Tuesday, January 30, 2007

10 Weird or Interesting Things

Jessica tagged me awhile back for this.


These are the rules: Once you have been tagged, you have to write a blog with ten weird or interesting things/habits about yourself. Afterwards, you need to choose ten people to be tagged and list their names. Then, go to their profiles and leave comments that say, "You have been tagged" and direct them to check your blog...


1. I have a stitch in my abdomen that hasn't dissolved from my c-section 3.5 years ago. It feels very sharp and pokey.

2. I spend a few minutes of my treadmill workout walking backwards.

3. A couple of years ago my mom gave me Strawberry Shortcake socks for Christmas. I wore them often and just recently got rid of them because one had a hole.

4. I have dreadful pregnancy insomnia. Twice when I was pregnant with Isaac somebody knocked on our door in the middle of the night because they saw a light on. I can't remember what they wanted (of course I made Jeremiah go to the door.)

5. I have astigmatism. Hey, somebody might find that interesting.

6. Ironically, the first blogs I started reading were infertility blogs. Obviously I'm not infertile, but I have learned a lot and am so much more sensitive to that issue now.

7. My ears cannot tolerate anything but sterling silver earrings. Possibly expensive gold also, but i'm not going to spend the $$ to find out.

8. One time at my job I won a tv/vcr combo and a playstation in a drawing. I also won a santa hat which I still have.

9. I have an extra baby tooth inside my gums above one of my front teeth. There is nothing they can really do for it, since they would have to pull out my permanent tooth to let it come down.

10. In high school the bell used to ring at 3:11. Even now if I see 3:11 on the clock I feel like something should happen.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Homeschool Resource Meme

1) ONE HOMESCHOOLING BOOK YOU HAVE ENJOYED : I haven't read a book about homeschooling since Isaac was a baby and we got a computer. I do remember a good book about how to use the library effectively. Can't remember what it was called though.

2) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULDN'T BE WITHOUT: Our computer.

3) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BOUGHT: The complete curriculum we purchased this year. We don't use half of it.

4) ONE RESOURCE YOU ENJOYED LAST YEAR: The BOB books from the library. They are for very beginner readers.

5) ONE RESOURCE YOU WILL BE USING NEXT YEAR: Math-U-See Beta for Isaac, and Math-U-See primer for Elijah.

6) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY: A telescope.

7) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH EXISTED: I can't really think of any that don't exist...how about funding? LOL

8) ONE HOMESCHOOLING CATALOGUE YOU ENJOY READING: I don't like looking at catalogs. One of my biggest frustrations with homeschooling is the sheer amount of resources to sort thru and catalogs just perpetuate that.

9) ONE HOMESCHOOLING WEBSITE YOU USE REGULARLY: How about two? HSLDA.Org for news and Math-U-See.com for the math drills.

10) TAG OTHER HOMESCHOOLERS: If you homeschool and you haven't done this yet, knock yourself out.


Wednesday, January 24, 2007

We're Half Way

We are right about in the middle of our school year. I think it's perfect that the baby is due right at the end of our school year, that will give us 3 months to adjust to another family member before we start again after Labor Day. I didn't realize how far we have come this year until I looked back at what we were doing in the beginning. The hardest patch was my first trimester, when my irritability level is so high.

Right now my biggest frustration is Isaac's lack of interest in reading. He can read just fine when he has to for school, however, he shows no interest in any other time. I think it might be because he still struggles with reading comprehension. He can read the words, but he isn't really paying attention to what they are saying. I'm hoping that once his comprehension improves, he will realize how fun reading can be.

This surprises even me, but the part I enjoy the most is math. I'm so happy with the Math-U-See curriculum. Math was never my strong area, so that is probably why I love to see Isaac grasp concepts here and those little "lightbulb moments". Since English and Reading are my strong area, maybe that is why I find his lack of interest in reading particularly frustrating.

My friend just gave me a book that lists the skills your child should know for each grade level, and I think we are pretty much right where we should be. Although, I would love to hear anybody else's thoughts or experience about less than enthusiastic readers.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Crayon Crowns

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This past week our art project didn't come from our book but from the library. The theme to story-time this week was crayons. There is always a craft following the stories, however, this week we had planned to skip the craft due to some less then stellar behavior. The librarian saw us leaving and gave us the materials so we could do the craft at home.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Chinese Dresses

Sweetisu is selling some beautiful custom made Chinese dresses. If you know anybody who might be interested, please pass it on. They are gorgeous.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Pictures

First we have last weeks art project. I'm not sure what the point was of making these tiny houses, but hey I didn't have to buy any extra supplies and the boys thought it was fun.

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Next, I thought some people might appreciate be known as more than a picture of their bottom.

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Finally, today marks the half way point in this pregnancy already! I have been feeling kicks for about four weeks already. Let's pray for a happy, healthy and fast second half! I have always had easy pregnancies, and have never felt in a rush to to get to the end but I must admit this time I am pretty eager to see if my ultrasound was right!

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Friday, January 12, 2007

Food for Thought

Okay, not really for thought...just food.

A couple days ago Risa posted a cooking tip of adding a can of pumpkin to chili. I thought this was ingenious because pumpkin is not high in calories, but is very high in nutrients. What better way to sneak some veggies in? I had to try it. So yesterday I made some chili and added a can of pumpkin. You really cannot taste it! It gave the chili a smoother and thicker texture but that was the only difference. Thanks Risa!

Next, a question for anybody who might know. I have come across a couple different recipes for a Pepsi (or cola) pot roast. Now, is this just a novel way of adding the liquid, or does cooking a roast in cola really do something special? Anybody try this?

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Socks and More

Photobucket - Video and Image HostingIt didn't take long for some pink to arrive. These little socks arrived via mail from my cousin Sandy. Everytime I see them I just have to smile because there are pink baby socks in my house that are not for somebody else's baby shower.

I think we have our name already too. I think everybody will be surprised. I will give you a hint: It was in a Beverly Lewis book.

I wanted to answer this question that somebody asked in my comments last week:

Here's what you posted back in 2004:
While I would not trade any of our boys for any amount of girls, there are moments where I tell myself "thats it, I'm having babys until I have a girl."
....does this mean you're done after this one? I enjoy reading your blog....and congratulations.


First, I should clarify that we never planned on having babies until we had a girl. That's not what this pregnancy was about, as we had already decided on more than four before we even knew Jonah was a boy. Our family-growing philosophy is sort of in the middle. First, we obviously don't have the "heir and a spare" mentality that is prevalent in our culture. Not that there is anything wrong with two kids, I know many terrific parents who chose to have two. I don't believe for a second that having more kids means your a better parent or you love your kids more. On the other hand, we don't subscribe to the "let God determine the size of your family" philosophy either. For a couple with normal fertility that's kind of like saying "i'm going to eat 5000 calories a day and let God determine my weight". I mean, there is only one way that's going to go right?

The bottom line is we enjoy our larger family, and that is why we are still growing. Not because we feel mandated by God, and not because we were on a quest for a girl. I think we may even it out at six, though I honestly can't see more than that. I can see us doing foster care or adoption thru foster care in the future though when our own kids are older.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Silhouttes

For once, I actually have a bottle neck jam of posts!


This was last weeks art project. I remember doing this same thing when I was in first grade. We could not get Jonah to sit still without crying so we never finished his. Of course you can see the boys talked me into doing one of Mary Jane. Isaac's head was a little too big for the black construction paper, thats why it looks a little "flat". Anyway, it's a fun project!
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Saturday, January 06, 2007

Happy Birthday Jeremiah

Yes, this is birthday season in our home.

I couldn't let the day pass without a birthday shout out to my sweetie. I love you so much and I hope 29 is a wonderful year, you deserve it!

Friday, January 05, 2007

Happy Birthday Elijah!

Our little Elijah turns five today! Just like Isaac, it has been a year of big changes for him. Elijah adds much spice to our home. He likes to say things for "shock value", he wears his heart on his sleeve, he loves to be funny, he is a natural leader, and he is quite independent. If you say "up", he will say "down". He angers easily, but he also cools down quickly. He has a stubborness that can either help or hinder, depending on the situation. He is quite fearless and is generally willing to try new things. His smile is his trademark. Life would be bland without him. Happy Birthday Cheetah!
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Thursday, January 04, 2007

Speechless

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Monday, January 01, 2007

Did I Make 'Em or Break 'Em?

So let's see how I did on last years resolutions. Remember, this is my blog so I get to make as many excuses as I want...


1. Less sugar. This is hard to measure. If I were to be honest, I would say I probably didn't do a good job.
2. More flax seed oil. After our bottle of oil was gone, I gave up trying to get the boys to take it and bought capsules. I was taking them until I got pregnant, then I stopped because I wasn't sure it was safe during pregnancy (it is a mild blood thinner.)
3. Try a new meal at least every two weeks. I started out really good with this but after the first few "new" meals were not well received, I lost my steam. I did end the year on a good note though, I have made several new meals in our slow cooker. Even though the cooking might not of been something different, I will say we make almost every single meal at home so that should count for something! We might get BK about twice a month on the way home from church, but thats it for take out/eat out.
4. Increase fruits and vegetables. Another one that is hard to measure, but judging by how much more often I buy them, I would say fruits and vegetables were increased.
5. Cut the boys hair more often. I don't think I cut their hair any more often than I used to. But seriously, it's such a huge ordeal to do this!!
6. Read the Whole Bible. Finally one that is measurable. Yes, I did this!!
7. Spend more time cleaning every day. I would probably have to say no on this one. In my defense though, Jonah was not mobile when I made this resolution.
8. Send more emails & written correspondence. No, I don't think I did this. In fact, we went months in this house without a book of stamps. This is the only resolution I feel bad for not keeping.
9. Start some light weight lifting. Actually, I forgot about this one.
10. Go shopping less. I think I did really good here, I shopped A LOT less this past year.

Okay, so I didn't do very good. However, I still think it's a great idea to set goals. This year I think I will put them on the fridge so I don't forget any.