Friday

We've had a pretty nice week as far as school goes. My kids are all paired up for research projects. Kelsea-Joshua (working on crystals and other gems) and Zerrick-Ishmael (learning about black widows). I work with my 4yo who always chooses dinosaurs. This time I made him choose a type of Dinosaur (one we've never learned much about before) he chose stegosaurus.I figure we'll have gone through several different species before he's done with this stage. It's been a good way to get them more familiar with the non-fiction section in the library. Jeremiah knows right where to go get his dinosaur books anyway.

I have some materials to pick up this weekend for science experiments. Some are related to their research projects and some are not. I love doing the experiments together. It's better than baking cookies ;-).

We are doing great in our other subjects as well.

All over the Place

Man I'm so emotional this week. One minute I'm happy as a lark and the next I'm feeling so weepy over any little thing and later I might be a lousy crank.

My cat is looking alot better today. She is on day 3 of antibiotics. My mom thinks she has a sever infection and swollen sinuses. She said she might just get better with the meds.

My kids are having a good time not doing school right now. They have been playing all morning. It's fun to let them play and just listen to them. They are so creative. Have to be careful though. A house full of boys is breeding ground for all sorts of trouble!!! They are racing their matchbox cars. One of my sons was given a speedometer for Christmas. It's been a great toy.

My friend came over yesterday. The rain held up long enough for us to go walking. (My 13yo watches the littles while they watch Nick Jr ) We walked around the block and everytime we passed the house we said "naaa." and kept on walkin'. I needed that so much. I even got my friend to run--up hill! It was fun. It was good medicine for the soul. We walked 3 miles, then had lunch.

Well, coffee's gone. I'm off to start school.

Happy Valentines Day

Today we are going to relax and enjoy eachother. I plan to bake cookies with the kids, cook a good man lovin' meal, and make valentines.

My youngest is so excited about today. He snuck into my bed and played with my hair and whispered "Happy Balemtime's Day Mama! You are the bestest Mama."

The kids have their math, writing, and reading done for the day. We will probably snuggle up in the living room to read Tom Sawyer and enjoy cookies and hot cocoa.

My Poor Kitty

I have a very sick little kitty on my hands. Apparently she has an intra-nasal mass. Last night we spent a couple hours in the vet er. They couldn't do anything for her and it was basically a stinkin' waste of money that we could have saved to use towards testing. Her breathing was labored and she just didn't look right (probably lack of oxygen).

I don't want to say goodbye to my kitty. We buried my my brother in law exactly one month ago today. I can't take losing my kitty right now. Ugh. I just feel so awful. I can't believe my bil is just gone. I miss him. He was such a fun guy and loved us all very much.

Anyway, my friend is coming over and we are supposed to go walking but it looks nasty outside so it looks like we will just have lunch together. Still it will be a nice visit. I need company right now.

Reading and Expecting Packages

We are currently reading Tom Sawyer. It took some doing to find it at the library. I had to go to the adult fiction section. (What's up with that?) The kids are enjoying it though. I knew they would. We are also memorizing the Beatitudes. We are studying a new one every day and having some cool discussions about them.

I'm waiting on a couple of packages. I ordered some bibs for a friends baby gift. I also ordered my daughter and myself some Crocs. I can't believe I actually ordered the ugly shoes but they are sooo comfortable. I am only going to get away with wearing mine when I'm not out with dh.

The other package I'm waiting for is the free samples from Rod and Staff. I'm thinking of using their readers and may look into a few other things as well. I'm looking into simplifying my life a bit next year.

I can't wait till spring. I'm going to have a yardsale and have junk piled high in the sunroom. It is irritating me terribly. I want the stuff gone but we could really use the money. So I'm holding off on the household purge till spring. I do so want my sunroom back though.

Nice Weekend

think this was the first weekend in a very long time that we actually got to spend time at home~doing nothing! We were lazy. It was great! The guys played Monopoly while my daughter and I worked on our scrapbooks and watched Tales from Avonlea, Season 1 (on dvd). It was fun. Even Leon and the boys would pause their game to watch some of the better episodes.

I love to read LM Montgomery's books on Avonlea. My favorites are the ones with Anne-all grown up. Tales from Avonlea is cute. I would so like to have grown up in a town like that. I love the clothes and lifestyle; so simple and clean. Except, I start to think about all the hard work and I change my mind and enjoy the pleasures of the 21st century. I think I'll start reading the "Anne" series again. That is when I've gotten to the bottom of the stack of books I just got from the library.

Speaking of which, I'm reading the next book in the Torie O'shea Mysteries. They are written by Rett MacPherson. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this series. Basically, Torie O'Shea is a genealogist but a wanna be detective. She's a wife and mother in a small town in "New Kassel" Missouri (town is made up). Anyway, they are exciting and suspenseful but not in a "I can't sleep because there are things hiding in the dark now-what was that noise?!" kind of way. I can relate to the main character as a wife and mom. Well, I can probably go on and on about the series. I'm on pins and needles waiting for the next one (releasing the first week in March).

It's been a pretty lazy day today too. Dh is home and has been playing basketball with the kids for the majority of the afternoon.

Ugh. Yesterday was terrible. It was going well at first. Until I was getting my stuff together to leave our co-op and the kids came running in "Mom! We have a flat tire! What are we gonna do? Are we gonna drive on it? Can we blow more air into it?" A FLAT TIRE!!! I can't have a flat tire I haven't even finished half of my errands. I called roadside assistance. After my tire was changed, I took the van to the dealership to get the orig tire patched. Thursday school was over at 3:45 and I wasn't done till' 6:30.

I had to go pick my daughter up from my friends house (wasn't home for her to get dropped off after ballet) and then we went to the library. We met dh for dinner. He took the kids home and I went grocery shopping at 9:00 pm. I was determined to be HOME today.

So now here I am, sitting sharing a cup of coffee with my e-friends ;-) . Mmmmmm cofffffeeeeee. It's so yummy. I using Millstone's Breakfast Blend and Coffeemate Hazelnut Cream~sugar free. I've decided I don't like the sugar free as much as the fat free. I use more per cup with the sugar free. Still it's yummy just extra white.

I should be:
-doing laundry
-educating children
-cleaning my bathroom
-getting on top of kids to do their jobs
-organizing closets
-ironing
-filling out paperwork
-updating computer (calendar, HST, and Quicken)

But I'm not. Maybe later I will. Right now this is so much more fun. Don't get me wrong that stuff will get done...eventually.

Dh recorded last nights Grey's Anatomy for me. I haven't watched it yet. I sure hope it's a good 'un. He also recorded ER. Ya, that hasn't been so good lately. Rather boring actually. Last weeks was so so. Maybe this weeks was halfway decent. If not I'm takin a break.

Well, coffee's gone :-( , guess I'm off to actually DO something.

(currently listening to: Home by Blessed Union of Souls -track 1. I Believe)

Tax Time

Means time to plan next year's curriculum. This is as far as I've gotten:

2nd Grade:
Math: Saxon 2
Reading/Phonics: Library
Bible: Rod and Staff

3rd Grade:
Math: Saxon 3
Reading: Library/ Rod and Staff 5th grade reader
Bible: Rod and Staff
Grammar: Easy Grammar 3/4

7th Grade:
Math: Saxon 6/7
Reading: Library
Science: Apologia's General Science
Grammar: Easy Grammar (red book)
Writing: Write Shop

8th Grade:
Math: Saxon 7/8
Reading: Rod and Staff 8th grade Reader (child does not like to read so hopefully this will keep us going)
Science: ??
Grammar: Easy Grammar (red book)
Writing: Write Shop

I'm still deciding on history for all of us. So far we've just been following a timeline. I think I'd like something more structured and disciplined. Maybe Mystery of History?

For the most part I like to keep it simple. We do alot of other subjects together as a family. We love going to the library. We all read a ton of books except my oldest who would rather "do" than read. Even he reads a fair amount. I may add more or realize I'm forgetting something as I go. This is always a work in progress.

Thurdays

Today is probably the busiest day of my week. Since I'm already out, I try to schedule all of my appts and errands for today. I am such a homebody. I'd rather be reading a book to my kids. Oh well, I march on, too much to do. At least Fridays are much more peaceful.

So Thursdays mean Thursday School. The older two kids are taking a Write Shop class. The teacher has incorporated a fiction writing assignment for the kids. They came up with the plot, characters, setting, blah blah blah as a class. It was very funny because the girls keep directing it towards a romance and the guys keep killing off all the characters. Essentially everyone's story will be the same, except where they are filling in some story lines and flash backs. The story is about a pirate named Jack McLawrence (his given name was Jack McFlarty but the girls nixed that so they had to compromise) who is desperately, and secretly, in love with a girl of noble birth named Saphire. Her family is in trouble and he sets out to become the hero to win her heart. Jack's birthplace is Ireland and he's becoming quite the world traveler.--I think I'm enjoying this just as much as my kids.

Yesterday, after doing math with the kids, I fell asleep on the couch for 3 hours. I can't believe I did that. Not only were the kids perfect (the four year old was asleep with me) but 3 hours?! To top it off the house was clean! I'm so amazed. They are never that quiet when I'm awake and my house is NEVER that clean while kids are still awake. I almost wonder what they were up to, some sort of conspiracy I'm sure ;-) .

I've gone off coffee to prove to my husband that I'm not addicted. I'm stubborn and always get myself into these kind of things. Dh jokes "I think you're getting addicted to the stuff" "I am not, I'll prove it". So, I really am not addicted to coffee. The first week I didn't even think about it. I just really like a nice hot cup in the morning. It's soothing. I have been almost two weeks without a single cup. I miss my morning cup (or 2) of coffee. I especially enjoy sitting with my brew while on the computer. It's like having a cup with friends.

(Currently listening to: One Headlight by The Wallflowers)

Thursday

This week has been pretty good for math. I'm impressed with my 7yo--who has a memory like I don't know what. He has already memorized a large chunk of his multiplication table. I just feel bad for my 6yo who has a hard time and feels he has to keep up. He's gotta learn to fly his own ship some day.Today is errand day. I don't want to go anywhere. I wanna stay home and dig up some good books. We will probably go to the library today so that, at least, is some compensation.

Dentist on Monday?

I don't like waking up early on Monday morning. There I've said it. I'd much rather sleep all day. So why do I make a dentist appointment for Early Monday morning? I got a call a few minutes ago asking if I'd like to reschedule since I missed this mornings appt. I was so embarrassed. Barb (my hygienist) is so much better to me than I deserve. She happily rescheduled and even worked us in for later on this afternoon. I don't deserve that kind of treament. She should have charged me the cancelation fee and made me wait 2 more weeks.

BTW my kids LOVE going to the dentist. I don't get it, but they think it is the coolest place to go. They are truly disappointed when it's not their visit. I would think it was the toys or the sticker and dental paraphernalia. Come to find out, it's the whole "she uses power tools on my teeth" that draws their hearts. Yep...I have a house full of boys

Anniversary and Superbowl Sunday

I'm bummed about tonights game. My favorite team didn't go forward this year (Panthers). I had fun watching though. We always have a chili contest before the Super Bowl. My husband won the contest the first 2 years and lost last year. This year I'm pleased to announce HE HAS MADE A COME BACK!!! Yes he won first place again. The prize for 1st is a $30 gift card to...none other than...Chili's Restaurant! So dh and I will have another date night! Always cool.

Also today is the 8th anniversary of my wedding day. It doesn't feel like 8 years but then at the same time it doesn't feel like we've ever been apart. I love this man, my best friend. We come a long way and are completely different people than we were ~PRAISE GOD! My husband is an amazing man. he still knows how to melt my heart. Sometimes I look at him and still get butterflies.

To celebrate our big day (we were pressed for time because of the SUPER BOWL) we went to see Stomp the Yard. That was a great movie. I really enjoyed it. It brought back so many memories of skipping school to go see the step shows at Winston Salem State. Man those shows were amazing! My friends and I had so much fun!

Today has been an exciting day, so much to share. We had a guest at church today who has the gift of "words of knowlege". There were a couple who stood as a witness who apparently knew this gentleman from years and years ago. Anyway, after church dh and I went to this man and our pastor for prayer. The gentleman spoke some truths to Leon and I that, while hard to hear, were absolute TRUTH! It was such a blessing. This man didn't know us from Adam. But he knew things no one else in our church even knew. I'm looking forward to complete healing and a big change in season. GOD IS GOOD!

Well, I started this blog a year and a half ago but soon after I switched to Verizon Online who gives you a free website. So I blogged there for a while. Now I'm using a different ip and need a new home. Rather than start a new blog...I'll just pick Xanga back up.

Blessing upon you today,

Mandy

One Night With the King

The kids and I have been studying the book of Esther. It is a fantastic story to read as a family. My daughter has been enthralled with it and is reading it over and over. She thinks it's better than any ol' Cinderella story 'cause it's REAL.

Anyway, we've read several Bible translations as well as several story book versions. So of course when One Night with the King came out on DVD we HAD to rent it. Dd was very dissapointed that it wasn't more true to the Word. Poor girl. It was still a good conversation about Hollywood glitz and glam. She did think the came up with a beautiful Esther!

We've had alot of fund discussing possible beauty treatments and use of myrh. It's been so much fun. My daughter is 12btw.

The boys enjoyed this story too. Alot of action that they have been acting out in their play. My insightful 13yo did notice that the king is very unsure of himself (in the movie version). He didn't like that Esther kept questioning him. "That's not how it really was. Nope the real king wouldn't have stood for THAT!"

Ahh a house of boys...gotta love 'em.

Otherwise...I liked the movie. It was entertaining .

Schoolwork wise. My 13yo is finally getting where he is supposed to be for Math. My daughter? Not so much.

My other guys are too young to worry about "where they are supposed to be".