Our Journey

Things I'm thankful for

2011-11-15T09:05:00.001-06:00

*My family, husband, children, parents, and the many members of the extended family.

*My peace

*My most excellent friends

*My dog, Pokey

*My bed

*My job

*My van

Just found a new blogging app

2011-11-04T09:08:00.000-06:00

It's called Blogaway. Just trying out different features.

I am trying to find something to fill my downtime, besides taking care if my family, working, homework, housework, reading, and games.

I've been reading the Twilight series. I found it in the Android market for free. I'm already on book 3. The writing style is conversational, so its an easy read. I have been avoiding reading for pleasure for the last SEVERAL years, simply because I read so much for school and because honestly, I really don't have time to read, with all of my other obligations. However, I really love reading. I remember before I had children, I used to read a new book every other day. I devoured books, much like my son does now.

So this app will save drafts to your online account, and/or it will save a draft on your phone. Pretty neat~!

November Chill

2011-11-02T12:46:00.000-06:00

I feel the November chill as I sit here typing. I've been feeling down lately. I've been mechanically going through the motions since February. The last three months have been a welcome distraction from my depression, but now I think the day-to-day is getting to me physically and emotionally.

As the winter closes in, I feel more and more trapped in my rut. I just feel alone, empty, depressed, heavy-hearted.

I know several things I am supposed to do to make myself feel less depressed. Go outside, exercise, have sex, talk to friends, and cry.

I have no interest in doing any of those things. I just need a minute to be depressed.

November Update

2011-11-02T12:42:00.000-06:00

I really honestly don't know where to start on this update, but here it goes...

Mike is doing well, his band is practicing 2 to 3 times a week at our house. They are actively searching for a drummer, so they can record several songs and start looking for gigs.

Mike also got a promotion at his job, which has helped our tight budget. We aren't rich by any means, but our budget isn't so tight anymore, which is nice.

The kids just got done with a 2 week fall break. They go to school year round, so most of their breaks are a little longer than the typical four-day weekend. They came with me to work for those two weeks. It was really nice to have them in the same building, although they were not thrilled about waking up so early everyday. lol. We ended up taking naps when we got home each day.

Boo for waking up early~!

But

Yay for naps~!

Isaiah is doing really well. He is so inventive, and always making plans to invent new amazingly fantastical things. His current project, a school project, is to make a skeleton shuffleboard game. I have no idea how to play shuffleboard; I'm not sure he does either. He has about 10 days to finish, so we will figure something out.

Isabella is amazing. She pulled another 2 teeth in 2 days~! She's determined to loose another 2 soon. I think it's just for the money.... I asked her yesterday what she would do when she ran out of baby teeth, and she said, "Mom, I will get a job, duh~!" lol~! Silly girl.

Anne is a handful as always. She needs more sleep, or else she just might explode on someone. Hormonal much? I've been spending more time cuddling with her to see if that will help the fits of attitude.

I am, well,... here... Still going to school... still working... still looking for a 2nd car and a new place to rent...

The Only Constant in Life is Change

2011-08-06T20:58:00.000-05:00

Well, here are, months and months since my last post without a single word on this blog. Many apologies once AGAIN. Anyhoo...Let me catch you up on what's going on with us.

I'm working full time at a daycare. I know, shocking right?
I have actually been working there since May, but only part time. When they offered me a full time position in the infant room, I knew I had to take it. There are so many benefits to having this position. The hours are perfect, I got a raise in pay (WAHOO~!), I have a set schedule instead of just filling in here and there. This last Monday I started my position as the infant teacher. It has been an interesting transition, but for the most part,the class is running smoothly.

The kids started public school on Monday also. Even more shocking right?
Putting the kids in public school wasn't an easy decision. We have worked very hard the last several years to keep me at home. Sharing a car, having state assistance on food and health care, paying cash for everything or going without, and for a season... working different shifts to keep the kids and I at home. I have cherished these years, and hope that I have given them a strong foundation of self-confidence, curiosity, and empathy.

I am still in college online, although I am having a hard time keeping up with my assignments. I am working towards carving out more time for reading and studying.

Wanna know the positives?
I love contributing monetarily to the family.
I get to pick the kids up from school everyday~!
Mike's lunch break is right after the kids are out of school, so we all get to have dinner together.
We are saving money on food.
The kids love their classes.
Family time means a lot more these days... it's so precious.

After the first week, we are all still surviving~! We are just taking it one day at a time, doing what we can and working toward making every moment a loving experience.

Conversations with my 4 year old

2011-04-29T13:38:00.000-05:00

Anne: UGH~! Why are all these people glittering all over the place~!?
Me: WHAT?
Anne: Well, these people are glittering and making the Earth trashy. That's RUDE~!
Me: Ohhhhhh, yes, it is rude for people to trash the Earth. I have a bag, would you like to help me pick some of it up?
Anne: SURE~!!! I like helping the Earth.

10 things that make me happy

2011-04-01T11:04:00.000-06:00

My relationships~! I love my family and friends. I could fill up my whole blog with a list of my most prized relationships... maybe that will be another blog post. :)
Fresh air and sunshine~! I love being outside, I especially love to go to the lake with the fam.
Sewing, I love to choose fabrics that appeal to me then watch as they become something useful that I have made. :)
Running and swimming, I know to some people that sounds crazy, but I do... I love running and swimming. I love to just clear my mind ... just disappear away from all of my worries, and just spend time with my thoughts.
Flowers. Yes, I said it, I LOVE flowers~!!! I hope this year to be able to have a flower garden in my front yard. :)
Reading, I love to read and learn new things, purely for my own enjoyment.
I love watching children learn to things or figure things out on their own. I call it the 'lightbulb moment.' Have you ever seen the look of pride and confidence and wonder on a child's face? It's amazing~!
Swinging- I love to go to the park with the kids, purely for the swinging~! I love the sunshine on my face, the wind in my hair, and the tickle in my stomach.
Movies- I love to watch good movies, they can be funny, silly, sappy, romantic, dramatic, period pieces, action packed... whatever~! As long as the acting and the story are good. :)
Food- I love good food, I love to make good food, and eat good food. It is nice when you can go somewhere and have someone else prepare it, but that can't happen all the time. :)

Just Between Friends Sale OKC

2011-03-11T11:16:00.000-06:00

http://okc.jbfsale.com/

OKC's Spring 2011 Sale is...
March 21-26 at the
Oklahoma City Fairgrounds

State Fair Park
~Cox Pavilion Building~
333 Gordon Cooper
Oklahoma City, OK 73107

The Cox Pavilion building is easy to find, just head towards the tallred, white, & blue space needle located at the center of the fairgrounds. You will notice all of our JBF signs around the building.

The Cox Pavilion is over 70,000 sq. feet which makes Just Between Friends of OKC the largest sale in this area. "It's like a huge baby and kids superstore with bargains galore."

Sale Dates and Times
Spring 2011

Public Sale Dates
$2 admission on first day only Monday            March 21    10:00am - 7:00pm
Tuesday           March 22    10:00am - 7:00pm
Wednesday     March 23     10:00am - 7:00pm
Thursday         March 24     10:00am - 7:00pm

Friday      March 25   10:00am - 7:00pm (25% off Sale Day*)
Saturday  March 26 10:00am - 5:00pm (50% off Sale Day*)(*Items with star on tag remain full price)

We accept Cash, Check, Visa & MC

You may bring a laundry basket with you to help carry items while you shop. Some shoppers tie a rope to the end of their basket so they can pull it along as they are looking through the racks. We also have a hold area for your convenience.

Wear comfortable shoes so you can get to the good deals quickly.

Bring your child's measurements and a tape measure to check the items you are buying.

Children are welcome at the public sale but PLEASE use good judgement when you bring them. It is very busy and little ones may get into places they shouldn't. If possible, ask someone to watch your kids so you can enjoy your shopping experience.
Children may not attend the presales.

Children are NOT allowed to play with the toys at the sale. Items are the property of consignors and if they are broken or separated they cannot be sold. This will be strictly enforced!

Follow them on Facebook too~!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Just-Between-Friends-of-NormanOklahoma-City/226301173033

Election Day~!

2010-11-02T12:40:00.000-06:00

I voted~! Make sure you exercise your right to vote today too~!

I took Isaiah with me. This isn't the first time he's come with me. He came with me in 2008 to vote for the President too. :)

Pics to come soon.

Unschooling is....

2010-08-25T10:43:00.000-05:00

I just recently joined an Unschooling yahoo group called Oklahoma Unschoolers. I loved one of the first files they sent to me. I thought I'd share. :)

_________________________________________________________________________________

Unschooling is...

* Unadulterated, unbound, unbridled, unbroken, unburdened, unchained, unconfined, unconstrained, undaunted, undeceived, unspoiled, undiminished, undisguised, unencumbered, unguarded, unhurt, uninterrupted, unusual, unlimited, unrestricted, unrestrained, unloosed, unmasked, unmarred, unmeasurable, unpolluted, unrelenting, unreserved, unshrinking, unstained, unsullied, untainted, untied, unveiled, unfettered, uninhibited.

* A developmental understanding of consent, and how to respect it.

* Loving unconditionally.

* The process of becoming a more empathetic parent.

* Seeking truth/honesty, clarity, peace, and compassion in our relationships with others and in our understanding of the world.

* Apprenticeship.

* DNA-based development.

* The same kind of learning babies do.

* The same kind of learning adults do.

* Active parenting.

* Active listening.

* Salting the oats. ("You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make
him drink; but you can salt the oats." credit to July/Aug 2003 HEM)

* Naturally-motivated.

* The process of striving for honesty, trust, mutual respect, and understanding.

* Descriptive of the relationship between parent & child.

* The way we would live if there were no such thing as "school."

* Respect for natural talents, curiosities, interests, & passions.

* Being your own author instead of living someone else's story.

* Learning by example.

* Learning as lifestyle.

* A way of approaching the world every day.

* Natural and free.

* Curiosity valued.

* Parent as guide or coach, rather than "teacher."

* Mentoring & real life experience valued.

* Maiutic (to lead/midwife knowledge out through questioning).

* Elenctic (criticism, doubting, testing of accepted beliefs).

* Aporia (inducing a state of perplexity).
(previous three see: http://www.towson.edu/users/kealey/SOCRATES.html )

* Strewing the path.

* Blissing wildly.

* Blazing your own trail.

* Living LIFE out-of-the-box.

* Valuing relationships over content.

* Questioning authority.

* Refusing to be cogs in a socially-engineered world.

* Unadulterated learning.

* Educere (latin root of 'educate'): to draw out something hidden, latent, or reserved.

* Undivided wholeness.

* Experiential wisdom.

* Without inflicted (including self-inflicted) limitations.

* Pure consciousness. Pure attention.

* Proprioceptive learning.

* A Handmade Life.

* Finding work worth doing & a life worth living.

* Learning without Weapons of Mass Instruction (J.T. Gatto)

* The ability to take life at the speed that fits us.

* Learning what you are interested in and realizing that almost all of life is INTERESTING.

* Living a Big Life!

* Not waiting in line for lunch.

* Time to pursue your passions.

* Living each day to its fullest - and enjoying the moment.

* Learning naturally - with a joyful spirit.

* Being with the people you love.

* No Child Left Behind....No, REALLY!!!

* Trusting yourself to find what you need to know and what makes you happy
in the fullness of life.

* The best way to understand the REAL WORLD--by living fully in it!

* Random.

* Freedom.

* Being away from the rat trap.

* Following your bliss.

* Liberation from compulsory academia.

* Exploration.

* Studying U.S. Government in pajamas with a cat in your lap and a cup of
tea :-)

* Learning from life, the way it was meant to be learned :-)

* Timeless.

* Life. Because life and learning are the same thing. Unschooling is
knowing this....and living it!

* Trusting in spirit within you and your child.

* Being who you are.

* Sleeping late, staying up late. (Or getting up early and retiring with the sun.)

* A lesson in clarifying reality and finding your heart's dance & then
doing it. LOVE.

* Taking a 5 month trip through the country in an RV, with the whole
family.

* Pooping without permission.

* Going to Europe during off-season.

* LIVING in Europe during any season.

* Watching the stars at a campfire on a "school night."

* More time with friends.

* Taking care of the present - to better take care of the future - - -

* Molding yourself instead of being molded.

* Breaking the mold and being.

* Using awareness and developing abilities to make choices and decisions (instead of being told who and what to be and when and where to be and what to think and how to think and that what you think is wrong). WHEW!

* Freedom from the fear of bullies, failure, rejection of peers, and not fitting in.

* Learning about the reproductive processes of mammals by watching your kitten grow into a cat then swell with pregnancy and deliver her own litter. Then seeing who Dad is by the way the kittens look!

* Looking for four leaf clovers and discovering a myriad of life in the backyard.

* Discovering centrifugal force on a tire swing.

* Learning history at the medieval fair.

* Reading a book together, asking questions and getting answers, spending time together without the rush of society. Having YOUR goals on learning, not someone else's.

Not back to school~! Wahoo~!

2010-08-11T10:41:00.000-05:00

We are celebrating yet another year of homeschooling~! I love love love having the kids here with me. I love encouraging their wonder, inspiring creativity. exploring the depths of knowledge available, creating moments to enrich and expand their minds, souls, and caring hearts.

I love this post explaining unschooling.

“What makes people smart, curious, alert, observant, competent, confident, resourceful, persistent – in the broadest and best sense, intelligent- is not having access to more and more learning places, resources, and specialists, but being able in their lives to do a wide variety of interesting things that matter, things that challenge their ingenuity, skill, and judgment, and that make an obvious difference in their lives and the lives of people around them.”~John Holt

Weekend with my nieces.

2010-08-02T14:46:00.003-05:00

Our long awaited 4 day and 3 night stay with my nieces has come and gone. Man, were we busy~! I'm exhausted but full of love and admiration for their precious little souls.

We, the kids and I, had been counting down the last several weeks, but especially the last few days before Brayley and Jaidyn's visit. Hours ticked by and finally the door bell rang and joy sprang through the house. Squeals of "Brayley and Jaidyn are here~! Brayley and Jaidyn are here~! Brayley and Jaidyn are here~!" and pictures rattling on the walls from the excited pouncing made my heart overflow with delight.

Once Brayley and Jaidyn were able to actually come into the house, we pummeled each other with about 15 hugs a piece. Dog pile style. :) Our favorite~! Pokey, our new cocker spaniel, was really excited too.

Thursday was pretty laid back, we watched Underdog, and just enjoyed each other's company while we all cuddled in the living room.

Friday, we started the day off with running through the sprinkler. It was already hot at 9am, so we started early. The kiddos enjoyed filling up random buckets with water and sitting in them. lol, They added some water to the sandbox so sandcastles were easier to build too.

We went to the Science Museum of Oklahoma, and spent 5 hours perusing the exhibits, playing, exploring, eating lunch, watching the Science Live! show and the Planetarium show (The Tonight's Sky).

Did you know there will be a meteor shower next week? It happens every year~! (Good to know right?) :) I couldn't remember the details, so I emailed the Celestial Wizard on the SMO website to ask. Here's his response:

It is the Perseid Meteor Shower. It occurs when Earth crosses the orbital path of comet Swift-Tuttle, slamming into many tiny bits of rock that melted off the comet. Earth crosses the orbital path of that comet every year on or around August 12th. This year the peak level of activity happens between 11:00 p.m. on the 12th through about 4:00 a.m. on the 13th.

Wayne Harris-Wyrick, Celestial Wizard

We were pretty much exhausted after the SMO, so we came home and made some dinner. Quick fast tacos. Everyone really enjoyed them, so it was bath time next and then time to get ready for bed.

On Saturday we made our way out to Harrah to spend the day with my dad and step mom. We had a blast making cupcakes together. Strawberry flavored cupcakes to be exact. Everyone helped measure, crack eggs, mix and pour the batter into the baking cups.

Then headed outside to play in the sprinkler with a HUGE watermelon. The kids together devoured the WHOLE watermelon in less than 10 minutes. I think my Dad, Nancy, and I all only had 1 slice a piece... the rest the kids took out~! LOL~! They were covered in watermelon juice. Thank goodness for the sprinkler. :P

When the cupcakes were baked and cool, we came inside and decorated them. Each kiddos decorated their very own cupcake. :) Man, those 'thinking tongues' were working overtime that day. Then it was time for the Happy Birthday song, a wish, and then eating those cupcakes and popsicles. NOM~!

By this time it was almost time to eat some dinner and then head on over to my cousin's wedding. The bride was my cousin Alysha. We enjoyed an outdoor wedding under the shade of Pecan trees, a beautiful cake and lots and lots of family~!!! Most I hadn't seen in over 10 years.

I'm That kind of Mom.

2010-07-28T10:22:00.001-05:00

Inspired by That kind of Mom impromptu blog ring found through Swiss Army Wife, Flo, and Super touching that kind of mom story by Bonnie

I'm the kind of mom that enjoys laying on the couch being tickled by her 4 year old.
I'm the kind of mom that enjoys swimming with her kids even though I'm terrified of them drowning.
I'm the kind of mom that when having to walk a mile with the kids, loads up the wagon and starts pulling, then gets them a slushie at 7-11, and pulls them back.
I'm the kind of mom that snuggles with my kiddos when they have a nightmare, staying awake as long as it takes, because I know I'll be able to nap later in the day, and i might be lucky enough to snuggle with the same lil kiddo. :)
I'm the kind of mom that scours the world of free and cheap to find everything my kiddos desire because we can't buy it new.
I'm the kind of mom that buys her kids new stuff just because, when we can.
I'm the kind of mom, that collects boxes, bags, jars, egg crates, and more. I'm the kind of mom that builds robots out of boxes, grocery stores out of empty (or full) pantry items, and art out of what others might call trash.
I'm the kind of mom that lets her youngest 'swim' in the bathtub in her bathing suit because she feels safer there than in the big pool.
I'm the kind of mom that lets her kids yell and express themselves freely.
I'm that kind of mom, that doesn't let comments about how we homeschool, ever get to the kids.
I'm that kind of mom that tells the truth, when her son asks, "Did it hurt when I was born?"
I'm that kind of mom that tries to say "yes" more than "no".
I'm that kind of mom that makes it happen if her son wants to take Karate
I'm that kind of mom that dances and sings along with the kids.
I'm the kind of mom to defend my children's right to be childish, anywhere, anytime.
I'm the kind of mom to leave a wedding rehearsal dinner, when my child is disrespected.
I'm the kind of mom that lays in the yard and tries to figure out the shapes of the clouds.
I'm the kind of mom that runs in the sprinkler even when I'm fully dressed.
I'm the kind of mom that stops the car to smell the flowers at the park, even though we smelled them while we were playing, twice. lol
I'm the kind of mom to take long nature walks, and carry two girls back.
I'm the kind of mom to make magic happen. :)
I'm the kind of mom to put on fashion shows, including the kids designing their own clothes, hair and makeup, including lights, cameras, and runway. :)
I'm the kind of mom to blow bubbles until I feel light-headed to try and cheer up a sad or sick little one.
I'm the kind of mom to play airplane in the front yard and laugh when we all fall down dizzy.

Yeah, I'm that kind of mom. :)

Wonderful

2010-07-26T09:54:00.004-05:00

This week has been full of family time. The girls and I have been to the YMCA pool twice in two days. It's so fun.

At first they were both a little apprehensive about the whole idea of being surrounded by water, but it didn't last long. Isabella loves, loves, loves the water. I'm going to work with her a bit more about being respectful of the water and working towards controlling her movements in the water. That way she doesn't splash herself in the face so much. lol. Anne was more of an attachment to my back than a swimmer. lol. By the end of our second visit, she was ready to use her floaties without the deathgrip on my arm. :)

All of us went to the Science Museum of Oklahoma last week. We ended up spending 3 hours there. There are always so much more things to see than we have time for. We actually avoided the Gadget Trees and the Children's area, in hopes of seeing new things. Anne was not impressed with us missing those two places. When it was time to go Anne was a little upset. She said,"But we didn't even get to play~!" I asked her what she meant, because I thought we had played for 3 hours. She gave me that 'duh' look and said,"Mo-om, You know the tid sethun and the tweeeth~!" (the kid section and the trees) I guess we'll have to make time to visit longer next time~! :)

Anne Elise is 4~!

2010-07-18T10:08:00.006-05:00

I can't believe it~! 4 years ago today, my precious little Annie bug, was born into this world.

I remember a fast labor, and delivery, and a beautiful precious little baby in my arms.

Today was full of fabulous memories.

Taking you to pick out your own ice cream: the rainbow sherbet,

a 'Birthday Girl' ribbon placed ever so gently by Papi,

walking into Grandma's house to a 'surprise' with balloons, a two tiered cake, and family all around.

I will never forget how much you've enriched my life in everyway~!!!

I love you~!!!

Some of your favorite things: Hello Kitty, Purple, Cuddling, Writing and Receiving mail, Time at the park and YMCA, Listening, Singing, and Dancing to music, hugging, your blanket, taking walks, playing with playdough, playing with Pokey, seeing family, taking pictures, fashion shows, birthday planning, playing on the computer, and going to the pool.

Five years ago today

2010-07-12T09:22:00.003-05:00

Five years ago today my life changed forever.

My dearest baby boy grew angel wings after growing for a time inside my belly.

I will never ever forget, sweet baby Samuel.

So now... almost summer time

2010-06-16T18:49:00.004-05:00

Some updates from the last month or so.

Mike's doing well with his new job. We've adjusted to the new schedule nicely. The later evenings during the week aren't as hard for the kids as I thought they would be. We went from only having 2 late nights to having 3. He is still home early enough for our bedtime routine 4 days out of the week.

I am absolutely loving my Usborne Books and More business. I love to share these amazing books with every child, parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, godparent, foster parent, expecting parent, and friend I come across. I love seeing the lit up amazed faces of those seeing their books for the first time. I've made some new friends and expect to enjoy their friendship for a long time to come. :)

The extra income hasn't hurt any either. I love not working graveyard shifts at the Waffle House.

What would an extra $400 to $600 a month do for you? You can make extra money and work around your family's schedule. Sign up this month and receive 10 fantastic Usborne and Kane/Miller titles, a full set of business supplies, a 6 month personal ecommerce website and more for $49 + sh/tax. This month only, you will also receive a $20 business credit for new fall supplies~! Click here and get started today~!

My half marathon training is going well. I am averaging about 15 miles a week right now. My progress has been slower than I expected, but I am still working hard and running at least 4 days a week. The 5K has been put on hold for the time being. Mike and I are working on our endurance.

My college work is going well. :) I have a 97% and a 91% in my classes. One of them is even History~! I can't believe it. I really like the set up of the online classes. I feel like I am digesting more of the information without having to sit through a lecture. Don't get me wrong it's still intensive and time consuming reading, but I am actually *getting* it. Yay~!

The kids and I have read several books last month. The City of Ember was our favorite. I think we are going to start the Little House on the Prairie books next. :)

I apparently haven't written once a week in my blog here, but I have *thought* about it.... :) Does that count? hehe~!

On a sad note, we lost our puppy to a car accident two days ago. We've all been mending our little hearts for the last couple days. :(

I think that is the end of the new stuff going on right now. Hopefully see ya'll sooner than later. :) <3

Isabella's nightmare

2010-05-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

Well that was the longest night ever~! Isabella woke at 2:20am from a terrifying nightmare.... so much she was shaking and screaming and running through the house and she landed in Papi's arms and we both held her for close to 30 minutes before she stopped crying.

The rest of the night, or morning rather, I cuddled with Isabella. We wore out a faded trail between our bed, the couch, her bed, and the bathroom. We were cuddling on our little loveseat, when we finally crashed for our longest stretch of time. Isabella never let go of her deathgrip on my neck.

After speaking with her this morning, I learned that her dream was horrible. She dreamed that zombies were chasing her and were taking bites out of her arms and legs as she tried to run. *GAH~!*

Poor girl. I wonder how she'll sleep today...

A new phase of our life

2010-05-06T12:08:00.003-05:00

There has been so much going on lately. I have decided that I better update our blog. :)

Spring has sprung~! We have been spending more time outdoors, more time cooking, more time reading, more time at the library, and the park, working on the flower beds.

Mike was offered a new position at his job, it means different hours... sometimes later hours which is bad, but the good part is that he will be able to bring home more moolah for his time. Yay~!
I haven't worked at the Waffle House in a long time. I'm actually very glad. It's given me more time to focus on the family and my new endeavor. I love Usborne Books and More. I love all of their products from the jigsaw books, the sticker books, the lift the flap books, the touchy feely books, to the kid kits, all of the books from all over the world~! I love the freedom that it has given to me and my family to let us pursue our dreams and goals in life. It didn't take much for me to start realizing my dream. What would an extra $400 to $600 do for your family? If you'd like more information please don't hesitate to take a look at my website www.AChildsWonder.com and click on Income Opportunities.
I have committed myself to train for a half marathon. I'm running 4 times a week, doing strength training 1 of those days, another day only strength, and then resting the other 2 days. I am on a 16 week plan. I would like to get some better shoes, but for now the ones I have will work. Mike even said he'd run a 5k with me. :) I'm excited. I need to find some races over the next couple of months to enter.
I recently decided to go back to college. I'm taking advantage of the time I have at home with the kids by furthering my education. I'd like to finish my degree so that at some point I can teach elementary music.
I've also committed to reading to the kiddos at least an hour a day, after lunch and before bedtime at night. Right now we are reading City of Ember. Very interesting read.
I'm going to commit to writing in this blog 1 times a week, probably on a certain day... not sure which day it will be just yet, today is Thursday so maybe Thursdays. :)

Why all the sudden changes in lifestyle? Well... over the last couple of years I had become complacent. I feel like I stopped caring about the way I looked, felt, and appeared. I didn't care how my children saw me, my husband, or anyone else for that matter. It may have been a touch of depression. You know what they say, if you get down, get out and *DO* something about it.

I'm tired of being complacent. I'm a passionate person. I love to read, I love to learn, I love to run, I love being home with my family, I love feeling like I am contributing to my family's income and overall well-being. .

Not too long ago, Vickiey, Mike, Sue, and I agreed that we'd have a 'biggest loser' competition. We all took pictures, which no one will EVER see, I can promise you that~! lol. We joined the YMCA and started working out. I have to tell you, I haven't walked this tall and confident in a long time. I think that's really got my ball rolling. A little bit of self-confidence goes a long way.

Right now, Isaiah is really obsessing over numbers and how they work and the different ways you can multiply and divide them and which numbers have an even square root. He's been making up all sorts of outdoor games, like one where he's throwing a ball trying to hit 1 of 3 buckets for points. He told me the several different ways he could reach his goal of 200 points to win his game. He doesn't even realize it's math... it's just fun~! I love it.

Isabella has been showing an interest in learning more about the veterinary field. I found out that through the Humane society I can take her to volunteer her time, walking dogs, cleaning cages, feeding them... etc. I am sure the Humane society needs the help, so we are trying to figure out which days we can do that.

Anne Elise has been showing a ton of interest in writing notes, letters, numbers, and has been writing her name and everyone in the family's names over the last couple of weeks. This is a child that has had NO formal introductions to letters.

I read recently that the single MOST important thing that you can do for your children is to read aloud to them, and read them stories that are above their reading level.

It helps develop their imagination, promotes the love of reading, and my favorite part is the cuddle time. :)

I absolutely love this~!

2010-04-26T12:41:00.000-05:00

http://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/2010/04/public-school-parents-guide-to.html

MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2010

The Public School Parents' Guide to Homeschool Parents

We all know that there are a lot of misconceptions about homeschoolers, and, while most of those tend to be centered around the kids, there are a lot of misconceptions about homeschool moms (and dads), as well. I'm often surprised to hear some of the things that people who don't homeschool think about homeschoolers. I guess I shouldn't be. I used to be a public school mom (for two years) and I imagine that I thought some of these things, too, though it's been so long, I really can't recall for sure.

Anyway, I'd like to make some homeschool mom confessions (at least, as relates tothis homeschool mom). Oh, and the title just sounded fun. No negative implications intended there at all. Some of my best friends and favorite relatives are public school parents.

1. We do not have superhuman patience. I can't tell you the number of people who say to me, "I couldn't homeschool; I don't have enough patience" or some variation thereof. Let me tell you, my name and patience rarely occur in the same sentence unless someone is saying, "Kris has no patience."

I have told people, "I know that homeschooling isn't for everyone and I'm not suggesting that you should homeschool, but if you're going to give me an excuse, you'll have to come up with a better one than that because if I have enough patience to homeschool, anybody does!"

When we first began homeschooling, I told the neighbors, "If you come home from work one afternoon and there is yellow police tape around the house, you'll know that one of us [the kids or I] ran out of patience." So far, we've all survived, but seriously? I've done homework with my oldest when she was in public school. So far, my worst day of homeschooling hasn't been any worse than my worst night of homework.

2. We don't homeschool because it gives us the warm fuzzies. There are probably almost as many reasons to homeschool as there are homeschoolers, but I don't know of anyone who does this just because it makes them feel good because, you know what? Some days, it does not feel good. Some days involve tears, whining, yelling...before breakfast...and not necessarily from the kids. Which leads me to confession number three...

3. Some days, we watch with envy as that yellow school bus drives by. We don't do this because it's easy or a cop-out. Some days, homeschooling is just hard. Some of us have been known to threaten to send our kids to public school (my kids can tell you exactly how far we live from the public school because I've mentioned it a time or two). Some of us have spent more time than we'd care to admit daydreaming about what we might do if our kids were in school all day. And, there are some days when it takes every ounce of will power not to chase down that school bus. However, when push comes to shove, we know there is nothing else we'd rather do than homeschool our kids.

4. We don't think our kids are better or smarter than yours. Most of us are average moms and dads with average kids who have their areas of strength and their areas of weakness -- academically and personally -- just like yours. We have our hopes and fears, doubts and insecurities just like you do. Do some homeschool parents have gifted kids? Absolutely! Do some homeschool parents have kids whom the parents think are gifted, but in reality, not so much? Yes. Do some public school parents have gifted kids? Yep. Do some public school parents have kids whom the parents think are gifted, but in reality, not so much? I think you see where this is going.

We all -- public, private, or homeschool parents -- think our kids are pretty special. That doesn't mean that we, the homeschool parents, think our kids are better than those not educated at home.

5. Our decision to homeschool is not a personal commentary on your decision not to. Contrary to popular belief, we do not think that homeschooling is for everyone. We don't think that you're a bad parent or that you don't care about your kids as much as we care about ours because you don't homeschool them. We see educational choices as yet another personal parenting choice and we realize that you are making the choices that you see as best for your family, just as we are.

6. Our decision to homeschool is not a personal commentary on the jobs of public school teachers. Many of us do have a beef with the public school system as a whole (I don't think that is exclusive to homeschoolers). Although we may see the system as flawed, this observation does not typically extend to individual teachers. Most of us realize that the majority of teachers are good people, doing a good job with a whole lot expected of them for pitifully low compensation based on the time and effort their jobs require.

7. We realize that there are homeschooling families who probably should not be homeschooling. However, this is true in every area of life. There are public and private school teachers who have no business in the classroom. There are parents who have no business having kids.

We, who are so often judged, try not to judge others and we definitely do not want to our rights as parents restricted because of a few sensationalized cases. The majority of parents who homeschool are doing so honestly and with integrity, raising kids who are just as ready for life after homeschool as any other kid is for life after graduation.

8. Just because we're Christian doesn't mean that we are "religioushomeschoolers." There are a huge percentage of us who, while we are people of faith, would not necessarily say that we are homeschooling for religious reasons. Being able to share our faith with our kids and looking at our studies with a Christian worldview is a huge benefit of homeschooling, but many of us would not consider itthe singular reason we homeschool.

9. We don't do this to shelter, over-protect, or isolate our children. People who don't homeschool often don't realize what is available to homeschooled kids. Our area offers band, soccer, baseball, football, tennis, track, volleyball, prom, monthly socials, graduation, graduation banquet, year book, co-ops and classes, and so much more. These kids are not sitting at home by themselves every day. They're out with other kids enough to experience their fair share mean kids, bullies, and, for the older kids, teen-aged angst.

And, look how many of us how more kids than the national 2.5 average! Seriously, if you have siblings, you know that there's no one better to help your practice interpersonal and conflict resolution skills than siblings.

10. We don't do this to annoy you. We homeschool because we feel that it's the best choice for our families. We don't ask you to think it's the best choice for your family. We did not wake up one morning and flip a coin to decide on this lifestyle. We prayed about it, researched it, and talked about it long before deciding that homeschooling was the right choice for our family. We do not come to your blogs or corner you at the soccer game to tell you how bad we think your decision to send your kids to public school is because we don't care -- not in the negative "don't care" way, but in the "that's your family's decision and we respect that" way. You are doing what you feel is right for your kids and that's exactly what you're supposed to do. It's what we're doing, too.

Just for the record, this post has been on my calendar for a couple of weeks and was not prompted by any conversation or event, so if you're one of my public school mom friends (because, yes, I have those), don't be freaking out trying to recall what you might have said or done to prompt this post. You didn't do anything. ;-) I just thought it would be fun to address misconceptions that I've heard over the last eight years.

What about you? What misconceptions would you like to address?

~KRIS

2010-04-25T21:34:00.003-05:00

Huge Sale Event!

Mary Kay,
Scentsy,
Pampered Chef,
Cookie Lee Jewelry,
Ideal Occasions
Saavy Sisters Boutique!!!
Just added... Usborne Books and More~! The books kids LOVE to read~!

Will all be set up with great specials!

Door Prizes will be given away every hour.

Saturday, May 1st from 11:00 - 3:00

at the home of Jessica Barron Harrah, OK (email for directions)

Lunch Bomb

2010-04-23T12:42:00.002-05:00

While making lunch this afternoon, Anne said, "This sandwich isn't good... It's the BOMB~!" LMAO~!!!

Scaredy cat

2010-04-20T10:07:00.002-05:00

Last night while giving the girls a bath, I was ready to rinse Anne's hair from the shampoo suds, and she kind of shied away from me, Bella said, "Anne's a scaredy cat." Anne said,"Yep, I'm scared of cats." lol. Bella tried to correct her and I was trying not to die of laughter.... I'm so lucky. :)

Oh boy, 3 months and no posts?

2010-03-15T20:08:00.001-06:00

Sorry guys, I've gotten a bit distracted. I'll be blogging again soon.

Love and peace.

Santa Jaws (for all the dinosaur lovers out there~! Thanks Christy for sharing~!)

2009-12-24T20:26:00.000-06:00

Santa Jaws
by Dinosaur George

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the forest
Not a creature was stirring, not even Stegosaurus
My clothing was hung by my bedpost with care,
In case a T-rex showed up...I could run out of there.

The raptors were nestled all snug in their cave,
Except for the little one who wouldn't behave.
Triceratops with three horns and Diplodocus with big feet
Had all settled in for a long winters sleep.

When out on my lawn there arose such a clatter.
My neighbor from Brooklyn yelled "Hey...Whas a matta?"
Away to the window I flew with a flash,
Tore open the shutters and stood with a gasp.

When, what to my wondering eyes should I see,
But an oversized sleigh, and six dinosaur species
With his great big teeth, huge legs and small pecks
I knew in a moment it must be St. Rex

More rapid than Troodon his courses they came
And he roared, and growled and called them by name;
"Now Stego, now Duckbill, now Pachycephalosaurus
On Anky, on Brachi, on Cryolophosaurus!"

His eyes - how the twinkled! His dimples how merry!
You may think he's cute, but T-rex is quite SCARY!
With a frightening broad face and a huge, giant gullet
The only thing scarier is Dino George with a mullet.

He was chubby and plump, a right scary old critter
And I screamed when I saw him, and then posted on Twitter
But a wink of his eye and a snap of his jaws,
Soon let me know... "This aint Santa Clause"

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work
He cleaned out my fridge, geez...what a jerk
He sprang to my cupboard and ate with a roar.
I knew in an instant, I'd have to buy more

And my neighbors all heard me as I ran out of site
"There's a T-rex in there...better run for your life!"

Ho...Ho...Ho
Merry Christmas,
Happy Hanukkah,
Happy Kwanzaa and
Happy Holidays
to everyone!

2010 Handbook. Thanks Daddy. :)

2009-12-17T22:18:00.001-06:00

HANDBOOK 2010

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a
beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that
is manufactured in plants..
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2009.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minute walk daily, and while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control.
Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past, that will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends
will stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy, so be happy.

Last but not the least:
40. Please Forward this to everyone you care about, I just did.

Why do you?

2009-12-11T22:29:00.002-06:00

So yesterday the kiddos were pretty grouchy. We've all been stuck inside because it's been so cold. I know that we could still go outside, but I am a wimp and so are my kids. So we have a mini trampoline and a gazelle that the kiddos play on to expend extra energy and we always chase each other around and Shred together when they need some physical activity. They love yoga and Tae Bo too. lol. Anyway, yesterday was the monthly exceptionally awesome love-to-pick-on-each-other-day on top of the annual try-to- annoy-each-other-as-much-as-possible-day. So I asked the kids why do they love each other?

Here are their answers.

Mommy: Isabella why do you love Isaiah?

Isabella: He's gots a good memory, and an awesome suit, and he always takes pictures with me, and we love each other, and I help him clean his room when mine is done, and I love playing with him and he shares his toys with me.

Mommy: Why do you love Anne Elise?

Isabella: Because I give her carry rides to her bed sometimes and I sing her a lullaby if hse cires in bed and she loves on me , and I give her hugs and kisses when she says "Sissy," I come to make sure she's not running a fever or fall off the bed.

Mommy: Anne, why do you love Bella?

Anne: She loves my flips and my funny faces cause she's my friend cause I can make her laugh.

Mommy: How about Isaiah?

Anne: Cause he likes when I'm silly cause he helps me with my room and on the trampoline if I hurt myself he helps me up and holds me. He helps me to remember to cut paper and not my hair, then he does what I do and I laugh.

Mommy: Isaiah why do you love Anne?

Isaiah: She's smart and intelligent. She has a great sense of smell and hearing. If I gall down she's there for me because she's sill. She is a great sister.

Mommy: What about Bella?

Isaiah: We have different things in common. 1) we both love to play leapfrog 2) she loves peanut butter and jelly. she's a great sister she's been there for me and we both love raw honey and to play with my PET Ninja. Like P-Paragraphical E-External T- Telegram that's what PET stands for.

Isaiah: well mommy why do you love us?

Mommy: I love you all for lots of reasons but I could tell you each 2 reasons why right now. I love Isaiah because he has a fantastic imagination and he has a curiosity to know more about everything he's exposed to. I love Isabella because she has a natural nurturing characteristic meaning she loves to take care of everyone especially pets. She is always the first one to give a hug and a kiss to Papi when he comes home. I love Anne Elise because she has an infections smile and laugh. She 's the first one to ask to hang out with us.

Good stuff~!

A little friendly competition... anyone up for it~!?

2009-12-01T14:11:00.003-06:00

EXPANDING OUR CIRCLE: “Referrals to Fill” Contest

WHEN: November 23, 2009 through December 5, 2009

WHY: We want YOU to give us OKC metro area referrals to help us expand our circle of influence and fill our December and January Home Show calendars.

WHAT: The person that provides the most referrals resulting in booked AND held Home Shows wins a total of $50 in FREE Usborne merchandise (tax & shipping not included)!

This will be redeemed as such:

• $25 when winner is determined.

• $25 at the time the last show is held.

You can BE YOUR OWN REFERRAL: If you hold your own Book Show, you have the potential for more freebies with Hostess Benefits and you will count toward your referral total!

WHO to refer: Friends and Family, of course. People sitting around your Thanksgiving table, the waitress at your favorite restaurant, your health care provider, friends of your friends and family…whomever you know who has children in their lives – all of us know parents, grandparent, aunts, uncles, child care providers, teachers, etc!

HOW: We ask that you contact your referrals first to make sure they would be interested in getting more information (we don’t want to spam/bother people). Once they have agreed, please email us at: AChildsWonder@myubah.com

We will start contacting referrals right away so tell them to be expecting a call and of course we will not harass them or use their information for any other purpose.

We need the following information:

YOUR Name and phone number.

Your REFERRAL’S Name, Phone number, city and email address.

Big Announcement~!

2009-11-12T14:54:00.010-06:00

I just started a home based business with incredible children's books~!

Go check out my new website: http://www.achildswonder.com

I'm hosting my very first book show at Johnnies Charcoal and Grill on Sunday 11/15 from 2-4pm. Johnnies is located at 2652 W Britton Rd Oklahoma City, OK 73120 I surely hope that you can join me. There will be a special drawing for those wearing grey. If you can, bring a friend - you'll qualify for another special prize.

Even if you are unable to attend the home show on Sunday, you can order anytime, online here: www.ubah.com/HOS161546 I'll be closing the party at Midnight Tuesday (Nov 17th). While you are online you can enter to win a monthly drawing for $50 in free books. Remember to check out the Sale Items, Web-Only Specials, Customer Specials (available with orders over $35) and Free Books Special (orders over $85)

There are lots of really great books, beautifully illustrated for every child in your life. From Ballerinas to Dinosaurs, Pirates, to Knights and Castles, Princesses to Fairies, Hands on Learning, science, geography, nature, etc. - from infant to school aged~! We also have a wonderful list of Accelerated Reader books.

A unique feature of Usborne Books are the internet-linked books. With the internet-linked books, you can hear a dolphin whistle; explore a castle; watch open-heart surgery; go galaxy hunting; tour Yellowstone's geyers; play a virtual keyboard; and thousands of other online learning opportunities!

As a new consultant I'm able to offer my hostesses DOUBLE hostess rewards (see attached flyer).

Also, if you are interested in making money, there's a unique opportunity to get started with an Usborne Business Starter Kit in November for only $59~! The Business Builder kit is usually $199~! I'm also offering $50 worth of FREE Usborne product for those serious about starting a business when you sign up before the end of November.

I just started and have been so impressed with my upline's support and quick answers. If you have any questions or would be interested in hostessing a party to earn free books or earning some extra income, please don't hesitate to call me or email me. My home number is 405-242-4681 and my Usborne email address is achildswonder@myubah.com.

Thanks so much for your continued support~!

(If you click on the image above it will open larger so you can read it a little easier.)

Observations of a beautiful fall day

2009-11-07T17:36:00.002-06:00

Anne ran into the bedroom saying, "Mommy, Mommy~! I tan weech~! I tan weech da lightthwithch in da bathwroom~!"

Isabella picking up pecans for her trip to see Grandma Peggy tomorrow, saying, "This is the baby one, this is the sister one, this is the brother one, this is the mommy one, and WOAH~! This one is definitely the Papi one~! It's HUGE~!" She also continued on counting all the way to 50, pretty much naming each one or grading it on appearance whether it was shiny or yucky or more dark or more light. Very interesting to listen to~! :)

I also watched Isaiah spend some time on the front porch today with some paints and some construction paper. He proceeded to tell me that he was painting 'fall time'.

Just a few little somethings that I enjoyed today. :)

Conversations with my son

2009-11-03T08:37:00.004-06:00

Isaiah: You are the best mommy I have ever had. Giving us Roast leftovers... yum yum~!

Me: I'm glad that you liked it.

Isaiah: Sorry I didn't eat that much last night, I just got full.

Me: That's okay, no worries, son. That means there's more for leftovers.

Isaiah: Perfect. I love it.

Isaiah: I can't believe today is Sandwich Day (November 3rd) Mommy will you please erase that part and make it Nov.?

Me: Why?

Isaiah: because it's short~!

Isaiah: I can't believe that I have so much information in my brain about animals?

Me: What's the best animal?

Isaiah: Let me go get the weird and wild creature card that is the best~!

(he returns with the Hornet card)

ME: wow that's the real size? (pointing to a portion of the card)

Isaiah: Yes~! Did you know that the bee assasin bug is bigger than the hornet?

Me: What is the Bee Assassin Bug?

Isaiah: It's an assasin bug that eats BEES and other nectar and honey feeding insects.

Me: Wow. I did not know that~!

2009-10-20T15:19:00.015-05:00

The girls announced they were going to get "snazzy with their designs", which

means they are going to go change clothes into something original and pose for me and I'd better have the camera ready, because they will be ready for their modeling sessions pronto. lol~!

When they were ready we did our 1 2 3 POSE... and got some very interesting pictures. :)

I hope you enjoyed these as much as I did taking them. I laughed and giggled with joy during our little photo shoot. :)

interesting day

2009-10-20T09:38:00.029-05:00

Isaiah made a healthy breakfast for everyone this morning. Sliced bananas, banilla (yes Banilla... banana and vanilla flavored) yogurt, and honey nut cheerios. He called it "Breakfast Supreeeeze" :) Can you tell we like Lemony Snicket?

Finished and ready to eat.:)

Sunrise Earth sparked an interest in seals for Anne. So we took a moment to look up some pictures on google images.

What's sad is that there are so many pictures of those baby seals being killed for their fur... I had to skim quickly to find a sweet picture for her to look at.

When we did, Anne said, "Awwwe~! He's thooo tute~!"

My mom called, the kids got to talk to Jaidyn for a while. I got to talk to her for a while also. Jaidyn told me all about how she's reading sight words and 'ginner books' and that her favorite part of school is recess and running and playing duck duck goose with her friends at school. She went on to tell me how she dislikes going to daycare because the friends there are mean. :(

Isaiah stated that he was going to write down 10 questions to make a quiz about his wierd and wild creature cards.

He came to me with 6 questions written down, and handed me the cards and said, "I didn't want to make it too hard for you Mom. The answers are somewhere on the cards. "

Isabella sat down in front of the television and copied some words from the Morning Show. She showed me them, but I couldn't find them to take a picture of them... oops.

Conversations with a 3 year old

2009-10-19T19:14:00.003-05:00

Me: What are your favorite things to do?

Anne: I like do thing, and danth and dwess up, and thwoorl, do dith, I mean yoda, and dats all.

(in case you aren't fluent in 3 year old

I like to sing and dance, and dress up, and swirl and do this, I mean yoga, and that's all.)

King of the Wild Things

2009-10-19T15:07:00.009-05:00

Yesterday we Mike, the kids, Vickiey and Madison and I all went to go see Where the Wild Things Are in the theaters. We have all been counting down the days until the opening night.

I absolutely adored the movie. It was so passionate, in a dark and childlike way. This movie is full of emotion, learning how to deal with powerful alien feelings, discovering words, and levels of comfort in your own skin.

Isaiah says, "I loved it. Wow. That whole movie was fantastic just like the Book. My favorite character was Max, because he became the wild things king."

Isabella says, "My favorite part was when the wild things gave Max the crown and the staff, and it made me sad when Max bited his mother."

Anne says,"I liked when dey were jumpin on da dumpaleene. And dey was dumpin in a pile, and dats all, mommy."

After dinner the girls were super sleepy so they crashed out early. Isaiah designed and colored his own crown and Mike helped him put it all together.

Great way to earn FREE money/ gift cards.

2009-10-13T10:32:00.000-05:00

Conversations with my son

2009-10-12T13:08:00.004-05:00

Isaiah: Mom what does evil mean?

Me: let's look it up in the dictionary...

(proceed to read the definitions out of the dictionary)

Isaiah: What's this? (pointing to 'evil eye' in the dictionary)

Me: What would your evil look like? If your look could hurt someone.

Isaiah: It would look like an angry dinosaur, the carnivorous Giganotosaurus. See: (insert angry dino face here)

Me: Wow that is angry. Can I take a picture of your evil eye face?

Isaiah: No, Mom~! I don't want people to see it~! They won't like it~!

Me: Why won't they like it?

Isaiah: Because it'll hurt someone~! How about the curious face?

Me: great~!

Now how about your super happy face?

Isaiah: SURE~!

Me: Perfect~!

Isaiah: How about my beg face?

Me: your what face?

Isaiah: my begging face, you know the one I give you to get to do something when you say no first?

Me: oh that face... sure I'd love a picture of that one.

No wonder I can't say no to this face~!

October is

2009-10-03T09:35:00.004-05:00

Courtesty: http://www.brownielocks.com/october.html

October Monthly Observances

Adopt A Shelter Dog Month
Antidepressant Death Awareness Month
Apple Month Link
(World) Blindness Awareness Month Link
Celiac Disease Awareness Month
Celebrate The Bilingual Child Month
Children's Magazine Month
Christmas Seal Campaign (10/1-12/31)
Church Library Month
Church Safety and Security Month
Class Reunion Month
Co-op Awareness Month
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Dyslexia Awareness Month
Eat Better, Eat Together Month
Emotional Intelligence Month
Emotional Wellness Month
Energy Management is a Family Affair-Improve Your Home Month (10/1-3/31/08)
Gay & Lesbian History Month
German-American Heritage Month
Global Diversity Awareness Month
Go Hog Wild - Eat Country Ham
Halloween Safety Month
Head Start Awareness Month Link
Health Literacy Month
International Starman Month
International Strategic Planning Month
Long Term Care Planning Month
Month of Free Thought
National Animal Safety and Protection Month
National Bake and Decorate Month
National Book Month Link
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
National Caramel Month Link
National Chili Month
National Chiropractic Month
National Crime Prevention Month
National Cyber Security Awareness Month
National Dental Hygiene Month
National Depression Education & Awareness Month
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
National Down Syndrome Month
National Ergonomics Month Link
National Family Sexuality Education Month
National "Gain The Inside Advantage" Month
National Go On A Field Trip Month
National Kitchen & Bath Month Link
National Liver Awareness Month
National Medical Librarian Month
National Orthodontic Health Month
National Physical Therapy Month
National Popcorn Poppin' Month
National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month Link
National Reading Group Month
National Roller Skating Month
National RSV Awareness Month
National Sarcastic Awareness Month
National Spina Bifida Awareness Month
National Window Covering Safety Month Link
National Work and Family Month
National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month
Organize Your Medical Information Month
Photographer Appreciation Month
Polish American Heritage Month
Positive Attitude Month
Raptor Month
Rett Syndrome Awareness Month
Right Brainers Rule! Month
Sausage Month Link
Self-Promotion Month
Spinach Lovers Month
Squirrel Awareness Month
Stamp Collecting Month
Tackling Hunger Month Link
Talk About Prescriptions Month
Vegetarian Month
Wishbones for Pets Month (10/15 - 11/30)
Women's Small Business Month
Workplace Politics Awareness Month

October Weekly Observances

Universal Children's Week: 1-7 Link
No Salt Week: 2-4
Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend: 2-4 Link
National Newspaper Week: 4-10
National Work From Home Week: 4-10
World Space Week: 4-10
Fire Prevention Week: 4-10
Mental Illness Awareness Week: 4-10
Mystery Series Week: 4-10
National Carry A Tune Week: 4-10
National Metric Week: 4-10
Nuclear Medicine Week: 5-11
Customer Service Week: 5-11 Link
Financial Planning Week: 5-11
Kids' Goal Setting Week: 5-10
Spinning & Weaving Week: 5-11
Physicians Assistant Week: 6-12
Build Your Business with Business Cards Week: 11-17
Emergency Nurses Week: 11-17
Getting The World To Beat A Path To Your Door Week: 11-17
Home-based Business Week: 11-17
International Credit Union Week: 11-17
National Chestnut Week: 11-17
National Food Bank Week: 11-17
American Association of Medical Assistants: 12-18 Link
National School Lunch Week: 12-16
World Rainforest Week: 12-18
Food and Drug Interaction Education and Awareness Week: 17-24
Freedom From Bullies Week: 18-24
Teen Read Week: 18-24
National Chemistry Week: 18-24
National Hospital and Health-System Pharmacy Week: 18-24 Link
YWCA Week without Violence: 18-24 Link
National Infertility Awareness Week: 18-24 Link
National Character Counts Week: 18-24
National Forest Products Week: 18-24
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week: 18-24 Link (always 3rd week)
National School Bus Safety Week: 18-24
Freedom of Speech Week: 19-25 Link
National Food Bank Week: 19-25
National Massage Therapy Week: 19-25
National Businesswomen's Week: 19-25
Disarmament Week: 24-30
Pastoral Care Week: 25-31
International Magic Week: 25-31
National Respiratory Care Week: 25-31 Link (last full week)
Peace, Friendship and Good Will Week: 25-31 Link
Give Wildlife a Break Week: 26-11/1
World Hearing Aid Awareness Week: 27-10/3 Link

October Daily Observances

An * in front of the day means that it hasn't changed in 3 years.
So we are going to state that the date on these days never changes.

*Fire Pup Day: 1
*International Day of Older Persons: 1
*World Vegetarian Day: 1
*Guardian Angels Day: 2
Lee's National Denim Day: 2
National Diversity Day: 2
National Fallen Firefighters Weekend: 2-4 Link
*Phileas Fogg's Wager Day: 2
*National Custodial Workers Day: 2
*Techie's Day: 2 Link
*World Farm Animals Day: 2
World Smile Day: 2
*Alternative Fuel Day: 3 Link
Change A Light Day: 3 Link
World Card Making Day: 3
Inter-American Water Day: 3 (First Saturday) Link
Blessing of the Fishing Fleet: 4
Intergeneration Day: 4
*Ten-Four Day: 4
World Communion Day: 4
Child Health Day: 5
Improve Your Office Day: 5
World Habitat Day: 5
*World Teachers Day: 5
*Ecological Debt Day: 6 Link
*Jackie Mayer Rehab Day: 6
*Mad Hatter Day: 6 Link
*National German-American Day: 6
Balloons Around The World: 7
*Alvin C. York Day: 8
National Depression Screening Day: 8
World Sight Day: 8 Link (2nd Thursday)
*Leif Erikson Day: 9
* World Post Day: 9
International Newspaper Carrier Day: 10
*National Cake Decorating Day: 10
* Naval Academy Day: 10
Universal Music Day: 10
Clergy Appreciation Day (or Pastor Appreciation Day or Ministry Appreciation Day) : 11 (No official sponsor. Always 2nd Sunday)
*General Pulaski Memorial Day: 11 (President)
International African Diaspora Day: 11
*National Coming Out Day: 11
Simchat Torah: 11
*International Moment of Frustration Scream Day: 12
Columbus Day: 12
Free Thought Day: 12
National Kick Butt Day: 12
Native Americans' Day: 12
National Salesperson Day: 12
* Navy Birthday: 13
National Face Your Fears Day: 13
*Be Bald and Be Free Day: 14
Emergency Nurses Day: 14
International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction: 14
International Top Spinning Day: 14
National Bring Your Teddy Bear To Work & School Day: 14
Get to Know Your Customers Day: 15 ( also January 16, April 16, July 16)
Get Smart About Credit Day: 15
International Credit Union Day: 15
* National Grouch Day: 15
*National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day: 15 Link
* White Cane Safety Day: 15
*Boss's Day (or National Boss's Day) : 16 Link
* Dictionary Day: 16
Mammography Day: 16
*World Food Day: 16
Bridge Day: 17
Diwali: 17 Link (This varies every year. See link.)
Dussehra: 17
*International Day for the Eradication of Poverty: 17
*Mulligan Day: 17
Sweetest Day: 17
World Toy Camera Day: 17 Link
*National Chocolate Cupcake Day: 18 Link
World Menopause Day: 18
*Evaluate Your Life Day: 19
World Osteoporosis Day: 19 Link
Miss American Rose Day: 20
*Birth of the Bab: 20
Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce: 21
*Caps Locks Day: 22 Verification Link removed due to profanity
*International Stuttering Awareness Day: 22
*IPod Day: 23
*National Mole Day: 23 Link
* United Nations Day: 24
*World Development Information Day: 24
Make A Difference Day: 24
Lung Health Day: 25 Link
Mother-in-Law Day: 25 (always 4th Sunday)
Reformation Sunday: 25
Sourest Day: 25
XTERRA World Championships: 25
Worldwide Howl At The Moon Night: 26 Link
Mule Day: 26
*Cranky Co-workers Day: 27
*Navy Day: 27
Day of International Concern About Young People and Gun Violence: 28
*National Chocolates Day: 28 Link
*St. Jude's Day: 28
*Internet Day: 29
*World Psoriasis Day: 29 Link
*Create A Great Funeral Day: 30
Devil's Night: 30
*Haunted Refrigerator Night: 30
International Bandanna Day: 30 Link
*National Candy Corn Day: 30 Link
Frankenstein Friday: 30
* Halloween: 31
*National Caramel Apple Day: 31 Link
*National Knock-Knock Jokes Day: 31
*National Magic Day: 31
*National UNICEF Day: 31
Reformation Day: 31
*Samhain: 31 Link

:: From REactive to PROactive :: THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle

2009-10-02T15:39:00.001-05:00

THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle
www.enjoyparenting.com/dailygroove

Take the next step on your PATH...
http://www.enjoyparenting.com/path/info

:: From REactive to PROactive ::

Reactive parenting is like an airplane on auto-pilot
flying off-course: to set a new course you must first
get control of the plane on its *present* course.

That means, paradoxically, that you can avoid an
unwanted reaction by deciding to do it *deliberately*!

Example: You're about to yell at your child, and
you can't stop yourself. So you decide to yell
*on purpose*, with the full force of your deliberate
intention! BUT...

You alter the outburst in some way that makes it
benign, like singing a really high/loud note instead
of yelling, or changing your words to "Blabbety!
Blabbety! BLAH!" Anything that works *with* your
emotional energy rather than against it.

Once you've shifted from REactive to PROactive, you
can direct your energy *consciously*, in accord with
your ideals.

This technique is not a panacea, but it works
especially well with *mild* reactiveness -- often
turning potential conflict into playful fun!

http://dailygroove.net/reactive-to-proactive

Get "The Daily Groove" BOOK!
http://www.enjoyparenting.com/book

Feel free to forward this message to your friends!
(Please include this paragraph and everything above.)
Copyright (c) 2009 by Scott Noelle

Organic Co-op Information

2009-10-01T10:04:00.001-05:00

I have started an organic food co-op and would love for you to share in this awesome opportunity with me. The co-op deliveries will be every other Monday from 4:30-5:30 pm (you will pick up your shares at my house in Tuttle). The produce is certified organic and provided by Healthy Living Organic Foods from Lindsey, OK. Fruit/veg shares will be $50 each, every other week. You are not limited to the number of shares you can order. You will receive approximately $70 of organic produce at health store prices for each $50 share (and tax is even included). There is no membership fee or contract to sign up. However we do ask that you commit to us for a minimum of 2 months. All shares must be paid prior to pick-up.

Below is a sample of the items you will receive per share based on current prices. Items will change each time but we will always try to provide the basics like carrots, onions, tomatoes, lettuce or spinach, apples, bananas, and oranges

Veg/Fruit $50.00

1 # cucumbers
1 bunch broccoli
1 pint cherry tomatoes
4 ears corn
2 heads lettuce/kale
1 # onions
1 head celery
1 head garlic
6 oz raspberries
1.5 # nectarines

1 cantaloupe
1.5 # peaches
1.25 # plums
2 # bananas
2 # apples

The add-on shares listed below rotate every 4 weeks (below is just an example of one week). There is no limit to the number of shares you may order but we do require you to order the fruit/vegetable share to qualify for the additional shares below.

• Organic Meats ($25 additional, all meat is grass fed and most is local)

- 5# ground beef

• Preservative-Free Breads ($10 additional)

- 1 loaf Matthew's WW Sandwich bread

- 2 pkg Garden of Eatin OG WW Pita bread

• Organic Juices ($10 additional)

- 1 qt OG Grape Juice

- 1 qt OG Black Currant Nectar

• Dairy ($10 additional)

-1# all natural RbGH/antibiotic free butter

- 8 oz all natural fresh mozzarella (these are the fresh mozzarella balls and are very yummy)

• Pasta and Rice ($10 additional)

- 2# OG WW Elbow Macaroni

- 2# OG Basmati White Rice

• Organic Nut Butters & Fruit Spreads “PB&J Share” ($10 additional)

- 16 oz Maranatha No-Stir OG Creamy Peanut Butter

- 17.5 oz Crofters OG grape jelly

• Beans and Grains ($10 additional)

- 4# OG WW Flour

- 2# OG pinto beans

• Seeds and Dried Tropical Fruits ($10 additional)

- 2# OG Golden Flax seed

- 1.5# dried OG Sweetened Banana Chips

• Nuts and Dried Fruits ($10 additional)

- ..75# Brazil Nuts

- 1 # OG Unpitted Dates

• Natural/Biodegradable Cleaning Products ($15 additional)

- all purpose cleaner

- toilet cleaner 16 oz

- bathroom cleaner 16 oz

• Health and Beauty Products ($20 additional)

- 2 Crystal Roll-on Deodorant 2.25 oz

- 2 Clearly Natural Liquid soap 12 oz

- 3 Clearly Natural Glycerin Bar Soap

Let me know if you are interested or have further questions. Please feel free to share this information with ANYONE you feel might be interested. I can be contacted attricityorganicfood@yahoo.com ..

Thank You,
Sandy

This week I am strewing...

2009-09-29T10:07:00.005-05:00

(The letter D)

Dinosaurs, Dragon, disappear, dance,

Isaiah said: dune and dig,

Isabella: dark, door, dear

Anne: Dora

Math:

Distance - measure the distance between objects with a ruler or measuring tape, or other types of measurements.
Dozen - what's a dozen?

difference- subtraction

science:

Bird- dove
Flower - daffodil
Mammal - donkey, dear- doe, duck, dolphin, dog,
differences- comparing two things and finding differences.

Dough: make bread again~! YAY~!

Social Studies:

Maybe visit a Dairy Farm?

desert for geography,

talk about the jobs of dentists and doctors,

talk about Davy Crockett or Daniel Boone.

ART: dots (I have bingo dobbers)

Sport/Game: Play dominoes, or dribble a ball.

Music: Drumming

Reflections, Music, and Food

2009-09-17T13:48:00.004-05:00

I know it's been a while since I last blogged. I'm working on staying more consistent.

This last week we discovered the power of reflection by using mirrors and flashlights. Mike spurred this interest after we replaced our broken flashlight, and I replaced my compact mirror/ powder combo. The kiddos, especially Anne, loved seeing the light flash back and forth on the wall. She was amazed how the light could get onto the wall by reflecting it with the mirror.

Last night I saw Anne with the LightBright and that same mirror, making her room light up~! She's so inventive~! :)

I was lucky enough to purchase a portable cd player at a garage sale recently and was it the perfect time or what~!? Isaiah loves to listen to music all the time. He has his favorites, The Fray, Linkin Park, Jonas Brothers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, of course the Dave Matthews Band. One of my recent favorites is Kings of Leon, and he loves them too. Mike and I are CD collectors. We love to have hard copies of artists music. So we have a library of music for him to listen to on his own.

We do listen to music just about all the time, but sometimes the girls' idea of good music doesn't match Isaiah's idea of good music. :P

Recently I joined an organic food co-op. My friend Christy and I are splitting a share. The shares are $50 every other week on Mondays. If you are interested in organic foods and are in the central Oklahoma area, let me know and I'll get you some more information. :)

PS Click on this ~>Paleontologist <~ AWESOME music video. Isaiah said, "It was so funny. I couldn't stop laughing."

Dinosaur Train and the School Speech

2009-09-10T16:27:00.008-05:00

Thursday:

Dinosaur Train on PBS I just knew that Isaiah would dig this show so I started recording the episodes on DVR. I think it's a hit. :)

We discussed Obama's School Speech Part 1 and Obama's School Speech Part 2 .

We are also making bagels with our bread machine today~! Yum~! I think well have breakfast for dinner tonight, bagels, eggs and bacon. Maybe breakfast bagel sandwiches.

Friday

A friend of ours found this really awesome website called: http://www.postcrossing.com/ Basically you sign up for an account, mail a postcard to someone you are assigned to, and then recieve a random postcart back. Neat way to talk about Geography~!

Although, now I am questioning whether or not I really want to give my physical mailing address to the world... hmmm.

9/11

Isaiah decided that he was going to recreate a battle using a submarine and GI Joes, complete with a bucket of water and all the battle sounds a little boy can make with his mouth. He played with the submarine and water for about 45 minutes. Such imagination~!

It's a rainy day outside today... so guess what that means?

Rainy day games~!!! WOOHOO~!

Here's one that looks like a LOT of fun. :)

Sardines

:: Truth Is Overrated :: THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle

2009-09-10T12:39:00.001-05:00

THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle
www.enjoyparenting.com/dailygroove

"The Daily Groove" BOOK makes
a great GIFT for anyone with kids!
http://www.enjoyparenting.com/book

:: Truth Is Overrated ::

In a materialistic society, we form the habit of
taking objective "truth" too seriously. One of the
gifts of parenthood is that children give us an
excuse to *relax* about objective truths and revive
our natural appreciation of *felt* (subjective)
truths.

When a five-year-old boy says, "I'm going to eat
this *whole* watermelon right now!" he's telling
*his* truth for that moment. If his mother says,
"Don't be silly! That melon is twenty times the size
of your stomach!" the richness of his heartfelt
truth is lost to both of them.

Today, notice how you respond to your child's
"childish" statements. Put aside what you "know" and
let yourself *feel* your child's truth.

Enjoy the feeling of connection made possible by
your willingness to share your child's
perspective... Now *that's* power!

http://dailygroove.net/truth-is-overrated

Feel free to forward this message to your friends!
(Please include this paragraph and everything above.)
Copyright (c) 2009 by Scott Noelle

Tuesday and Wednesday

2009-09-08T13:59:00.016-05:00

Tuesday:

Letter C song:
Journey to the Center of the Earth- a cinematic adventure. :)
http://www.jayzeebear.com/abc/animal/c.html
Center City is home to an unusual grocery store in this song. Cathy's Country Cupboard only sells C-food -- that is, food that begins with the letter C.
Can you dance the Hulla Baloney?
C is for

We are in the process of baking some corn bread in the bread machine also using this recipe: Many thanks to the Hillbilly Housewife for the recipe.

1-1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons margarine
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup dry milk powder
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3-1/2 cups bread flour or all purpose flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Measure the ingredients into the bread pan in the order listed. Make a well in the flour and sprinkle the yeast into it. Set the machine to it’s Basic Cycle. On my machine this lasts for 3 hours. Press Start, and let the machine work it’s magic. Remove the cooked bread from the pan after baking and allow it to cool before slicing.

Folks who prefer their cornbread sweet, will love this recipe. Hearty enough to accompany spicy foods like Chili, this bread is still refined enough to serve to the Preacher and his wife when they come for Saturday night Supper. My boys love this bread with meals, although they don’t always like it for sandwiches. Personally, I think it makes fine sandwiches, serving especially well as a base for Sloppy Joes.

Wednesday:

Now I must admit, Wednesday was a short day for me, because I worked Tuesday night. I slept until noon and Mike and the kids hung out.

The girls had been writing in their letter journals.

We noticed that Isabella is taking a stab at spelling. Spelling butterfly like this : btrfli

Anne is getting REALLY good at writing the letters A and B. Without us MAKING her write anything, she's picking up on it just by the strewing we are doing~! :)

I will take a couple of pictures when my batteries are done charging and show the journals to you. :)

Isaiah spent a lot of time searching for more information on his Weird and Wild Creatures .

Nana bought them for him for his birthday. Isaiah searched on www.google.com and www.wikipedia.org . I think mostly he was just wanting confirmation that they were actually real and not just "somethings" that someone imagined and drawn on these cards that he has been enjoying so much.

Monday Labor Day/ Arts Festival

2009-09-08T11:18:00.031-05:00

Monday we took Mike to work and then headed over to The OCCC Arts Festival OklahomaWe looked around in a couple of the tents at some of the artists work.

There was a stage with music in the background the whole day and the smells of fair food in the air tingling our noses.

Artisans crafting right in front of us all.

We finally made it over to the kids tent.

The tent included opportunities to be crafty and inspired by:

face painting

Isaiah chose to become Spiderman, Isabella got an OU and a flower on each arm, and Anne Elise decided just on a little pink and purple flower on her arm.

decoupaging glass bottles

I didn't get any pictures while doing this one, but heres one here at home with the finished products. :)

rolling a ball inside a covered cake pan with a piece of paper on the bottom and a little paint to make a colorful creation.

Same here, no pics from that day, but here is a pic of their finished products:

crafting for kids using wood pieces, markers and either a circle or rectangle mats.

sand box with lots of shovels and buckets

beading necklaces

Isaiah actually made one for me~! He's such a sweety. :)

this week I'm strewing

2009-09-07T19:07:00.003-05:00

Letters:

Cooking Cookies

Cow

Cat

Caterpillar

Clouds

Cars

Cardinal

Christopher Columbus

Countries

Canada?

Castles?

Crowns

carrots

cantelope

corn bread- we can use the bread machine for this one

crackers

celery with cream cheese-

cupcakes? ?= need to get a cupcake tin

Clown

President's speech

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090907/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_school_speech_text

Labor Day and Grandparents Day

Art terms

Color: mixing primaries to make secondaries

different kinds of art

different mediums

Art festival: fun times~!:) Will blog about our time there later.

Play Catch

talk about clocks and

Calendars, days of the week, months of the year

classifying by color

Sidenote: I am planning on ordering a butterfly kit from http://www.butterfly-gifts.com/live-butterfly-kits.html

Weekend fun times

2009-09-04T18:50:00.011-05:00

The girls got here on Friday night for the weekend. You've never heard so many squeals of delight~! We made sloppy joes along with Arby's french fries that Mom brought. Yum Yum~!

After dinner we went out in the fron yard and played Red Rover Red Rover. It was a lot of fun. It was kind of hard to explain the concept of who gets called and who stays and who returns to the other team, but

none the less the kids had a blast. :)

If I remember correctly I think we ended up just chasing each other around our climbing tree and in the end I got clobbered. Doggie pile style.

We went in the back yard and the girls saw the t-ball set up. Brayley gave it a whack and sent it sailing first try~! Up next was Jaidyn, she stood back and gave it a swing, and the ball went right in between Brayley, Anne, and Bella~! Whew~! It was a really close one~!

I am not sure if I have mentioned this on here before but, we were given 2 dwarf hamsters. We adore them. The girls just went on and on how much they thought they were so cute and soft. I

really honestly must agree.

Well we all got washed up and our teeth brushed and we were all pretty much ready for bed. So we snuggled in and got ready to go to sleep.

I came into my room to change clothes and Brayley came in right after me. She PULLED her last tooth upfront~!!! She's toothless up front on the top~! She realizes now it's a little harder to say certain things like the 'th' sound. Super cute~!

After breakfast we decided to walk over to the park. We loaded up the wagon, complete with water jug, cups, camera, t-rex dino, and the new remote controlled car, we also brought the stroller (Bella pushed Anne on the way there and Jaidyn pushed her on the way back) and the scooter (Jaidyn on the way there and Bella on the way back.)

Once we got there all 5 went 5 different directions running as fast as the could.

Isaiah start

ed by using his dino's tail to

draw in the dirt.

Anne started at the hopscotch and Bella joined her.

Isaiah, Jaidyn and Anne moved on to climbing on the spider. It is made out of 2 big ladder looking things folded over each other in an x ... you know what I'm talking about? Anyhoo... Here's a picture of it:

Brayley, and Bella worked on the parallel bars for a while, then Anne

and Jaidyn came to join them.

All of us enjoyed swinging, yes even me...

I should say, especially me,

because I loooove to swing~!

Brayley was swinging REALLY high~! She can pump her

legs to get up super high~! I was impressed~!

I think everyone had a turn with the remote controlled car. It was a good idea to bring it there was lots of sidewalk to drive it on.

Brayley and Isaiah loved the ladder tower.

Isaiah said he could see the whole world from the top.

Jaidyn tried to climb the rope.

It started to get pretty warm so we headed back home for some slip n slide time. Meanwhile I made some ground pork and black bean quesadillas for a picnic lunch outside.

Then we came in, dried off, and changed clothes and picked out a few stories to read.

Anne just got done singing me a song called "If you know I know cause I said" She did some really nice dance moves, reminiscent of Rihanna in her

"Please Don't Stop the Music" video, which just so happens to be her favorite song right now. She even clapped on beat to her song. So cute~!

The books the kids picked out for story time are:

Heidi- Anne Elise
I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today and other stories by Dr Suess- Isaiah
Barbie's The Big Splash by Barbara Slate- Jaidyn
Where is Ben? by Marisabina Russo- Isabella
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Suess - Brayley

What we did Thursday

2009-09-03T19:14:00.024-05:00

We watched some youtube videos about flying squirrels. Where that fascination origi

ted I am not sure... but he also used the build a dino website again at kidsknowit.com naming his dino, Zoom Boom this time.

Isaiah built a carnival out of reusable dishes and pipecleaners. The main feature was a rocket and a super automatc roller coaster, "that swirls around at 5000 mph. up to 5000 ft."

Isaiah received a piece of mail from Grandma Peggy with a $5.00 bill, 5 $1.00 gold coins and a wonderful birthday card. After opening the card and finding all of the money, he wanted to build a coin catcher out of some of our 'spare parts' as we call em.

Anne seemed very interested in what he was doing.

She couldn't get enough.

She kept asking what he was making and how he was doing it.

It was a very sweet moment to be an observer, watching Isaiah being so patient and gentle and caring with her and her questions.

Isaiah found our change bowl and was asking about how much each coin was worth.

So we played with money for a while.

We made $1.00 several different ways.

We added,
carried the one,
subtracted,
counted by 5's
and 10's ... all in just talking about money.

Heck, he even wanted to write down a 'list' of what each coin was worth.

He traced each coin, and wrote the number of cents it was worth, then wrote how many of them he needed to to make $1.00.

I think he was just sorting it out in his mind... i.e. (one penny is worth one cent so I need 100 of them to make one dollar. Check.)

Isabella and Anne were outside with me while I was cleaning out the bunny's cage. The girls shared a dandelions making wishes for ponies, unicorns, rainbows and horses. Reminds me of another young girl long long ago. :)

So we made some whole wheat bread in the bread machine... If I could bottle the smell and sell it, I swear I'd be a millionaire~! I Love the smell of freshly baking bread~!

Oh, and I almost forgot~! While we were outside we checked on the grass seeds, (well the kids did, I had just forgot to dump out the buckets... ) HOT Diggety DOG~! The grass is growing~! WOW~! I really couldn't believe my eyes~! :)

Today is the day we celebrate 7 years ago...

2009-09-03T16:38:00.016-05:00

Sept 3rd, 2002 at 1:17am. Our first born was placed in my arms and forever in my heart.

I remember the very first moment I saw him. I was brought to tears. Tears of overwhelming joy, and exhaustion, and relief and surprise.

It was instantantaneous. My adoration for you, Isaiah.

I wanted to give you everything, while protecting you from the crazy badness from the world, and showing you how to find the joy in life.

Showing you the joy that comes from loving others.

In this process, I know I've learned just as much from you, maybe more, than you've learned from me.

Thank you for being such an awesome little boy. For teaching me patience and kindness and how to love unconditionally.

Isaiah's birthday trip to the zoo

2009-09-02T19:25:00.001-05:00

Sunday we took a trip to the zoo with some friends and family to celebrate Isaiah's 7th birthday.

Here's the link to the photo album. If you are interested that is.

Isaiah wanted to invite his new best friend Aden, who is a fellow dinosaur extraordinaire. We met Aden and his mom Christy when we joined a homeschooling group called FYI or Funschooling Young Individuals. (*sidenote* I really must blog about my adoration and appreciation for finding this group.) We also invited Nana Nancy and Papa Jimmie, Nana Kathy and Chuck, Brayley and Jaidyn, and a long time friend of mine Heather and her daughter Dawn.

We really did have a wonderful time. We all met at the world map at the front of the zoo.

As we traveled around the zoo we stopped at various locations to let the kids rest/ climb on the iron statues. We saw the rhinos at least 4 times trying to catch up with everyone. Good thing they were doing different things each time. :) The kiddos got a big kick out of seeing one splashing around in the water.

It was such a beautiful day on Sunday: sunny but not too hot and there was a wonderful breeze. Pretty much a perfect day for the zoo. Once we all got caught up, we stopped at the concession area to pull out our sack lunches. Lunchables all around. We brought a jug of ice water and reusable cups (Thank you Christy for letting us borrow them once again, I will get the several I have back to you asap.)

We all took turns pulling the wagons and the ice chest. (BIG THANK YOU TO HEATHER AND DAD FOR VOLUNTEERING TO BE IN THAT ROTATION. ) The kids all took turns riding in the wagons and the stroller and the sling. (Thanks Christy for letting me borrow yours when Anne needed a little extra lovin's.)

As we passed by the lions we all grabbed a snow cone or a cotton candy. Someone asked if I had ever been down the Oklahoma Trails. I had seen the signs before, heck, we've been to the zoo several times just this year, but I never followed the signs~! I thought it was just more concession area. Figures. lol. Anyhoo, we traveled down the Oklahoma Trails to see the mountain lions, coyotes, deer, a badger, 2 rescued bald eagles. There was a barn full of bats, owls, skunks, possums... that part was neat, but I must say that the possum was a lot nastier, than I thought~! Oh and alligators, I can't forget to mention the alligators. We stood there and took pictures of the alligators while the kids talked about not swimming in their water.

On our way out, we stopped and had a little snack and drink (Thank you MOM for bringing extras~!) We also let Isaiah open his gifts from both sets of grandparents. Isaiah was so excited to see all the thoughtfulness that went into his gifts~! Dad and Nancy, the remote control laser tag car is perfect for our garage and driveway or in the house. He adores the clothes. Mom and Chuck, Yu-gi-oh cards, and a charger plus a couple of games for his gameboy that's been in a box for almost a year... just can't beat it~! Also a lovely picture from Brayley, that is now hanging up in his room. The excavation kit and a little dinosaur workbook from Aden were just perfect~!

Thanks to everyone for making it such a success with your patience and kindness. I really enjoyed spending time with each and everyone of you, although it never seems like enough time.

Hope to see you all again very soon.

From strewing to obsessing...

2009-09-01T10:03:00.003-05:00

B is for Butterflies : Mommy, where do butterflies come from? I tried to explain the life cycle of a butterfly. Isabella is super intrigued~!

( Anyone know where I can get some monarch caterpillars to watch them change to butterflies? )

Baking bread in our bread machine... I had forgotten how much I absolutely LOVE the smell of fresh baked bread~! Anne loves to help me scoop the ingredients into the machine. Anne wants to do it at least once a day now. I'm okay with that. It's cheaper than buying bread and it smells yummy and tastes yummy too.

Did you know that you can make your own bagels? My bread machine has a setting to just do the dough. I've not tried it yet, but I plan to, I'll share the recipe when we get there. :) I can't wait to have the kiddos help me roll em out and shape them~!

Baseball.. well T-ball to be exact. Isaiah loves his t-ball set up. He's been practicing hitting and throwing on his own and catching and playing with Papi after he gets home from work.

Our grass seeds never sprouted... maybe it's the oklahoma red clay dirt we used. Maybe that's why grass won't grow in certain areas in our yard. Maybe... just maybe. Now the kids are determined to find out what WILL make their own grass grow. I guess I'll go get some potting soil and fertilizer. :)

On a side note, I just recently set up online banking through Bank of Oklahoma, and was careful to put all of our account numbers in for our bills carefully. Well when it asked for the addresses, I instinctively put my own address in. It's been about a week ago that I paid our bills, and today I got 3 of them in MY mail box~!

Silly me~! I should have put OG&E's address in when the form asked for the address... ugh. Anyway, got some late fees, but now it's all fixed and next time I'll remember pay them online a little sooner.

Just had to share... :: Unconditional Presence: The Oak Tree :: Scott Noelle ~The Daily Groove

2009-08-26T07:45:00.000-05:00

Scott Noelle~The Daily Groove
www.enjoyparenting.com/dailygroove

The Attraction Parenting PATH Program is
guaranteed to reduce parental STRESS and increase
parental JOY significantly within 30 days! See...
http://www.enjoyparenting.com/path/info

:: Unconditional Presence: The Oak Tree ::

Imagine a great Oak Tree. It knows where it stands,
and it holds powerfully to its position. But it
doesn't defend its position -- it's simply *there*.

You can drive a car into the massive trunk of the
Oak Tree, and the car will be smashed while the tree
remains standing. It's not standing *against* you, and
it doesn't take your destructive behavior personally.
It just remains rooted... focused... present.
Unconditionally.

Now imagine that *you* are the Oak Tree... How does it
feel to be so powerfully positioned? Isn't it nice to
know that no one can uproot you? Would you even bother
to resist? Or would you simply relax and enjoy being
right where you want to be?

Next time you feel "uprooted" by your child's
behavior, emotions, or any other conditions, remember
the unconditional presence of the Oak Tree. Stand
rooted in the ground of infinite Well-Being.

There is nothing to resist... All is well.

http://dailygroove.net/oak-tree

This week I am strewing...

2009-08-25T12:24:00.003-05:00

the letter Bb
the number 2
the shape diamond
Color Blue

Animals:
Bee
Butterfly
Bear
Birds
Beluga whale

Foods:
Bananas
Broccoli
Bread
butter
bagels
blueberries

Crafty stuff:
hot air balloon does it fly?
make a boat... sink or swim?
make a bookmark
maybe make a baker's hat?

Activities:
Bus ride
basebal
blow bubbles
l

Community awareness:
visit a Bakery

Songs:
Baby Beluga
Baa Baa Black sheep
Take me out to the ball game
Baby Bumblebee

Science experiment:
hot air
water cycle review
check on our grass seeds
bake bread

All those just off the top of my head... mostly just pointing out things in our daily life and using it as a learning experience. If the kids aren't into it, I just keep strewing until they find something the like.

We'll see~! :)

This week I'm strewing...

2009-08-14T10:14:00.007-05:00

Craft ideas:

letter A into alligator,

Ants out of egg cartons,

paper airplanes

favorite animal: paperbag puppets

This weeks Songs:

I'm a Little Airplane
(Sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot")
I'm a little airplane (children raise arms from sides to shoulder height)
Watch me fly! (Spin one arm in front as if a propeller)
Here are my instruments
From down low to up high (With their other arm, they reach from the ground to above their heads)
First I get all revved up (Make engine-like noises while still spinning their arms)
Then I can fly (Raise arms to shoulder height)
Lifting off the runway (start walking forward)
Up into the sky! (Go up on their tiptoes and continue to move forward. Let them circle awhile before returning to their original positions.)

The ants go marching:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARfLaNJcpsw

Alligators and the Monkeys
5 little monkeys
Sitting in a tree
Teasing the alligator
"Can't catch me!"
Along came the alligator
Quiet as can be (whisper this part loudly)
SNAP!!! No more monkeys sitting in the tree! (snap your hands together and tickle the kids)

Nursery rhymes:

Hey Diddle Diddle!
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Hickory Dickory Dock

Also talking about the number 1 and squares...

Courtesy: www.letteroftheweek.com, www.childfun.com, http://www.dltk-teach.com/, http://www.kididdles.com/

Joy abundantly (7/31/09)

2009-07-31T21:24:00.002-05:00

I am so happy to say that today was a joy filled day. Not just because it was, but because I chose to see the joyful side of things today. After a day like yesterday when I was so sour, we all really needed it~!

After breakfast, I filled up the bathtub with sudsy water, the two girls put on their bathing suits and grabbed a couple of barbies and the barbie bathtub, and jumped in splashed, played, giggled, and got clean at the same time. :) Watching them so happy and carefree made my heart smile.

Next Isaiah grabbed the dry erase board and asked me to draw the locations for the ghostbusters: Pyramids of Giza and then next the Empire State building. Really he wanted those specific places. lol. Now I am not much of an artist, but I did my best and he filled in the ghostbusters and the ghosts. Can you guess who the ghostbusters were? Isaiah was the leader and Mike and I were his backup. We fought the battle of ghosts, and won~! :)

It was time for lunch then, so I made some warm lunch and we ate together, then we all watched a movie together, "The Pirates That Don't Do Anything" You know the veggie tales movie? sooo cute~!

After the movie we brought out the water paints for Anne and Bella and Isaiah and I worked on his field journal. I used pipe cleaners as the binder, and 2 sheets of construction paper for the cover, then loose leaf lined paper for the filler. To reinforce the holes I folded the construction paper over to double it (actually works perfectly to fit with the loose leaf paper) The only trimming I had to do was about an inch on either the top or bottom.

I'll take a picture of it, maybe even write a tutorial on how to make one.... if anyone's interested let me know.

I then moved on to clean out my bunny's cages, clean out the oven and under our gas range top (EWWW GROSS).

The kiddos were still enjoying their painting and drawing so I decided to go ahead and tackle the craft closet. If anyone has seen my craft closet you'll understand that it well... as I said on facebook yesterday, "... it looks like our scrap paper and a tornado had babies." lol~!

Surprisingly, Anne, my youngest precious one, came up and asked what I was doing. I explained that it was messy and that I knew it was hard to find things in there so I was going to try and reorganize it all to make it easier. She was amazed at the idea and jumped right in~!

Crayons go in this one, markers here, pencils here, erasers with the pencils, paper here, coloring books, construction paper, lined paper, wood pieces, pipe cleaners, pompoms, paint, painbrushes, scissors, hole punches, and glue.

Isabella jumped in for a few minutes but tired quickly. We stopped long enough to google how to draw a dragon's wing and to eat some dinner, but went right back to it afterwards.

I am the luckiest momma on earth. I love my babies with everything I am.

Cranky pants me (7/30/09)

2009-07-30T21:24:00.001-05:00

Today was a rough one. I don't know why but it was. We took a walk, played in the rain, splashed in puddles, looked for rollie pollies, painted, drew, snacked, didn't so much sleep, but we did rest, showered, snuggled, read, and then read some more.

Tonight while reflecting a bit I realized I was pretty, okay VERY, cranky and short today. So I went into the kids rooms and apologized for being so "not- myself."

Isaiah suggested that we make a goal list for tomorrow. His included wanting to make a field journal, drawing fictional creatures in it, drawing ghostbusters on the dry erase board with me, building enormous spaceships with the megablocks that transform into robots, and then brainstorming more about the 3 R's (reduce reuse recycle). [he wants to plan a reduce reuse recycle fair sometime soon]

When it was time for me to go talk to the girls I made sure and had a paper and marker handy to make their 'lists'.

Isabella wanted to take a bath in her bathing suit, and play in the bubbles, have her hair braided, go to the lake park and cook out smores, have me watch her trampoline tricks, and a few other things that I can't remember right now, but am too lazy to go look at the list ... lol

Anne's list included going ot the store to buy more lipgloss and a pink piggy bank (I dropped hers and broke it a few days ago ... oops~!) painting, making playdough, playing with the gaak, playing barbies with me, and writing her name.

I told each of them that we would try to do as many as we could tomorrow.

So now, off to bed, hopefully to wake up with a better attitude tomorrow.

Monday Madness

2009-07-20T09:03:00.003-05:00

Monday Madness begins again... for those of you who don't know... my mondays are my day of week for cleaning/ recovering from the weekend.

Anyhoo, on the agenda today is:

cleaning out the arts and crafts closet

reorganizing my clothes drawers and getting rid of clothes that I don't wear anymore

dusting fans and blinds

cleaning a/c vents

sweeping

mopping

Sounds like lots of fun right? muahahahahaha~!

Riiiight.

Annie Bug's Birthday Party

2009-07-18T20:08:00.002-05:00

Anne is 3~!

Today we had a wonderfully busy day. :)

We woke up and took Mike to work, then stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up a cake for Anne's birthday party. She picked out one that had pink, purple, green, and yellow polka dots with yellow icing.

Next we went to Ross to return some things and let her pick out her birthday gifts. She chose Hello Kitty lipgloss, and a paint your own porcelain tea set.

After our nap, we had both sets of my parents and 2 of my nieces come over to share our cake and homemade ice cream.

We had a wonderful time. :)

Ever wonder about those IM/texting abbreviations?

2009-07-17T11:20:00.001-05:00

Someone shared this with me and I thought I'd pass it along. Enjoy~!

Common Instant Messaging (IM) Abbreviations

A3 anytime, anywhere, anyplace
AAMOF as a matter of fact
ABFL a big fat lady
ABT about
ADN any day now
AFAIC as far as I'm concerned
AFAICT as far as I can tell
AFAICS as far as I can see
AFAIK as far as I know
AFAYC as far as you're concerned
AFK away from keyboard
AISI as I see it
AITR adult in the room
AIUI as I understand it
AKA also known as
AML all my love
ANFSCD and now for something completely different
ASAP as soon as possible
ASL age, gender, location
ASLA age, gender, location, availability
ATEOTD at the end of the day
ATM at this moment
AWA as well as
AWHFY are we having fun yet?
AWOL away without leave
AYOR at your own risk
AYPI and your point is?
AYV are you vertical?
B4 before
B4N bye for now
B8 jailbait (underage)
BAC back at computer
BAG busting a gut
BAK back at the keyboard
BBIAB be back in a bit
BBL be back later
BBS be back soon
BC be cool
B/C because
B/G background (personal info)
BCnU be seeing you
BEG big evil grin
BF best friend (meaning mostly)
BF boyfriend (meaning sometimes)
BFF best friends forever
BFN bye for now
BG big grin
BGWM be gentle with me
BIB boss is back
BIH Burn in Hell
BION believe it or not
BITMT but in the meantime
BM bite me
BMTA brilliant minds think alike
BKA better known as
BL belly laughing
BMB be my b****
BOL be on later
BO beat-o**
BOT back on topic
BRB be right back
BRBS be right back soon
BRH be right here
BS big smile
BS bull s***
BSF but seriously folks
BST but seriously though
BTA but then again
BTB big t***** bitch
BTAIM be that as it may
BTDT been there done that
BTOBD be there or be dead
BTOBS be there or be square
BTSOOM beats the f*** out of me
BTW by the way
BWDIK but what do I know
BYOB bring your own booze
B& Banned
C&G chuckle and grin
CDIWY couldn't do it without you
CD9 code 9 (parents are around)
CFS care for secret?
CFY calling for you
CID crying in disgrace
CLAB crying like a baby
CLM career limiting move
CMAP cover my a**, partner
CM@TW catch me at the web
CMIIW correct me if I'm wrong
CNP continue in next post
CO conference
CRAFT can't remember a f***ing thing
CRBT crying really big tears
CRS can't remember s***
CSG chuckle snicker grin
CTC care to chat?
CTM career terminating move
CTN can't talk now
CTS changing the subject
CU see you
CU2 see you too
CUL see you later
CUL8R see you later
CWOT complete waste of time
CWYL chat with you later
CYA see you later
CYA cover your a**
CYAL8R see you all later
CYE check your email
CYO see you online
DBA doing business as
DCed disconnected
DD designated driver
DH darling husband
DIIK darn if I know
DGARA don't give a rats ***
DIKU do I know you?
DIRTFT do it right the first time
DIY do it yourself
DL download
DL dead link
DLTBBB don't let the bed bugs bite
DMMGH don't make me get hostile
DQMOT don't quote me on this
DND do not disturb
DTRT do the right thing
DUCT did you see that?
DWAI don't worry about it
DWIM do what I mean
DWIMC do what I mean, correctly
DWISNWID do what I say, not what I do
DYJHIW don't you just hate it when...
DYK do you know
E ecstasy
EAK eating at keyboard
EIE enough is enough
EG evil grin
EMFBI excuse me for butting in
EMFJI excuse me for jumping in
EMSG email message
EOD end of discussion
EOF end of file
EOL end of lecture
EOM end of message
EOS end of story
EOT end of thread
EYC excitable, yet calm
F female
F2F face to face
F2T free to talk
FAQ frequently asked questions
FAWC for anyone who cares
FBOW for better or worse
FBTW fine, be that way
FCFS first come, first served
FCOL for crying out loud
FIFO first in, first out
FISH first in, still here
FOAD f*** off and die
FOAF friend of a friend
FOB b*** off b****
FOC free of charge
FOCL falling of chair laughing
FOFL falling on the floor laughing
FOS freedom of speech
FOTCL falling of the chair laughing
FTBOMH from the bottom of my heart
FTF face to face
FTTT from time to time
FU f***** up
FUBAR f***** up beyond all recognition
FUDFUCT fear, uncertainty and doubt
FUCT failed under continuous testing
FW freeware
FWIW for what it's worth
FYA for your amusement
FYEO for your eyes only
FYE for your entertainment
FYEO for your eyes only
FYI for your information
G grin
G2B going to bed
G&BIT grin & bear it
G2G got to go
G2GGS2D got to go get something to drink
G2GTAC got to go take a c***
G2GTAP got to go take a p**
GA go ahead
GA good afternoon
GAFIA get away from it all
GAL get a life
GAS greetings and salutations
GBH great big hug
GBH&K great big huh and kisses
GBR garbled beyond recovery
GBY god bless you
GD&H grinning, ducking and hiding
GD&R grinning, ducking and running
GE good evening
GF girlfriend
GFETE grinning from ear to ear
GFN gone for now
GFU good for you
GG good game
GIGO garbage in garbage out
GJ good job
GL good luck
GL&GH good luck and good hunting
GM good morning / good move / good match
GMAB give me a break
GMAO giggling my a** off
GMBO giggling my b*** off
GNBLFY got nothing but love for you
GMTA great minds think alike
GN good night
GNOC get naked on cam (webcam)
GOK god only knows
GOWI get on with it
GR8 great
GR&D grinning, running and ducking
GTFO get the f*** out
GtG got to go
GTSY glad to see you
H hug
H2CUS hope to see you soon
H8 Hate
H/O hold on
H&K hug and kiss
HAK hug and kiss
HAGD have a good day
HAGN have a good night
HAGS have a good summer
HAG1 have a good one
HAHA having a heart attack
HAND have a nice day
HB hug back
HB hurry back
HDYWTDT how do you work this darn thing
HF have fun
HH holding hands
HHIS hanging head in shame
HHJK ha ha, just kidding
HHOJ ha ha, only joking
HHOK ha ha, only kidding
HHOS ha ha, only seriously
HIH hope it helps
HIWTH hate it when that happens
HLM he loves me
HMS hanging myself
HMT here's my try
HMWK homework
HOAS hold on a second
HORU how old are you?
HSIK how should i know
HSWM have s** with me
HTH hope this helps
HTHBE hope this has been enlightening
HUB head up b***
HYLMS hate you like my sister
IAC in any case
IC I see
IAE in any event
IAG it's all good
IAG I am gay
IBN I'm buck naked
ICOCBW I could of course be wrong
IDC I don't care
IDGI I don't get it
IDGARA I don't give a rat's a**
IDGW in a good way
IDI I doubt it
IDK I don't know
IDTT I'll drink to that
IFVB I feel very bad
IGP I gotta p**
IGTP I get the point
IHTFP I hate this f***ing place
IHTFP I have truly found paradise
IHU I hate you
IHY I hate you
II I'm impressed
IIT I'm impressed too
IIR if I recall
IIRC if I recall correctly
IJWTK I just want to know
IJWTS I just want to say
IK I know
IKWUM I know what you mean
ILBCNU I'll be seeing you
ILBL8 I'll be late
ILU I love you
ILY I love you
ILYFAE I love you forever and ever
IM instant message
IMAO in my arrogant opinion
IMBO in my bloody opinion
IMCO in my considered opinion
IME in my experience
IMHO in my humble opinion
IMNSHO in my, not so humble opinion
IMO in my opinion
IMOBO in my own biased opinion
IMPOV in my point of view
IMP I might be pregnant
INPO in no particular order
IOMH in over my head
IOW in other words
IRL in real life
IRMFI I reply merely for information
IRSTBO it really sucks the big one
IS I'm sorry
ISTM it seems to me
ISTR I seem to recall
ISWYM I see what you mean
ITFA in the final analysis
ITRO in the reality of
ITRW in the real world
ITSFWI if the shoe fits, wear it
IVL in virtual live
IWALY I will always love you
IWBNI it would be nice if
IYKWIM if you know what I mean
IYSWIM if you see what I mean
JAM just a minute
JAS just a second
JASE just another system error
JIC just in case
JJA just joking around
JJWY just joking with you
JK just kidding
J/K just kidding
JMHO just my humble opinion
JMO just my opinion
JP just playing
J/P just playing
JTLYK just to let you know
JW just wondering
K OK
K kiss
KHYF know how you feel
KB kiss back
KISS keep it simple sister
KIS(S) keep it simple (stupid)
KISS keeping it sweetly simple
KIT keep in touch
KMA kiss my a**
KMB kiss my b***
KMSMA kiss my shiny metal a**
KOL kiss on lips
KOTC kiss on the cheek
KOTL kiss on the lips
KPC keeping parents clueless
KUTGW keep up the good work
KWIM know what I mean?
L laugh
L8R later
L8R G8R later gator
LAB life's a b****
LAM leave a message
LBR little boys room
LD long distance
LG lovely greetings
LGBNAF let's get butt nkd and f***
LGH let's get high
LGR little girls room
LHM Lord help me
LHU Lord help us
LL&P live long & prosper
LNK love and kisses
LMA leave me alone
LMAO laughing my a** off
LMHO laughing my head off
LMIRL let's meet in real life
LMFAO laughing my fat a** off
LMK let me know
LOL laughing out loud (meaning most often)
LOL lots of love (meaning sometimes)
LOL lots of luck (meaning sometimes)
LOLA laughing out loud again
LOLO lots of love
LOML love of my life
LOMLILY love of my life, I love you
LOOL laughing out outrageously loud
LSHIPMP laughing so hard I p*** my pants
LSHMBB laughing so hard my belly is bouncing
LSHMBH laughing so hard my belly hurts
LTNS long time no see
LTR long term relationship
LTS laughing to self
LULAS love you like a sister
LUWAMH love you with all my heart
LY love ya
LYK let you know
LYL love ya lots
LYLAB love ya like a brother
LYLAS love ya like a sister
M male
MB maybe
MBO laughing my b*** off
MILF mother I'd like to f***
MIRL meet in real life
MOOS member of opposite gender
MorF male or female
MOS mom over shoulder
MUSM miss you so much
MYOB mind your own business
MWBRL More Will Be Revealed Later
M8 mate
N in
N2M not too much
N/C not cool
NALOPKT not a lot of people know that
NC no comment
NE1 anyone
NETUA nobody ever tells us anything
NFI no f***ing idea
NIFOC naked In front Of computer
NL not likely
NM never mind
NM nothing much
NMH not much here
NMJC nothing much, just chillin'
NMU - not much, and you?
NOM no offense meant
NOOB newbie
NOTTOMH not of the top of my mind
NOYB none of your business
NOYFB none of your f***ing business
NP no problem
NRN no response necessary
NTA non-technical acronym
N/S no s***?
NVM never mind
NTN no thanks needed
OBTW oh, by the way
OIC oh, I see
OF on fire
OFIS on floor with stitches
OL old lady (wife, girlfriend)
OLL on-line love
OM old man (husband, boyfriend)
OMG oh my gosh
OOC out of character
OT Off topic
OTOH on the other hand
OTP on the phone
OTTOMH off the top of my head
P911 parents coming into room
PAW parents are watching
PCM please call me
PDA public display of affection
PDS please don't shoot
PDOMA pulled directly out of my a**
PHAT pretty hot and tempting
PIR people in room
PLZ please
PM private message
PMFJI pardon me for jumping in
PMP p*** my pants
POAHF put on a happy face
POOF I have left the chat
POTB pats on the back
POS parents over shoulder
POTS parents over the shoulder (can't really talk)
PPL people
PRON p****graphy
PRT party
PRW parents are watching
PSA public show of affection
PSOS parent standing over shoulder
PUA pick up artist
Q4U question for you
QSL reply
QSO conversation
QT cutie
RCed reconnected
ROFL rolling on floor laughing
ROFLMAO rolling on floor laughing my a** off
ROTFL rolling on the floor laughing
RTF read the FAQ
RTFM read the f***ing manual!
RTM read the manual
RTSM read the stupid manual
RUOK are you okay?
RUMOF are you male or female
RUTTM are you talking to me
RUUP4IT are you up for it?
RVD really very dumb
S2R send to receive (pics)
SAGPL - seen any good p*** lately?
SAMAGAL stop annoying me and get a live
SCNR sorry, could not resist
SETE smiling ear to ear
SH so hot
SH same here
SHICPMP so happy I could pee my pants
SHID slaps head in disgust
SHMILY see how much I love you
SN screen name
SNAFU situation normal, all f***** up
SO significant other
SOHF sense of humor failure
SOL sooner or later
SOMY sick of me yet?
SOWN someone with me
SOS sibling over shoulder
SPST same place, same time
SRY sorry
STBY sucks to be you
STFU shut the f*** up
STW search the web
sugarpic Suggestive or erotic picture of self
SUL see you later
sup what's up?
SWAK sealed with a kiss
SWALK sweet, with all love, kisses
SWL screaming with laughter
SIM sh*t, it's Monday
SITWB sorry, in the wrong box
S/U shut up
SYS see you soon
TA thanks again
TAW teachers are watching
TC take care
TCO taken care of
TDTM talk dirty to me
TGIF thank god it's Friday
THTH too hot to handle
THX thanks
TIA thanks in advance
TIIC the idiots in charge
TJM that's just me
TLA three-letter acronym
TMA take my advice
TMI too much information
TMS too much showing
TNSTAAFL there's no such thing as a free lunch
TNX thanks
TOH to other half
TOY thinking of you
TPTB the powers that be
TSDMC tears streaming down my cheeks
TSTB the sooner, the better
TT2T too tired to talk
TTFN ta ta for now
TTT thought that, too
TTUL talk to you later
TTYIAM talk to you in a minute
TTYL talk to you later
TTYLMF talk to you later my friend
TU thank you
TWMA till we meet again
TX thanx
txt text
TY thank you
TYVM thank you very much
U2 you too
UAPITA you're a pain in the a**
UDI unidentified drinking injury
UFN until further notice
UMFRIEND intimate partner
UR your
URH you are hot
UW you're welcome
URAQT! you are a cutie!
UV unpleasant visual
VBG very big grin
VBS very big smile
VM voicemail
W8 wait
W8AM wait a minute
w/ with
W/E whatever
W/END weekend
WAN2TLK want to talk?
Warez pirated software
WAY what about you
WAY who are you
WB welcome back
WB write back
WBS write back soon
WDHLM why doesn't he love me
WDYWTTA What Do You Want To Talk About
WE whatever
WFM works for me
WNDITWB we never did it this way before
WP wrong person
WRT with respect to
WSP watching some p***
WTF what/who the f***?
WTG way to go
WTGP want to go private?
WTH what/who the heck?
WTMI way too much information
WU what's up?
WUD what's up dog?
WUF where are you from?
WUWT what's up with that
WYCM will you call me?
WYMM will you marry me?
WYRN What’s Your Real Name?
WYSIWYG what you see is what you get
X kiss
XOXO hugs and kisses
Y why?
Y yawning
Y2K you're too kind
YATB you are the best
YBS you'll be sorry
YF wife
YG young gentleman
YGM you got mail
YKYWTKM you know you want to kiss me
YL young lady
YL you will live
YM you mean
YM young man
YMMD you've made my day
YMMV your mileage may vary
YVM you're very welcome
YW you're welcome
YWIA you're welcome in advance
YWTHM you want to hug me
YWTLM you want to love me
YWTKM you want to kiss me
YOYO you're on your own
YY4U two wise for you
ZOT zero tolerance
ZZZ sleeping, bored, tired

More IM Abbreviations

! I have a comment
? I have a question
? huh?
?4U question for you
@TEOTD at the end of the day
^5 high Five
^RUP^ read up please
^URS up yours
<3 heart
=w= whatever
*G* giggle or grin
*H* hug
*K* kiss
*S* smile
*T* tickle
*W* wink
02 your (or my) two cents worth
1174 nude club
121 one-to-one (chat privately)
1337 elite
143 I love you
14AA41 one for all and all for one
182 I hate you
19 0 hand
20 location
2B or not 2B to be or not to be
2G2BT too good to be true
2MFM too much for me
2moro tomorrow
2nite tonight
2U2 to you too
404 I haven't a clue
411 information
420 let's get high
459 I love you
4AYN for all you know
4COL for crying out loud
4EAE forever and ever
4ever forever
4NR foreigner
4Q f*** you
4U for you
5 wait a sec, parent in room
53x s**
55 coast is clear
555 crying
55555 crying eyes out
8 oral
831 I love you
86 out of, over, to get rid of, or kicked out
9 parent is watching
99 parent is no longer watching

Being a lake

2009-07-11T06:48:00.000-05:00

The old Master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it. "How does it taste?" the Master asked."Awful," spat the apprentice.The Master chuckled and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and when the apprentice swirled his handful of salt into the lake, the old man said, "Now drink from the lake."As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the Master asked, "How does it taste?" "Good!" remarked the apprentice. "Do you taste the salt?" asked the Master. "No," said the young man.The Master sat beside this troubled young man, took his hands, and said,"The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount we taste the 'pain' depends on the container we put it into.So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things ..... Stop being a glass. Become a lake!"

Just Play

2009-07-11T06:46:00.001-05:00

"When I'm building in the block room,
Please don't say I'm "Just playing."
For, you see, I'm learning as I play,
About balance, I may be an architect someday.

When I'm getting all dressed up,
Setting the table, caring for the babies,
Don't get the idea I'm "Just Playing."
I may be a mother or a father someday.

When you see me up to my elbows in paint,
Or standing at an easel, or molding and shaping clay,
Please don't let me hear you say, "He is Just Playing."
For, you see, I'm learning as I play.
I just might be a teacher someday.

When you see me engrossed in a puzzle
Or some "playing" at my school,
Please don't feel the time is wasted in "play."
For you see, I'm learning as I play.
I'm learning to solve problems and concentrate.
I may be in business someday.

When you see me cooking or tasting foods,
Please don't think that because I enjoy it, it is "Just Play."
I'm learning to follow directions and see the differences.
I may be a cook someday.

When you see me learning to skip, hop, run, and move my body,
Please don't say I'm "Just Playing."
For, you see, I'm learning as I play.
I'm learning how my body works.
I may be a doctor, nurse, or athlete someday.

When you ask me what I've done at school today,
And I say, "I just played."
Please don't misunderstand me.
For, you see, I'm learning as I play.
I'm learning to enjoy and be successful in my work.
I'm preparing for tomorrow.
Today, I am a child and my work is play."

It's been almost a month...

2009-07-10T16:58:00.002-05:00

Sorry about the inactivity on here, we've been dealing with some sick babies and just taking care of business around here.

Getting ready to start our next year's curriculum, with a 3 year old, 5 year old, and an almost 7 year old.

pre k stuff for Annie bug, very relaxed nothing major

Kindergarten stuff for Bella, should be interesting

Isaiah starting into 2nd grade... it's gone by so fast~!

Anne's birthday is coming up next weekend. So we are making preparations for that. Not sure what we'll have the money for, but hopefully it'll be something special.

hopefully I'll update again soon~!

Computer's FIXED~!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-06-13T12:39:00.002-05:00

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY~!!!!!!!!!

*doing the happy dance*

Thanks Billy Sullivan for all of your patience trying to figure out the problems~!

How could it be that 10 years has passed so quickly?

2009-06-09T11:35:00.014-05:00

This weekend was my 10 year high school reunion.

I got to see lots of friends that I haven't seen in ages, maybe since graduation night. Thank goodness for myspace/facebook... I'd been able to reconnect with a lot of people over the last 2 or 3 years just using those tools.

Thanks to Andrea, Emily and Heather for the pictures~!

The Wormy Dog Saloon

Lions Park on Saturday for the family

Smaller family

2009-06-04T11:32:00.002-05:00

So the girls moved in with my mom last week. The guardianship hearing the week before went off without a hitch.

I'm still trying to process how I feel about them not being here. I miss them, yet we've (mike, the kids and I) have had tons of family time since.

I'm working through feeling guilty for being happy or more relaxed or more peaceful or whatever this feeling is.

God has really helped me realize what patience really is through this process.

I can't believe that it was almost a whole year that the girls lived with us.

Computer problems, OH MY~!

2009-05-25T12:33:00.001-05:00

My new awesome computer has been invaded by a horrible virus~!

I'm on our back up oldie right now... btw, microsoft millenium edition.... SUCKS~!

Anyhoo, we can't use our magic jack on here b/c it's not compatible, but feel free to email/myspace/facebook message me.

Should be back on soon...

Earrings....

2009-05-12T09:11:00.007-05:00

SOooooooo yesterday the kids were super helpful... all of them. We got everything accomplished, except for the organizing of the drawers... which we will do today.

Jaidyn has been ready to get her earrings for a while now, really ever since we got home from going to get hers and Bella's ears pierced for their birthday... she had changed her mind at the last minute.

Anne's been asking also... now she's only 2, but I swear she can really tell you what she wants and understands when you are explaining something to her.

About 6 months ago when the 3 younger girls started expressing an interest in real earrings, not just dress up ones.

We went to the mall and watched a few girls get their ears pierced, watched them pick out their earrings, have their ear lobes cleaned and then marked with a dot, then the actual piercing... the tears afterwards, and then the big smiles when they saw the final results.

We went home and talked about it.

As time went by they all decided that yes, that is what I want to do.

Now Wal-Mart has the manual guns, I actually opted for that instead of the clicking gun at the mall. I really wished I had been able to take them to 23rd st body piercing instead, but I wasn't sure how they would react to such an environment. All the tattoos and multiple body piercings... I don't think they've ever really been exposed to that kind of culture.

( I feel a new blog coming on that subject. )

Anyhoo... manual guns.

I asked the girls what they wanted their chores to count towards, and Anne asked, "Can I get my ears pierced?"

I thought, sure, we are fully informed, why not today?

So I called up to wal-mart to see if they had 2 people on duty, they said not until 7pm. So I informed the girls that we'd be going at 7pm.

We were all excited~!!!

So I had all 4 girls come with me, the sister's for moral support. They'd both had their ears pierced before. They were the designated hand holders, and I was the lap that they'd sit on and the hugger for afterwards.

Then the plan was to get our own package of gum and a movie for the whole family.

So we did it, Anne first, 2 piercers, wash, mark, pierce, cry, show mirror, big smiles, and no more tears.

I couldn't believe it~!

Jaidyn next, some tears, wash, mark, pierce, cry, show mirror, big smiles, no more tears...

REALLY~!?

It worked~!!! They are so happy~!!!

I love them, every one of them~!

Monday Madness

2009-05-11T11:21:00.003-05:00

Cleaning Day List~!

Wash bedding
clean out bunny's cage
dishes
laundry
dusting
reorganizing kids clothes drawers

Wish me luck~!

My memories this Mother's Day

2009-05-10T13:57:00.004-05:00

I asked the kiddos to draw themselves doing their favorite thing.

Then tell me a story about the picture.

Brayley drew herself painting outside with her sister close by.
Isaiah drew himself with Papi and a tornado, that picked Papi up but he used his 'super cyclone powers' to save Papi~! (AWE~!)
Isabella drew her Grandma outside under the sun
Jaidyn drew herself, with her mom and her sister raising their hands up to catch raindrops
Annie bug had some delightful scribbles~! :)

Keep in your folders, but you can draw a new one for who ever you'd like to mail it to.
Isaiah drew t-rex and volcano for me
Brayley made a happy mother's day card for me. (awe~!)
Bella made another same picture for Grandma
Jaidyn and Anne aren't quite done with theirs yet they said.

I ended up going out during naptime to do some shopping. I got some curtains and some other random things for the house. I stopped and got a starbucks toffee white chocolate mocha.... YUMMMMMMMY~!

By the time I got home, Mike had gotten the whole yard done and had almost finished with cooking dinner. Steaks, chicken, lil smokies, salad, potato salad and biscuits~! YUMMO~!!!
We all ended up pigging out and then SNOOOOOOOOOOZE~!

Great day~!

Happy Mother's Day~!

2009-05-10T13:41:00.001-05:00

I hope all you mommies out there have wonderfully memorable Mother's Day this year~!

I'd love to hear about your perfect days, or how this day has been made special for you.

I'll come back and write mine at the end of the day. :)

Sending out tons of love and positive thoughts~!!!

~Missy

Math on a Saturday

2009-05-09T12:29:00.004-05:00

We used this website as our manipulatives for the basic understanding of carrying the one addition today.

It all started when Isaiah asked me how much 99 plus 88 was... kind of a hard question to start with but we worked back up to it. :)

I think we are just about done with Math for the 1st grade~! Time for REVIEW~!!! :) YAY~!!!

I'm a quitter

2009-05-08T23:08:00.004-05:00

I quit my job today...

I just stayed home and enjoyed my husband's company.

There are several reasons:

I hated it
too much drama
it was DIRTY
I couldn't sleep
I didn't sleep
I needed to be awake for the kids
I hated not being home at the same time as my husband
opposite shifts SUCK

I just didn't call or go in. I've never done that before and I feel horrible about it.

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKKK

2009-05-07T11:06:00.005-05:00

I made some Gak for the kiddos today. It's one part Elmer's School (has to be elmer's) glue and one part liquid starch. I added several drops of green food coloring to the glue. The kids LOVED IT~!

WARNING: This WILL NOT COME OUT OF CLOTHES~!!!!

Anne especially loved it ... she put it in her hair ... twice...

The first time she had made a necklace, so it was only a strip across her hair in the back.

I had to soak her in the bathtub soaking her hair for almost 45 min the 2nd time, b/c she had just plopped the whole bucket on TOP of her head~!!!!

Perpective

2009-05-05T11:31:00.005-05:00

You know the bunny that we just brought home? He was going to be a show bunny. His former owner breeds lop-eared bunnies for competition. The more beautiful, the bigger, the more colorful, whatever the criterion ... Somehow, Coco didn't meet the standards. There's one finger nail that is black instead of white like the rest of his brothers and sisters. The former owner had no use for him anymore. His plan was to euthanize him.

Can you imagine? One little speck of impurity leading to death?

It reminds me a lot of how much God loves me. There was so much sin in the world. There is so much sin in me. That He sent His son, Jesus, to live among us to show us by example how to live, never having one impure thought, always having patience and love. Then for him to be falsely accused and crucified... as the last sacrifice or atonement for my sins?

How merciful and selfless and generous is my God. How can I even start to comprehend that kind of love for me as an undeserving speck of existence?

How I long to open my heart to that kind of love. How I want to touch my children's lives with that same unconditional love. I want them to be secure in my love for them and have confidence to look for the best in the world.

^{John 3:16-18}For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

The newest addition to our family

2009-05-05T09:52:00.012-05:00

Hello to all my blog followers~!

Yesterday, while looking on Freecycle a yahoo group I am a member of, I noticed an offer of a lop- eared bunny. Check it out if you want, it's a local yahoo group that advertises needs or offers of everything from tools, housewares, cars, beds, plants, to pets... just about anything you can think of~!

I instantly thought, that this was an answer to our prayers~! We'd been waiting for Anne to get a little older to get a pet, b/c Anne's so frightened of animals. lol. Hopefully no one will be allergic to him like the kitties, He can be litter trained, (YAY) so we can keep him inside.

The kids have been asking for a pet, a dog, a cat, a fish, a bird, an alligator... SOMETHING~! lol. So, I respond to the offer and ask a few questions like how old he is and if he had a name. I got a response and was informed that he's 2 years old and that he had no name. So I called Mike at work and asked if he wanted to go get our new pet. He of course said absolutely yes~! I love my husband~! He always understands me. :)

So after dinner we ask the kiddos to sit up on the couch for a surprise...

Don't mind them all being in their jammies.... :P

Mike brought the bunny inside his cage inside from the van, and it was the best surprise ever~!

We'd been waiting for Anne to get a little older to get a pet, b/c Anne's so frightened of animals. lol. Hopefully no one will be allergic to him like the kitties, He can be litter trained, (YAY) so we can keep him inside.

So without further adieu... Introducing Coco Bunny.

(Pardon the laundry pile in the back... I promise it's clean~!)

Hitting Hitting Hitting~!!!!!!!! ARGH~!!!

2009-05-04T12:13:00.004-05:00

So, we've been having some issues. Jaidyn is really struggling with her emotions right now. She's having a hard time forming and using her words. Instead she's been acting out violently.

I really don't understand.

We are big 'use your words' fans.

I.E. I know that you are feeling angry right now because she took the toy you wanted to play with. I am sorry you are feeling that way. It still isn't okay to hit, bite, punch or kick your friends.

We set examples on what words are important especially when you are feeling mad. We let them know it's okay to get mad, just not okay to hit etc.

We even roll play and problem solve so that in a controlled environment they would know what to say.

Jaidyn is having an especially hard time with the whole use your words thing. Now I am realistic, I understand that hitting may happen, and using your words isn't always going to happen, but if there's a basic understanding of the concept then there should be some sort of try... somewhere... right?

Anyone got any advice?

Our Journey

Things I'm thankful for

Just found a new blogging app

November Chill

November Update

The Only Constant in Life is Change

Conversations with my 4 year old

10 things that make me happy

Just Between Friends Sale OKC

State Fair Park~Cox Pavilion Building~333 Gordon CooperOklahoma City, OK 73107

Sale Dates and TimesSpring 2011

Election Day~!

Unschooling is....

Not back to school~! Wahoo~!

Weekend with my nieces.

I'm That kind of Mom.

Wonderful

Anne Elise is 4~!

Five years ago today

So now... almost summer time

Isabella's nightmare

A new phase of our life

I absolutely love this~!

MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2010

The Public School Parents' Guide to Homeschool Parents

Lunch Bomb

Scaredy cat

Oh boy, 3 months and no posts?

Santa Jaws (for all the dinosaur lovers out there~! Thanks Christy for sharing~!)

2010 Handbook. Thanks Daddy. :)

Why do you?

A little friendly competition... anyone up for it~!?

Big Announcement~!

Observations of a beautiful fall day

Conversations with my son

interesting day

Conversations with a 3 year old

King of the Wild Things

Great way to earn FREE money/ gift cards.

Conversations with my son

October is

:: From REactive to PROactive :: THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle

Organic Co-op Information

This week I am strewing...

Reflections, Music, and Food

PS Click on this ~>Paleontologist <~ AWESOME music video. Isaiah said, "It was so funny. I couldn't stop laughing."

Dinosaur Train and the School Speech

:: Truth Is Overrated :: THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle

Tuesday and Wednesday

Monday Labor Day/ Arts Festival

this week I'm strewing

Weekend fun times

What we did Thursday

Today is the day we celebrate 7 years ago...

Isaiah's birthday trip to the zoo

From strewing to obsessing...

Just had to share... :: Unconditional Presence: The Oak Tree :: Scott Noelle ~The Daily Groove

This week I am strewing...

This week I'm strewing...

Joy abundantly (7/31/09)

Cranky pants me (7/30/09)

Monday Madness

Annie Bug's Birthday Party

Ever wonder about those IM/texting abbreviations?

Being a lake

Just Play

It's been almost a month...

Computer's FIXED~!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How could it be that 10 years has passed so quickly?

Smaller family

Computer problems, OH MY~!

Earrings....

Monday Madness

My memories this Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day~!

Math on a Saturday

I'm a quitter

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKKK

Perpective

The newest addition to our family

State Fair Park
~Cox Pavilion Building~
333 Gordon Cooper
Oklahoma City, OK 73107

Sale Dates and Times
Spring 2011