Happy Birthday to you, You live in a Zoo...

...You smell like a monkey, aaaaand you look like one too!  My boys love to sing that song for absolutely no reason.  Yesterday, however, it was finally applicable to my life-- it was MY BIRTHDAY!  And it was an absolutely LOVELY day at that! 

While David and I are generally not givers of trinkets or presents to each other (not for b-days, anniversary, Christmas, anything!), we do DO things together.

My dear husband actually arranged babysitting for us yesterday just so we could spend the day together.  In fact, our wonderful sitter was at home with the kidlets for 14 hours!  Yup, a whole entire day together!

How did we spend our day?

We met with our realtor to put an offer on a house (a story for another day).
Lunch at Fogo de Chao.
Looked at kitchen stuff at Lowe's (the house we want is a major fixer-upper...so we were dreaming!)
Quick stop at home (dear babysitter had been playing games with the boys all day, colored some eggs-- yes, after Easter, and even had 3 egg hunts with them).
Had a game night with a bunch of friends...at their house...sans kids.

All in all, a GREAT birthday.  So far, I actually like getting older!

Tomorrow we have church and then we will be heading to California to visit my brother and s-i-l... and Knott's Berry Farm, Legoland, and whatever other places suit our fancy.  I can't really think about enjoying it until after I'm done with laundry and packing and am actually sitting on the airplane, kwim?

Anyhow, I shall miss y'all and will do my best to catch up when I'm back in town.  In the meantime, please pray for safe travels for us and for God's Will to be done in the purchase of this new house.  (3+ acres, fully fenced, stocked pond-- with an island in the middle!, ONE story house, large rooms, beautiful old trees, decent street, not too far away from our current location, affordable fixer-upper...just what we're looking for...)  *sigh*  I'm so excited!

Before you bail, check out THIS interesting read from Suzanne's blog.  Similar to an article I linked to in my sidebar...but still very good. :-)  That is, if you are of the same educational persuasion as myself...

Blink and the Great Pencil Grip Giveaway

Today I learned to play BLINK! Wow, what a fun card game!!!  It really is the "fastest card game" in the world.  The box says ages 7 and up, but I played it with my 5yo and we both had a great time.  Seriously.  It is F-U-N and fast!  Takes about 2 minutes to play a game (or faster).  You can count it as your math or critical thinking for the day. :-)

Did y'all read The Homeschool Minute last week?  I really appreciated the handwriting theme...it is exactly what Dash has been struggling with this past year (okay, really since the very beginning of our homeschooling journey).  I never understood why his handwriting was bad, especially since he tried SO hard.  Tank, who is 5 years old, even has waaay better handwriting!  The tears, complaining, dawdling and whining were too much for us.  It made every day a misery...at least any day that required very minimal writing.

It took a lengthy but extremely interesting conversation with Nancy to realize that it all goes back to his grip.  His incorrect grip.  Since then, we've tried several different grips for his pencil to help retrain his hand and make a new (and proper) habit of holding his pencil correctly-- currently, the boy puts his thumb and THREE fingers onto his pencil.  Uhhh...son, that is why your hand is hurting!

Anyhow, the foam grip didn't work.  The triangle was uncomfortable.  And then Nancy recommended the Stetro Grips in the Homeschool Minute.  I cringed at the cost...especially the cost of shipping!  But desperate times call for desperate measures.  I ended up ordering the bag of 100.  Yup, 1-0-0.  After all, you never know when you might lose a few, need some for the next kid or (as in this case) have some friends that might like to try one before they order a bag of 100 and have to pay over $6 for shipping!  I must say, they are nice!  I really wish I had this a few years ago-- it totally makes sense and forces your hand to hold the pencil the right way.

So dear friends, if you have a child struggling with a proper pencil grip and would like to try this really cool pencil grip, just send me an e-mail with HSB pencil grip (or something similar) in the subject line, along with your full name and mailing address.  I will be more than happy to send you one or two grips in the mail, free of charge-- so long as you don't mind it coming in a generic, non-padded envelope.  Oh, and I guess this offer is good for a limited time, while supplies last, yada, yada, blah blah blah... Let me know if you need one or two.

Wow, this is the first school-ish post I've written in a very long time.  I should make this more of a habit, don't ya think?

Taking things literally

I gave each of the boys their very own Nestle Crunch Bar as a token of mommy love.  As they were devouring their precious little treasures, they ran up to me.

Tank (grinning from ear to ear):  Hey mommy, we can spell "Hollywood"! 

(jumps up and down and then looks over at his co-conspirator)

Dash (ever so proudly):  H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D!!!!!

Me: (staring at them looking very confused)

Tank:  That means we win $10,000!!!

Me:  Huh?

Tank:  Okay, do you think it will at least get us into the semi-finals?

They both stood there eagerly awaiting my answer.  A look of hope on their sweet, chocolate covered faces.  I, however, was still confused.

Then it hit me!  I looked at the wrapper and wouldn't you know it...  On the front of each wrapper it said:

Collect & Win!
American Idol
Spell GO TO HOLLYWOOD
and you could go to the FINALE!

Okay, now *I* was disappointed too!  It's hard to dash the dreams of such little guys, especially when it comes to feats of spelling.

Now I'm still trying to figure out where the $10,000 idea came into play...

Question:  How do you feel about easy money?

I have a friend who is dead set against it.  Personally, I don't like it much and think it doesn't do people much good, especially in the long-run.  Semi-easy money... that could be fun, no?  But in smaller amounts. 

Honestly, I would NEVER want to win the lottery!  Waaaay too much pressure and trust issues.  I have nothing to fear though since I have zero chances of winning.  Might as well go driving down the street throwing dollar bills out the window...

(And to those who choose to participate in said activities-- you know who you are-- this is not a rant or lecture personally directed towards you). :-)

 

We've been invaded

Aggghhhh... Blehhhhhh...  Strep has invaded my house.  We battled fevers last week with Dozer, flu for me this weekend, and then David got strep.  Then Dash.  Then Tank and Dozer.  Ick. 

But hooray for insurance, a great pediatrician that will see them right away and for drugs!  It's amazing that something that tastes like drinkable bubblegum can actually kill those little guys that make your whole throat swell up, ears ache and head want to explode.

Since we're still contagious and all, it was a nice family day outside today.  We didn't want to get the new babies, momma's and other kids at church sick.  So we stayed home and played outside.  Strange, huh?

But we're already feeling better and really enjoyed the comfortable 70 degree weather in the yard this afternoon.  Trimmed hedges, picked up branches, toys and debris were cleared from the yard and then we had a big giant burn pile.  Life is good! 

The boys also had fun catching and releasing toads.  Okay, releasing waaaay up in the air.  Okay, catching toads and throwing them back into the tiny pond thingy... then catching them again and throwing them again and again and... I don't know why they didn't hop away while they had a chance.

I guess it was also the first time that Dozer really saw an earthworm.  I was digging and was surprised by one on my hand.  Dozer was immediately running to see the cause for my "concern"-- er...my one jump and scream (notice the lack of the -ing at the end-- this means that I'm not afraid of them, just surprised...that's all).  Tank tried to catch it but it kept wiggling out of his hand.  Such SQUEALS of delight and joy ensued!  There is just something so supremely satisfying and endearing about listening to a 2 year old's squeals of delight, laughter and utter abandon.  I so wish there was a way you could capture that in a bottle-- or even just on video!!!  *sigh*  Why does it always disappear upon the production of a lens?

So that was my weekend and my day.  I should say it was terrible and horrible.  But it wasn't.  Well, Saturday night and Sunday were misery when I couldn't even lift up my head, but the rest was still good.  Nothing like being forced to stay home and be with my kids, instead of our usual running around and overcommitment!  I'm a weirdo, I admit it.  But maybe thinking about childish joy makes one wonky in the thinking department. 

(Which, dear ThinkingBlogger buddies, I thank you kindly for the awards!  I just cannot pass it along right now as it requires way too much thought that will surely overtax my gray matter. But I daresay that I will transfer said honor to others in the near future.)

On the agenda tomorrow: Possum Watch.  The boys found a child-size possum outside their window tonight.  They insist on lying wait for it tomorrow night.  I hope they just intend on watching, keeping a science notebook or just laughing at it.  Please oh please don't let them actually want to catch it or *gasp* keep it!

I'm off to deal with my allergies-- stuffy but runny nose.  What is the solution to such a horrid problem, you ask?  You know it without me even having to answer.  But since you must be insisting...it is looking like a walrus.

 

Friends or brothers?

My boys are currently taking a soccer class twice a week during the month of April.  On our first day of class, one of the other homeschooling mom's made an interesting comment.

She asked me which ones were my kids.  I pointed them out to her.  She then said Oh!  They're brothers?!  I thought they were friends!

Ummm...yes, they are brothers.  And YES, they are friends too.  I am so glad they don't have to choose-- they can be both!  I guess she saw them talking to each other, laughing and just playing together.  Imagine that...brothers getting along and seeking each other's company over everyone else.

I hope that this scene will be a normal part of our lives from now until the Lord comes back.  Just today, Tank fell asleep while we were driving.  He passed out and plopped his head sideways...leaning on his big brother's shoulder.  That's the way it should always be, right?  They should always be able to lean on and support each other.  Dash just smiled and said That's okay. He can lean on me.

(By the way, they have a very normal brother relationship that includes lots of competing and fighting and adventures...so it was encouraging to witness this moment of personal space violation that yielded no bad results!)

That's also how I feel about my own sisters and brother.  I am very blessed to have a close, special and FUN relationship with each of them!

I know not everyone has a sibling (my dh included), but the Bible speaks of this as well:

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.  ~Proverbs 18:24

Pretty cool, huh?  As much as I love and am close to my family, I can count on JESUS even more! :-)

 

Thought for today

Delay is not denial, so keep on praying!

Time to Vote!!!

Hi friends!  It is time to vote for the 2006 HOMESCHOOL BLOG AWARDS!

There are so many great fellow HSB bloggers nominated in many of the categories.  I love how the site has been set up to where you can click on the blog name to visit the blog, click to vote, AND see the current status of voting.  Pretty cool, huh? 

I am also very humbled to announce that I have been nominated for a couple of categories myself:  Best Blog Design and Best Cyber-Buddy Blogger.  Thanks for thinking of me, friends!  As my dad would say, That is real neat. 

(and boy, do I feel like that is an understatement-- I'm really jumping up and down inside and grinning from ear to ear and thinking Wow, y'all really like me?!  But if I said that out loud y'all would realize how big of a dork I really am...so we'll just keep that to ourselves, okay?) 

I have something to 'fess up too.  I can't take credit for the blog design-- that was from the pure talent of Amber (click on the Amber's Heart of Art link on my sidebar).  But you can still vote for my site and she will get the credit-- it IS beautiful don't ya think?

As far as Cyber-Buddy Blogger, y'all have really been such a blessing to me!  I have been so encouraged, entertained and inspired by all of my very different friends here.  I wish we could all have a big party and get together at my house so we can laugh and learn together IRL.  That would be cool...but first I think I would need a bigger house... but then again, if you're in the neighborhood (or even my part of the state) I would love to meet for coffee, tea or just to chat!

Voting ends this Friday, so be sure to head on over there before the week is up!

Well, I guess that's all I have to say about that.  :-)

He was really considered an 80s heartthrob?!

Check out DeeDee's site to take the quiz.  Scroll down the comments section to see my results.

Embarrassing.  Really.

How do you like your hair?

QUESTION:

How do you like your hair?

ANSWERS:

Dash (7yo):  Short.  I want to be like daddy!!!  (yelled at the top of his lungs)

By the way, daddy is completely bald.  Shaved-head-shadow-hair bald (not quite the Mr. Clean cut...at least not yet!).

Tank (5yo):  Ummm...I wike it a wittle wong.
Me:  Why?
Tank:  Because when something hits your head...wike this (proceeds to pound his head with his fist)... then it doesn't hurt as much.  It kinda bounces off wike this!  (couple more pounds for emphasis).
Me:  Okay.  That makes complete sense.
Tank:  Yaaaah.

Perhaps he tested his new hair helmet a little too much today... Anyone have a clue as to when he should stop having this super-cute-very-unique-and-high-pitched-voice?  It's great being able to hear him coming from 10 miles away and all, but...when should I start thinking about saying goodbye to that sweet, piercing voice that can't ever say the "L" sound?

***

PS  Have you submitted your nominations for the Homeschool Blog Awards yet?  Some of our HSB buddies have already been nominated.  Better hurry, nominating ends on April 6th!  I've already made some of my choices...and it hasn't been easy!

PPS    I also have a <a href=http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/babycatcher> new friend </a> that will be pulling her kidlets out of private school very soon!  Please stop by her blog and say hi.  I'm sure she would love the encouragement and any advice that y'all might have for someone that has to DE-school her kids first.

PPPS  Check out <a href=http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chickadee/307219> CHICKADEE'S </a> thought-provoking and completely encouraging post entitled "A Homemaker".

PPPPS  While I'm sending you around the blogosphere, <a href=http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/underdog/303339> UNDERDOG </a> is a pretty funny character as well.  I really liked his post entitled "Thump, thump".

PPPPPS  Is there a rule or limitation to the number of post's in a postscript?  Eventually, it just makes me look like I'm sticking my tongue out at y'all...and that would not be using good manners. 

Marsha :-)

 

 

Our Blessings from Homeschooling

There are many reasons why we love homeschooling and why we answered God's call to do it.  Here are some of the many ways that we have been blessed by choosing to keep our children at home...

• I have one boy who loves to sleep-- his body just needs it!  Today, Tank didn't get up until after 10am.  I am so thankful that my growing 5yo can sleep for over 13 hours if need be.  (Now if this would just rub off on the other two, I'd be set!).
  
  


• Since we don't have to rush off to catch the bus or wait in the drop-off lane at school, Dash can have three loads of cereal in the morning.
  
  


• I'm around my boys enough to know that they like to say "loads" instead of "servings".
  
  


• My husband does not have a traditional Mon through Fri job.  I love that the boys get to spend both quality and quantity time with him!  Today they are planning to add a roof and other fun stuff to their backyard fort.  And it's only a Wednesday!!!
  
  


• I woke up the other day to find my early riser (Dash) quietly doing math.  He actually did 4 days' worth and tried to get me to let him have the rest of the week off. :-)  Nice try, buddy, but how about no math for just tomorrow?
  
  


• I think it's funny that I have to yell at the kids I mean it!  No toys, no swords, and NO BOOKS in bed! 
  
  


• When Tank and I were at the grocery store yesterday, we saw one of his favorite fruits-- clementine oranges!  We then spent the next 10 minutes talking about one of our favorite read-alouds last year My Father's Dragon.  He corrected me when I said the dragon liked the tangerines on the island.  No mommy, I remember, he liked some kind of plant and thought the tangerines were disgusting!  Elmer (the boy) liked it though.  He was right, I was wrong...and I was happy to be wrong for once.
  
  


• The boys have enough time after our lessons to hunt for crawfish, catch lizards and play yard golf.
  
  


• I think I'm having more fun learning than they are!  We just finished reading a bunch of Greek Myths.  Sure, I read The Iliad in college and new about many of the myths, but how could I have never heard of some of the other ones?  (I was most surprised to read the one about Arachni...very cool.)
  
  


• Homeschooling allowed Tank to start Kindergarten when he was ready...at 4.5...and in JANUARY of last year.
  
  


• Field trips are a lot less crowded and a lot more enjoyable when you can go on a weekday...and after noon when the school buses have left to take the other kids back to their schools.
  
  


• Oh, and I've made many friends here at HSB-- and even met several of y'all IRL!!!

My days are definitely not perfect and I have tons of room for improvement. When things don't go quite like I planned or the kids are being difficult (or maybe *I'm* being the difficult one!), it is so easy to get discouraged.  It is in these times that I try to count my blessings.  There is no blessing too big or too small to remember.  And now that I have this little list, I can look back on it down the road and be encouraged. 

How have you been blessed by homeschooling?  (Be sure to write it down!)

blogthings

While reading TC's blog, I couldn't resist finding out what my inner haircolor should be.  Sorry about the...uhhh...undergarments this cartoony person is wearing.  It's not ME!  And if for some reason my hair is ever purple, I promise to keep clothed.

 

Your Hair Should Be Purple

Intense, thoughtful, and unconventional. You're always philosophizing and inspiring others with your insights.

What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

Then I just couldn't resist finding out what kind of soda I am:

 

You Are Coke

A true original and classic, you represent the best of everything you can offer. Just the right amount of sweet, just the right amount of energy... you're the life of the party. Your best soda match: Mountain Dew Stay away from:Dr Pepper

What Kind of Soda Are You?

That's a bit problematic though.  I'm married to Mr. Dr Pepper!  I actually used to like DP, but after 10+ years of heavy DP usage by hubby, I cannot stand to even take a sip of it.  Even one sip makes me want to blech! (and that's not belch).

Oi veh, these blogthings are starting to get out of control...

 

You Have A Type A Personality

You are hyper, energetic, and always on the move You tend to succeed at everything you attempt And if you don't succeed at first, you quickly climb your way to the top! You could be called a workaholic, but you also make time for fun As long as it's high energy and competitive, you're interested You have the perfect personality for business and athletic success

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

The only thing I have to say about this one is DUH!  Anyone who knows me personally could tell you this.  But I like to look at it as more of a Type A+ Personality. :-)

Apparently, I am also an espresso, will live until I'm 82, am more mild than wild, and am only 47% Taurus (even though my b-day is in April).  And if I could get the settings right on my laptop, these would all be linked to the appropriate quiz.  But I am resisting the Type A personality in me that would normally save this as a draft, go to a different computer and then redo all the above quizzes to get the links just right.  Such amazing self-restraint as this is what gives me that "plus" in A+!

Don't even ask how long I've been doing this tonight...  I'm tired, need sleep, and would still love to have a cup of coffee.

Do y'all have anything interesting to share???

poo-poo

Today started off in a mighty and grand way!  Dozer (2yo) looked at me with his pale skin and bright blue eyes.  Then he just stood there.  His skin started blushing bright red underneath that glowing stack of yellow hair.  Ahhh...the first signs of going poo!  Yeeeeeeehaw.

An interesting thing then happened.  He ran to the potty and motioned for me to take off his diaper (strange how the boy who can fix his own cereal, as well as waffles in the toaster can't take off his own diaper...).  So I plopped him up on the porcelain throne.  He smiled, he strained, he tried to escape.  Then...he did it.  Plop.  Blop.  Smile.  SUCCESS!!!

We wiped, we flushed, we high-fived!  The big boys came running in to see what the celebration was all about.  My baby went poopy in the potty!  HOORAY!

I was smiling to myself as I thought about my little baby doing such a grown up thing. :-)  Just at that moment, little Dozer ran in to me crying.  Pointing.  Pointing into the living room.

I walked into the living room to find two little gifts from my littlest man.  Of the smelly variety.  I'm glad he squatted on the floor instead of on the carpet!  Yuppers, two fresh pieces of poop just waiting for mommy.  Still warm too.  Lovely thought, isn't it?

Oh well, I wasn't ready for him to be potty trained anyway.  I'm of the wait til he's 3 and then knock it out in a week mindset.  I guess I should also be thankful that 1.) he didn't hand me this special gift and that 2.) I didn't walk into the room wondering where in the world these little brown footsteps came from!!!

Yucky.

But it's worth it to be a mom, isn't it?  I just love my boys.  Clean, muddy or smelly, they're ALL MINE. :-)

Texas: Calls Needed to Support Homeschooler Access to Exams

Hi fellow Texans!  I just received this from HSLDA.  Take action right now!

Marsha

Texas: Calls Needed to Support Homeschooler Access to Exams

Dear HSLDA members and friends:

An important bill, H.B. 1844, has been introduced by Representative
Charlie Howard. This bill requires public school districts to publish
the dates of testing for the PSAT to homeschoolers and allow
homeschoolers to take AP tests.

We have had reports from our members in the past that they have been
denied access to these tests. This bill will remedy the situation.
H.B. 1844 will likely be considered by the House Public Education
Committee on Tuesday, March 27, 2007. Your calls are needed now to
ensure the committee will pass this bill.

REQUESTED ACTION

Please call as many members of the House Public Education Committee as
possible, and give them this message:

"Please vote in favor of H.B. 1844, introduced by Rep. Howard. This
bill will end the discrimination against homeschool students seeking
to take college entrance exams and PSAT and AP testing."

HOUSE PUBLIC EDUCATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

Rep. Rob Eissler -- 512-463-0797 (Chairman)
Rep. Bill Zedler --512-463-0374 (Vice Chairman)
Rep. Dan Branch -- 512-463-0367
Rep. Harold V. Dutton, Jr. -- 512-463-0510
Rep. Scott Hochberg -- 512-463-0491
Rep. Anna Mowery -- 512-463-0608
Rep. Dora Olivo -- 512-463-0494
Rep. Diane Patrick -- 512-463-0624
Rep. Dianne White Delisi -- 512-463-0630

To review the text of this bill you can go to:
http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=3933 .

Thank you for you calls to help homeschool students.

Sincerely,

Christopher J. Klicka
Senior Counsel

My new avatar and an eternal question

While I shall miss the pic of hubby and I at the Great Wall, this new avatar is nice.  It's a pic of David and I from my mom's b-day par-tay.  Thanks, Coco, for fixing it for me...it looks much less washed out than the color version!  So no more gangsta look for us.  You likeeeeeee? 

I've gotten into the very very very bad habit of staying up late.  It is 1am and I'm tired, but not as tired as I should be.  There is something about the peace and quiet in the house after the kids are in bed. 

Of course, I greatly regret my choice when morning comes and my head is pounding as Dozer climbs in my bed and says Come ooooooonnnnn mommmmyyyyy!!!!!  He's most likely eaten breakfast already (dry cereal that he can get out of the cabinet)...so I think he just gets bored.  His choice of playmate is an unfortunate by-product of too much spoiling by yours truly...  Did I mention that he's cute though?  And it's hard to resist his charms?  It's bad enough when I fall off the child training wagon, let alone the SELF-training wagon!

Well, I guess I should go.  Please pray for dh's uncle.  Aunt Lena died last night after a lengthy battle with cancer.  I am unsure of her salvation.  She was a very "good" person...nice, funny, FUN.  But the Bible says that there is only ONE way to heaven...through Jesus Christ.  Not of ourselves.  Not of our works.  Not of our personality.  Only through CHRIST! 

*sigh* 

One of the greatest gifts you can leave your children and family is the absolute knowledge that you have given your life to Jesus Christ.  If I were to die right this very moment, could you be sad for me if you KNEW without a doubt that I was in heaven and in the presence of Almighty God?

Where will you spend eternity?  Have you done all that you can to show your children the way?

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.
~Ephesians 2:8,9

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
~Romans 10:9,10

Besides The Holy Bible (KJV), I have found this resource to be very helpful with my children...as well as my Wednesday night Masters Club class.

 

Question for you CA people

We're planning a trip out to the LA area to visit my brother from April 30th-ish to May 5th-ish. 

We're tentatively planning to spend a day at the beach, a day at Knott's Berry Farm, and possibly drive down to SeaWorld.  Maybe a day at Disneyland?  I don't know.  It makes me tired just thinking about all the walking...but the kids would LOVE it. 

Any other suggestions?  I have never really been to any of the national or state parks over there.  We just need something that is KID friendly.  The big boys are pretty good about keeping up with hiking and such, but 2yo Dozer is getting a bit heavy to be carrying all over the place.

In other news, Spring is most definitely here!  The cars and driveway are yellow and green and my eyes are watery and my nose is stuffy and runny and this is getting to be a very long run-on sentence. 

We also spent the morning pumping mud out of the septic tank.  The boys thought it was totally fun while David and I were less than enthusiastic.  I know, y'all really wish you were here. 

Not to worry, we weren't wading through raw sewage or something stinky like that... it was in the cleaned water tank but still... ewwww...  Nothing like the prospect of spending $8K on a new system to get in there and pump out a little mud!  We should be good until next year.  The flooding last week really messed things up.

Okay, time for supper.  Don't forget to tell us what we should do in CA!

Overheard today...

Tank (5) bounds into the bedroom.  He excitedly tells his big brother (7): 

You know what?!  When I turn my head to the side like this (turns head), then my eyes stay turned to the side!  And then when I turn it like this (turns head the other direction), my eyes are still on the side!!!  I don't know why it does that!!!

They are both currently in a state of...weirdness.  Yes, weirdness is a good word (and I'm sure it will be a lifelong state).  But curious too.  I haven't explained to them the why's of such an odd occurence.  I don't know if I ever will either.  It has been too fun watching them turn their heads to the side with their eyes staying focused on one position! 

All morning long, tuuuuurn the head, looooook to the side, tuuuuuurn the head, looook to the side... :-) 

Who needs TV or the zoo?  I have my kids to entertain me!!!  Oh, and they get that stuff from their dad's side of the family. hehehee...

Birthday bashes, boogers and being a bum

Last week was my own dear mommy's 60th birthday!  We threw her a humongo birthday party that had lots of Korean food, cake, friends, all my sib's and in-law's in attendance, and even a pinata. 

Weird, I know, but it was fun...and my mom looked too cute whacking that big ole bear that looked like it was strung up on a noose (in the church fellowship hall, no less!).

Here's a pic of my mom back when she was in her 20s.  She was a professional singer back in the day.  Beautiful, no?

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

 

A great time was had by all, except for moi.  Well, it's not that it wasn't fun but that I was SICK.  Can you believe that as soon as I got there, I started feeling odd, bleh, and then just bad?  Yup, the FLU.  I spent the entire weekend laying on the couch and being absolutely miserable.   I tried to hide it though...

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos
Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos
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(My mom is on the left.)

So we are now back home and trying to catch up on things...School has yet to be one of them though as all three kidlets have been sick all week.  *sigh*  Fever, boogers, fever, coughing, fever, chest congestion, fever, boogers...  But I'm so very thankful that we are finally getting better!  Sitting on the couch and laying around in bed gets old after a while (I never thought I'd say that!).  Besides, it makes me feel like a bum.

A couple other things wandering through my mind:

* Be sure to check out the HSB Literary Society-- aka book club!  We just started our first discussion on chapters 1-3 of Ishmael by E.D,E,N. Southworth.  We'd love to have y'all join the discussion!

* Have I mentioned that I love my hubby?  He is the bestesterest daddy.  The boys have been amusing themselves the past couple of days with a new "just because" gift from daddy.  They each got their own Craftsman Tape Measure!  This is right up there with the shovels we got them for Christmas one year.  Besides measuring, estimating, and practicing practical math skills, you can return them to any Sears store for a free replacement!  We've returned several shovels the past couple of years and had no problems getting them replaced.  That's what we love about the Craftsman line of hand tools from Sears...boys can get pretty rough with their tools!

* Gena (TOSpublisher) is having a photo contest for a new e-book.  Besides fame, you can also win a little fortune with a gift certificate at The Old Schoolhouse Store!

*  Can anyone recommend a good cookbook for cooking light?  I need normal food (no gourmet here) without too many ingredients.  Needs to be family and picky hubby friendly.  David's good cholesterol levels are too low and I need to adjust our diet.  Actually, this is a GREAT thing since it's the exact incentive he needs to try to eat better.  I am happy to report that he's been working out every day since then, though!  (I'm happily cheering him on from the sidelines...while I eat my thin mints and drink my coffee that is deliciously laden with two spoons of sugar and a healthy dollop of Vanilla Almond Parfait creamer). :-)

I need a translator

My original idea for this post was to talk about how you're a big boy when...  Like today when Dozer (2yo) went round and round and round on the Sit n Spin.

But instead I got distracted first by this weirdness

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(The boy needs a pet or something, doesn't he? That's just really sad...) 

And then by this gobblety-goopy-talk that I just could NOT understand!  I can usually kinda figure out what he's saying, but not this time...  Anyone care to translate?  Anyone?


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PS Is anyone going to the Texas Above Rubies retreat this year?   It's in April and southwest of Dallas...just wonderin... I'm not sure if I'm going but a blogger friend in attendance might encourage me to make time for it!

This struck me as particularly funny this morning...

Early Monday morning, as President Bush got out of the helicopter in front of the White House, he was carrying a baby piglet under each arm.

The always-squared-away Marine guard snapped to attention, saluted, and said, "Nice pigs, sir."

The President replied, "These aren't just pigs.  They're authentic Arkansas Razorback Hogs.  I got one for Senator Hillary Clinton and I got one for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi."

The Marine, still at attention, said, "Excellent trade, sir!"  

Be a part of THE club!!!

Nope, not Country Club.  But the HSB Literary Club! 

C'mon, all the cool people are in it... Gena, JenIg, Kate, AnneMarie, SuperAngel, Jaybird, redmom, creech7s, workinprogress, Maria, Jenn and moi...  Plus a bunch more!!!  You don't want us to have all the fun without you, do you?

Don't worry, we won't charge dues or make you do some silly initiation stunt or dare... (right, Jen?)

We'll be starting our first book Ishmael by E.D.E.N. Southworth in March, so please join us!!!

 

Jillian is coming home!

Jillian is coming home on Saturday!  AND the tumor has shrunk!

Quality time, ALONE time! :-)

I am very blessed to have some very thoughtful (and patient and kind) in-law's!  Seriously.

They had agreed to take the boys to their house tomorrow and we'd pick them up on Tuesday (they live 2 hours away).  Well, they just left tonight with them and asked if they could bring the boys back on Wednesday!!! 

So not only do I have TWO extra nights alone with hubby, but we also do not have to go pick them up.  Oh, and dh is actually off of work until THURSDAY.  Could it get any better?!

YEEEEHHAAAAWWWWWW!  (not a word I use IRL, but it seems to fit this auspicious occasion, don't ya think?).

Okay, I'm going now.  BUH-BYE!!!

I'm getting old...er...

Okay, I realize that almost 32 is not very old, but I think you jump to Old-dom when you get WHITE HAIRS! 

Actually, my older sister takes great delight (a little too much if you ask me) in finding and plucking these scraggly-straggly-wirey-completely-white-from-root-to-tip hairs from my head.

It's one thing for my big sis to notice these things, but it was bad today when my dear sweet blind-to-all-things-that-require-attention-to-detail husband suddenly blurted out to me: "OH MY GOODNESS!  What is that?!" 

Huh?  What?!  Is there a spider on me?  Did you finally find that set of extra eyes in the back of my head?!  Am I going bald?!!!

Nope, he noticed (apparently was shocked actually) that I have WHITE HAIRS!  Aggghhh!  It was noticeable enough for HIM to notice???

That's just not cool.  And on Valentine's Day Eve...  (just kidding...I'm with the dancing queen on that one).

Several questions now BEG to be answered:

1.  Will I end up with completely white hair like a Q-tip?  Or will I end up looking like Pepe Le Peeeuw?

2.  Should I color my hair?

3.  If so, should I go really dark?  I like mamaduso's black hair.  We're sisters, ya know...well, not biologically but we're both halvsies! 

4.  Or should I go that crazy asian red color?  Or I could stick with my boring doo-doo-brown color...

5.  Do YOU color your hair? 

I am completely UNtalented in the hair department.  I'm lucky to get a plain old ponytail done without lumps!  I might get it colored professionally the first time (and ask for LOTS of advice) and then do it myself after that.  Tis waaay to expensivo for me to visit a salon more than say...twice a year (which is currently how often I squeeze in a regular old haircut!).

I imagine that it will take me a loooong time to actually do something about the aforementioned white hairs that have attacked my head.  There are just too many other pressing needs... Like the little booger boys that probably gave said white hairs to me in the first place! :-)

But to look on the bright side, at least my darling hubby noticed white hairs on my head and not coming out of my ears and nostrils.  Now that would've really been depressing!

Urgent Prayer Request for Fellow Blogger

This in from the Company Porch...

A prayer request came in this evening for Katie of TeamBettendorf and her daughter Jillian.  

Jillian is 4 years old.  She was taken in Thurs morning for what they though was an enlarged spleen.  She was found to have a football size tumor in her chest, that is squishing her heart on one side and filling her left lung completely with fluid.

A biopsy was done on Friday, and chemo is supposed to start on Tuesday.  Jillian will be an inpatient for one month, then she will be on in/out patient chemo for 9 months to 3 yrs.  

Jillian's heart is very weak and they don't know if she can survive long enough for the Dr.'s  to shrink the tumor enough to remove it.

Please keep this family of 11 in your prayers!"

UPDATE - Jillian is now intubated and sedated and has received her first round of chemotherapy.  There is a preliminary diagnosis of Pleuropulmonary Blastoma.

There is much hope now, as her heart has moved over to the center again.  A catheter and ventilator are helping her lungs clear and has reduced the size of the tumor enough to stop 'smooshing' her heart.

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

Finally! Today is over...

It has been the longest day in history for me today...  My poor Tank woke up with a fever this morning, but it was manageable at only 102 or so.  Then dh was sick for a while. 

At the same time, I had one really bored 7yo constantly asking what there was for him to do and a 2yo that could NOT stay out of trouble.  The little blonde-headed booger boy was in the cabinets (literally), hanging on my leg, begging for waffles, begging for popcorn (after we ate a big breakfast mind you), getting mad and heaving the wooden computer stool all the way across the room at a rather surprised big brother (thankfully he missed his target!), blah blah blah blah blah.  *sigh*

Bad news was that dh has now left for work and won't be home until Tuesday.  More bad news came when poor Tank's fever topped 105 and I could not for the life of me find a single drop of Tylenol in the house...I had already given him Motrin.

So what else could I do but cry some and PRAY?  Actually, I did one better...we called family and friends and had them pray too-- IT WORKED!  We prayed, got some Tylenol from a friend, prayed some more, and gave some hefty doses of cool rags, ginger ale and a red-white-and-blue-Firecracker popsicle! :-)

I just love it when my boys get to see God answer our prayers so quickly!!!

Although I was ready for the day to be over around 10am this morning, the day that just wouldn't end has finally come to a close.  Not easily mind you, but close it finally did.   HOORAY!

By the way, here is Tank in better days (but still with a goofy expression:

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I shall now end this rather boring blog post with some little known tidbits about the Lone Star State (my home sweet home!).  Oh, and I am trusting that my dad has verified these statements to be true and accurate. :-)

Here are some little known, very interesting facts about Texas ...

1. Beaumont to El Paso : 742 miles

2. Beaumont to Chicago : 770 miles

3. El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas

4. World's first rodeo was in Pecos , July 4, 1883.

5. The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built over water.

6. The Heisman Trophy was named after John William Heisman who was the first full-time coach for Rice University in Houston .

7. Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other area in North America ...

8. Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America 's only remaining flock of whooping cranes.

9. Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake Jackson in 1978.

10. The worst natural disaster in U. S. history was in 1900 caused by a hurricane in which over 8000 lives were lost on Galveston Island .

11. The first word spoken from the moon, July 20,1969, was " Houston ." 

12. King R anch in South Texas is larger than Rhode Island .

13. Tropical Storm Claudette brought a US . rainfall record of 43" in 24 hours in and around Alvin in July 1979.

14. Texas is the only state to enter the U. S. by TREATY, (known as Constitution of 1845 by Republic of Texas to enter the union) instead of by annexation. This allows the Texas flag to fly at the same height as the US flag, and may divide into 5 States.

15. A Live Oak tree near Fulton is estimated to be 1500 years old.

16. Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state.

17. Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. There is no period after Dr in Dr Pepper.

18. Texas has had six capital cities:
Washington-on-the-Brazos
Harrisburg
Galveston
Velasco
West Columbia
Austin

19. The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only dome in the U. S which is taller than the Capitol Building in Washington D! .C. (by 7 feet). 

20. The name Texas comes from the Hasini Indian word "tejas" meaning friends. Tejas is not Spanish for Texas .

21. The State animal is the Armadillo. (An interesting bit of trivia about the armadillo is they always have four babies! They have one egg, which splits into four, and they either have four males or four females. Well, I thought it was interesting anyway!)

22. The first domed stadium in the U. S. was the Astrodome in Houston .

My Friday night

I am one wild and crazy kind of girl.

I am literally feeling a bit queasy to my stomach right now for all the activity of this evening.  Seriously.  I just spent an exciting, action-packed half hour watching my new gizmo...  My brand new fancy-schmancy-more-bang-for-yer-buck-than- JenIG's-butternut-squash Cabrio Washing Machine.  Yes, I capitalized it because it is that cool.  I may not be cool for spending my Friday night watching it spin for so long, but IT is still cool.

Not only does it boast energy efficiency, but it requires that new fangled low sudsing detergent and it does not have an agitator.  No more twisted up clothes for me!  You want to know the neatest part?  It is top loading AND it has a completely clear lid!  Oh and I don't want to neglect mentioning that it has a whopping 4.5 cubic feet of space-- that's A LOT of room to shove clothes in!

So Dash and I spent some quality time together...standing there watching the clothes spin...a dash of water being added, and then it stopping and doing other stuff...wondering, actually, how in the world that would actually get the clothes clean. 

*sigh*  My poor kids don't stand a chance.  They are doomed for dorkdom.  But they will enter into dorkternity with clean clothes that required a fraction of the water that is normally required by other washing machines.

So what are y'all doing tonight???

Love,
Marshie

Fun twist on names

I got this from Cammie's blog (www.homeschoolblogger.com/jumping).  BTW, my hyperlink's aren't working-- is anyone else having this same problem?

1. YOUR REAL NAME:
Marsha

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first three letters of your name, plus izzle)
Marizzle

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three of your last)
Mdre

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (fav color and fav animal)
Red Chicken

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, Street you live on):
Ann Andrew (I know, I'll never make it in Hollywood!)

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 3 letters of mom’s maiden name)
Dremakim

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (favorite color, favorite drink)
Red Coffee

10. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother & father’s middle name)
Hye Dell (Ummm...I thought the point was to not draw attention to yourself!)

You should try this it is fun!  And check out my boys wrastlin' in my previous post, okay?  In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the clickety-click of the keyboard, the ticking of the clock and the absolute peace that currently reigns in my house...at least for the next 10 hours or so...

Hey Cammie, what ever happened to numbers 8 and 9?  And no, I did NOT just notice that...after...ummm...an undisclosed amount of time passing...

Wrestling

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While they are all different sizes, strange how they are all a pretty good match for each other!  What one might not have in size, he has in spunk and determination...

We do have peaceful moments around here, but the ROWDY is definitely in the majority.  Just the way I like it... :-)  Most days anyway...

Why I love having three boys

THREE BOYS=BROTHERS

When it is a Sunday afternoon and you are grounded from video games, movies, tv AND you have to be completely quiet because there is a 2yo napping, it's amazing what you can actually accomplish!

I was in the kitchen and heard a frantic knocking on the front door.  I opened it to find Tank (5yo) with a helmet on his head and hopping up and down like a spaz.  He ran to the driveway where he and Dash (7yo) proudly showed me this fantastical accomplishment (I was COMPLETELY shocked and surprised!-- just ignore the sound of my dorky laugh, k?):

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Nothing like a big brother to show you the life skills necessary to be a proper young man!  *sigh*  I can't believe my little middle man knows how to ride without training wheels.  Up to this point, he just didn't want to learn.   

 

 

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PS  Since this is Dash's bike, Tank's feet cannot reach the ground when he's on the seat... So when it was time to stop, he would brake, hop off the side and let the bike crash down.  Didn't we ALL do that when we were little?! :-)

7 Weird Things about Me

Christine (aka www.homeschoolblogger.com/ladyhawk82158) has tagged me.

Hmmm...only 7?!  Let me see... I may have posted some of these before, so excuse the repetition!

1.  I am double-jointed in my elbows.  This means that you can twist my arm all the way around and it doesn't hurt.  It also totally messes up my bowling game as my arm will twist right before I release the ball.

2.  I love to eat canned mackerel!  It is YUMMY!  Drain the juice, plop it in a pan, add some soy sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, and hot bean paste (found in your asian market)...bring to boil and then simmer for a bit.  Eat it wrapped up in lettuce leaves with rice.  Mmmm...

3.  I am a bit OCD with things needing to be perfectly parallel, perpendicular or in a row.  If you're like me, you know exactly what I'm talking about!  I can't help fiddling at a counter, desk, kitchen, etc.-- even when it's someone else's!  Line em up, straighten it out, even-steven's.

4.  When I was little, I used to love riding my bike around the block without holding on to the handlebars...and twirling a sparkling baton... (Yes, it sounds completely dorky and embarassing, but it was FUN!).

5.  I love boxes.  Trinkety boxes, hat boxes, gift boxes, fabric covered boxes, wooden boxes...  I wouldn't want to keep anything IN them-- since you can't see what's inside (gotta have clear plastic bins for that), but I just love the look of them and just having them around.  BUT since I hate clutter, I don't actually BUY these boxes, but I will spend waaay too long at a store just staring at them!

6.  I grew up thinking Miracle Whip was mayonnaise.  (I have my dad to thank for that! Grrrr...) ;-)  So imagine my pleasant surprise the first time I had REAL mayo.  I remember asking What is this?  Our mayo never tasted like this!  This was in HIGH SCHOOL, mind you!  All those years eating icky Miracle Whip and missing out on Hellmann's...  *sigh*  It's time I can never get back...

7.  Even with my previously horrid experience with the tangy zip of Miracle Whip, I do keep a small container on hand for the sole purpose of eating on a fried bologna sandwich.  This also means that I must (on rare occasion) buy a loaf of WHITE bread instead of wheat.  Actually, that sounds really good right now.  I think I'll send hubby out for a loaf of white bread so I can have one for lunch!

Anyone else want to join in on this tag?  If you do, let me know so I can read how wierd you are!  After all, normal is BORING.  And I don't want any "normal" friends!!! :-)

Helloooooo??? and something FREE!

Hello.  My name is Marsha and I have been AWOL for almost 2 weeks now.

We have actually been pretty busy here in the Drews household.  Initially, we were supposed to attend my grandma's 80th birthday party in San Angelo this past weekend (HAPPY BIRTHDAY G-MA!).  The forecast of ice and freezing weather, however, forced it to be rescheduled until June. :-( 

Buuuut, since my sister Lele already flew down from New York (she stayed for a WHOLE WEEK!!!) and my brother bought a ticket from LA, the familia converged on my humble abode.  My other sister Bobo and parents came down as well for the weekend.  We had such fun staying up way too late, eating too much, drinking too much coffee and generally having a good time just being with each other!  *Sigh*  I wish we could all live in a compound together...  (Anyone have a bunch of land for sale? With several houses?)

Now David's folks are in for a few days and the kids are playing all the board games they got for Christmas.  Since we haven't had lessons in a while, can I count that as school?  They are adding, counting and spelling... (Monopoly Jr, Scrabble Jr, Chinese Checkers, etc)...

Speaking of learning...and FUN learning Hands of a Child has a FREE gift for all HSB readers-- a FREE copy of their engaging, hands-on unit about the Moon!  Yup, a FREE science unit!!!

This 74-page project pack is complete with a 14-page research guide and 20 hands-on activities to help your student complete a lapbook of the Moon.

 

So, check out Part 1 and Part 2 of Katie's informative series and enjoy a free trip to the Moon.   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HSBCompanyBlog/The+Experimental+Zone/

The way to a little man's heart

Tank (5yo):  Mommy, you are SUCH a good mommy!

Me:  I am?

Tank:  Yup.  You are so good I don't EVER want to get rid of you!

Me:  Really?  Not even if I'm mean to you?

Tank:  No, never!  You're a good mommy.  Do you know why?

Me:  Why?

Tank:  Because you make such good food.  VERY good, actually.


Moral of this story?  The way to a man's heart, whether big or little, is most definitely through his stomach!  At least in this family! >D

I'm still here and school update

It's been a while since I've posted so I just wanted to drop a line to say HOWDY!  I'm still here, just busy.

We started back with lessons on Dec. 26th and then we've been dealing with sick kids here (just like everyone else it seems).  Coughing, fever, snotty noses, chest congestion...  But I think we're getting better so that is a blessing!

As far as what's going on with our HOMESCHOOL (which I never seem to post about!), here are a few notes:

*  Dash is doing great with Math-U-See Beta.  Tank finished the Primer this past fall and is zipping through Alpha (a lot of repeat from the Primer).

*  We are still struggling with handwriting with Dash.  It IS legible but not as nice as I would like.  Maybe my standards are too high for a 7yo boy?  Plus, he absolutely despises the physical task of writing.  Up until now, I've taken the approach of minimal writing on paper, using whiteboard when we can, narration, etc.  But it's time to switch gears!  I ordered a book of copywork for boys from Queens Homeschool Suppies (www.queenhomeschool.com) and we really like it so far.  Once he gets used to writing the way you are supposed to write as opposed to the way he wants to write, we can move on to actual cursive writing (Getty/Dubay Italic).

*  We use Sonlight as our main curriculum and just love all of the great literature that goes with it.  We just finished reading Mr. Popper's Penguins as a read-aloud-- my boys really enjoyed it!  I hate to think of missing out on all of the fun and interesting books we've read in the last couple of years with Sonlight.  Some favorites from the past have been: Boxcar Children, My Father's Dragon, Dr. Doolittle and Missionary Stories with the Millers (which still makes me cry!).

*  We are learning about waterways through plants right now.  We have in the kitchen three sets of white carnations that we've placed in jars of water.  To the water, each child added their choice of food coloring.  It has been neat to track the progress of the dye manifesting itself in the petals of the flowers.  I took a few pics and hope to post them later (don't I always say that?).

*  David has the week off so the boys have been outside quite a bit.  Dash (7yo) actually got in trouble yesterday for chopping down an oak tree with a SHOVEL.  Oh, and Dozer (2yo) burned a giant hole in the seat of one of our best patio chairs.  The most comfortable things ever, even without the cushion!  He scooped up a bunch of ashes with a shovel and dumped them on the chair.  Oh well...better a chair than a brother!  Tank (5yo) is a pleaser and rarely gets in trouble. :-)  It's a nice break from the usually craziness!  hehehee...

Okay, it is waaay past time to start lessons so I gotta go.  Man, you know it's bad when the teacher is tardy!

I started the New Year off right...

...by actually remembering to exchange Dash's second tooth for a dollar last night!  I have redeemed myself!  mwhahahahaaa...

Actually, I must confess.  Dash sleeps on the top of an L shaped bunkbed and I just couldn't quiiiite reach all the way to his pillow.  So I enlisted dh to do the dental duty. :-)  

He came back downstairs with this ziploc bag with a tiny itty-bitty tooth in it.  *sigh*  Now we just wait for the awkwardly large teeth to come all the way in.  Is it just me, or do y'all feel sorry for the poor kidlets who have to grow into their gargantuan teeth?  Kinda like TOUS's.  Teeth of Unusual Size.  Usually the front two.

This morning, Dash and I talked about the tooth fairy.  I was surprised that he actually thought (at least a little) that there really was one.  He honestly didn't care when I told him there wasn't... I just said that like Santa and the Easter Bunny, some parents like to pretend with their kids.  But since we've always been truthful about these things, we wanted to make sure he understood that mommy and daddy are the ones who exchange his fallen tooth for a dollar.  I told him that it's fun for us to try to sneak in there when he's sleeping and get it without waking him up... Like super-spy's!

Speaking of teeth, this reminds me of the Dental Health Pack from HandsOfAChild (http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/index.cfm?action=ViewDetails&ItemID=11) Bear with me on the link, I've not been able to do hyperlink's lately...even with my pop-up blocker disabled...  Anyhow, this was a pretty neat unit study we had started last year but were not able to finish.  I think we'll try again very soon since we have a sincere interest in all things teethy right now!

I guess before I sign off I should say something New Years-y.  HAPPY 2007!  We had a great day at church yesterday, fellowship dinner last night and then over to a friend's house for hot chocolate and fireworks.  We headed home about 11pm in anticipation of all the drunks that would be on the road right after midnight.  Actually, they were out before dark!  Scary.  There are a lot of bars between our house and our church. 

I am thankful that we got home safely and were able to tuck our children into bed before midnight!  Before long, they'll be able to handle staying up and playing board games until the wee hours of the morning.  I can't wait for that!  It will be such fun to play some of the more interesting and difficult games-- a momma can only take so much of Chutes & Ladders and Candyland!  Although I do really like Hungry Hungry Hippos...

So what did y'all do last night???