School...

...it is just around the corner. I mean, really, just around the corner. As in Monday. This week I have prepared as much as possible by watching movies almost non-stop and reading book after book. We won't have all day movie marathons anymore after Monday. Bummer. Our schedule looks good and we already have a homeschool field trip on the third day of school, which just so happens to be Erika's birthday. That is totally awesome!!

This weekend is my family reunion. I will get up Saturday and do some cooking and then head to my Dad's house to catch up with some family I hardly ever get to see. The best part is that we never know who will be coming in. It is always a mystery and a fun surprise to see who makes the trip to KY. The girls really love it since my dad has a swing on every tree and there are all those cousins to pester/play with.

Well, I am off to put another movie in...our time is very limited you know.

Saying Goodbye.

My friend Terri is moving to Chicago today. She and her family spent supper and the evening with us last night. It was wonderful. And bittersweet. Our paths hardly ever crossed during the school year but summers were always counted on to catch up...and a few marathon phone conversations. We have so much in common but mostly we are soul friends-the kind that can take a move and still be friends. That doesn't make it easier. I hate it when friends move away. Alot.

DEEP THOUGHTS

by Janjanmom

Do you ever notice how delightful your children are when they are surrounded by their friends not their siblings? Perhaps this needs to happen more often.

Doggone tired, doggone it!

I am tired. Bone weary. The pool party today put me right over the edge. Tonight I vow to go to bed early if my laundry situation cooperates. I have thoroughly enjoyed our jam-packed weekend but now it is time to rest up for our jam-packed last week before school starts!!

Goodnight Seattle!!(Frazier fans of the world-UNITE!)

Stream of Consciousness

The wedding is over. Their car was heavily decorated with shaving cream and they left a trail of it out of the church. Too funny. I started this tradition when my sister Linda and Frank got married. I got them goood!! They totally paid me back! My grocery shopping is done thanks to a late night visit to Kroger and a stop by Sam's club by hubby on his way home. My children are nestled all snug in their beds. (Hubby too.) My feet hurt and they never do. The laundry basket is completely overflowing. I hope my nephew and his bride are happy forever-they are so good together. I hope the videotaping I did of the wedding comes out somewhat decent. I really must take my contacts out soon. I need to make an appointment to get my eye exam as this is my LAST pair of disposables. Our kittens are adorable and I love them even though I did not want to keep any of the kittens. Graygray is probably going to go live at my moms since the kittens are still nursing her even after surgery and two weeks of separation prior to that. Shameful. The kitten I gave my mom disappeared. Sad. He was my favorite one. July has flown by. Kayla has a slumber party coming up and that scares me to death. I hate slumber parties but a promise is a promise. Kayla looks at least 15 in the dress she wore to the wedding today. I'm investing in a quick loading shotgun ASAP. It's in the best interest of all my girls really. Boys are evil. I'm not kidding. (YES I AM!) Perhaps we need a pit bull as well-although Daisy and Toby have their vicious moments. I am definitely finishing my book tonight if it kills me. Wedding food is delicious. Wedding clean-up is not at all!! I am going to start saving for caterers just in case a boy makes it past the shotguns and pit bulls and asks for one of my girls hands in marriage. Caterers rock! Wedding clean-up does not. Did I mention that already?

Wedding Bells!

Graygray is back home now and looking very thin!! She has been pregnant or nursing so long, it distresses us a bit to see her so tiny! One down, three to go. Daisy the stray is next and then I suppose it will be time for the kittens. Oh well, it's only money, right? Ha!

Tonight is the rehearsal for my nephew's wedding!! I can hardly believe how fast the date has arrived. I am so proud of David. And Halah. They waited to marry until they had both finished college and now they both have jobs. Very smart planning. As one who did not finish college, I truly admire their stick-to-it-iveness. He is an accountant and she will be a teacher. They will live happily ever after with their 17 dogs. I'm not really sure how many dogs they have really but I know it is at least 3. Tomorrow is the big day and we are very excited. We have not had a wedding in my local family since hmmm, maybe mine. That is a LONG time!

We are chillin' in our crib for the day and I am gonna clean a bit. I got alot accomplished last night and it has inspired me to do more. I am always needing more cleaning inspiration!!

Things done today:

• 10cent posterboard bought at Walgreens. I had to settle for colors as the white is never going to be restocked.
• Graygray to the vet to finally get her kitten factory shut down.
• My hair trimmed-I'm only 3 weeks overdue!
• Kayla to Old Navy to spend her gift card -she made some cute choices!! (1 day later-the things we don't procrastinate!!)
• Grill cover put on.
• Signed paper for my Dad's pre-arranged funeral service. (this was oh so many days ago I was supposed to do that!)
• Math temporary curriculum purchased. (Finances require waiting on the big gun!)(Math teacher best friend said temporary curriculum was awesome!!)
• Free desk moved out of garage into bedroom-old broken table carried by hubby to the garbage.
• Made a dinner of fried chicken for people who can have carbs. (I had leftover grilled chicken.)
• Entertained a good friend and her children this afternoon.
• Allowed neighbor kid to come over and swim.
• Did 1 and a half loads of laundry. Maybe more later.
• Washed dishes twice.
• Wiped down table twice.
• Almost swept a room, sorta.
• Convinced myself I was a good mom and a domestic goddess many times.
• Did not go back to bed when I should not have-got up and made appointments on time.
• Told myself I was good enough, smart enough and doggone it, people like me at least a hundred times.
• Got Lilly to piano class almost on time.
• Picked Lilly up from piano almost on time.
• Blogged.

I should go to bed-it has been a full day. Is it really only 8 o'clock? Geez. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.

Happy Birthday Kayla!

Today is Kayla's 11th birthday. She could very easily pass for a few years older. A fact that bothers me. We have had a wonderfully busy day as birthdays always are around here. It all started with a church pool party which had nothing to do with Kayla, except that it was on her birthday!!! We took cupcakes and the group sang Happy Birthday to her! Then we went to my mom's house where I colored my Mom's hair and shaved my stepdad. When I get my beautician's license they won't be able to afford me...bruhahaha. Then we headed home where there was a card waiting in our door for the birthday girl. She was very excited and thrilled with the contents. After Dad got home we headed down to the annual sidewalk chalk contest where everyone but the birthday girl got a 1st place trophy-that kinda stinks. She laughs it off though. Red Lobster was our next stop and much seafood was devoured by all-crab legs for b-day girl. (Important note-I did not break my diet but biscuits and a baked potato came home with me for my hour tomorrow!! I had already used up my hour on dove brownies at the pool party).

We made a quick stop at Goody's and picked up the two remaining bargains in the store. Hee hee. Shoes for Kayla-always more shoes for Kayla. She had better enjoy it. Size 7 at age 11 is nice but I wonder what size she will stop at?? 10? 11?? The shoe selections at those sizes is not so good.

So now I am totally exhausted and I am off to bed. Tomorrow Gray Gray is going to the vet and I am getting a hair cut (all of them really-heehee).

Happy Wednesday!!

Eating An Elephant...

...one bite at a time. I am at a halfway point on my lesson plans. WAHOO!! Of course our marathon days at the library have come to an end so I will have to work to give myself the same sort of time frame at home. I am now trying to map out our Science in a way that corresponds with the literature I am teaching. So far so good. It is almost like they are made to go together-the science and literature-but they are intensely different!!

We walked through the yard of DREAM HOUSE yesterday. The yard is the coolest yard I have ever seen in the middle of town. Like a secret garden. Even the alley was cool. Today we had the keys and went through the actual house. We all love it. ALOT. It makes my heart hurt to think of all the potential there. But then my head kicks in with all the money it would cost to do it. We have decided after much deliberation that it just requires deeper pockets than ours. Someone will snatch it up and restore it and we will feel that "what might have been" feeling. This isn't the first ship we have let sail without us. Someday our ship will come and we will know it. We won't have an aching dread and fear in the back of our minds about it either. We wish you smooth sailing DREAM HOUSE.

Tough Day

The scripture that follows was the lesson at my mom's church today. This is scripture I should ponder over, study and commit to heart. I should be forced to recite it 12 times a day. AND even then, I would still be a tad bit "clangy". Thanks to all my friends and family that love me anyway!!

1 Corinthians 13
" 1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Bullet Updates!

• Tomorrow I am taking my mom to church, at her church. My family will be going to our church. I've been out of this rotation for a long time but since I no longer go over every day-it was only fair for me to be worked back into it. I will be getting to their house early so I can help my step father shave. Glamour!!
• We have been doing the yard work of a semi-wooded lot the past two days. Because we have so many trees, there comes a time of trimming. This is generally around the time limbs nearly smack you off of the mower(read that as NOW). I really do love our yard and a day of good hard yard work makes you sleep well-however, two days of it make you wish for a tiny lot.
• Every now and then we think about moving to town and giving up our country life. Then we look around at prices and get unexcited and decide we are very content. However, we may have found THE project we have been seeking. Or NOT. We are gonna poke around a little tomorrow. It is probably over our heads but it would be cool. Don't ask for details-we are not talking seriously at all yet!! We've done this about 10 times before and we are still right here on our country lane.
• Tomorrow night, our church is having it's annual mystery night dinner for the youth group. I am excited. It will be a fun night of mystery. This year our whole family will be helping/participating. Yes indeed, we are getting older!!
• My one laundry basket is exploding right now. I am officially behind on laundry!! I will be working on that tonight!!
• Coming up with five superhero costumes for above mystery night is very challenging...and might be expensive if not for creative children and yard sales!!
• Valerie Bertinelli's autobiography Losing It is awesome!! She is one neat lady.
• I did not mean to ignore Ami and Stephanie-the name of the book that I once believed was my all time favorite book is A Nice Place to Live by Robert C. Sloane. I will caution you that it is very graphic-violence, language and a morsel of erotica. My 15 year old self was not the best critic! It would be categorized as a science fiction thriller. I also read and liked Catch-22 at 15-I wonder if I should re-read it?
• Erik and I had a date last night. We went to the best Pampered Chef couples party ever. We ate too much, visited a bit, went to Walmart(spent $3.23 on school supplies), picked up the girls and came home to sleep off some good Mexican food!! OOH, I love the night life...I love to boogie...

Full Day!

Bible school, playdate, and then a trip to the drive-in. The drive-in is another way to save money-kids are free and you can bring your own snacks. WIN/WIN/WIN!!

I'm going to collapse into bed now. ZZZZZ.

Saving Money!

I would like to whine and bellyache about how school is just around the corner and I'm not ready. I could also whine about the price of gas. Add to that this crazy busy week and it is definitely a whinery. But I am not going to. Instead, I am going to review some things that I have tried lately to save money. That way I get to do something you might find helpful instead of just ranting (which really gets old even if you love me)!!

• Making my own laundry detergent was a good thing that I tried. It is definitely something I will do again-but not right away. I do not enjoy the consistency of the homemade stuff-but it worked well. Smell is up to you and which type of soap you buy. When I do it again I will probably try the felsnaptha (I think) laundry soap. Kroger has that soap and the washing soda but it is hidden in the laundry aisle-on the opposite side of the aisle from the detergents. The homemade batch lasts a really long time and costs hardly nothing per batch. However-making my own dishwasher detergent was not something I will do again-I've never been more embarrassed than the day I pulled my dishes out for care group and they had been washed with my homemade detergent. They were speckled and filmy and gross looking-I explained they were clean and my experiment but I was mortified by how bad they looked. Since I have clear dishes it was VERY noticeable!!
• Freecycle-Today I dropped off an unwanted piece of furniture to someone glad to get it and aquired another piece of furniture from someone glad to get rid of it. This is a perfect tool to get rid of some things you no longer need and also acquire some things you might need. The one in our area has had things like furniture, household items, and recently a Wii was offered. Sometimes it is just junk and it is always reliant on being one of the first to respond but worth the extra mail in your inbox.
• CVS-oh my goodness. They have started a customer loyalty program that is top-notch. Extra Value Bucks are earned on certain products and then used just like money towards your next visit. For example-one week I got one dollar on 2 cans of pringles. Since pringles were on sale for $1, I bought 4 cans and got 2 dollars for my next visit. $1 per can of pringles is a good price-but getting $2 off my next visit made it even better! If I had a coupon it would have sweetened the deal even more. Go online-shop and see if you can use anything and then cash in on the loyalty program. I hardly ever need to step foot in Walmart between shopping at Kroger, CVS and Walgreens. CLARIFICATION: I am not one of those people who boycotts Walmart-I just can't seem to go there without buying tons of stuff I don't need.
• Avoiding Walmart. Kroger has great sales and gives me double and triple coupons. I go online and shop their flyer, plan my menu and shop accordingly. Walmart has such clever marketing, I always get sucked into buying things for a price different than what I THOUGHT the sticker said, name brands because I can't find the offbrand, or unbelievable bargains placed on end caps that are things I positively don't need. All of this usually adds about $20-50 to an already high grocery bill. Convenience has a price.
• Taking advantage of clearance aisles. If you can't resist a bargain-don't even look. There are always wonderful bargains on clearance. Meet your NEEDS with the clearance aisle. Example: A purse you might use as a birthday gift is not worth it-but half-price shampoo absolutely is. I used to keep a gift closet. I would find things at incredible prices and store them in my closet for showers, birthday parties, Christmas, etc. I ended up buying stuff all of the time, keeping it well stocked and then not really liking what was in there. Most of it ended up being donated when I decluttered my closet. Now I just budget what I would like to spend on gifts and stick to it. I'm saving money by spending less and I'm pretty sure people are happier with a gift they could return if they needed/wanted to. On the flipside though, I am pretty stoked to have 8 bottles of shampoo that I purchased for 50 cents each-a bargain we will definitely use and it will save us money.
• Buying fruits and vegetables wholesale. I join with three other ladies at church to make this happen. Otherwise it would not be do-able because the quantities are so large. It works out great. My kids get to eat all the fruits and veggies they want and we can even be generous to their friends and my mom with plenty to spare. Check the yellow pages for a wholesaler in your area to see if they will allow the general public to place an order.
• The farmers market. Last week, I took $10 and went to the farmer's market. I purchased June apples (forgot to save the seeds, DOH!), 6 cucumbers, 6 winter sqashes, a gorgeous tomato, 3 green peppers and a little basket of small plums. I spent $8. 3 peppers would have cost that at the grocery plus I helped a farmer support his family which makes me feel really good about my purchases.
• Paperbackswap . Love it, love it love it. Especially when I got a workbook I needed that saved me about $5. Be careful though-don't swap your big hardback books on here or you will not be a happy camper!!

Please leave a comment to let me know your favorite ways to save money. Jason would be mad at me at me if I did not at least mention The Grocery Game. IT is a great thing-it just was a re-run of things I was already doing!! If you need help, sign up for the 4 week trial-it really does only cost $1!!

Fat-igue

Double entendre title. One thing is, of course, that I am tired. The other is that my weight has reached a plateau of minus 20 and holding. The scale hasn't budged in about 3 weeks and that makes me really tired!! Very frustrating. During my hour I can eat whatever I want in whatever quantity I want. This usually means I am eating a TON of food. I think it may be time to start scaling back-if I want to start scaling back, you know what I mean? Twenty pounds is probably all I am going to lose until I stop eating a full carb rich supper plus half a bag of m & m-ity goodness.

Is it wrong if communication with a good friend breaks down to blogs exclusively? What if that is how you learn she is going to be a grandma? I suppose I shall extend her some grace for a crazy busy time of year (especially with season passes and all) and still continue to love her-but only if she calls me sometime soon. (ie.-this week) After that, she will have to woo me back with her incredible sense of humor.

Another one of my friends is moving to Chicago. Why can't all these far away places take someone else's friends?! She is probably moving on July 31st. She has been warning me about it for years-they are a moving family and they had been here a long time. WAH. I don't have to like it. They have their new house picked out and the relocation company made them a great offer on their house here, so things are moving rather quickly now. Our friendship will survive it. The good ones can always withstand a move.

Sorry-I am totally whiney today. I think it may be PMS week-especially since Erik seems to be VERY busy with yard stuff this week. Always a sure bet it is time when he gets scarce after supper time. ( ; Smart man. If only he could teach those pesky kids.

Hiatus

I am back!! I took Friday night and all day Saturday to spend some time yard-saling(I mean having one at her house!) with a friend I hardly ever get to see. My girls spent the night with my mom. This meant Saturday was kid-free and so we got to visit all day-uninterupted except to stop and make money. It was hot, humid(sweltering, actually) but very fun. She is a single mom and so she just does not have alot of free time when I do. We have to really work to make time for one another.

I stand by my decision to not have my own yard sales. The people watching is a hoot though if you are working with a friend!! So I have a few friends who let me participate in theirs if I want to. That is enough for me. Plus, the money I did make was handy because 3 wedding showers in a row plus a string of birthday parties put a pretty big strain on our already bursting at the seams budget!!

Monday starts Bible school. My one break of the summer. As a 24/7 mom, breaks are very few and far between. I am just thankful one of our local churches is so generous to A) still have daytime Bible school and B) invite the community. Other than a teeny favor for a friend each day I will have free time to get my house in order after yard sale stuff perusing-you know where you are desperately pulling out all the crap you are not using and boxing it up? There is much order to be restored. I hope you are having a great Sunday. We are getting caught up on stuff and listening to ****albums****. I am enjoying our record player almost as much as Erik-just not nearly as often.

Whatever happened to Huey Lewis and the News? I always loved their videos.

3 Incredibly Random Confessions

1. I have an annoying compulsion to identify the dead animals we pass in the road and/or by the road. I am powerless-I am sickened and yet compelled.
2. I love candles and air fresheners. If money were no object, we would have those built in air freshers in ever room-clean laundry/clean linen/clean cotton is my abslute favorite scent but I also love other clean smells and cranberry-ish smells. Some people really enjoy cleaning their house so it smells good-I enjoy a nice smelling candle or air freshener.
3. I prefer to sleep completely cocooned in covers in a very cold room. I settle for snuggling covers up to my chin instead-because I enjoy sleeping with my husband more. One of my children is also a coccooner.

How about you? 3 incredibly random confessions, any of you'uns that will!

A Fun Post!



Yesterday with my mom went much better on the blog than it did in real life! I'm not dwelling on it though. I'll do better next time. With alot more prayer. And compassion. Today, I am going to marvel a bit at some of my huge parenting failures-or so I thought-that ended up being good things!! They say hindsight is 20-20, it usually is. The things we beat ourselves up over generally end up being ok. God is very faithful to fill in our gaps!



Top 10 Parenting Failures

(That ended up being pretty good!)

1. Not being involved in a sport. We have done a few things here and there but we never officially adopted a sport for each child. We received lots of advice about how important it was to the formation of character, ability to work together, etc AND how it must start YOUNG! Erik was a major football guy so he was eager for it. However, he always ended up working during games(Sat.) and it was hard to make it to practices after he worked late and then we ate supper. We have tried two different sports and it just never really worked out. And my kids don't seem to be scarred in any way, our life is ours, and someday we will all learn golf or tennis together-sports that you can always play.
2. Breakfast. For 70% of my life, I have not eaten breakfast. I wake up grouchy not hungry. My kids though are like their dad was as a kid-they wake up starving (although being married to me has kind of changed him a bit). When they were little, I was on the ball-making them a healthy breakfast or at least getting them the healthiest breakfast quick foods (seldom pop-tarts-more like yogurt and fruit or cereal). The last 3-4 years though-I completely stink at breakfast. I only average making any sort of breakfast a couple times a week. This has inspired my children to cook for themselves. This is a major positive!!
3. Exercising. I enjoy what exercise does for me-but not the actual act. I envisioned doing wonderful exercise routines with my kids every morning when we started homeschooling. That never actually panned out. I even have a yoga for wimps book that was purchased at a yard sale with REALLY GOOD intentions. My kids, though, get all kinds of exercise. They love to skate, ride bikes, swim. They are all pretty coordinated (all Dad) and enjoy being very active and as a family we are pretty active-I would grade us about an 88. We like movies, but we spend alot of time outdoors year round. So not having a "plan" has probably helped more than hindered.
4. Reading. I've always lamented the fact that I do not have a wonderful read-aloud voice. Even as I read aloud, I often skip or change words because I am a speed reader. I am anxious to finish a book so that makes me a less than ideal out loud reader. This did not keep me from reading to my kids-I always have. But not since Lilly was about 5. I stopped. Was this detrimental to their reading??? NOOO. I beat myself up about it but then I noticed how much they love audio books and so do I. (Those people are awesome readers!) Plus, they all three love to read-even Erika, my most reluctant reader still love checking them out and sort of reading them. I did not fail like I worried.
5. Sleepovers. I am not a fan of sleepovers-especially slumber parties. There are very few I have allowed-I can count them on two hands for all three girls and still have fingers left! Once upon a time as I listened to all of the girl's friend's moms talk about all the sleepovers their kids went on that I really thought I was doing my kiddos a dis-service. I thought they might be overprotected and scarred for life. They weren't. In this day and age I have only become more and more convinced that sleepovers should be very few and far between and with people I know VERY well. (I will however allow most of those kids to spend the night here. I trust me to take good care of them.)
6. Pets. They are so nasty and cause hair and who knows what else to funk up the house. As a former student of microbiology, I KNOW all the fun stuff involved with animals. I used to really beat myself up over the state of our house due to animals. Then I meet kids who have never had a pet or bonded in any way ever with any animal and I am thankful my kids love all animals. Even ugly ones. REALLY ugly ones. I am glad we have always had pets and animal messes are just a normal part of life. Laundry left folded on the couch will become an amusement park for kitties-put your clothes away. Put food away or it will be found. A fine price to pay for kids that love one of God's perfect creations.
7. Housecleaning. I consider myself to be a dismal failure in most aspects of housekeeping. The funny thing is, as I get older, I am improving. Guess who is learning those lessons and improvements right along with me? We are all learning to be more structured, organized and to put away our things. My lack of domestication has just made us all students at the same time and we are all reaping the rewards of baby steps.
8. Messes. I have been a fan of glitter and glue since...forever. I always found it delightful when my kids got playdough for a gift. We love playdough. We love crafts, glitter and beads. (I don't love feathers of any type though!!) We have been cutting, gluing and pasting-basically messing for as long as the kids have been able to hold scissors. We like to make big messes and for the most part, we clean up when we are done. I always saw this as a goofy thing to do. It wasn't. We have fun making messes together. I even try to be happy when they make messes without me-messes are total brain food.
9. Frugality. People used to make fun of me for washing out plastic baggies and thrift/yard sale/consignment shopping. (DISCLAIMER: I do not wash out baggies anymore. Once the bottle dryer wasn't needed, bag washing ceased.) Now being frugal/green is all the rage and everybody is doing it. I had more than one parent chastise me for not buying more new stuff for my children and fearing they might feel "less than" in their hand-me-downs. Not at all. They love them. They like getting new things, don't get me wrong. However, they know the value of a buck and they know that $50 at goodwill gets you a wardrobe and $50 at the mall gets you a pair of jeans-IF there is a sale.
10. Frequent Toy Decluttering. When all the kids were younger, I would constantly evaluate: MESS>ENJOYMENT or ENJOYMENT>MESS? If the mess was greater, the toy went into a sale or was given away. I did not care who it was from or how much it cost. If it took up alot of space and was never played with-it was toast. However, the things that were dearly loved stuck around a long long time. We still have most of our barbies and those dangerous polly pockets. We only recently parted with our legos. We still have playdough accessories that have been around forever. I would see kids at church holding onto a particular toy and loving it and wonder if my kids would somehow develop some detachment disorder because their toys came and went so quickly at times. So far, so good. Sometimes they even surprise me by giving away things that I thought were their favorites. They know stuff is just stuff-so it was a good thing.

So there you have it. An exhaustive list of only a handful of guilt trips I have taken. I hope in 10 years when smart mouths and door slamming have passed, I will have a whole different list of things I worried over needlessly.

Oh My Goodness!!!

Yesterday we started the day off with a movie, had lunch with friends, then a trip to a local free "waterpark". It was a very fun day. I got home in time to put a meal of spaghetti on the table and then off to a party, one of THOSE parties. The one for ladies only-called slumber parties even though it isn't really. It was so funny and fun. And Erik was very pleased with my purchase(SO AM I!)...it was definitely a good one. And you don't get to know!! (and maybe next time Hula won't be at aerobics and she can go with me!!)(Teen angel sounds just like you!)

Today, after two days of running, is catch up day. I am washing all our sheets and then doing the other laundry. I have managed to stay on top of our laundry lately. Since the new washer, we haven't had any Mount Washmores. This is probably because I sorted through the girls clothes and made them pare back half of their clothing. I also cut us back to one hamper. Very effective!! It makes a huge difference in the laundry load!! (Mia told me this a hundred years ago.) (Mia is my hero-if they don't use it, it gets tossed or given away.) (Mia is my "stuff" mentor.)

Today is also the day I go to my mom's house. Things are really tense between she and I right now. It makes me so angry that she is not even trying to take care of herself. She is not checking her sugar and managing her diabetes. Also, she has congestive heart failure which means she is really prone to retaining fluid around her heart (a very bad and serious thing). To remedy this retention, she is to restrict sodium. She refuses to do this and is staying puffed up like a balloon. Today, she asked me to bring her a big can of stew vegetables (loaded with salt). I said, why don't you let me get the real veggies and make the stew and then it won't have any salt. She went off on a tirade. (I'm still probably bringing her frozen ones-bring on the tirade baby!). Also, she is mis-stating things. Like telling one daughter no one has been to see her all weekend when everyone has been for a visit. Playing the guilt card. One of my sisters says it could be a touch of dementia creeping in-but my mom has been doing this our whole life so I can't be so quick to defend it. I am choosing to let it go and just not believe most of what Mom says anymore. I accept that I cannot change her behavior-but I won't let it control me either. It is a constant source of drama-I love her but she is so very unpleasant to be around these days(and also before). I'm trying to shower her with unconditional love and service in her presence and save the rants for on here and to my sisters. So far that is working out. It makes my stress level very high on visit days, but other than that it works. It makes me really look forward to church tonight!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Chipping Away

Even though it seems I am not progressing on my main goals of curriculum decluttering, school year planning and laundry-I am chipping away at all three of them. Monday and Tuesday have become running days so there is little time to do anything other than get those tasks done. I just keep telling myself that just like the Tortoise, slow and steady wins the race!!

There isn't a whole lot bumping around in my noggin other than food prep, clean-up and kid-herding. It is summer and my brain can really tell it!!

Happy Tuesday!!

Odd and Random Catch-Up

• Class reunion picnic was fun. The food was good and within diet parameters. Erik showed up just as I was beginning to get really antsy. He was able to stay a tiny bit and socialize. The girls really got involved at the craft table and then did not want to leave. (We still did.) All in all I would give the picnic a thumbs up. It was slightly awkward but still fun.
• The dinner was okay. We really enjoyed getting to spend some time with Erik's cousin Dena and her husband. We talked about old boating memories and family stuff and wondered why we don't get together more often!! The rest of the night was typical of class reunions. Drinking and dancing. (we didn't do either-not even a margarita) Two types of dancers-girls who want to be looked at and couples who look like they want to be somewhere else-if you know what I mean. We sort of called it a night rather early, 9:30, but we did enjoy seeing a few people and chatting a bit. However, most of our visiting was done at the picnic. The fact that Erik was going on about 3 hours of sleep over the course of two days was a big factor in our early departure as well.
• Class reunions ARE overrated. I can't imagine spending lots of money to travel in from out of town to attend one. It would be more fun just to get together with old buddies instead-in my humble opinion. With that said, since we are still local, we will probably attend them if others go to all the trouble to plan them-but I won't be nervous again!! My mom assures me that they get more fun as you get older.
• We mowed our yard today and it was none to soon!! We will have to mow again before it needs it in an attempt to "mulch" all the grass clippings!!
• Paperbackswap RAWKS!!! I got an old book I have been wanting to re-read forever. I have searched ebay, amazon and just the general internet FOREVER. I never could locate it. It was my favorite book when I was 15. I was so delighted to find it and I read it in one day. All I have to say about it is...well, my 15 year old self had much different tastes!! It is a very weird book. AND, contrary to what I thought, I will not be sharing it with my children for them to read-for a while!! My 15 year old self also loved Rich Man, Poor Man. I am reluctant to re-read it now. It is funny how your taste in literature changes-I used to be the biggest Stephen King fan ever. Now, I would only be interested in re-reading The Stand. I will have to say though that IT is the scariest book ever written. I slept with my light on for a long time after reading that book!! It is also funny how there were no limits placed on what I was allowed to read!! That was not a wise thing.
• Toby-wonderful precious Toby- did something today that my girls will never forget and possibly never forgive. He killed a baby bunny. They all got out of the pool and chased him around the yard trying to save it. That just made it that much more of a game for the Tobster. It was hard to convince them that is just the "circle of life" so to speak. We may need to brush up on food webs/chains a bit more.
• Tomorrow morning I will have to devote serious time to taking the house back. Since decluttering-the house stays somewhat neat(I use that term very loosely) most of the time. But with me sifting through curriculum(meaning alot of books are off the shelves and on the floor) and being home very little this weekend, things are REALLY BAD.

I hope you had a great wekend too!! I will catch up on your lives in the morning!

Nervous!

Today is my husband's 25th class reunion. The picnic is at lunch and then the dinner tonight. To say I am nervous is the understatement of the year. Most of the girls he went to school with that I know still look exactly the same-maybe a little better. Most of the guys he went to school with that I know are not exactly fun to be around. I do have some really good friends in this group and also some family-so it isn't as though I will be without people to talk to-a support network. ( ; However, I am nervous. To further complicate things, Erik will only be making an appearance at the picnic so I will be there alone and feeling like a fish out of water.

I wasn't nervous in the least for my own high school reunion. I don't want to be nervous over this one, but they just give me a colossal case of the "I'm not good enough's". Which is ridiculous but the facts-just the facts.

This also gives me pause to wonder if my chilren will feel badly that they do not have a class reunion. Will they feel like they missed out on something? Oh well, we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

How about you, how do you feel about class reunions? Do you go? Do you think they are stupid? Do they make you nervous? What about your spouse's reunion-is that different?

Inquiring (nervous) minds want to know!!

Independence Day!

Two of my children are making pancakes-red(strawberries), white(white choc chips), and blue (blueberries) ones. They are doing this independently. They, like most children, love pancakes!! I do not. Thankfully my carb free diet saves me from them. The cool part though is that I(we-Erik has helped alot with this) trained my children to cook for themselves and that is a GOOD thing. When they saw that we were out of pancake mix, they pulled out the cookbook to make them from scratch.

Today we celebrate our independence from a country that tried to tax us without allowing us to participate in the governing at all. We all pulled together and revolted!! I wish we could do it again, this time against the powers that be since they essentially govern us without our input as well. I am saddened by the state of our union. The two candidates for president depress me. Especially when smart informed people tell me they don't care about the election and they are not going to vote. We need a revolution to take our country back from lifelong politicians. They obviously are overpaid and feel overly important.

Whoo, I feel better. A little. Not really.

I am proud to be an American though. I am very proud of our troops. They are awesome. Perhaps we could replace every congressman with a service man (and every service man with a congressman!!). That would shake things up in a good way. It says alot about your character if you are willing to die for your country, defend the rights of people who hate you, and sacrifice your life and plans to fulfill a mission. That's who I want taking care of our country!!

Have an awesome day, thank a serviceman (past or present), teach your children what this day means and blow up some fireworks (or just watch someone else do it!).

Happy Fourth of July!!

Planning

I have been working on my planning for next year. Sifting through all of my curriculum. I find good intentions with every book I pull off the shelf. Projects that I am sad I haven't done yet, unit studies waiting on the shelf for me to get around to them. It is so hard to believe I have only been homeschooling for a little over 3 years. I have enough stuff to homeschool twice that long. AND, I have already culled through my things many, many times.

Do public school teachers do this?

I am working on paring back to only that I WILL use. IN THE NEXT 2 YEARS. Otherwise, I will keep feeding this stockpiling habit I have developed. Our house is too small, our bookshelves to full for this insanity. Plus, I am only one teacher with only 3 pupils. There is only so much I can teach in one school career(well, 3 really)!!

Hello ebay, I shall add to your auctions soon.

My name is Janice and I am a curriculum junkie. I'm trying really hard to kick the habit, ooh~LOOK!! I just found something really awesome on paperback swap...

Work Day?

Today is Erik's day off. Our list of things to do is extensive. The yard needs to be mowed. We should perhaps give the garden a bit o' attention. We need to weedeat and we also have some flower seeds we've been needing to plant. I still have lots of inside chores to do the most important of which is working on my school plan.

So we decided to go BOATING. Because it is a perfect day for it. We shall make a point not to think of our to-do lists. I don't think we will have a problem blocking it from our mind. OR blocking the price of gas (CRAZY expensive) it will take for marine recreation. (That will be harder to block out!) Summer is fleeting, sometimes you just have to "SEIZE THE DAY!".

Is It REALLY July?

For most parents, this creates a sort of giddiness and also a side of get-busy-ness. As you realize school is just around the corner and you must make the most of your short time left. At least, that's how I used to feel. As a homeschooler, it is a little different. Now I am focused on how short my time is to get my schooling butt in gear. I have done quite a bit of planning-but I am by no means finished. There is much work to be done.

I just can't believe it is July. Wow. Happy July!!