Another year!

Happy New Year, Y'all.

Back to School (And a RANT)

Even though it is a bit early, we started back to school. The moans and groans were loud. The screaming and ultimatums from me were louder. I win. I knew it would be like this. Slothville is a hard place to leave. I am doing lesson plans for my English and science classes. (Boo Hiss) I am trying to come up with some sort of syllabus that actually fits in with where these fine young men are and also include some writing instruction that will get them going in the right direction for next year. I love it so much, I took a break to blog a while. I am trying to incorporate some real hands-on stuff and physical learning into our grammar. This is how boys learn best. It is like finding a needle in a haystack. So far I have a play and parts of speech charades. Not exactly what I was looking for, but we shall see how they go over.

Our homefront schooling is going to be tweaked as well. We focus so heavily on our co-op homework that Math often gets edged out. This is not an acceptable thing. We have done sort of ok on the break-not what I wanted. I am also going to be doing some home grammar because I am not at all pleased with the amount my girls are getting at co-op. So many people just don't think grammar is important. I am not those people. I believe spelling, grammar, math, and science are most important. I am in a co-op with people who emphasize much more literature, writing and history. SOOOO, in order to compromise and be happy, I realize I will have to tweak some of our home activities and live with the co-op emphasis. Because, as I have mentioned many times before, I LOVE co-op, it keeps me sane.

The New Year's Eve Eve party last night at church was a blast for my kiddos. For some reason, I was not in a party place so I did not have a big time. Perhaps it was my visit to the funeral home before to see a friend who is my age whose father died. I dislike thinking about the passing of mine or Erik's parents. Going to a funeral of a friend's parent makes me think about the inevitable. My in-laws rode with me to the funeral home and it made me think about what wonderful blessings they are to us. I have many friends who have already lost one or both of their parents, it scares me a bit. Especially with all the close calls we have had this year. Oh yeah and my mom called just before I left for the funeral home to tell me my stepfather was in the hospital. He will be home today and they are not sure what happened-he passed out and they don't know why. So anyway, not in a party place. Also, it was a talent show and that is not my favorite setting. I dislike performances of most any type. I don't know why. It makes me anxious that someone might not do well and then feel bad. Or that they will do really well and be obnoxious. Anyhoo, I was a dud at the party but my girls(and my adopted one from next door) had a ball. They loved it so much it made up for my unpartylikeness.

Tonight I have a date with my husband to go to an art showing. Wine, cheeses and stuffy pretentious people. Some day I am so gonna pay him back with political parties featuring the same snooty sort of folks.

This reminds me, as I am standing around chatting with some of my favorite people, I discover they are liberal democrats. YIKES. I don't think they really are. I live in a state of denial though, I don't think any informed person can possibly be a liberal. I am one of the most compassionate people you will ever meet, but I don't want the government to be. I want the government to be all about infrastructure and leave all the charity stuff in the churches and charities where it belongs. The government sucks at charity work. It is the most abused program in the entire US of A. I believe if we all had to go and pay our taxes and not have them automatically "taken out", there would be an outcry for tax reform so loud the whole country would get off their butts and vote some career "tax-happy" politicians(Republicans AND Democrats) out of office forever. Liberal does not mean what the media says it does, it simply means "bigger government", more governmental control over the people. To listen to the media, one would think conservative means someone who doesn't care about the poor, minorities, homeless, etc. That really burns my butt. Liberal means you think the government needs more tax money to be redistributed to help the less fortunate. Conservative says, tighten up your belt and manage the money you already have better. OOHH!! I've started a whole other post. For another year. ( : HOWEVER, I don't believe there is anyone in this whole country-Republican, Independent, Libetarian or Democrat-who could possibly believe that what our government needs is MORE of our money.

A Most Excellent Day

Last night I had a horrible reflux night, meaning I was up in the wee hours in the morning for about 3 hours. The last episode I had was the last time I posted about it, so it isn't very often but when it happens, I am miserable. I finished my sleep time on the couch in a completely upright position-so condusive to sleep(NOT!)!! Just another fun thing on my list of things to cover at my yearly check-up in Feb. I strongly dislike getting older, but it still beats the alternative.

So anyway, I was saved from a day of overtiredness by a daughter who felt worse than me this morning. She and I both stayed home from church. She took two tylenol and feels much better, I took two and a half more hours of sleep and feel much better as well. So anyway, it reminded me of the Simpson's episode where Homer stays home and has the best morning of his life. That is kind of what my sleep was akin to, the best sleep I ever had. I shut my eyes as they were leaving and when I awoke again, they were home. Wonderful restful sleep.

So anyway, the middle child is down for mandatory rest as I feel she is fighting something. 2 hours, the timer is set. After that, I told her she may arise, shower and we will assess her health for tonight's New Year's Eve Eve party at church. I think she is fine, but a little caution never hurt anyone.

I am like the energizer bunny today, getting things done left and right. So I must get off of here now or it will ruin the day!! Happy New Year's Eve Eve, Y'all!!

I made it!!

It was very close, but I managed to climb down off of the pity pot. Thanks for indulging me. I face frustration like that at least once a day. It isn't that my family doesn't appreciate me, they do. My husband is awesome and almost always supportive of me(he's not perfect)(just kidding honey) but sometimes this is a hard job with very few accolades. Whah!!! I think I am done now.

I have some updating to do. We had a wonderful Christmas. We played dirty santa at both Christmas Day celebrations and it was very fun. We played without the kids at one and with the kids at the other. At my moms it was a $1 gift, at Erik's grandma's, it was $10 gifts. It was equally fun both places in my opinion, but my mom was unhappy with the quality of the gifts. All in all, I hope it is something we repeat again next year. So that means we did not have as many new gifts to feel bad about not wanting. I always feel really bad that I don't want half of the things that I get, especially in a world where there are some that have nothing-not even a glass of clean water. It doesn't make me want them more though. While I love a well-thought out gift, one that is not well thought out is just clutter. Hubby has done a great job the last few years and I have been the one purchasing him dud gifts (an extra large remote control). He puts so much thought into it and gets me stuff I really want and need. I'll do better next year.

We did get the Singstar 80's version and it was so much fun. Not the nastiness that is the Amped version. We pulled it out last night and stayed up much too late enjoying the game. We are not a singing family, but we are definitely a very competitve family. Lilly loves it so much, but it is really a challenge for her as she reads very well-but not very quickly. 99 Red Balloons is a very hard song to sing!! And one of my all-time favorite songs-Come On Eileen-has some very risque lyrics. I was so shocked I could not stop laughing to sing. Then I quoted it the rest of the night to Erik. For over 20 years I thought it was a song about a guy running down the street and trying to get Eileen to keep up with him. It is not. He is basically begging for lovin'-come on Eileen!!!! Please!!! I am still laughing at how wrong I was. Heart of Glass by Blondie has a** in it and Kayla sang it. (The game has it written just like I do. ) Then she turned 7 different colors of red and apologized. That is the worst I think. We had many laughs over Twisted Sister too!! It is a good game and I can't wait to play it again.

My house has been undecorated since Dec 26th, and yet I still have a tree in my living room. It is not something I can do alone, but I am thinking of maybe getting the girls to help me. It's dark when hubby gets home and it is really a daytime kind of job.

Monday, we are positively getting back to school. I have become a total holiday sloth. I have been keeping up with housework and laundry for the most part, but cooking has been very hit and miss! Last night I actually reheated all of our leftovers and threw out some of them when we were done. Today, we may venture out into the world to buy gift wrap(for next year!) and groceries. Or maybe one more day at home in slothville and then Monday...but then there is that whole school thing. Decisions decisions. Slothville or errands. Can you say "NO-BRAINER"?????

Boy oh boy, as I re-read this post I am startled by how awesomely nothing it is. Aren't you glad you wasted a few minutes here?

Computer Work

My butt has been planted in this chair off and on all day. I am trying to wrap up all the loose ends for the Ministry Fair I am organizing at my church. I have now done all I can do until I receive the papers back from my ministry leaders. However, since I only got 1 back on the due date, I am moving to plan "B" where I list their jobs for them and they live with it because they did not turn in their papers or communicate with me. ( ; I will also directly email them so it isn't as control freaky as it sounds, however, sometimes(in this case) control freakydom is good.

So anyway, why do I feel like all the brain work I have done today while sitting in this chair today won't count? I know it counts for God, who I believe will like the fact that I am trying to hone in on what my gifts are and use them for His Glory. I know at least the staff at my church will appreciate the work going into this whether the results are what we hope for or not. But generally, the pay-off for this project will be nill. My husband and children will just see it as Mom being on the computer all day. My housework will go undone. Most of my church will not realize that any prep work has gone into this at all.

It isn't just this project though, is this not the story of a Domestic Engineers life?? We work, plan, manage and micro manage until we are so weary. No one notices what is done, only what is undone!! Why oh why is that?? If I may insert a postal-ism here. My hubby says that no one notices the 10,000,000 pieces of mail that an individual gets delivered correctly and on-time. They hone in and focus on the one misdelivered. This is true of the mom/household manager job as well. It does not matter how many times all of the stocking is consistent-it counts for nothing if the bathrooms run out of toilet paper. It seems the whole world is so busy buzzing around on auto-pilot, we forget to notice the work that other people do-big or small-to make our world a happy place. That is, unless they do it wrong or don't do it at all. It just seems a little bass-ackwards, as my mom used to say.

I think maybe t is time for a break, to go make supper and put another load of clothes in. Please allow me another poor pitiful me indulgence.
"Man works from sun to sun, but woman's work is never done." Can I get an AMEN?

So Not A Mall Girl!

And yet I will be forced to be one for a few visits so that the girls can spend their Christmas money. It is "burning a hole in their pockets". Man, I always hated that saying when I was a kid, but it totally makes sense to me now. Kids just really enjoy spending money that they did nothing to earn. It makes that giant yellow bracelet seem like a wise purchase if you didn't work an entire hour to pay for it.

Tonight, I did not think I would make it. I wore my black dressy shoes with my thin black socks because I needed new shoes. It took much longer to find some than I anticipated. Payless saved us. We always look all kinds of other places and yet still end up at Payless. We are fancy like that. Erika got new shoes too-boots. I now have some "wannabe croc" mary janes and I love them. I know crocs are bugly, but they fit almost like birkenstocks-which means comfortable!! She and I both sat on benches in the middle of the mall and put our new shoes on. We have no pride, except in our new comfy shoes.

I am dead now. Must sleep. These crazy kids will expect breakfast in the morning.

Because You WANT To Know!

AND I need to gripe somewhere!! Two Christmas purchases that absolutely SUCK-and you know I don't say that very often. One of them I am stuck with but only bought small containers for stocking stuffers. I am so hoping this post will catch some family before these two gifts are removed from the packaging!!

1. Moon sand-doesn't work but does make a huge mess all over the hands, clothes and floor. If I am too late and you have some opened-I feel your pain. Thankfully, Santa bought small containers for our home, but he seriously considered the whole giant playset.
2. Disney pix micro- Oh MY GOODNESS- what a tiny little piece of crap. We dug through trash to find the packaging so I can go back to where it done came from and plead for them to return it to the evil people who try to pass it off for a camera. Not only are the pictures crappy and worse than a polaroid-the software is so user unfriendly, we can only manage to download 2 of the 5 pictures. Total CRAPOLA.

I almost feel better if I kept one person out there from opening or buying either one of these products!! Don't even get me started on the Playstation 2 Sing Star game that nearly made it into my home. I ordered it online where it was stated that it had an "E" rating and gave three example songs that were not wonderful but were not bad. Then I get it and it very plainly has a "T" rating. "C*m On Feel The Noize" is a featured hit. Is there some reason we need to resurrect this wonderful song and put it on a kid karaoke game?? Are there not any decent songs that could allow an "E" rating? Of course this is the "Amped" version. We considered swapping it for a different version that is "E", but have decided to just request our money back but I might change my mind if the songs a "G". Are we really in the minority because we don't want our kids singing trashy nasty lyrics??? God help us all.

Blah...

My niece spent the night last night. She woke me up at 2 AM screaming, "Aunt Janjan Aunt Janjan". (Aside, this is where janjanmom comes from. I do not go by Jan, although my Aunt Jewel called me that ocassionally. My nephew Jason started calling me Aunt Janjan. I was around 7 and Aunt Janice seemed wrong-too old. It stuck. I like it. When it came time to come up with a username somewhere in the computerized world we live in, janjanmom was born. Since I was "Janjan" before "Mom" it flowed beautifully.)Back to the story! I made it through the house in a sleepified stupor and said, as sweetly as I could muster, "Yes?"-it did not come out as sweet as hoped for but fairly close. "I miss my mommy." "Honey, it is the middle of the night, everyone misses their mommy in the middle of the night. In the morning it will be fun again and you will be glad you are here. I love you and so does your mommy. Go back to sleep and please please don't yell again, everyone is asleep." "OK". Sniffle, sniffle. I forgot that 6 year olds sometimes miss thier mommies. I am really exhausted today. I had somewhat grand illusions as to what I would accomplish today. I did not accomplish them. Next mission-try to force myself to attend church tonight. I want to, but my flesh is screaming for a break already. I did take a nice hot bath this morning and so I am clean. Baby steps.

I am going to take my Christmas tree down tonight. Slowly. No pressure, I've had enough deadlines and pressure for a while. The only thing I have to occupy my sweet little brain is a little school, a little co-op and the ministry fair which is going really well since my last chat with the co-chair. I had huge elaborate "booths" in mind. She laid that to rest and at least 100 lbs of worry lifted from my shoulders. Ahhhh. So anyway, I have the time available to do some mindless chores-like taking down the tree and organizing my new wonderful hand-me-down bookcases. I also plan to devise a "rearranging the house" escapade.

I should really go to church. I should. REALLY. I want to. I will...