Wednesday, November 30, 2005

We're a Peg Short...

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Monday, November 28, 2005

Ok, So We're a Little Counter Cultural...

Today in the grocery store, Isaac (who will be six in a few weeks) saw a picture of Santa Claus and asked who he was. In the van I asked him what Santa does, and he hadn't the foggiest notion. I thought it was kind of funny. He has heard of Santa, we have some Christmas books with Santa, he must of just forgot about him since last year.

We don't villify Santa. We neither go out of our way to include or exclude Santa as a part of Christmas. We just try to focus on what Christmas means to us as Christians.

I suppose some of you might be thinking our kids are being deprived of a special part of the holiday but we haven't found Christmas to be any less special sans Santa.

Friday, November 25, 2005

Coming Attractions...

A little Holiday preview to get you in the Christmas spirit! Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

A Thanksgiving Poem

Last year I wrote a Thanksgiving poem for my boys. I decided to write another this year. Its cheesy I know, but fun!


2005

God changed the score
from three boys to four.

Its a promotion we gladly excepted,
with hope that more can be expected.

Homeschooling has started,
some knowlege -hopefully- imparted.

Vocabularies expanded as they should
(a few naughty words along with the good).

Endless exploring, messes, mistakes, curiosity flowing.
All evidence of four boys appropriately growing.

Tummys were filled, stories were read
both little bodies and minds always fed.

Bike pedaling has been learned,
money for baby teeth earned.

More asthma has been added to our list of ails
though overall in our home, good health prevails

A little bit of bitter along with a whole lot of sweet,
the whole range of flavor makes a year complete

All in all, our Thanksgiving abounds
for our incredible family, all 450 pounds.

School Days...

This is a meme I got from Jamie's blog.

Kindergarten - I remember being proud of my first report card, all "Satisfactorys". My dad says the first day he dropped me off at school he watched my cousin Mark hold a door open for me, but independent little me went and opened another door for myself.

1st grade - I did not like my teacher one bit. I remember reading 100 books to earn my "I read 100 books" t-shirt. All in all, I don't have many fond memories of 1st grade.

2nd Grade - I remember another girl accused me of taking one of her markers and I told her "Anyways, Jesus knows I didn't take it!" :D I remember our teacher would hold mock trials when kids got in trouble. I think this was the year I was in 4-H.

3rd Grade - This was my favorite year! Our teacher was awesome. He used to read from a book of Abraham Lincoln qoutes every morning. He would also read us books like James and the Giant Peach and Witches by Ronald Dahl. Our class was responsible for raising and lowering the flag every day. I remember learning about ecomonics already . We sold M&M's to raise money to go to Marquette for a night which even included a steak dinner. I remember a boy in my class got sprayed by a skunk on his way to school.

4th Grade - I remember doing a report about Wisconsin. I remember being threatened by a girl twice my size, can't remember what for. I remember going to Pizza Hut for our Book It! pizza party at the end of the year.

5th Grade - Another fun year. I remember a lot of passing notes with my friends. Lots of sleepovers. I remember my teacher reading Call it Courage aloud to us. (Note to teachers: see how memorable reading to your class is?). I remember playing soccer at almost every recess. This is the year I went to AWANA at my friend's church. I earned a little trophy one month for being "clubber of the month" or something. I also remember the presidential elections. Our school was right next to a polling station. Me and one friend spelled out "BUSH" by walking in the snow. My other friend tried to spell "DUKAKIS" but didn't finish before recess was over.

6th Grade - This was the year that started late because of a teacher's strike. I remember one of my very best friends moved away. Like Jamie, I remember going to sixth grade camp.

7th Grade - I loved my science class. I remember trying out for cheerleading and not making it, LOL they probably couldn't even hear me. I think I spent most of 7th grade with my nose in a book.

8th Grade - I remember getting buddy pictures with Risa and another friend. Science class was basically social hour. Me and Risa were very into Anne of Green Gables that year, we discussed those books endlessly.

9th Grade - I remember a lot of Duke and a lot of Bobby Hurley (I'm sure Kim remembers this phase!). One of our teachers used to have quizzes every friday based on that week's news. I always knew the answers to the college basketball questions. Sad to say, thats about all I remember of ninth grade. A blur of college basketball.

10th Grade - Another awesome year. This is the year that a certain somebody caught my attention when he made the varsity basketball team as a freshman (I guess I just had a thing for basketball players :D) 13 years ago this month Jeremiah and I started going steady. This was also the year I took Spanish via satellite. SO much fun. This is also the year that I took Child development and had to carry around a "flour sack baby" for three days. I named my Charlotte Miranda. My love for sewing started this year when I took clothing and textiles. I'm so glad I took that class.

11th Grade - I worked at a grocery store this year. Jeremiah and I went to my jr. prom (something I decided was WAY overrated and opted not to go to my senior prom). I remember my English Literature class read the play "Our Town" out loud, and I read the part of Emily. I remember being with my friend when she hit a deer the VERY DAY she got her license. She was giving me a ride home and of course we were taking the long way. I was a camp counselor for the sixth grade camp.

12th Grade - I was a teacher's aide for 1st grade. I used to read them stories every day and correct their little worksheets. I noticed certain things working with first graders, and thats actually when the first thoughts of homeschooling started. I also helped with Kindergarten screening for the next years kindergarten class. I got to screen my own little sister. I made the National Honors Society. Risa and I started a Bible club at school. I really enjoyed, and did well in my Creative Writing class. Again, I was a camp counselor for sixth grade camp. Jeremiah and I were lab partners in Anatomy and Physiology (my favorite class EVER). I've never let him forget that I did better :D

This was fun! I hope to see it on other blogs.

Monday, November 21, 2005

Cooking - The Last Frontier

I have the baking, the child-rearing, the sewing, the finances, the cleaning (sometimes) down. Now its time to tackle the cooking. I'm trying to cook something new and different at least once a week. Its not as easy as it sounds.

First of all, I am not a risk taker. I hate the thought of putting all that time, effort and money into something that my family might not even like. Its easier to go with something "safe" that I know they will eat.

Second, I am not a meal-oriented person. I am a grazer. If I lived by myself I would not prepare meals. I would eat a handful of grapes here, a few crackers with peanut butter there ect. Its quite common for me to cook a meal for the boys and not even fix a plate for myself. There is nothing wrong with grazing, in fact some studies even show its better for your blood sugar. However, I like the "family meal" feeling. I grew up eating home cooked meals around the table with my family (sometimes even breakfast), and I think thats valuable.

Third, I do not like meat. I just don't. I would be fine never touching meat. Ever. However, I live with four carnivores, and I'm sure Jonah will be too. Also, with Sammy's limited diet, meat is one of the few ways for him to get fat.

Its time for me to get past that stuff and cook. I've already tried several new recipes in the past few weeks, and it wasn't that bad.

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Brotherly Love

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Friday, November 18, 2005

Two more blurbs...

First, my lil sis has finally been updating her blog again! Check out her 20 random things.

Second, I read about this in the Reader's Digest and had to look it up. I'm wondering if it would be proper etiquette to watch one in the cemetary if you had not known the person.
Once boys reach a certain age its pretty much impossible to get a normal smile. Posted by Picasa

Sweetness

None of the other boys ever sucked their fingers or thumbs. I think it is so adorable when Jonah sucks his two fingers, I have taken about a dozen pictures of him doing it. I know it might not be so cute when he is older and we can't get him to stop, but for now I love it. Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

20 Random Things....

Jamie tagged me for this.

1. Some days I still can't believe I have four kids, not to mention four boys!
2. Having four kids is not really what I envisioned - its even better!
3. Ever hear of NAK? Nursing at keyboard. Thats me, all the time.
4. I've had my nose in a book since 4th grade.
5. I stopped watching ER this year after six years. I guess Carter leaving was the last straw.
6. I no longer have a "can't miss" t.v show.
7. I check out more library books than I have time to read. It drives Jeremiah crazy.
8. I dress the boys up for no good reason. More than once somebody asked "oh, did they just get pictures?"
9. I can't wait for "Family Ties" to come out on DVD.
10. Once in my college advanced writing class we had to read a chapter out of a book we like. I chose a chapter out of Max Lucado's Six Hours One Friday.
11. In that same class I wrote papers about breastfeeding, gambling, population myths and -if I remember correctly- one about marriage.
12. My earliest memory is getting poked in the finger to check my iron level, somewhere around two years old.
13. I'm having friends over for Pina Coladas (non alcoholic) this week.
14. I made six batches of whole wheat pizza dough to freeze yesterday (hey, its 20 random things not exciting things.)
15. It took two years of sewing before I made something I could actually wear.
16. I bought Spongebob Squarpants socks just to see the boy's reaction when I wore them. Their reactions were worth the $2.00.
17. I recently bought gray dress slacks, but decided they looked like man pants so I returned them.
18. I recently bought a sweater, than decided I paid too much, so I returned it.
19. I'm watching 19 items on "My Ebay". All boy clothes.
20. I haven't started Christmas shopping yet.

Whew! I managed to make this list without including anything from my "100 things about me" list.

I tag Melissa, Genevieve, Sandy & anybody else who wants to!

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Growing Kids Gary Ezzo's Way...

Today in church Jeremiah got cornered about taking the new Growing Kids God's Way class that is starting. He tried to tactfully decline, but eventually had to just come out and say we don't agree with GKGW. Why don't we do GKGW? Click here to find out why.

The thing that bothers me the most is the title: Growing Kids God's Way. As if you are displeasing God if you don't follow this method developed by a man.

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Had to add a pic...

After my previous wordy post I felt like my picture/text ratio was out of balance.

This pic is from the other night. While Jeremiah was holding him, Jonah had to turn around every few moments to make sure mommy (aka food supply) was still nearby :D Posted by Picasa

Responding to a Comment...

I have been meaning to respond to this comment from Nick regarding a previous post.

great blog, question on homeschooling tho, do you think your children will be at a disadvantage in not having mixed with other children, and do you think there will be any conflict when they are older about things that as a mother u do not want them to know, but as a teacher u want them to know to be informed young adults?

Its a large assumption to say that because our boys don't attend school that they don't mix with other children. The fact is that they do mix with other children all the time. I think I stated before that our boys spend an average of 8-12 hours a week with other kids in various activities. By homeschooling do we have more control over the children that our kids mix with? Absolutely.
1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: bad company corrupts good morals.
As parents we are responsible for instilling morals, which in turn means having some say over who our children spend time with. This doesn't mean I would ever tell my child they couldn't associate/talk to/play with another child. Just that I might want to be nearby to supervise.

Secondly, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that I don't want my children to "know" or learn about. Sure there are things that might be uncomfortable to teach, and things that I might tell them to ask their dad (they are boys afterall) but there is no information that I wish to withhold from them. I just want them to learn to find, and if necessary dig for, the truth and not accept something just because an adult, a teacher, a newspaper ect. says its so.

Thanks for visiting my blog Nick, I hope that answered your questions.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Oh My!

From my cousin Sandy's blog:

And finally... I had a dream last night that my cousin Amie had a baby. It was a girl, and she was 11 pounds 5 ounces. (That's even big for our family, where several babies have topped 10 pounds.) And, what did they name this dream baby? Hope Tartan.

I don't know if I should be hoping that Sandy is or isn't a prophetess.

Sunday, November 06, 2005

Your Rental Baby is Now Due Back...

On Friday I met Melissa's sister at the hospital so we could watch each other's kids in the waiting room while the other went to see the baby. As we pulled into the hospital parking lot, Elijah asked "do we have to give Jonah back?"

Friday, November 04, 2005

With Permission from Her Proud Mom...

and with deep joy and honor I get to introduce Grace Anne. She was born today at 11:03 a.m., weighing 8 lbs, 8 ounces and was 20 inches long to Melissa and Dan. What a beauty! Posted by Picasa

About Time...

Anybody keeping tabs on Melissa will be excited to know she was admitted to the hospital in labor at 6:00 a.m. Now i'm anxiously awaiting the next phone call!

Thursday, November 03, 2005

West Coast Parents Beware

Yesterday the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals handed down this ruling:

We agree [with the previous ruling], and hold that there is no fundamental right of parents to be the exclusive provider of information regarding sexual matters to their children, either independent of their right to direct the upbringing and education of their children or encompassed by it. We also hold that parents have no due process or privacy right to override the determinations of public schools as to the information to which their children will be exposed while enrolled as students. Finally, we hold that the defendants' actions were rationally related to a legitimate state purpose.

Check out this article to see the survey the state gave to elementary aged students. When six parents sued over it, the above ruling is what came down.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Pumpkin Bread

If your looking for a yummy fall treat, this pumpkin bread is delicious! The boys helped me make it this morning. The recipe makes three loaves. We will be bringing one to a friend who just had a baby, and another to our favorite librarian.

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

I Heart Magazines

Know what I love? Those "1 2 3 dinner" recipes in the back of Woman's Day magazine. Not being much of a cook I usually skim quickly over the recipes in magazines because they always look fancy. In the last issue the 1 2 3 recipe caught my eye and soon I was digging around for older issues to find them. They are the kind of recipes i'm always searching for, few ingredients (3!) and they are things you most likely have in your cupboard already.

I recently subscribed to Family Fun. I was reading this in the library and after finding two things to copy in the first ten pages I figured I mine as well shell out the $10 for a subscription. Afterall, those copies cost 10 cents a page.

I also just ordered a subscription to Health magazine thru a school fundraiser. I can't wait to start getting it.

Thanks to my Aunt I get Good Housekeeping (also the aforementioned Woman's Day) which I love because of the variety of subjects and the short story in the back.

Thanks to my Great Aunt the boys get Highlights and I was so excited when Isaac finally grasped the "hidden pictures" concept. I remember fighting with my siblings over who got to do those.

Thanks to my dad we have been getting Reader's Digest since we were married. Who doesn't love RD? Jeremiah skips to the humor sections first, I go right to the health section. Also, the new artwork on the back is cool.

Jeremiah subscribes to The New American, he has become a little less satisfied with it in the past couple years but hasn't found a better ultra conservative/libertarian alternative yet.

Last but not least, thanks to our church we get Christian Parenting. Although, that subscription might of ran out.

Thats it for the magazines entering our home. How about you? What magazines do you subscribe to, wish you subscribe to, or always make a point to read in the library?