So, Monday sucked as it has for the past few weeks.... but yesterday and today have been great so far :) We are working through fractions now, so math has been really easy for him. Nice, after a rough two weeks of long division. not that he didn't get it or anything, actually he's really good at it, but he just doesn't like all the pencil work that the practicing required. So, Fractions are like a vacation compared to that. I will try to write more later, I need to give him another assignment.
Okay, I am back....
We started Sarah Plain and Tall this week, he has read Chapters 1-5 already. Cayleb likes that it has three of our families names in it ;) Well, one isn't exactly the same Anna versus Ann :)
We feel like the end of the year is finally approaching, a relief after a long year. Spring is finally here, and flowers are blooming. Tulips are everywhere and Daffodils as well, people have planted them along the freeway even! It's so pretty :) I don't have any bulbs planted yet, but I think I may get around to that the next time they have the bags of them for sale at Costco :) I am hoping!
Cayleb is currently finishing his math time for the day making a recipe that his Auntie Sarah gave me for my Bridal Shower many years ago called "Popovers for Piglet" It's been a favorite of his since I started making it for him as a "first food" when he was just 7 or 8 months old! I told Sarah Rose that Cayleb was making her a "treat" and she is so excited!
Our chicks are getting bigger and moved out to the "Chicken House" on Monday. They are still under a light for night time, because it still gets down in the mid thirties some nights. It's so cute watching their half feathered bodies run around! Half feathers, half fluff!! Too cute!
I am anxious to get more work done in the yard; I can't wait to get the grass planted..... I know that is the first big step towards completion of our project. Jason and I walked around talking about my ideas the other day and we have a pretty good idea of what we want to do. We'll be sure to take a picture after it's done.... but that will be 2-3 months away still.... That's all for now
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Adolescence and Attitude Cont.
Okay, so I have calmed down a little now. I am feeling better, had some lunch, heated up leftover homemade chicken noodle soup for Cayleb and took it into his room for him to have while he's working on the Math that I gave him. I just need him to learn that Math is serious, it can be fun, but I need him to be serious when it's time to be. He's in a better mood now too. I think that he just gets so wound up about himself and what he's going through, he forgets that he really hurts other peoples feelings.... He is usually such a considerate kid, and he is growing into a man.... I just want him to be the best person that he can be, do what it is that makes him happy and live a life for Christ all at the same time :) We get to start Sarah Plain and Tall tomorrow, which warrants a trip into the library! I like going :) I love reading, I just wish that I had more time to do it :)
Adolescence and Attitude.....
Why is it that we can have a great week (except for last Monday) and then have such a crappy day today? I don't understand where his attitude is coming from. I know that he's growing up and is probably starting to go through things in regards to puberty etc. but I can't handle his attitude. I just feel like smacking him upside the head! Grrr!!! So we started today with Math, he has an assessment that he has to pass before we move on to fractions. I was totally psyched about math this week. I wanted to try and do some cooking with him. But we have to get past this stupid assessment first, right? So, I hand it to him after a late start this morning at 9:30 and he starts whining and pouting about having to do more division etc... I expected that, but was totally trying to be an optimist, telling him that it it was his last day of it and that we were going to get to move on to fractions! It didn't work very well, as he proceeded to pout and piddled through his first few problems... so, 2 hours later, several helps from Mom, several reminders to keep working, and what seemed to be him getting a better attitude as he approached the end, he said "I'm Finished." Great! So We pulled out the book to check his answers and the first page was looking pretty decent.... he got two wrong, and had one that he forgot to put the answer at the top of the division bracket, so I helped him work through what he had written down for his work and we found what the answer was supposed to be.... technically, I am not supposed to do, this, prolly, he should have gotten it wrong. And if Jason had been correcting it, he would have. But Mom's a pushover and I was trying to keep things light and optimistic.... So we moved on the the next page (page 1-8 problems, Page 2- 8 problems, page 3- 4 problems for a total of 20) he was doing okay, he missed the first one... got the next 3 and then had only done half the work for the last 4 on the page.... He was told to estimate then divide, he only did the estimate part. So, being the total pushover that I am, I let him take the time to "fix" his work, and finish the problems.... He did and got them all right.... so far he missed one more and the rest looked fine.... so that's 3 wrong so far, right? Now for the last page, word problems, 4 of them and he says that he likes these the best.... he got 1 out of 4 right.... mostly because he just wasn't accurate in doing his work (but since he didn't write down any of his work on the paper for me to see, I couldn't help him to find where he'd made his mistakes (he did all the work on his white board and then erased it) So.... now he's missed 6! And I let him "Fix" 5 of the ones that he should have gotten WRONG! So, what am I supposed to do, after 2 hours of him dinking around with the assessment the first time I really just want him to stay away from me, in his room..... I just really don't want to be around him right now. He just doesn't seem to understand that his assessments are where he is supposed to give me his best work, show me that he learned what we've been working on so hard the last few weeks.... I Baby Fed him this stuff, using way more of my time that I think I should have to use, he seemed to really be getting it, but then I ask him to do this one assessment for me and I feel like he doesn't care, like he's letting me down.... And the assessment really isn't the entire problem... I was talking to him about something not math related and he decided it was a good time to talk back to me, so I sent him to his room! Ahhhh!!! I just really don't know what to do with him sometimes. The attitude chart was working pretty well, but the last two weeks, he hasn't earned his trip to the prize box.... Now I just feel like telling him tough luck, go back to fricking regular school and see how wonderful that is for you! I am totally not feeling Motherly Love right now. I hate this, because I know how much fun it can be! Why does he have to go and ruin it with a Frickin' bad attitude!! I know I have said it before, but it's days like these that I want to just call it quits, why waste my time if he's not going to appreciate all that I have to sacrifice to do this for him!!!!!!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
4th Great Date :)
Last night was our Fourth Great Date of ten. It was a chapter about "Becoming an Encourager" and was very good to read through. It had 3 different ways that we can encourage our spouses, as well as some suggestions for what isn't encouraging :) To put it simply, they suggest giving honest vocal praise, not forgetting the power of written praise and lastly to strive for a healthy sense of humor. Humor is a good way to remedy a stressful situation, maybe waiting at the airport for hours.... find something witty to say, and don't take yourself too seriously
Our date was great, we went and had a light dinner at Bob's Burger's and Brew's. Up here, that's a GREAT place to get a HUGE hamburger, so perhaps it wasn't so light after all :) I had Clam Chowder and a small side salad, but Jason's double decker burger with sauteed onions and mushrooms and bacon piled high with lettuce, and tomatoes was almost too much to watch. He was just enjoying that way too much! After dinner and discussing our chapter questions, we went to the park and took a walk along one of the nature trails :) Very romantic, I loved it! And on the way back up the trail we decided to race to the truck, and I kept up all the way till about 20 feet from the truck and then had to stop.... I think I ate too much! So, he won!! Little Stinker!! I'm still waiting to see what he cashes that win in for! So, I'm gonna leave it at that. I hope that next weeks date goes as well! And I want to go spend some time with him now ;).
Our date was great, we went and had a light dinner at Bob's Burger's and Brew's. Up here, that's a GREAT place to get a HUGE hamburger, so perhaps it wasn't so light after all :) I had Clam Chowder and a small side salad, but Jason's double decker burger with sauteed onions and mushrooms and bacon piled high with lettuce, and tomatoes was almost too much to watch. He was just enjoying that way too much! After dinner and discussing our chapter questions, we went to the park and took a walk along one of the nature trails :) Very romantic, I loved it! And on the way back up the trail we decided to race to the truck, and I kept up all the way till about 20 feet from the truck and then had to stop.... I think I ate too much! So, he won!! Little Stinker!! I'm still waiting to see what he cashes that win in for! So, I'm gonna leave it at that. I hope that next weeks date goes as well! And I want to go spend some time with him now ;).
Saturday, April 26, 2008
A note....
I wrote this to a friend, and have removed all evidence as to whom it was intended for.... I thought that perhaps it would help people to see more of the person that I am.... and am becoming each day.....
I am sorry that you are feeling this way. Your feelings are never wrong or misplaced, perhaps just misunderstood.... I know it's hard being so far away from everything that you grew up with and had pictured would be in your life forever. Childhood can seem so perfect at times, yet so wrong at others. There are things that we embrace and try to hold on to with all our might, and things that we try to bury deep inside the very inner reaches of our brains. As Children, these are reflexes learned early on as means for protection. As adults, we look at the world through different eyes, manage to give up the securities of comfortable things and do things we once thought would be impossible. We give up lives, places, people and ideas that we grew up knowing would always be there. Time can heal, that is what is said, but it can also create walls that take a lot of work to remove. So, is time really a good healer? I don't think so, I think that it just allows us to separate ourselves from hurt without necessarily dealing with it. Time can pass, words can not be said, and the longer we wait, the harder it seems to be to get those words out. And then you pass a bridge, a point of o return, where those words are silenced and can no longer be spoken. Things about us are assumed, people take for granted the person that we used to be, happy children of years ago. But Time is a thief, taking our childhood and our memories with it, leaving us nothing but the now, however consuming and overwhelming it may be. We have to learn to deal with the now, find a way to get out of our current path and out into the open air again. We, as humans, have a great desire to be loved and receive love in return, but when that desire is harmed through unknown reasons, we have a second tendency to look inward at ourselves to find a "problem" that needs "fixing." We automatically think that if the world doesn't see us, if we seem to be becoming more and more invisible, that it is some defect in ourselves. But no defect will be found, because God created a perfect you, he made you. Beautifully and wonderfully made..... You are exactly what he imagined you would be, and He knows exactly where you are and the struggles that you face each and every day. You are Loved by Him and have been loved by and have loved more people in the world than you will ever know. Please remember that you are Beautiful in ours eyes, and His eyes. And though time and distance make it easy for people to loose contact, contact can be regained. We all need to make it a priority. So, FIGHT that inner tendency to hide and find fault, look outward, the WORLD has FAULT, not you!! Remove the fault that you find in the world, hurtful people, hurtful places and things, leave only LOVE, God's Love. And know that you are never truly invisible. Because God always sees us. And if you ask Him, He will provide. Just last month<>
I Love you as a Sister! And though I know that I don't get on here near enough to talk with you, you have to know that all of us love you and hold you dear in our hearts as a treasure. You are a "Comfort" that will be in our hearts forever! God has kept all of us together, and if we all pray, He will Keep us together if that is His will.
I am sorry that you are feeling this way. Your feelings are never wrong or misplaced, perhaps just misunderstood.... I know it's hard being so far away from everything that you grew up with and had pictured would be in your life forever. Childhood can seem so perfect at times, yet so wrong at others. There are things that we embrace and try to hold on to with all our might, and things that we try to bury deep inside the very inner reaches of our brains. As Children, these are reflexes learned early on as means for protection. As adults, we look at the world through different eyes, manage to give up the securities of comfortable things and do things we once thought would be impossible. We give up lives, places, people and ideas that we grew up knowing would always be there. Time can heal, that is what is said, but it can also create walls that take a lot of work to remove. So, is time really a good healer? I don't think so, I think that it just allows us to separate ourselves from hurt without necessarily dealing with it. Time can pass, words can not be said, and the longer we wait, the harder it seems to be to get those words out. And then you pass a bridge, a point of o return, where those words are silenced and can no longer be spoken. Things about us are assumed, people take for granted the person that we used to be, happy children of years ago. But Time is a thief, taking our childhood and our memories with it, leaving us nothing but the now, however consuming and overwhelming it may be. We have to learn to deal with the now, find a way to get out of our current path and out into the open air again. We, as humans, have a great desire to be loved and receive love in return, but when that desire is harmed through unknown reasons, we have a second tendency to look inward at ourselves to find a "problem" that needs "fixing." We automatically think that if the world doesn't see us, if we seem to be becoming more and more invisible, that it is some defect in ourselves. But no defect will be found, because God created a perfect you, he made you. Beautifully and wonderfully made..... You are exactly what he imagined you would be, and He knows exactly where you are and the struggles that you face each and every day. You are Loved by Him and have been loved by and have loved more people in the world than you will ever know. Please remember that you are Beautiful in ours eyes, and His eyes. And though time and distance make it easy for people to loose contact, contact can be regained. We all need to make it a priority. So, FIGHT that inner tendency to hide and find fault, look outward, the WORLD has FAULT, not you!! Remove the fault that you find in the world, hurtful people, hurtful places and things, leave only LOVE, God's Love. And know that you are never truly invisible. Because God always sees us. And if you ask Him, He will provide. Just last month<>
I Love you as a Sister! And though I know that I don't get on here near enough to talk with you, you have to know that all of us love you and hold you dear in our hearts as a treasure. You are a "Comfort" that will be in our hearts forever! God has kept all of us together, and if we all pray, He will Keep us together if that is His will.
Remembering....
I posted this a little over a year ago on another blog and just really loved how it turned out....
Well, Sarah Rose just celebrated her 1st Birthday! I can't believe that my babiest one is one already. I doesn't seem possible that a whole year has gone by since she was born.
I recall the day that she was born very vividly still. Waking up around 3:45 and feeling little "contractions." My body likes to tease me, I have always had "false labor" nearly every night the last six weeks or so of my pregnancies. So, I woke up and felt them.... wondering quietly if this was the day that my baby would be born and I could finally meet this little person who has been growning inside of me for the past nine months.... I wait patiently in my bed for about a half hour. They are still there, so I decide to get up and quietly walk around the house to see if I can get them to stop or become more consistent. So, there I am, pacing around the house at 4 in the morning trying to keep quiet. I would hate to wake anyone for fear of having to explain myself and then dissapoint them when things stop again.... The kids are so excited, they wake up each morning and ask if the baby will be born today. All I can tell them is that when our baby is ready he or she will be born. God has a perfect day already picked out for our little one, but he likes suprises even more than we do. So, there I am pacing around the house, glancing at all the clocks as I pass to see how many minutes has passed since I last felt anything. So, I do this for about 45 minutes and then dicide that they seem to be pretty consistent but that I should probably be trying to rest rather than exhaust myself pacing around the house. So, I go back to bed. Laying carefully down next to Jason, I wait quietly, they keep coming, not much stronger but closer together.... About 5:15 I roll over and pet Jason's shoulder to see if he is awake. I think that he has been, he asks me where I have been. I tell him that I think that I might finally be in labor that I got up and was walking around the house trying to get them to either go away, or keep coming. So, we lay there, silently, to see where all this is going. About 5:25 I get up and decide that this better be the real thing, because if it's not, its crewl. So, at 5:30 I call my midwives. We are supposed to try an make it to Bellingham, about a 25 minute drive, to the birthing center and I tell her that I think I can make it. So, they get ready to meet us there. We call MaMa, who is over at their vacation house around the block with a few kids... Honestly, I can't remember who spent the night over there, but they all ended up here within about 5 minutes! I am trying to get dressed now things decide to pick up. I catch Jason as he's rushing in from one of his trips with baggage that goes to the car and I tell him, I don't know if I can make it. He stops.... after just carrying almost everything out to the car and says well, what do you need.... I just sort of stand there, pondering, trying not to panic. Really we are prepared for the baby to be born here we knew that things usually go really fast for me once we figure out that it's real labor and not just false labor teasing me.... So, I brace myself through another racking round of cotractions and then tell him I need to stay. So, I call the midwives back, and tell them that I have just had 3 really strong contractions in the past 9 minutes and they say, no problem were already on our way! So, I go and draw a bath in our bath room. Nothing sounds nicer to me at this moment than a nice warm bath. I climb in as its filling, night gown and all. Jason rushed out, and grabs all the stuff he's just carried out to the truck and brings it all back in. He runs out and grabs a few extra space heaters and plugs them in. It has been a cold February and our bedroom isn't exactly a sauna! The kids come in and sit on stools watching me in the tub. They're eyes are wide with excitement and wonder. They are being so good, just sitting there being calm and quiet. Once in a while someone will ask me if I am okay. I tell them that I love them and that our baby is going to be here soon. Each contraction is bringing me closer to the event that will bring our baby home. I stare down at the swirling water in concentration at each contraction. Finally, Jason is done with his jobs and climbs into the tub with me. It's a pretty big tub, a circle about 5 feet in diameter. He sits up on the side and caresses my hair and the midwives arrive. Smiling. They love their job and it is so nice to have people there that love mothers and babies and birth. I think that it's about 6:25ish.... I wait a few more contractions and then decide that I need to start pushing. I climb out of the tub, I just can't seem to get confortable, and climb up on our bed. It's about 6:30 now and they just got it ready for me. Clinging on to Jason, my strength, my support; the reason this being is inside of me.... I hear MaMa talking on the phone, she called PaPa, who wasn't able to come to Washington with her. Later I hear that they have me on speaker phone both here and at Papa's work... :) Completely and intensly focued on my life altering task. Task, just doesn't seem to be enough of a word really. I need a word that carries more weight, but more positive sounding than burden. I push, with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my being, with every muscle that I have in my body. I push. I push. I push push push push and then, at 6:36 she slips out. This little screaming wriggling thing. Christine passes her through to me and I clutch her close to me, I have seen her, I have seen that she is a girl. Though Midwives don't shout out the sex as if it's the latest football score. I keep it to myself for a few seconds thinking about it. Then, Jason hands me the phone. It's my Mom and I tell her that its a girl.... Jason hears. I tell him that it's a girl. He tells MaMa and the anxious brothers and Sister that are watching so anxiously from across the room. And, then I crawl back to the head of the bed and sit holding dearly to this little baby that we have named Sarah Rose Gabrielle Clark. Our Little Sarah Rose. This precious baby that I have been waiting so long for. It's a girl. The perfect ending to a perfect experience. It couldn't have gotten any better if I had sat down and written it out like a script. She's here. Not to much longer I call my friend Sarah and tell her that she's an auntie again. When she asks and I tell her the name I think I can hear the joyful smile that covers her face. I think that she was honored. Sarah may not know this, but she has held a very special place in Jason's and my heart for quite some time now. We both think that this is the most wonderful name for our little daughter.
So, I look back and smile on this day and what it means to me. A perfect day, a perfect Birth, and Perfect little Sarah Rose Gabrielle Clark.
Well, Sarah Rose just celebrated her 1st Birthday! I can't believe that my babiest one is one already. I doesn't seem possible that a whole year has gone by since she was born.
I recall the day that she was born very vividly still. Waking up around 3:45 and feeling little "contractions." My body likes to tease me, I have always had "false labor" nearly every night the last six weeks or so of my pregnancies. So, I woke up and felt them.... wondering quietly if this was the day that my baby would be born and I could finally meet this little person who has been growning inside of me for the past nine months.... I wait patiently in my bed for about a half hour. They are still there, so I decide to get up and quietly walk around the house to see if I can get them to stop or become more consistent. So, there I am, pacing around the house at 4 in the morning trying to keep quiet. I would hate to wake anyone for fear of having to explain myself and then dissapoint them when things stop again.... The kids are so excited, they wake up each morning and ask if the baby will be born today. All I can tell them is that when our baby is ready he or she will be born. God has a perfect day already picked out for our little one, but he likes suprises even more than we do. So, there I am pacing around the house, glancing at all the clocks as I pass to see how many minutes has passed since I last felt anything. So, I do this for about 45 minutes and then dicide that they seem to be pretty consistent but that I should probably be trying to rest rather than exhaust myself pacing around the house. So, I go back to bed. Laying carefully down next to Jason, I wait quietly, they keep coming, not much stronger but closer together.... About 5:15 I roll over and pet Jason's shoulder to see if he is awake. I think that he has been, he asks me where I have been. I tell him that I think that I might finally be in labor that I got up and was walking around the house trying to get them to either go away, or keep coming. So, we lay there, silently, to see where all this is going. About 5:25 I get up and decide that this better be the real thing, because if it's not, its crewl. So, at 5:30 I call my midwives. We are supposed to try an make it to Bellingham, about a 25 minute drive, to the birthing center and I tell her that I think I can make it. So, they get ready to meet us there. We call MaMa, who is over at their vacation house around the block with a few kids... Honestly, I can't remember who spent the night over there, but they all ended up here within about 5 minutes! I am trying to get dressed now things decide to pick up. I catch Jason as he's rushing in from one of his trips with baggage that goes to the car and I tell him, I don't know if I can make it. He stops.... after just carrying almost everything out to the car and says well, what do you need.... I just sort of stand there, pondering, trying not to panic. Really we are prepared for the baby to be born here we knew that things usually go really fast for me once we figure out that it's real labor and not just false labor teasing me.... So, I brace myself through another racking round of cotractions and then tell him I need to stay. So, I call the midwives back, and tell them that I have just had 3 really strong contractions in the past 9 minutes and they say, no problem were already on our way! So, I go and draw a bath in our bath room. Nothing sounds nicer to me at this moment than a nice warm bath. I climb in as its filling, night gown and all. Jason rushed out, and grabs all the stuff he's just carried out to the truck and brings it all back in. He runs out and grabs a few extra space heaters and plugs them in. It has been a cold February and our bedroom isn't exactly a sauna! The kids come in and sit on stools watching me in the tub. They're eyes are wide with excitement and wonder. They are being so good, just sitting there being calm and quiet. Once in a while someone will ask me if I am okay. I tell them that I love them and that our baby is going to be here soon. Each contraction is bringing me closer to the event that will bring our baby home. I stare down at the swirling water in concentration at each contraction. Finally, Jason is done with his jobs and climbs into the tub with me. It's a pretty big tub, a circle about 5 feet in diameter. He sits up on the side and caresses my hair and the midwives arrive. Smiling. They love their job and it is so nice to have people there that love mothers and babies and birth. I think that it's about 6:25ish.... I wait a few more contractions and then decide that I need to start pushing. I climb out of the tub, I just can't seem to get confortable, and climb up on our bed. It's about 6:30 now and they just got it ready for me. Clinging on to Jason, my strength, my support; the reason this being is inside of me.... I hear MaMa talking on the phone, she called PaPa, who wasn't able to come to Washington with her. Later I hear that they have me on speaker phone both here and at Papa's work... :) Completely and intensly focued on my life altering task. Task, just doesn't seem to be enough of a word really. I need a word that carries more weight, but more positive sounding than burden. I push, with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my being, with every muscle that I have in my body. I push. I push. I push push push push and then, at 6:36 she slips out. This little screaming wriggling thing. Christine passes her through to me and I clutch her close to me, I have seen her, I have seen that she is a girl. Though Midwives don't shout out the sex as if it's the latest football score. I keep it to myself for a few seconds thinking about it. Then, Jason hands me the phone. It's my Mom and I tell her that its a girl.... Jason hears. I tell him that it's a girl. He tells MaMa and the anxious brothers and Sister that are watching so anxiously from across the room. And, then I crawl back to the head of the bed and sit holding dearly to this little baby that we have named Sarah Rose Gabrielle Clark. Our Little Sarah Rose. This precious baby that I have been waiting so long for. It's a girl. The perfect ending to a perfect experience. It couldn't have gotten any better if I had sat down and written it out like a script. She's here. Not to much longer I call my friend Sarah and tell her that she's an auntie again. When she asks and I tell her the name I think I can hear the joyful smile that covers her face. I think that she was honored. Sarah may not know this, but she has held a very special place in Jason's and my heart for quite some time now. We both think that this is the most wonderful name for our little daughter.
So, I look back and smile on this day and what it means to me. A perfect day, a perfect Birth, and Perfect little Sarah Rose Gabrielle Clark.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Sorry, it had to go!
I just wanted to confirm people's suspicions... well, I don't think any one is really reading this, but just in case you found this by accident.... the blog formerly known as "If I had a million dollars.....I'd be a lot less creative!" is now known as "the blog formerly known as "If I had a million dollars....I'd be....."" Just Kidding!!!
No, really, the name had to go.... I have been singing that frikin' song for a week now.... It's a good song and all, but really, it had to go as my blog title cause I was driving myself nuts! So, I had to think of something else.... so for now and perhaps forever, introducing
"Super Mamma Wanna-Be!!!"
Cause I will always and forever be trying to be my Mom!
The last two days have been Busy!!
So, I didn't get a chance to post yesterday! Is it bad that that made me a little sad? But I decided to post a few times today to make up for it! Yesterday was a long day, we began by cramming in a days worth of school in 4 hours, which technically is all it's supposed to take, but usually it takes us closer to 6.... And then we meet my friend Kristy in Blaine to check out the "Blaine HomeConnection." It has turned out to be a really cool program, which I listed several of the classes in an earlier post. Any-who, there is a waiting list though, so we may not get in in the Fall, but we were comforted and told by one of the Mom's that "you'll get in, don't worry about it," so needless-to-say, it'll happen when it happens :) After that, Cayleb, Sarah Rose and I burned some time at the library then went and picked up the other kids at school then ran home to put chicks away cause it started to get really cold while Cayleb and I were in town and the chicks were out "sunning" in their play pen :) After that, we went to B'Ham and saw Sarah Rose's Dr., had some prescriptions filled (Charity Ann ended up having an ear infection.... yes, the appt. was for Sarah Rose, not Charity Ann..... ) Then ran over to the pet store to get goldfish for "Beaker" and "Oscar the Grouch" then, went to Lowes (with all four kids, mind you) to fetch a swing-glider thingy for Jason's Mom and Dad :) Then went home and passed out on the couch.... no, just kidding..... went home and made dinner, got kids to clean rooms, brush teeth, get into bed and then..... collapsed on the couch :) So, Today..... got kids off to school, did 1 hour or so of school with Cayleb, dropped off girls at neighbors, took my truck into the dealership to have a recall part replaced, got home, had lunch, finished school, went swimming for a few hours with Kristy and her very cute girls! Then came home, made some Mac 'n Cheese for the kiddos and.... well, still on the Mac 'n Cheese so..... Phew, I am exhausted just typing about it! Anyways, I hope that tomorrow is nice (today turned out very lovely) so that we can work out in the yard, then we have our 4th Date of our "10 Great Dates" Saturday evening! I think that next week will be a bit calmer, I hope :) But I still want to try to go swimming with Kristy and her girls again :P
Tonight, I want to feed the kids, pop in a movie for movie night then send them off to bed when it's over, that way I can Veggitate in on my bed and relax before I have to Konk out. A bowl of Ice Cream would be nice too! I'm thinking Some Cookies N' Dreams would be nice about them, with some chocolate sauce gently drizzled over the top, Mmmmmm.....
That'l do donkey, that'l do :P!!
Konos Schedule
I have been working today, as I was waiting for my Truck to get it's recall part taken care of at our local dealership, on a very basic list of the units that I'd like to do with the kids next year and the year following. This wasn't the easiest and I consider it very preliminary because I actually don't have my Curriculum yet, just a few print outs of the Units that are included and Spritibee's Konos Schedule for 2006-2008!! So that being said, here's my tentatively tentative Konos Unit Schedule for 2008-2009 as well as 2009-2010!
Oct. '08- Eyes, Seeing, Other Senses, Predator & Prey (Attentiveness, Vol. I)
Nov. '08- Frontiersmen, Tracking & Trapping, Indians (Attentiveness, Vol. I)
Dec. '08- Christmas (Love/Generosity, Vol. II)
Jan. '09- Calendars, Seasons, Sequencing, Counting (Orderliness, Vol. I)
Feb. '09- Measuring (Orderliness, Vol. I); Valentines Day (Love/Generosity, Vol. II); Planets, Moons (Orderliness, Vol I)
March '09- Human Birth, Growth, Animal Birth, Growth (Patience, Vol. I)
April '09- Easter (Love/Generosity, Vol II); Plant Growth, Gardening (Patience, Vol.I); Earth Day!
May '09- Plant Growth, Gardening Cont. (Patience, Vol I); Family, Friends, Marriage (Loyality, Vol. II)
June '09- Nutrition, Exercise, Rest, Fun (Stewardship, Vol. I)
Oct. '09- Navigation (Inquisitiveness, Vol. II); Body Systems (Cooperation, Vol. III)
Nov. '09- Colonial America (Responsibility, Vol. II); Grain, Bread, Yeast (Patience, Vol. I)
Dec. '09- Country, Culture of Norway (Honor, Vol. I); Christmas of Norway (Love, Vol. II)
Jan. '10- Olympics, Physical Skills (Determination, Vol. III); Authority, Light (Obedience, Vol. I)
Feb. '10- States and Regions (Cooperation, Vol. III) Valentines Day (Love/Generosity, Vol. II)
March '10- States and Regions Cont. (Cooperation, Vol. III)
April '10- Ecology, Conservation (Stewardship, Vol. I); Easter (Love, Vol. II);Plant Classification (Orderliness, Vol. I)
May '10- Plant Growth and Gardening (Patience, Vol. I); Rock Classification (Orderliness, Vol. I)
June '10- Bees (Cooperation, Vol. III)
So, that's it! I can't wait to start!
And we toured the Blaine Home Connection Site yesterday and found out all kinds of interesting info about how that program works! The kids can take classes like: Rocks, Fossils and More; Knitting; Composers and More; Hands on Math; Martial Arts; Ballet; Running; Guitar; Map Studies; Ancients Celts; Swimming and Photography! They all look like so much fun!
2008-2009 Konos Unit Study Schedule
Sept. '08- Ears, Sound, Music (Attentiveness, Vol. I)Oct. '08- Eyes, Seeing, Other Senses, Predator & Prey (Attentiveness, Vol. I)
Nov. '08- Frontiersmen, Tracking & Trapping, Indians (Attentiveness, Vol. I)
Dec. '08- Christmas (Love/Generosity, Vol. II)
Jan. '09- Calendars, Seasons, Sequencing, Counting (Orderliness, Vol. I)
Feb. '09- Measuring (Orderliness, Vol. I); Valentines Day (Love/Generosity, Vol. II); Planets, Moons (Orderliness, Vol I)
March '09- Human Birth, Growth, Animal Birth, Growth (Patience, Vol. I)
April '09- Easter (Love/Generosity, Vol II); Plant Growth, Gardening (Patience, Vol.I); Earth Day!
May '09- Plant Growth, Gardening Cont. (Patience, Vol I); Family, Friends, Marriage (Loyality, Vol. II)
June '09- Nutrition, Exercise, Rest, Fun (Stewardship, Vol. I)
2009-2010 Konos Unit Study Schedule
Sept. '09- Weather, Earth, Explorers (Inquisitiveness, Vol. II)Oct. '09- Navigation (Inquisitiveness, Vol. II); Body Systems (Cooperation, Vol. III)
Nov. '09- Colonial America (Responsibility, Vol. II); Grain, Bread, Yeast (Patience, Vol. I)
Dec. '09- Country, Culture of Norway (Honor, Vol. I); Christmas of Norway (Love, Vol. II)
Jan. '10- Olympics, Physical Skills (Determination, Vol. III); Authority, Light (Obedience, Vol. I)
Feb. '10- States and Regions (Cooperation, Vol. III) Valentines Day (Love/Generosity, Vol. II)
March '10- States and Regions Cont. (Cooperation, Vol. III)
April '10- Ecology, Conservation (Stewardship, Vol. I); Easter (Love, Vol. II);Plant Classification (Orderliness, Vol. I)
May '10- Plant Growth and Gardening (Patience, Vol. I); Rock Classification (Orderliness, Vol. I)
June '10- Bees (Cooperation, Vol. III)
So, that's it! I can't wait to start!
And we toured the Blaine Home Connection Site yesterday and found out all kinds of interesting info about how that program works! The kids can take classes like: Rocks, Fossils and More; Knitting; Composers and More; Hands on Math; Martial Arts; Ballet; Running; Guitar; Map Studies; Ancients Celts; Swimming and Photography! They all look like so much fun!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Happy Wednesday!
Today has gone well :) We are almost done with Math and will be moving on to spelling in a minute. Then I think I will either have him go pick out a book to read together, or he can work in his AWANA book again. And then we have a quiz in Language Skills, and History and Art today which well read about another type of ship and write notes on an index card about it and he traces a copy of it out of the book.
It's raining outside, so we wont be working out in the yard this afternoon, but with AWANA tonight, that's prolly a good thing cause I tend to get out there and get sucked into the "zone!" This Saturday, however, is supposed to be pretty nice, so I can get stuck out there all I want! This is our last regular night of AWANA for the year, it starts again in September. Next Wednesday is awards night and then on May 3rd we have the "AWANA Fair!" That should be fun, the kids are really looking forward to it!
Saturday Jason and I have our 4th Date of our "Ten Great Dates." It's a "class" through church that involves us reading a book together and then meeting once a week at the church for a quick video segment and then we get a few hours to actually go out on a date and discuss questions that we answered alone about the chapter that we read that week. So far it has been pretty good. The first one was really fun because it was all about remembering how we met and fell in love!! :) So far having this time together a few times a week to read our book together and then go out on our date, which has involved ice cream a few times, has really been great. It's a great book, and even if you don't have a group to do it with I highly recommend you try it and don't cop out after the first few dates. It will be worth it, trust me ;). It's a great reason to spend some time with each other and it has really encouraged us to talk more, which with four kiddos is really hard to remember to do!
So, Tata for now! Off to the rest of my busy week!
It's raining outside, so we wont be working out in the yard this afternoon, but with AWANA tonight, that's prolly a good thing cause I tend to get out there and get sucked into the "zone!" This Saturday, however, is supposed to be pretty nice, so I can get stuck out there all I want! This is our last regular night of AWANA for the year, it starts again in September. Next Wednesday is awards night and then on May 3rd we have the "AWANA Fair!" That should be fun, the kids are really looking forward to it!
Saturday Jason and I have our 4th Date of our "Ten Great Dates." It's a "class" through church that involves us reading a book together and then meeting once a week at the church for a quick video segment and then we get a few hours to actually go out on a date and discuss questions that we answered alone about the chapter that we read that week. So far it has been pretty good. The first one was really fun because it was all about remembering how we met and fell in love!! :) So far having this time together a few times a week to read our book together and then go out on our date, which has involved ice cream a few times, has really been great. It's a great book, and even if you don't have a group to do it with I highly recommend you try it and don't cop out after the first few dates. It will be worth it, trust me ;). It's a great reason to spend some time with each other and it has really encouraged us to talk more, which with four kiddos is really hard to remember to do!
So, Tata for now! Off to the rest of my busy week!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
God in my Heart!
This was a response to a great friend of mine, and thought that it may do some good on here :)
Tif
I agree, it breaks my heart too, especially when I think of all the poor, unchurched, lost kids out there who will read it and make some sort of uneducated decision regarding it that may affect their very souls. It also makes my heart ache for the people that I love that I know don’t believe what I do, for I know that God has hardened hearts in this world that will never be able to soften to His love. Yet, we cannot be weakened by this, we have to grow stronger and more steadfast in our faith. Knowing that by doing that, and being an example of Christ working in peoples lives we can truly make a difference in someones life. I just pray to God that He will let me help one lost person get to Heaven, and if he chooses to use me more than that I will be elated :) Though I know we will never see all of the impact that our lives have upon others, it is warmth in my heart knowing that we know the steadfast truth; that Jesus was more than a man, he was God, is God and always will be GOD! He walked this very Earth, trod upon the very soil that we bare to tread upon, and HE DIED FOR US!! AMEN!!
Tif
I agree, it breaks my heart too, especially when I think of all the poor, unchurched, lost kids out there who will read it and make some sort of uneducated decision regarding it that may affect their very souls. It also makes my heart ache for the people that I love that I know don’t believe what I do, for I know that God has hardened hearts in this world that will never be able to soften to His love. Yet, we cannot be weakened by this, we have to grow stronger and more steadfast in our faith. Knowing that by doing that, and being an example of Christ working in peoples lives we can truly make a difference in someones life. I just pray to God that He will let me help one lost person get to Heaven, and if he chooses to use me more than that I will be elated :) Though I know we will never see all of the impact that our lives have upon others, it is warmth in my heart knowing that we know the steadfast truth; that Jesus was more than a man, he was God, is God and always will be GOD! He walked this very Earth, trod upon the very soil that we bare to tread upon, and HE DIED FOR US!! AMEN!!
Today has Been Great!!
Today has been great so far! I decided to say Screw the K12 schedule! We did some long division based on a worksheet that I found online, that broke the problems down into steps. It worked really well for him, it let him visualize the math. We tried hands on learning yesterday and then simply "doing it on paper" and both processes did not work. But today this particular formula worked very well for him. He thought that it was fun, did a few with ease on his own, and then I showed him how it works out the same way on paper, then I asked him to do another one, and then use his work to "do it on paper" and he did it!! No mistakes!!! I was so proud of him and he was so proud of himself!!!
It went something like this, in case anyone is looking for a better way to teach long division:
You have 79 pieces, sort them into 7 groups.
How many groups of 7 will you have?:_____
How many will be left over?:_____
Draw your picture here:
What is your Division Sentence:___________________
From there we did the traditional 79/7=.....
So that he could see how it works on paper as well :) He keeps showing me the hard way that he is more of a Visual learner than I had once thought. I figured he'd be hands on all the way......
Then we Did spelling, which I had him go jump on the trampoline for 15 minutes to go through his spelling cards. After that we did his test, for the second time this week and he squeaked by on that, but still passed. We keep the words he missed in his spelling box until he can spell them 3 different days and then they are taken out.
Now he is working in his AWANA book for Literature, he read from 2 Timothy and has answered some questions so far, and is now working of writing 3 sentences about each of 3 different people from the Bible.
After that I think we will use the K12 GUM to review his use of quotations to get him ready for his quiz on that tomorrow.
Then we just have Science :)!!! Today is going much better..... I think that I just like the thought of being able to just "go by the schedule" but really the schedule is like a ball and chain for us, if we try to follow it word for word, we end up getting strangled in the process.... So, I think that till the end of the year we will just fly by the seat of our pants..... 8 weeks isn't that long!
And Did I mention that my new friend Kristy is getting her KONOS Curriculum in the next few weeks, we are so excited to get to start plowing through all of it and to start planning for next year!!!
It went something like this, in case anyone is looking for a better way to teach long division:
You have 79 pieces, sort them into 7 groups.
How many groups of 7 will you have?:_____
How many will be left over?:_____
Draw your picture here:
What is your Division Sentence:___________________
From there we did the traditional 79/7=.....
So that he could see how it works on paper as well :) He keeps showing me the hard way that he is more of a Visual learner than I had once thought. I figured he'd be hands on all the way......
Then we Did spelling, which I had him go jump on the trampoline for 15 minutes to go through his spelling cards. After that we did his test, for the second time this week and he squeaked by on that, but still passed. We keep the words he missed in his spelling box until he can spell them 3 different days and then they are taken out.
Now he is working in his AWANA book for Literature, he read from 2 Timothy and has answered some questions so far, and is now working of writing 3 sentences about each of 3 different people from the Bible.
After that I think we will use the K12 GUM to review his use of quotations to get him ready for his quiz on that tomorrow.
Then we just have Science :)!!! Today is going much better..... I think that I just like the thought of being able to just "go by the schedule" but really the schedule is like a ball and chain for us, if we try to follow it word for word, we end up getting strangled in the process.... So, I think that till the end of the year we will just fly by the seat of our pants..... 8 weeks isn't that long!
And Did I mention that my new friend Kristy is getting her KONOS Curriculum in the next few weeks, we are so excited to get to start plowing through all of it and to start planning for next year!!!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Next Year
So, the Mom that I have been talking to about doing KONOS with next year has decided to do it! It is very exciting to think that I will have another Mom to work with next year! We are going to go to the Blaine Homeschool Co-Op on Thursday to check out the program. It's a program that offers elective classes like Spanish and classes on Fossils and such :) They also offer some sort of "Allowance" for each kid that is enrolled in their program for parents to use for curriculum, dance classes or whatever as long as it's not religious based. So I will find out about that then. Today was a struggle for Math.... we pretty much spent all day on it, well, Cayleb did anyway. I understand that he was overwhelmed with the new concepts, we just started "Long Division" with 2 digit quotients and remainders. It's a lot of new steps to remember, but he is such a smart guy, if he would just focus on it a few times, he'd get it and then fly through the assessment. But he had me work through about 10 problems with him and then he wanted to take the assessment, so I let him and he then expected me to help him work through that as well.... We'll needless to say, I'm not supposed to help him with that, so he spent the rest of the day (about 4 hours) pouting, whining , and wasting time. He finally finished it, and when I went back and checked it he had made at least one mistake in each problem, so, he had to correct them all. But since he didn't complete it and pass unassisted, I get to look forward to trying it again tomorrow. Oh Joy! So, hopefully I will come up with something or someway different to approach it for tomorrow that will help it to stick to his brain. It's days like these that exhaust me and make me want to say forget it, you can just go sit in a frickin' classroom. I really have things that I could be doing you know.
I may have found a new friend!! or two or three :)
So I am really excited! I may have found another disgruntled WAVA family that is interested in KONOS Curriculum! This is a great thing because if she does decided that KONOS will work for her family, we would have some more kids that could be working through the same units as we are next year! Which will make it so much fun for end of Unit Bashes!! I see a PowWow complete with bonfire and authentic American Indian Fare on the Horizon! I will be sad if it doesn't work out, but I will keep my head up! I know that God has a family or two in mind for us :) In the mean time, I would like to get to know them better so I think I will invite them to swim tonight and maybe see if they like roller blading or biking along the bay.
Dinner for this week
Okay, here are the Dinners that I want to make this week....
Maybe I should start with my Menu Foundation.... I guess that this may help someone who's trying to plan out a menu...
Monday: Itallian
Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner
Wednesday: Crockpot Night, or Casserole
Thursday: Mexican
Friday: All American
Saturday: Leftovers, or Easy Fare
Sunday: Comfort Food
So, this week, I have
Spaghetti (with homemade French Garlic Bread Yummy!),
French Toast and Scrambled Eggs,
Chicken Pot Pie (homemade),
Burritos,
Salmon and Garlic Mashed Potatoes,
Leftovers,
and Chicken Noodle Soup Planned
Maybe I should start with my Menu Foundation.... I guess that this may help someone who's trying to plan out a menu...
Monday: Itallian
Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner
Wednesday: Crockpot Night, or Casserole
Thursday: Mexican
Friday: All American
Saturday: Leftovers, or Easy Fare
Sunday: Comfort Food
So, this week, I have
Spaghetti (with homemade French Garlic Bread Yummy!),
French Toast and Scrambled Eggs,
Chicken Pot Pie (homemade),
Burritos,
Salmon and Garlic Mashed Potatoes,
Leftovers,
and Chicken Noodle Soup Planned
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Doesn't this just look like a blast!!! Thank you Nana and Pops!!!! They decided that since this was on the kids wish list (we'll maybe mine too) that they would get it for the kids for their combined Birthday's and Christmas this year!! Yipee!! I can't wait to get it and find the perfect spot for it!!!!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
So what's with the name?
Just in case someone was wondering as to the relevance of my Title.... There are a lot of things that I could file as good uses of my Million Dollars. But chances are, I won't be getting a sum like that in my days, so, I'll just stick to the stuff I can aim for :) Currently the kids, Jason and I are saving for a "backyard makeover." If one could call it that, I am not actually sure.... you see for it to be a "makeover" wouldn't that require that it had been "done-up" to begin?? I mean, unless we are going to take into account God's creation of this beautiful land, nothing besides the occasional annoying freeloader who decided to dump off his families trash for the year has been on the property for a very long time.... Very Annoying....!! But that is not what I was going to talk about here, really, I'm done venting about that matter :) Soooo...... Our Make over is going to be small, really small, but we have a large yard that is involved, so mostly it means contouring the land and planting lots and lots of grass! Most of the expense, however, is going to be in construction some sort of "play area" for the kids. Now, we've been looking around this whole time of saving up, about a year and a half and counting, and we have banned all thoughts of "Cheap Wal-Mart Metal and Plastic" from our minds. Mostly because we see those around and after a year or so I see quite a few of them rusting in our humid environment, but secondly, our oldest is almost as tall as me and only about 30 pounds lighter and he's only 9! Mind you, he's not over weight by the slightest, he is just very athletic, can carry a 50 pound bag of feed if I need him too and is finally getting some meat on his bones! So, he's perfect, in my eyes, but is going to require something a little less flimsy! The hunt continues, we've been looking at the sets at Costco, really nice and have a LOT of features for the price... I guess you could say they have a lot of bang for their buck, but this years model has decided to be absent of the one factor that my eldest daughter requested.....Monkey Bars! So, that pretty much squashed that idea! So, let's move on.... Lowes and Home Depot have similar "build it yourself" models and a few have been rather provoking lately to me, but they are still a little out of our budget if we want to have anything besides a few quarters left over for the grass.... Really nice sets, we just have to think a little bigger than some families considering we have 4 already and haven't decided to "stop" for sure yet, so that puts us in the more expensive size brackets.... Still haven't said no for sure yet on those yet.... but the idea sprung into my mind yesterday morning as I woke up bright and early, "Hey we did it before! Why not just be creative and build something entirely unique??" So, I am thinking we are going to go with that..... So, that name "If I had a Million Dollars," though it may change tonight, is somewhat in reference to the fact that a Million Dollars would make things a little easier to be less creative :) So, thank you God, for allowing me the chance to be creative! Really, I am not being sarcastic, you just have to learn to accept life's challenges, and make the best of it, right?! So, no moula, means I get to use my brain :) I like using my brain! I'll write more later about my actual thoughts regarding the "swing set of dreams!"
Friday, April 18, 2008
Thank you my dear friends.....
I'd like to say "Thanks!" *hint of sarcasm* to all those friends that I have who dragged me to and then made sure I'd get addicted to "MySpacing." Yeah, and if that wasn't enough, you had to bring me here too, just to see if I'd fall for it again! Yeah, I know that I am a sucker! But do y'all have to keep rubbing it in? I mean, come on, I don't really have the time to spare here, but I justify that I need "me time" right?? So, here it is..... My attempt at a "Blog Spot!" And you all know who you are. I love you to pieces, you know that don't you! :) I really do love this stuff, really :P
Today
Can you hear time ticking bye? Sometimes I think I hear it galloping.... like when I am scurrying around the house in the morning trying to get kids off to school and the rest of us ready for a day of school here.... But then there are those few days, now and then, that I get the chance to slow down. Like when the fast falling rain gently turns into snow and pauses for a while to enjoy it's fall to the ground. Not that I think that I am falling. well not most of the time anyways.... I always seem to be in full animation with the hope of being able to slow down the process "soon." When is "soon?" Can we define "soon?" When can we expect to see "soon?" Can I put it on the calendar? Never, no, no and not likely! I have to learn to enjoy the "soon" now. Do I have the ability to slow down? I don't think so, but I keep trying. Maybe in about 30 years! As Mom to 4 kids I always have a "list" going.... things that have to get done, things that need to get done, and then that ever allusive list of should do's if I have the time!! But please note that that list hardly ever sees the light of day because it is forever covered by the aforementioned lists!
So, this is it. I need to stop and smell the roses. My babies won't be little forever. And all you just starting out in that dept. Please take it from me, if you can stand it, time with your babies is ALWAYS more important than that sink of dishes or the cobwebs that are floating around semi-attached to the ceiling.... And don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
So, this is it. I need to stop and smell the roses. My babies won't be little forever. And all you just starting out in that dept. Please take it from me, if you can stand it, time with your babies is ALWAYS more important than that sink of dishes or the cobwebs that are floating around semi-attached to the ceiling.... And don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
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