and then screamed and cried a little more.

They have been trying for so many years. She has watched me go through my last two pregnancies. She has always been a great friend. She has loved my children even through all her pain and disappointments. Sometimes I even felt guilty. Why did God choose to bless me three times over and my friend had to suffer so much pain? I don't know the answer as to why it was so hard for her. I do know that God has His reasons in His own time.

I'm just so happy right now that I want to shout it out to the world!

I think I will start knitting tonight! I have knitting for twins duty and they will be born right in the middle of a cold NY winter!

The Smallest of the Smalls is Growing Tall - Wordless Wednesday

Still a FlyBaby!

Okay, so maybe I don't stick to the program 100%. I may be a flybaby for the rest of my life. The truth is though, if I even do 25% of the recommended program, then my house is cleaner than it was before!

If you struggle with keeping your house organized and uncluttered like I do, try the FlyLady. It is an easy, gradual program to declutter your home and love yourself for it! Once you shine that sink for the first time, you will see what the program can do for your home and your self confidence.

This program comes highly recommended by me, someone who has been living in CHAOS for many years.

If I keep decluttering my home, I may have to change the name of my blog. Never!

This Summer's Big Project

Each year we try to concentrate on one big project. The year before last we did a complete remodel on the kitchen in our previous home. Last year we didn't really have a project because we had a new baby (she was the project) and we were house hunting.

This year we are scraping and painting our new home. It is quite the job. I don't think anyone has ever scraped this porch. We have counted 10 layers of paint. We are finding details in the woodwork that we didn't know existed because they were covered by the thickness of multiple paint layers.

It's a good thing we have such great help!

100th Post

This is my one hundredth post to my blog. I know I'm supposed to post 100 things about myself. I really don't think there are 100 things that anyone would want to sit and read about me. It's just not that interesting.



If you want to know about me, take a close look at these pictures. These girls are my babies. They are everything about me. I live my life for them. I am proud of them. If my one hundredth post should be dedicated to anyone, it's them. They are all of my heart and soul.

Feeling of Accomplishment

It's not often that I feel like I got a lot done in a day. Between taking care of the children, cooking, cleaning and homeschooling, i am a frazzled mess each day. Fortunately for me, there are more hours of daylight now and I get more done now. I love warmer weather and working outside.

I started a garden and am so excited at the prospect of fresh veggies. We have broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, green peppers, other colored peppers (carnival mix), jalapenos, beets, potatoes and green beans. I also planted a row of sunflowers so we will have seeds too.

I am also starting to compost. Hopefully it works as well as they say. That is a project for tomorrow.

Today we cut down a row of 6 small trees that did not fair well from our April 16th snow storm. They fell over from the weight of the snow. We tied them up hoping that they would recover but it did not work. Only one of them got any new growth this year and that one would not stand up again. We also dug out the stumps and I planted azalea bushes in each hole. Today was the first time I've ever dug out a tree stump and hopefully it is the last time. Each tree stump was approximately 3 inches in width and the roots were solid. I broke the handle of one shovel right off. I bought a second shovel with a fiberglass handle. It worked much better.

Well the job is done. The azalea bushes don't look quite as stately as the trees did before the snowstorm. They do look better than the trees did after the snowstorm. Out with the old, in with the new!

Homeschool .... Working Better Than We Thought!

See these shiny apples? They are for me! Never thought I would say it, but homeschooling is definitely for us! It is working better than I ever thought it would. Monica is learning so much and she is able to go at her own speed rather than waiting for everyone else to grasp every concept. She is happy. I am happy. Her father is happy. I guess you could say we are one big happy homeschooling family. My three year old even asks for "schoolwork" when she sees her big sissy doing work.

I haven't been here for awhile. Yes, homeschooling is for us, but it does take a big chunk of my time each day. I've lost a lot of my free time. Yeah right, I didn't have any free time before becoming a homeschool mom.

Like I don't have enough on my plate now, I've made the decision to go back to college. Three classes will be Sunday afternoons and two evenings a week. The rest are online. I am happy with my decision. I am doing something for myself. It's not even like I plan on have a big career. I just want to do it. If it doesn't work, I'll just do the one semester. If it does work, hooray for me!

Well, I'm going to try to show my writings around here more often. It seems as if I have a lot to say. I just need to sit and type it all out!

A Donkey in Church?

We went to church tonight to see the annual Easter drama production. Everyone I spoke to earlier in the week raved about how the drama ministry in my new church is so strong. "Semi professional" is the term most used along with "and it's free". Many said that I could not miss it. Just about all said they wouldn't miss it.

I had a MOPS meeting at church on Thursday so I was able to peek at the scenery. WOW! As soon as I saw this set, I knew I had to see the play. The stage was set in the old sanctuary of the church. The scenery ran along every wall. It was 360 degrees of Jerusalem scenery with all the chairs for spectators in the middle. I was so impressed but is the play really going to be as good as the set? As good and better.

The play was awesome! The acting was fantastic! The band played well! I have been to many plays and even volunteered at a theater before. I've never seen a play produced as well as this one.

The Play is told by John the disciple when he is an older man, just after he finished writing Revelations. It is looking back on the last week of Jesus' life to the Resurrection. It was well done and there were at least 500 people in that sanctuary that could attest to this.

My daughter had two favorite parts. One was when Jesus was dragging the cross down the aisle to the front. It appeared real to her. Maybe that is because the cross was real. This guy is dragging a solid wooden cross that is twice his size and he was struggling with it. He half carried it, half dragged it to the front and then off stage. The other favorite part was the Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey. Yes, they used a REAL donkey. I'm so glad we were close to the aisle so my daughter had a good look. Jesus rode down the aisle of my church, to the stage, on a real donkey, while the rest of the cast was there with palms.

What I loved about this play was that every scene was done so well and realistic. There was no "on stage" crucifixion. Lets face it. I've never seen a play that was able to pull off a "realistic" looking crucifixion scene. What they did tonight though was set the stage and leave the scene of Christ's death to the spectator's imagination. WOW! It was extremely powerful.

There are two more shows on Easter day. I hope each of those shows is just as packed as this one. Last year they had over 1500 in attendence between all three shows. Looks like it could be the same this year.

It was a great experience for my family to spend Easter Eve in church watching the last week of Jesus' life to the Resurrection. Sure we all know the story. When you see it played out so well in front of your eyes though, it's a gift.

Happy Easter!

I'm a FlyBaby!

I have always been challenged in the area of housekeeping. I am NOT Suzie Homemaker and would never pretend to be. I am honest. I tell people that although I consider myself a very good mother, I'm not great at cleaning.

Someone at The Homeschool Library recommended FlyLady to me. I had never heard of her. I looked her up, read her site and joined. It's been three days of my inbox being inundated with email reminders and testimonials and such. I thought I better get started. Today, I shined my sink.

I have an island in the middle of my kitchen with my sink located there. It has been a dumping ground for everything that I couldn't immediately find a home for. It didn't take long for my kitchen to look horrible. Stacks of papers, books, newspapers, magazines, craft items, baskets, single baby socks I couldn't find a mate to, Easter decorations (I found some Christmas decorations too!) were all items that I found today in my quest to "shine my sink" and the surrounding area.

Well I completed the project and it looks beautiful. My whole kitchen was transformed by that one task. The funny thing is I have been going into the kitchen all night and it's like I can't stop staring at my sink! Sometimes I walk into the kitchen and forget what I did today and am pleasantly surprised. This can't be my kitchen.

I'm very excited to continue with this program to see if it works for me. By the way, it's free. No joining fee and a ton of great organization, declutter, cleaning and health information! I have nothing to lose!

Wordless Wednesday 14

Little Piggies Showing Make Me a Bad Mother?

I am not a big fan of WalMart but I'm also not wealthy. I continue to go because I save money and I can shop for everything in one place. One stop shopping is priceless to a mother of three. I've had several bad experiences there. They range from standing in line for 45 minutes to being accused of shoplifting a piece of furniture because the receipt was MIA in my huge coat (snagged from my husband because I was 7 months pregnant), but that's a whole other story. There are many more stories in the WalMart Vault of Bad Experiences.

I went to WalMart today to pick up a few things (Easter goodies, eggs, ham for Easter dinner, popsicle sticks for daughters project.) I was in the craft aisle, minding my own business, when an employee came up and said how beautiful Lucianna is (of course) and all the cute baby conversation that goes with it. The woman then noticed that Luci didn't have any socks on her feet. She stated that her feet must be cold (actually they were warm, my daughter is a little hotbox always radiating heat.) I told her it was really warm out. I thought that the conversation would end there but that was not the case. The woman then said to me in a voice slathered with attitude, "It's not that warm out!" She then continued to stock and straighten shelves with her head held high in superiority.

I suppose I could have let this go. I could have walked away. No not me. I HATE it when people judge me and criticize how I mother my baby. Maybe this "all knowing" woman thought that I was a silly minded first time mother. Maybe she thought I was poor and illiterate because I couldn't decide which brand of popsicle stick was a better value. Maybe this woman thought less of me because I have an awful rash of dermatitis. I must be a horrible person because I'm not pleasant to look upon. Right? Well she had better set me straight from my wayward parenting path.

Although I owed this woman no explanation, I wouldn't leave the conversation at that. I proceeded to tell her that my daughter's left foot is dropped. She has never and will never be able to move her foot back without assistance due to an underdeveloped nerve. I have yet to find a shoe or bootie to stay on that foot. (One day she did have booties on in WalMart and I backtracked all over the store to find that left bootie.) Socks that do stay on are usually too tight on a foot that the circulation isn't all that great as it is. Also I don't believe in over bundling my child and while were at it I also don't believe in cleaning too much because immune systems can be lowered by killing all the bacteria in your house. This baby has never had to go to the doctors office for being ill. My three year old hasn't been to a doctor for illness for over a year and a half. I can't even remember the last time my 9 year old was so ill that a doctor's visit was required. So the next time you open your mouth to judge a mother on her parenting skills, think twice about it.

She apologized, over and over again. She then was so embarrassed and said "Well she LOOKS perfect." I said, "She IS perfect."

And just so you know, my girls do get the occasional runny nose and cold (although Monica never, ever gets sick). The flu actually hit us pretty hard around Christmas. I thought we might actually have to go to the doctor, but everything cleared up without the dreaded visit. It was the first time in a long time.

Buzz, Buzz, Buzz OUCH!

It's been years since the last time I was stung until today. The funny thing is that I was stung this year before I even saw a bee, any bee for that matter (actually it was a yellow jacket.) It wasn't even that warm today. The wind was downright chilly. I think I may have been stung by the only yellow jacket tough enough to stand the cool temperature.

I was getting out of my van. I put my hand on the door to shut it and I felt searing, hot pain on my thumb. I pulled my hand away as fast as I could and saw the little pest. It got me good. I muttered a few words under my breath and flicked it away so it wouldn't get in the van to sting Alex or Luci.

Happy Spring to me!

I Need a New Vacuum

If this is an April Fool's joke than it's a mean one. I would love to own a Dyson vacuum.

Contest here at 5 Minutes for Mom to win a Dyson Slim Vacuum Cleaner.

Curriculum Frenzy

I have been eating, sleeping and breathing school curriculum for Monica. I'm so afraid that I'm going to mess this up. She is so eager to learn. Her school is not doing the job right now. Then I say to myself, "What makes me better than the school? How can I possibly do the job better?" Someone told me two weeks ago that I am the mom and God gave me that job. I guess that if God appoints me to a job, I have it in me to do the job and I better do it. It's a lot of pressure to think that my daughter's education is in my hands. She is more brilliant than I ever thought of being.

Monica has never once had a teacher that was able to teach her to her level. Her third grade teacher came close. Her third grade teacher refused to use textbooks. I was very concerned about it at the time (Who does this teacher think she is that she can teach without the aid of textbooks?) Now that I've been doing major curriculum research and I see how dumbed down they are, I know why she refused to use textbooks. They are useless at their grade level. For Monica to have any challenge at all she is going to use some sixth grade texts.

I would love to find a Christian curriculum that I feel is "college prep," but I haven't found it yet. What a shame. They charge enough money for them. I'm not saying that children being taught with Christian curriculum don't have the opportunity to go to college, but do they have the opportunity to go to the college of their choice? This is a huge concern of mine. I don't want to deny my child the opportunity to go into the field of her choice because she can't get into the college that she chooses.

Yesterday when I was discussing some of Monica's classes with her, I stated that I wouldn't be testing her in the Bible class I've put together. I want her to focus on studying and learning the Bible and not worry about yet another test. She said that she would prefer it if I did test her. She craves structure in every area of her life. I don't think I've done a very good job of giving it to her.

Only time will tell if I'm up to the task.

Homeschool Set Up

It's been a while since my last post. My life is still crazy but I have added a new variable to add to the craziness. Homeschooling!

My daughter is not getting the education she deserves at the local elementary school. She is extremely academic and loves to learn. She has been bored all year and really has not learned anything new. Mornings were getting unbearable with crying, screaming and she started throwing up a lot. We discussed our limited options (Catholic school, Extremely conservative Christian school 17 miles away or Homeschooling).

Homeschooling won and I'm happy about it. I had Monica take a math placement test yesterday. Math is not her strongest subject but she still tested at a sixth grade level. No wonder she's bored. I'm going to do a language arts placement test and I have no doubt that the results will be more advanced. She tested at 6th grade level in reading/reading comprehension in the 1st grade. We have not had a problem with the Christian and public schools she attended until now. She really needs to be able to advance at her own pace.

Monica's last day at public school is April 10th. It is the day of her spring concert and she did not want to miss it so that is the day we chose. We are excited and happy about the decision. Monica is happier and more loving.

I know this is not going to be easy with the little ones under foot and demanding attention. Monica likes the structure of textbooks compared to the unit studies (although I do intend on doing more field trips and throwing in unit studies here and there.)

For the rest of this year I have put together a curriculum with various textbooks at her 4th grade level. I really need to get more of a college prep curriculum, one that is more academic and intense. I'm looking into Calvert. Unfortunately, none of the Christian based curriculum seem to be intense enough for her. Does anyone have any suggestions? I don't really want to skip a grade because I'm afraid she will miss out on too much in social studies and science. I also thought that I might excel her in the reading/writing, English/grammar and math and work more in social studies and science until those two subjects are close to or at the same grade level as the rest.

I'm open to any suggestions.

It's Not a Scarf!

From what I understand, just about every novice knitter starts with scarves and progresses to other projects. Well here it is. My first two projects other than a scarf. Both are beginner level patterns. Both were my first attempts at following a pattern. I'm so proud!

Thirteen Thursday 9

Thirteen Uses for Knitting Needles! 1. Hair Sticks. I never seem to have a ponytail holder when I need one but I always seem to have knitting needles with me! 2. Drum Sticks on the table. This is a favorite for my 9 year old daughter and just the thing to drive mom crazy. 3. A hole punch. Yes, as embarrassing it is, I have done this in a pinch. 4. A coffee stir stick. Again embarrassing but it has been done. 5. Back scratcher. Yep, I'm still embarrassed. 6. Pointing to something I'm talking about. 7. Pushing something down that I can't reach off the top shelf of a cabinet. 8. I tap the baby's behind with one when she starts trying to sabotage a current knitting project or unwinding a yarn ball. 9. Reaching something that fell behind the refrigerator or under the couch. 10. Carving and adding detail into Alexandra's latest playdoh project. 11. Pointing to one of the children when they are getting into something they shouldn't be when I am trying to knit. They have come to know this as a warning. Mom's knitting needles are serious business. 12. Measuring device when I cannot find a ruler or tape measure. This is one step better than eyeballing it! 13. The final and favorite use for knitting needles, KNITTING of course!

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Wordless Wednesday 13

Busy, Busy, Busy

I cannot believe how busy a SAHM can make themselves. I don't mean cleaning the house and taking care of the children. That's a given. I'm talking about everything else.

I now love to knit. Every free moment I can manage, I have two needles and yarn in my hands.

I have taken up sewing again. I also want to teach the basics to Monica. I believe it is a fantastic life skill for my daughter to have. I'm not a master seamstress or anything like that, but I can follow a pattern (although I try to steer clear of zippers because it's been 20 years since home economics).

Monica has gymnastics, Girls Scouts and saxophone lessons. They are all on different days of the week.

We are experimenting with Alexandra taking violin lessons. This has just begun and if it works out we will continue.

Alexandra also has preschool twice a week. It is a nice break for both of us but it can be hairy getting her there and back. I have to get the baby bundled, get Alex ready and usually get Alex ready again because she loves to take her clothes off after I get her all ready to go.

I have some Microsoft Office teaching manuals and software. I am going to begin training Monica with Microsoft Word. If this works out, I will move on to Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint and Frontpage with her.

There's always a doctor or dentist appointment somewhere during the month when you have three children. I have a doctor appointment once a month to get trigger point injections. I actually travel an hour and a half to get that done because I have trouble trusting yet another new doctor sticking needles in my neck. When we moved, I just decided it would be better to travel. I travel once every 3 months to Massachusetts for Lucianna's doctors appointment. She also goes an hour and a half away to one of two pediatric neurologists in the area. She is going to the other one (which is an hour away) in two weeks for a second opinion.

I try to find time to blog but have failed miserably. I love to blog. I really love to blog. The problem is that I love to blog almost as much as knitting. I'm sure that will change since knitting is so new to me. One day soon, I will realize that I love to blog just as much as I love to knit and I will find time for both each day.

Did I mention that I am the troop leader for Monica's Girl Scout troop?

I also am in process of starting up an eBay business. The hard part is getting started. It's very time consuming and I haven't gotten very far as of yet, but I won't give up on it yet. It's just for a little extra money. All the activities that the children take part in cost way too much.

I'm in the process of looking for a home church. We found a really nice church about 10 miles away. Being realistic, I know that I'm not going to drive that far for every function that goes on. My recent Sunday attendance alone has proven that fact. I have to start the search over again and focus more local.

I would like to go back to college in the fall semester. This is something that I want to do for myself. It will probably be half on campus and half online study. I don't even necessarily want to go back to work. It's really more to fulfill the need to learn. We will see.

Yes, you have just gone through my life in a week. Most is focused on my children but I'm trying to refocus a little on me. To top off the list above, my time management skills stink. I don't know how I get through a day accomplishing anything.

I do the best I can, especially for my children. I don't force them to do a thing (I've actually tried to get Monica to quit gymnastics so I have one less place to go) but if they are having fun, I will continue on.

My New Favorite Hobby

Okay, like I have time for anything else in my life. I did manage to squeeze it in though. I taught myself how to knit from a book. I love it. It's a great feeling when you finish a nice project.

The picture above is the latest scarf completed. It's by far my favorite. Now I am working on my first sweater. I completed the back and have started on the front. It's for my three year old so hopefully it will not take me forever and a day to complete.

Next I will have to make something for the baby. I'm so excited to have a hobby that I enjoy so much. I crochet too but I like the patterns for knitting better. I think it's much more trendy. My children love it when I make them something.

I still have a lot to learn. There's only so much you can learn from a book. I've picked up a lot of tricks and tips from the show "Knitty Gritty," my new favorite television show. I have the DVR scheduled to record it twice a day. I watch it whenever I can slip it in. I will most certainly have the marathon of Knitty Gritty recording while I watch the Super Bowl on Sunday. Too bad football is over for the season. I love to knit while watching football. It's my favorite thing to do!

A Gift For Sure

Tonight we were sitting down for a great dinner. Alexandra said she had to go to the bathroom. We told her to go. After a while I called for her because she had been in the bathroom for long enough to do whatever she had to do. Whenever she's in there longer, there's always trouble. She cannot resist getting into something messy. Whether it's toothpaste, lotion, makeup, it's always a mess.

When we called out to her she came bounding out of the bathroom in her birthday suit. She had stickers from head to toe. Upon closer examination I realized the stickers were christmas present tags. Yes, it's true. We still do not have all of our Christmas stuff upstairs. There are a few items straggling about and the sticky tags were among them.

As Alex ran out with Christmas present tag stickers all over her naked body, she's yelling, "I'm a present! I'm a present!" Needless to say, we had a great laugh. A gift she is.

The Great Doctor Search Will Begin!

It's cold and the two youngest are sick again. This time it's a snotty nose and a cough that obviously hurts. We'll see how the weekend goes, but this time I might have to find a doctor. I say find a doctor because since we moved in October, no one has had the need for a regular family doctor. Since no one had the need, I didn't look for one. Not very smart on my part. I hate looking for a new family doctor. There are so many rules.

1. Insurance company says we must go to their network.

2. Monica says the doctor must be a female.

3. I require a Doctor who has urgent care appointments. It's likely the only time she'll ever see us. My kids aren't sick very often (Monica has never missed a day of school due to sickness) but when they do get sick, it comes on fast and furious.

There are more rules too. I will immediately drop a doctor that makes me wait more than an hour in a 6 x 6 foot exam room with three children. This has happened before and I was none too happy about it. Talk about claustrophobic!

I don't mind waiting but I hate doctors who make you wait for over an hour (be it in the waiting room or exam room) because they overbook but on the one occasion that I was 16 minutes late to my appointment for my 4 day old infant who was premature they were totally rude and told me not to do it again. So sorry. I just had a baby and am toting a rambunctious two year old to boot!

Wow! I didn't mean for this to be a doctor bashing post, but I guess that's what happened. Just a little frustration coming out as I deal with the fact that I'm going to have to do this all over again.

Wordless Wednesday 12

A Great Laugh for SAHM's

This story was forwarded to me via email. I got a chuckle out of it. Thought you might too:

A woman, renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk 's office was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. "What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job or are you just a......?" "Of course I have a job," snapped the woman. "I'm a Mom." "We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation, 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient and possessed of a high sounding title like, "Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar." "What is your occupation?" she probed. What made me say it? I do not know. The words simply popped out. "I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations."

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and looked up as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written, in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire."Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?" Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research, [what mother doesn't) in the laboratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family) and already have four credits (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the reward is satisfaction rather than just money."

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up and personally ushered me to the door. As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby) in the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another Mom."

Motherhood! What a glorious career! Especially when there's a title on the door.

Does this make grandmothers "Senior Research associates in the field of Child Development and Human Relations" and great grandmothers "Executive Senior Research Associates"? I think so!!! I also think it makes Aunts "Associate Research Assistants".

Crazy Days

No, I have not blogged in a week. Yes, I am still alive. I'm trying to do so many things right now that one thing always suffers. I don't know why I cannot just focus on one thing and get it done. I guess that's just not how I work.

Some things that I'm working on:

1. Knitting a scarf that I promised my aunt.
2. Planning stages of a home business.
3. Taking care of my children.
4. Weaning my 10 1/2 month old baby, Lucianna, so I can take medication that I need to clear up an annoying and repulsive winter skin condition on my face.
5. Blogging.
6. Planning meals for a low carb diet each day (eleven pounds gone and still working). My husband usually does most of the meal planning but he is gone for the next seven days.

These are the things I want to get done but everything is moving at a snails slimy crawl. It's very frustrating.

Knitting has helped relax me lately. I've found that I really enjoy it. I also crochet. So far I've knitted three scarves. I have one more smaller scarf for my three year old to do, then I will move on to something harder. I haven't decided just what to move on to though. I have found time to watch my new favorite TV show, "Knitty Gritty" and have gotten some great ideas. Their camera angle helps me to correct mistakes in my technique as well.

My husband and I have been low carbing since Jan. 3rd. Late start on our yearly same old, same old, resolution. That's okay. This year I'm feeling much better about it and doing well. I haven't exercised as much as I'd like, but I'll get there.

I'm trying to wean my little Lucianna but she is so stubborn. She's just not ready. She will not drink out of a bottle or a sippy cup. I think I have bought every kind of each one on the market. She's doing well eating table food even though she doesn't have any teeth yet. We have found that anything with any kind of milk product in it gives her hives. Out of all three children, she's the only one that has any kind of food allergy.

Chris is gone on business for a week so just the daily tasks of child care wear me out. He helps with straightening up and dishes. When he's gone for so long, I'm lucky to get a shower. It doesn't seem like my children can all sleep at the same time for any length of time.

I'm working on a home business. It's in the planning and set up stages so I won't go into detail. I'm just going to say that I've fallen in love with the idea of this business and I cannot wait to get started.

Hopefully I get back here to blog more this week, but only time (which I never seem to have enough of) will tell!

Thirteen Thursday 8

Thirteen Things I Must Complete Before the Weekend! 1. Knitting my grandmother's scarf. It's cold and she needs it now! 2. Putting the fringe on my daughter's newly knitted scarf. Again, it's cold and she needs it! 3. Dragging the Christmas decorations upstairs to be put in the attic. They are packed and just sitting in the foyer. Urgh! 4. Clean the house. It's really bad since I was so sick over the holidays. I lost complete control. 5. Buy Monica's best friend a birthday present. She was up over the Christmas vacation and loved the Speed Stacks Monica got. I will get her a set too. 6. Get Monica packed and ready to go to her best friends house for a long birthday weekend. 7. Start preparing for my first meeting as a Girl Scout Troop Leader. 8. Start preparing and organizing the spare room so that I can working on my home business idea. 9. Start knitting the scarf that I promised my aunt. 10. Put up the Disney Princess beads for Alexandra's doorway. She has been begging since last night and has already started in on it today. 11. Find a place for, and put away, the rest of the Christmas gifts. 12. Get the rest of the laundry upstairs. 13. Stop thinking of more things to do before the weekend!

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Wordless Wednesday 11

It Is Winter! Finally!

Okay, so now the luxury of running around without our coats is over. It's just plain cold out. It's supposed to snow here any minute.

I'm not complaining. I'm actually happy about it. The cold temperatures stop the germs and bugs both. When it gets cold, really cold, there is less sickness. The cold temperatures just wipe out the unnecessary germs. In the spring when the bugs come out, there are less of them. I hate summers with oodles of bugs. I could never live where there are a lot of bugs.

So I will gladly get out all the winter coats and snowsuits again. We will put plastic on the rest of the windows. (We've been procrastinating since it has been so warm). The heat is turned up.

Life is back to normal in Upstate New York!

It Looks Like Winter?

It looks like winter. Why is it so warm? Where I live, it's supposed to snow from November to April. I'm not complaining now. Just a little confused is all. A lot of people are saying that Global Warming is the cause. Some are saying it's just one of those warm winters. Regardless, it's warm. I went out without a coat yesterday. That's unheard of in an Upstate NY January. It's been raining a lot. Could have been snow I guess.

Too Cool For School!

She is so cool. I had to share this picture with everyone. She wouldn't settle for one barrette in her hair. She had to have them all in. I did that for her and about 10 minutes later she came up to me looking like this. She made the necklace in preschool and the shades are a hand-me-down from her older sister (powerpuff girls no less).

I actually took her to preschool looking like this. She is definitely the artsy one in the family. I love it!