Things I actually said...

Here, let your brother eat this car.

When you wipe your nose on your sleeve be careful of the buttons.

Wake up already, we have to go see what Santa brought you!

Eat a cookie before you skate.

You can go outside in the snow barefoot as long as you put some pants on.

Don't let your pants kick your butt.

Please don't touch the dirty diaper.

Take your underwear off of your head.

Do not bite your brother in the butt.

Please throw the cars in your room, not in your sisters' room.

Life Goals

I was listening to a DJ say that she didn't like to talk to her friends with children at this time of year because they no longer had goals for their lives.  As though the mere act of having children had changed them so that they stopped worrying about their personal future and were therefore not worth interacting with.  As a previously externally employed mother I find this somewhat upsetting.  It is true that my life goals have changed significantly in the last eight years but I personally believe that they have changed for the better.  I used to be the annoying person who sent out the Christmas cards the week after Thanksgiving and had all my presents purchased, wrapped, and delivered by the second week of December.  Now I am the one who brings Christmas cheer during that boring week between Christmas and New Year by making sure to send out my cards a little late.  Look at my lovely children, it will take away your post-Christmas doldrums.  Oh, and as for my presents, you will get them if you should after Christmas so that you will feel the cheer of Christmas all week long.  Why, not because you are not important, but because the only deadline I was worried about was the one my daughter gave me when she said "I wish I had a new dress for when I read at Christmas Eve service."  This became my life goal for the pre-Christmas time.  I had to finish the dress that she wanted made out of the fabric she bought with her own money.  This became my life goal because I wanted her to know that her reading at service was the most important thing in my life at that moment.  Eight years ago I was worried about my performance at work, did I make enough widgets to make my boss happy enough to give me a good review?  Did my customer feedback forms come back?  What did my co-workers think of my communication skills?  These were my top concerns and rightly so as it was my job, I was paid well, and I had promised to do my best.  I am glad that eight years ago I worried about those goals.  Now, I am glad that I worry about completely different goals.  This Christmas was a success, even though my presents were not out on time, my cards are still not done, my tree never got decorated (we still think it's pretty), and my house is not clean.  My daughter read at service, all my children were well behaved and polite at various houses that were not ours, and my husband is relaxing.  Oh, and we have an ice rink in the backyard so everyone can go exercise and leave me alone to do the laundry.  I have hope that I will get my cards done, I will clean the house, and the homemade presents will get where they need to be without breaking.  I would say that these goals are less prestigious than eight years ago in the eyes of other professionals but they are infinitely more rewarding because my raise this year will be smiles, hugs, cuddles, and thank yous from the only customers that will be there for the rest of my life.  If these goals make me boring to those people without children, or without similar concerns, then too bad. Now to go finish my Christmas cards.

Confession

I have a confession to make, I don't like my hands.   I never have really, I think they are too big and not at all delicate and lady-like.  I've always thought they were ugly so I tend to hide them or move them quickly so people can't see them.  Why am I sharing this?  Lately I've been thinking about my hands a lot.  They are rather large for a woman my size, they are almost the same size as my husband's hands and he's 6 feet tall. I used to think that my hands were ugly, but lately I've been seeing them differently.  I have my children to thank for this of course.  When my three year old son holds my hand his hand still feels very small.  If my hands were smaller he would grow up sooner.  If my hands were smaller it would be harder to put my five year old's beautiful, very curly hair into a bun for her ballet.  Then, I wouldn't get her "thank you Mom!" hug.  If my hands were smaller I would have trouble tying my seven year old's bright pink skate laces tight enough for her to score her first goal in her real game as a defense(wo)man.  If my hands were smaller I wouldn't be able to play hide and seek with my baby's favorite spoon.  He loves spoons.  After thinking about this I've decided that my hands are wonderful and I should stop worrying about their size and instead consider all the wonderful things I can give my children with my hands.  Some of these things I was thinking about as I was kneading bread dough, which is another thing I can give them with my hands.  I'm sure that everyone has a thing that they don't like about themselves.  I have several, but I am starting to see that I should have one less.

Things They Have to Know

I have a list of things my children have to know before they can leave the house.  This list is not all inclusive, it is a bare minimum, but it makes them think.  I also use it to prove that they can't leave home yet, even when they think they know everything.

1. How to change a tire.

I realize with AAA this might be outdated, but what if they are somewhere without phone coverage?

2. How to change your oil.

I also realize that this might be outdated, but I don't want that guy at the quick lube place to be able to talk them into paying for something they don't need.

3.  How to cook at least one breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

This is most important because I don't want them to starve, but also because I don't want them to come home every weekend.

4.  How to do laundry.

This one is mostly because I know they are going to make a mess at least once in the first week away from home, but also because I really don't want them to come home every weekend.

5. How to find something to eat in any restaurant.

What, that's wacko you say?  It's because if you go out on a date, or with a group of friends to a new restaurant and you are the one person that says only negative things about the menu then the people you are with will see you as negative.  Then, it's very hard to make new friends.  This could hurt them socially and career wise, what if one of those people is the next Bill Gates and you just ticked him off?  Don't be that one negative person.

6.  Know how to give a compliment.

Compliments go a long way with EVERYONE, this can help with grades in college, jobs, and friends.  Also, giving compliments can make you feel good too.

7.  Know how to take a compliment.

It's ok to just say "Thank you" this lets the other people feel good too.

8.  Know how to find the answer.

Sometimes this means the internet, but not always.  Sometimes it means a library, and sometimes it means... da da ta da... talking to someone.  What?  I know.  I want my children to be able to ask someone else for help.  This may be a stranger on a telephone, or in real life.  I want them to be able to clearly communicate a question, in English, with decent grammar.  Crazy isn't it?

9.  Know how to write a letter, with instructions.

This is a personal pet peeve.  Too many people can't actually write anymore.  Oh, they can type and text and talk into the phone, but can you really just write a letter?  How about telling someone how to do something, like how to get to your house, or how to feed your dog?  These things might be important, if say, you have a dog and want someone to watch your dog and your house while you go skiing.  You will have a decent job and be able to go skiing so you might want someone to watch your nice house and your friendly mutt while you go on vacation.  If you can't tell them how to feed your dog it might ruin your ski trip when you have to pay the vet bill because the high school student couldn't understand your directions.  Just saying.

10.How to perform basic first aid and CPR.

I'm not saying they have to be a certified nurse or famous doctor, although that's ok too.  I'm just saying they need to know how to tell if they need stitches in the gash on their arm, or how to perform the Heimlich if their child is choking.  It would be good to know because you don't want to wait at urgent care for four hours if there's no chance that bone is broken.

When they can prove that they know everything on this list I will let them consider going to college, although this is not everything they need to know, it's just a start.  They also have to know history, English, and basic vector calculus.  It's just a start.

10 Things They Won't Tell You in The Parenting "Manual"

There are several new babies in our lives right now and I was discussing with my seven year old what it was like to be a new parent.  She said "Isn't there a book or something?"  Of course there is a book, many in fact, and I've read tons, but there are things that you learn "on the job" that aren't in the books.  Here are my favorites, some of these aren't mine but were told to me and have proved true.

1.  You will name your child and then at least once in the first year you will question this choice.  It may be a subtle question in the back of your mind, but you will wonder if you indeed made the right choice. 

2.  At some point, usually in the first month, you will wonder when the last time was you actually took a shower.  You will know the last time you bathed your baby, changed your baby, fed your baby, and watched your baby sleep but you will sniff yourself and wonder if you've even changed your shirt lately.

3.  You will get frustrated with feeding your baby.  Be it nursing (which is challenging by the way) or bottle, you will wonder if your baby is eating enough, or too much, or if you are indeed doing it right.  Is the bottle too warm, too cold, did you pump enough for that 30 minute trip to the grocery store?  Is it ok for your baby to fall asleep while eating?  Is it ok for them to wake up famished and screaming to eat for one minute and fall back asleep?  Yes.  It's all normal because it's normal for your baby.  Some babies like to eat every hour.  This is normal.  Some babies like to eat all their food in one two hour feeding per day.  This is normal too.  Do what works for you and your baby.

4.  You will hurt your baby on accident and you will remember this moment for the rest of your life, this is why you will occasionally let them have ice cream at 9 pm on a school night.  You may do this with the fingernail clippers, with the seat belt buckle, with a little splinter in their towel, the zipper on a sleeper, or the saline in their eye, it will be something you didn't see until after the fact and it will haunt you for a while.  You are still a good parent.  I would tell you to forget it, but you won't.  That's ok too.

5.  You will make important decisions about how you will parent before your baby is born.  Co-sleeping, scheduled feeding vs on demand, bathing methods, nap times, pacifier use, and many others.  You will change your mind about at least one of these in the first year.  Probably because your little one will not comply.  I had the nicest baby bath for my first one, who still prefers showers!

6.  You will have at least one totally irrational fear, it will likely just be there in the back of your mind, it won't change your life, you will just live with it.  It will be odd to everyone else and totally real to you.  Some examples I've heard,
            "What if a bee stings my baby?" (This baby was born in November)
            "I'm worried he will scratch himself with his toenails so he always has socks."
            "We don't want to burn her in the bath so we turned our water heater down to 90 degrees."
Keep these irrational fears, it's ok, just don't let them keep you awake at night for too long.

7.  Your baby will smile one day and you will spend the next 20 minutes trying to get her to do it again.  You will try everything, something strange will work and you will do it again and again and again, and start again the next time she's awake.  You will repeat this activity until it stops working because you will do anything for that toothless grin.  By the way, it might take you 100 tries to get a picture of it.  It's ok, it still counts as a picture of her first smile.

8.  You will wash something that is clean.  I can pretty much guarantee this one.  It might be a blanket or a towel or a pair of pants, it won't be a shirt of yours, those will never again be clean.

9.  You will have at least one dream about laundry.  This will likely occur after you've washed something clean, but it could be at any time.  You will wake up wondering how such a little creature, with small clothes can single-handedly fill the laundry basket in one day.

10.  You will compare your baby to other people's babies.  You will try not to do this because you know it's wrong, but you will do it anyway.  Don't worry, you are right, your baby is perfect.

Last of November Thankfulness

21.  I am thankful for the instant communication of our time.  My nephew is currently being born and I am so excited, I would hate to have to wait for a letter or a visit, they live WAY too far away.  I can't wait to see pictures, could you even imagine waiting for a week!

22.  I am thankful for digital photos.  I am so glad that I can take a bazillion pictures without worrying about how they come out because I will get lucky and have one good one.  Then I can send them to family without actually having to touch paper.  It's totally awesome.

23.  My public library.  I love story time that my children like.  I like being able to check out books and not have to worry about paying for them, because if I had to pay for everything I read I would not have money for skiing.

24.  Which brings me to seasons!  I am thankful for seasons where I live.  I could not live in endless summer, endless winter, or anything in between.  I am so happy to have four very distinct seasons here, and I am very happy that we are getting to my favorite, SNOW!

25.  I am thankful that for the most part my children get along and really truly love each other.  I would be very sad if they didn't.

26.  I am thankful that I can afford, both time and money, for my children to be in extra-curricular activities.  I would like them to be in more, but I am glad that they enjoy their hobbies and I enjoy watching them grow confident in themselves.

27.  I am thankful that my children can play by themselves for a little while.  I don't want to totally leave them to themselves, I would fear for my walls and doors, but it's nice to get my sewing done while they are awake sometimes.

28.  I am thankful that my husband has job skills that are in demand.  I really am, even when they call him at 2 am to ask him to come in at 7 am, and even when he's working late, late.  I'm really glad that he has his job, the job he wants that pays well and where people respect his skills.

29.  I am thankful that my house is not connected to any other houses.  I know this seems silly, but it is so nice to not worry at all about how much noise my children are making.  I used to stress because the neighbors could hear them, so in addition to caring for a crying baby in the middle of the night I worried that my neighbors would be awake too.  Now I can just care for the crying baby.  It's a small change, but it's so nice.

30.  I am thankful for modern medicine and health care workers who care.  I know it's not perfect, and there are many problems with it, but I am thankful that I don't have to worry about my children dying from small pox or so many other illnesses.

This list is by no means comprehensive and will likely change tomorrow, but I figure it's important to remember all the blessings we have, big and small.

More Thankfulness

There are 30 days in November so here are the next 10 things..

11.  I am thankful for my daughter's sensitive feelings, they sometimes cause many tears, but they also bring many special people into our lives.

12.  I am thankful for my husband's desire to build an ice rink in the back yard, I wouldn't work that hard but I'm willing to make use of it when he does.

13.  I am thankful for the ability to laugh.  Mostly at myself, but anything funny is ok by me.

14.  I am thankful for those around me that think I'm crazy.  I am glad that they want to spend time with me and my children.

15.  I am thankful that I have a washer and dryer my children can sleep through.  If they couldn't, they would not have so many clean clothes.

16.  I am thankful that I get to teach my children to read.

17.  I am thankful that my oldest is reading books I read as a little girl, now I get to read them again.

18.  I am thankful for the opportunity (read Mom watching my children), physical health and monetary ability to play hockey.  In one second, for one hour, my world shrinks to the size of a sheet of ice and I am not a mother, a wife, a maid, a cook, a taxi driver, a social coordinator, a preschool teacher, a second grade teacher, a math tutor, or anything else that requires me to do something for someone else.  I become a goalie and only a goalie, for that hour my only desire is to stop the puck.  It's amazing!!

19.  I am thankful that my mother taught me to sew.  I am not as good at it as I'd like to be, but it is really fun to make things for my daughters, and to share sewing with them.  I can't wait to see them wearing my creations and I love watching them make their own.

20.  I am thankful for the ability to clean my own house and wash my own dishes.  I am always tired of doing it, but I am thankful for the physical health I have that allows me to do it.  I remember when my back was too bad to make my own bed and I am forever thankful that I can now make my bed every day.

Projects

November and December seem to be the months of projects in our house.  I started the girls' Thanksgiving/Christmas dresses and some clothes for me, guess which ones will get done on time.  Also, my daughters want to make presents for everyone again.  I like the attitude but I am concerned that we don't start earlier.  Are people just born as procrastinators?  I've often wondered if it's just a personality thing or if I learned it somewhere.  I always think things will take less time than they actually take.  Of course my husband, we will call him Superman in regards to time management, never puts things off until the last minute.  I need to improve this skill so that I can teach my children.  Every year I agree to these crazy projects in order to improve our time management skills.  Let's hope that this year my dreams become realities.  Also, I am very glad that our friends and family are totally happy with the end results of our creative madness, it makes my children so happy.

Thankfulness in November

Lots of people are taking the month of November to post things they want to give thanks for in their lives.  This is great, it is a good reminder of all the blessings we have.  I was going to do this on my facebook status updates, but honestly my children are so awesome that people would get tired of me writing "I am thankful for my awesome children" every day so I decided I'll just do a blog entry and call it good.  Then, as I started writing I realized that it's really easy to be thankful on those days when things are going well, when your children really are awesome, when your husband does your chores without saying anything, and when everyone wears only one change of clothes.  What I struggle with is being thankful on those other days, when my children are awesome in the "how did that happen?" kind of way, when my husband calls at 7pm to tell me he needs to work "just a little longer" and when no one wears just one change of clothes.  Here are the first 10 things I am truly thankful for in my life, on those Clark Kent days, when Superman is stuck in a phone booth.
1.  I am thankful my husband works at a job he enjoys most of the time that pays well enough that I don't have to have a job I don't enjoy.

2.  I am thankful that I found laundry detergent that cleans the clothes and doesn't give anyone in the family a rash.

3.  I am thankful that my husband is not a picky eater so that the days when the children sneak food meant for dinner I can still make something he will eat and enjoy when he gets home from work.

4.  I am thankful that I live in a country where I can vote so that I can take all my children to the polling place and listen to the snide remarks about how annoying children are from the astonished guy behind me when my children sit quietly while I vote.

5.  I am thankful that I know what is causing the funny noise my car is making so I know that I don't have to pay to fix it right away.

6.  I am thankful that I have a house to clean, even though my husband would like it cleaner.

7.  I am thankful that my children are healthy and sleep well.

8.  I am thankful that I know how to use a computer so I can stalk my brother on his Tumblr and know what shirt he's wearing every Friday.  This is important because otherwise I might accidentally wear the same one.

9.  I am thankful that my daughter gets frustrated at every little mistake she makes.  It helps me put my mistakes in perspective.

10.  I am thankful for the mess makers and toy breakers and their unfailing belief that I can clean and fix everything.

Lost things

Have you ever noticed that some things that get lost are fairly universal?  It seems that everyone I talk to has at least one missing sock.  Some lost things are specific to the person, my daughter and her shoes,  my mom and her phone, my husband and his favorite hat.  Yet other lost things are household or family specific.  In our house the major lost thing is hairbrushes.  I have several theories about this.  I used to think that my daughter hid them because she doesn't like to brush her hair.  It seems she hasn't thought it through enough to be that deliberate.  My leading theory right now is invisible creatures about 2 feet tall that eat yogurt.   How did I arrive at this theory you ask.  Well, for some reason there are strawberry yogurt finger prints about 2 feet from the ground on several walls and the fridge.  My children all deny being the culprit of course so it must be invisible creatures.  If there are invisible creatures making fingerprints on the walls they would also likely hide the hairbrush.  See problem solved.  Now if I can somehow catch them in the act and get the brushes back...

Ode to The Christmas Tree

  Every year we keep our Christmas tree as long as possible.  I'm not talking New Year here, I mean July or in this case October.  We take the ornaments off but we usually keep the tree in the garage because it is of course dead and the needles get everywhere.  This year we had a live tree.  Now to give you the proper mental image understand that we never have a tree taller than about 4 feet.  This year I let the girls have the tree in their room.  I knew it would probably die if left too long, our house has a reputation to uphold.  We've actually killed every plant brought inside in the last three years, except for a very sickly but tenacious amaryllis that has never had more than one leaf.  The girls really wanted the tree so I left it, knowing it would die but hoping it would teach them and hoping to give them a memory.  Imagine them in their thirties, missing their previous close relationship saying "remember the year we had the dead tree in our room?"  Yesterday I had enough.  The tree needs to go girls, it's messy and dead.  We started the purge.  Imagine my surprise when my son was the one pouting.  The girls are excited talking about the new tree they will plant and raise in the pot outside.  My son is carefully petting the dead tree.  "What is wrong?"  I ask.
"The tree, the Christmas tree.  Oh, Mom, look at it's nice dead branches and it's not very tallness.  Oh, it's so pokey and dead and see how it's needles fall when I touch it."  With a sad sigh and a sadder pout.  He gently caresses the tree and kisses a branch.  A tear in his eye he proclaims quietly "I shall miss you tree, even though you are actually pretty ugly."  My initial shock over his reaction quickly turned to mirth but as I didn't wish to offend I kept my laughter for later and instead left him to eulogize on his own for a moment before saying my own solemn farewell.  The girls meanwhile were looking through gardening books for their next victim, I mean tree.

Parenting Dilema

My seven year old daughter plays hockey, she loves it, and she's quite good if you ask me.  Of course she will never play in the NHL or probably even college, but she enjoys it.  It has also allowed her to gain in cofidence and meet new people.  I'm excited that she has a hobby she enjoys that she can take into her adult life.  I don't really expect it ever to be more than a hobby for her.  Now, all that is great, but there is one little boy who says mean things to her every time they step on the ice.  I am not a helicopter parent, I believe that the best way to learn is to experience things, however I do not like to see my children get hurt.  I especially don't like what my daughter goes through with this boy because I don't want her to stop liking hockey.  The question is do I ask the coaches to put her on a different team so that she doesn't have to deal with this kid so much or do I let her go through the hurt of this experience because honestly there are mean people that we have to deal with all our lives?

Have You Ever...

Lately my daughter has been interested in history.  This interest is good and I want her to think about the past.  She's been asking me 'have you ever' and 'when you were little' questions, here are my favorite.

Have you ever worn petticoats?

Have you ever ridden in a wagon with a cloth top?

Have you ever gone to school in a one room school house?

When you were little did you have to milk cows before breakfast?

When you were little did they have telephones?

Have you ever sent a telegram?

When you were little did they have velcro?

When you were little did they have big freezers?

Have you ever ridden a stagecoach?

When you were little did they have airplanes?

I'm wondering if these are things she values, or wishes she could do.  Although I must admit that I like my big freezer.

Memories

Letely I've been doing things that remind me of people I love and miss.  Some of these people are no longer living, some of them are far away.  I find it odd the things that make me think of people I love.  Canning apples, the smell of roasting chile, and hot air balloons are some of the things.  This might seem normal-ish but there are other things that probably aren't normal.  Teaching my son pattern recognition reminded me of a wonderful lady who led me to love math.  When I was running with my children and my pants started falling down I thought about how my grandfather used to make fun of those silly guys that wear the baggy pants.  Then, the other day I saw a kid sitting on an old tire and remembered doing that with my brother.  All this has made me think about the memories I am giving my children.  What are they going to remember about growing up as my children?  I want to take this into account with every vacation plan and special day plan, but I am also starting to think about it when we do everyday things as well.  I want to make trips to the grocery store fun too.  I tried this today when we went to the store, we started playing word games, like what rythmes with bacon and what else starts with m like milk.  The funny thing was that the children started behaving better when we played the games.  It was strange because I thought I was just trying to make them have happy memories, when in fact I was happier and they were able to get through the shopping without a single "this is boring" or "can I have?"  Now, especially when I'm tired, I am going to remember this little lesson and play more word games when we shop.  I actually got everything on my list and I didn't have to talk to my children about how naughty they were in the store.  Hopefully my children will remember fun times at the grocery store when they are telling their grandchildren about me.

I am the best Mom in the world!!

I love unsolicited advice.  I actually do.  Sometimes it's useful, I can't tell you how many times I've actually taken unsolicited advice.  I also like it because sometimes it makes me feel so good.  That's why I would like to thank the lady at Target a few days ago.  I was letting my little one sleep in the Moby, it's a baby carrier and he loves it.  Aparently, this lady did not know that I am the best Mom in the world because she said "You shouldn't let your baby sleep in the carrier, he will get dependent on you."  Now I couldn't help it, well maybe I had a chance, but I hadn't slept well for a couple nights because my older children had not felt well.  My reply would have been nicer if she hadn't said "You wouldn't want that."  I looked at her, and I'm sure my face said "Huh?" but what my mouth said was "Isn't he already dependent on me?  I mean, the government calls them dependents and I feed him."  I admit that when I get unsolicited advice, good or bad, it is not a good idea to argue with the giver, but like I said I was tired.  She then noticed my other children, "Are you all sick today, is that why you aren't in school?" My daughters looked at her like she had a third eye, then my oldest said "We are homeschooled and we finished school right before we came here."  She took a deep breath, and said "Oh, well then, I guess you are the best Mom in the world."  Then she walked away.  My daughter looked at me and said "How does she know Mom?"  I'm not going to explain sarcasm to her just yet.  See, unsolicited advice is either useful or it makes you feel awesome.  Thanks lady at Target.  I'm so glad I ran into you.

My son is smarter than I am.

 It was a typical Tuesday night.  We got home from my son's hockey practice and in his typical way he wanted to put his gear to dry by himself.  Normally I am very proud of this desire and hey, as long as it gets dry, who cares right?  So I let him take 20 minutes to do something that would take me about 2 and I went to start dinner.  I made dinner and went to the garage to check on him.  He still wasn't done.  I was tired and hungry and I wanted to eat.  I said "Hurry up would you, dinner is waiting."  Then, if my husband had been home he would have told me to chill out, it wasn't as important as my son finishing the job he had started.  But my husband wasn't home so I reached out to help my son.  This is where my three year old showed that he has the maturity of someone ten times his age and I need to think before I act.  He said, "Mom, just go eat, I got this."  Can you blame me, sometimes I forget he's only three? 

Odd Monday

Letely I find that I'm logging on to my blog not to blog, but to check on what my brother is doing.  This might be odd to some people, but I find that I am very excited about his life right now.  Not that I want my life to change, I happen to like things the way they are thanks, but I am so excited for him.  Also, his life is reminding me that I was there just a few short years ago, well not there specifically but there in my life.  My oldest is only 7 and it was only a 8 years ago that I was starting a new job and moving into a new house and all that stress and excitement and over emotion were mine to freak out about.  It's so much fun, stress, excitement, fear, unknown, and anxiousness rolled into a big sleepless, tired jumble.  That's what I was feeling and I know that he's feeling the same, more, and different things too.  So, I log on to check what he is doing, how he is feeling, how things are working and I forget that my life is happening here too and maybe someone might wonder how we are.  We are fine, by the way.  Anyone who knows my brother can wish him well right now and think about what he is starting and feeling and let him know you wish him well.

As for my children, they are so excited about all that he is doing that they ask almost every hour to see him and see where he is.  I think we will be going on a road trip to visit soon, luckily he is moving a bit closer to us. 

We did not do any school today, we played all day.  We played we were on a raft in the Amazon that turned into a boat when my oldest heard that there were snakes that lived in the river.  We played that we were princes and princesses stuck in a castle hiding from a fire-breathing dragon.  We played that we were fairy princesses that built nests for baby birds that lost their parents.  We played that we were capturing bad dinosaurs to save the good ones from being eaten.  We played that we were searching for lost treasure in a cave so that we could send it to our family in the new world (we were studying the early colonies).  Let's just say it's been an odd day.

Differences between my girls and my boys

First, let me point out that my girls are older and my youngest son is only 5 months old.  Now that you know the basics let me share some things I've noticed before but were very apparent today.

1.  When my girls fall or bump into something they typically cry or whimper.  When my sons fall or bump into something they say "I'm ok!" or they get angry at the thing that had the audacity to be in their way.

2.  When you tell my daughters that their feet smell or that they are dirty they get sad.  When you tell my son he laughs and says "yeah!"

3.  Two words, bodily functions, enough said.

4.  Food for my daughters must be decided on and inspected, my son just eats it, lots of it.

5.  Play time for the girls is a story of pretend land with everyone in their proper places.  They like to have an elaborate scene for all their activities.  My sons, we can count both of them here, like to have cars, hit things, throw things, and generally move around.  If you give my boys a ball or a puck then they are happy for a long while.

6.  The girls like to domesticate outside.  They make tea parties out of rocks and sticks become plates or beds.  My son just likes to hit things with a stick.

7.  My son steps on cockroaches, my girls squeal and run.

8.  My girls turn everything into a fairy accessory.  My son turns everything into a weapon.

9.  My son likes to see cars on the road, my girls look at who is driving them.

10.  Sound effects and theme songs, my boys have them, my girls do not.

Things My Children Are Teaching Me

Tonight I tried to go to the grocery store by myself.  I thought it would be faster and after explaining that I was only going to buy a few things and then come back I expected to get in the car and leave the house.  I was stopped by my 5 year old and my 3 year old asking politely if they could join me on my trip.  I tried again to explain that it would be faster if I went by myself.  My son, the 3 year old, explained to me that if I went without help it would actually take longer than if they went with me because I might forget something.  I agreed with his logic and took the two of them to the store.  It was an enjoyable trip and he was right, shopping with two helpers was much easier than shopping with four and more fun than shopping alone.  Although I think I ended up buying more food than I would have without them; it was hard to say no to the ripe avocados.  The trip got me thinking about all the things I have learned from my children.  Some things I am sure my children have tried to teach me, like how helpful they are, but a few I'm sure they have no idea they've taught me.  Here's what I came up with:

1.  Take time to listen, someone else might have a valid point you haven't considered.

2.  Change can be tons of fun and your plan was probably lame anyway.

3.  You have very little control over what happens to you and around you, but if you have a stuffed giraffe it's way easier to react happily.

4.  It's ok to laugh out loud even if it's only a little funny.

5.  When you get tired, fall asleep, it really doesn't matter where you are; someone who loves you will take care of you.

6.  It's ok to say "I love you" to people.

7.  If you are having an argument and you can get the other person to laugh, you win.

8.  Every white surface is just waiting to have color added.

9.  Help whenever you can, don't wait until you have the needed skills, just try, you might get points for effort.

10.  Sticks are cool.  They can be swords, umbrellas, paintbrushes, spoons, cars, trains, flowers, pencils, and fish just to name a few.

10 Questions to ask to check if someone cares about you.

Sometimes we all wonder if we are loved, or if indeed anyone listens or cares what we say.  Here are some questions to ask if you wonder how your friends and family feel about you.  These are all questions my children have asked me this week.  I think they ask to check if I'm listening or to ascertain whether I like them as much as they perceive that I like the other children.

1.  If you were a mosquito, would you bite me?

2.  If you were a dog, would you wag your tail and bark when I got home, or just bark?

3.  Do you like me better than your toys?

4.  Do you think I'm prettier than my headband?

5.  Does my armpit smell funny?

6.  Did you like my story that I didn't tell you yet?

7.  If I made you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch and I used the wrong jelly would you eat it anyway to make me feel good?

8.  Would you let me drive your car when I'm a teenager?

9.  Can I share your tea?

10.  If you knew the answer would you tell me?

10 things I'm doing "wrong" as a parent

This is inspired by some awesome parents I know who have lately been concerned about some of their shortcuts and other actions that they feel would not be appreciated by past generations.  Here are some parenting things I do that would make one of my great-grandmothers laugh and some of her generation quite upset...

1. Breakfast for dinner.  Some mornings you get up and make a wonderful hot breakfast for your family to start the day off right.  Then some days you get around to that more toward the end of the day, probably because you started thinking about dinner around half an hour after everyone was "starving". This is good and healthy, it's called a memory.

2. Bath night happens sometimes.  I am not saying that my children are unhealthy and filthy, they just aren't regularly soaped and scrubbed.  Sometimes we just go to bed with a bit of earth between our toes.  I used to worry about this, but lately I've decided that some things are more important.

3.  I have no schedule for household chores.  My grandmother always did/does laundry on Monday.  She gets it all done on one day and she's all organized and ain't that special.  I just toss a load in when I can and sometimes I remember to dry it and sometimes it gets folded and put away, so go me.  I almost always do a load on Monday, does that count?

4.  I let my children go days without changing out of their pjs.  I know it's scandalous, but sometimes they don't actually get dressed.  In fact sometimes my son wears only his underwear only all day long.  This mostly happens in the summer, in the winter he gets cold and wears a hockey jersey with his underwear.

5.  I let my children watch cartoons on Saturday morning.  I just can't help it.   Some of my best memories with my brother were watching cartoons and I want my children to have that too.  Besides, how else would I have time to make them pancakes so we can have leftover pancakes for dinner?

6.  I laugh at my children.  Sometimes this is my only defense.  I try hard not to laugh if they think they are hurt.  Like tonight when my 5 year old was so tired she couldn't actually get in bed and I kept putting her in bed and she kept getting out to tell me something.  I said "aren't you tired?" she actually yawned as she said, "no mom, not at all."  I had to laugh, I had no other response.

7.  I let my children dress themselves.  This is actually my favorite.  I love watching my children express themselves through pink shirts, purple shorts and vest, and red cowboy boots.  This lets them feel confident and helps them learn to make decisions.  I also secretly love shopping with spiderman, a pirate princess, and a cowgirl.  My husband is sometimes mortified and embarrassed by what they choose, but if they are mostly dressed for the weather I say they look marvelous!

8.  My children do not have a bedtime.  Oh, they always go to bed between 5pm and midnight, I am very strict about that.  I love home schooling for this reason.  I don't like to have to wake my children up every morning or force them to stop doing something fun just to go to bed.

9.  I let my children talk, and I actually listen to them.  I do not subscribe to the "children should be seen and not heard."  I find that my children say the most amusing things, but you have to listen to them in order to hear those things.  I let my children guide the dinner conversation and I encourage them to tell me stories at bedtime.  I love the stories they make up and I enjoy hearing what they remember from the day.

10.  I let my children talk to strangers.  I am convinced that a person they've never met is almost never a threat.  I'm not saying that it's not possible, but I also don't want them to be afraid of people or the world in general.  I don't teach them stranger danger.  I teach them to be wary of odd people, or things that seem out of the ordinary.  We often talk about "is that reasonable or normal?"


So, if you think you are a bad parent, or something you think is fine is something someone else says is wrong, maybe my "wrongs" will help you see that if you love your children and you are trying to do a good job, then you probably are doing just fine.

Top 10 Reasons I Homeschool

My daughter asked me today why I chose to homeschool my children.  This made me think about all the reasons that would make sense to her and might actually seem important to my children.  Here's what I came up with...

1.  I don't like packing lunch, a picnic is totally different.

2.  I like spending the day in my pjs and so do my children.  (We did this today in fact)

3.  It is important to me that my children know how to do the laundry, the dishes, and other household chores.  I can make these part of school if we are at home doing school.

4.  I like to take 4 week long vacations whenever I can, I don't want my children missing school to do it, but I don't like to travel during the summer when everyone else is traveling.

5.  I feel it is important that my children understand the Pluto debate.

6.  I don't want to miss the times when my daughter says things like, "That's a magic cloud that turns into a flying moose when it rains."

7.  I like Disney World in November.

8.  FIELD TRIPS whenever I want, usually days when I don't want to do the dishes.

9.  School everyday, even sick days, but not if the snow is good, then we ski.

10.  More ice time!

admiring

There are people that we admire, there are qualities in people that we admire, and there are actions that people take that we admire.  Sometimes we look at people and think "I could never be that way, that strong, or that calm."  Or we watch people reacting to a terrible situation and think "Would I react that way?  Would I have the inner strength to be like that during that situation?"  Or we see someone do something, something noble and brave, or maybe it's just thoughtful and kind.  Then, we ask ourselves why we didn't think of it first, or if we would have been able to do it at all.
I hope that I can have a moment, or a series of moments in my life where my children can look at me and think something along those lines.  I want to be the kind of Mom that makes my children want to be better human beings.  I want to be the kind of wife that makes my husband feel loved and I want to be the kind of friend that people remember at the end of the day.  I want this so that my children will want to be this way, so that I can raise them to think of others first.  I want them to be admirable, maybe not all the time as that might be too much for any mere human, but more often than I am.  I want people to see God's glory through them.  I don't want people to think that my children do not know love, or how to love, or indeed how to be loved.  I want people to feel that my children are loved, not only by me but by something more powerful than me. 
To strive to be deliberate, that is the goal.  Actions should be measured with whether they matter, whether they help, and whether they teach.  What do our actions teach our children?  What does our attitude teach?  How can we modify both to teach what we want?
I don't have the answers, but I am learning and sometimes we learn from the people that we least expect to learn from and that is wonderful.

New Reading Game

We started playing a fun game a few days ago to help with reading.  I also use it for handwriting practice.  It works like this, I write a sentence like "I like to eat hamburgers for dinner."  I cut the words apart and jumble them up, then my daughter has to read the words and put them in the right order and write it down on her paper.  I do about four sentences a day and she has to do those first, then we start making jokes.  We jumble all the words from all the sentences in a pile and pull out the first four and she reads them to me.  It's really funny, especially if you are five.  Today she got "dogs like eat balloons" and laughed for ten minutes.  I am not sure why that was so funny, but she read all the words herself so I don't really care.  Some of our other favorites were "brother mine sits fuzzy."  Now we all sit fuzzy whenever we can.

basil chile salmon

I made some more salmon last night and it was a huge hit.  Here's what was in it.

1 fresh red chile, not bell pepper
1 cup fresh basil leaves
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup olive oil

Chop everything up to make a salsa like concoction then cover the salmon with it.  I cooked three salmon steaks, about 1 lb of salmon.  Place everything in an oven safe dish and put it in the oven for about 30 minutes on 375-400.  I turned my oven up about 15 minutes in to bake the biscuits.

ten reasons to be a dad

These are from my husband's point of view, mostly for my brother.
I am guessing that he would say there are many more good things about being a Dad, otherwise he wouldn't have become a one again and again and again!

1.  You get a mini-me.

2.  After working hard all day you get to be deafened by screams of "Daddy's home!!!"

3.  The look you get when you say "Wow, I slept great last night."

4.  There's always someone to eat your pizza crust.

5.  Free ice time!

6.  Hugs.

7.  Children are a great excuse to play.

8.  Sneaking out to have ice cream with your kids.

9.  The security of knowing that if anyone broke into your house at night they would break a bone or bleed before they got to anything valuable.

10.  Knowing that your children are your real valuables.

top ten reasons to be a mom

This is mostly for Trish, because she might need it right about now.

These are the best things I can think of right now about why you might want to be a Mom, remember it's after 10 pm, I have 4 children, and I don't really sleep...

1.  Hugs

2.  Getting to say "Because I'm the MOM, that's why." in your best Mom voice.

3.  Getting to use your Mom voice.

4.  Having a good excuse for your messy house.

5. Hugs

6.  Because you like cold food.

7.  It's tons of fun to prepare a meal with pucks, cars, little hands, and hockey sticks under your feet.

8.  LAUNDRY CAN BE FUN, no, not really, but you get to do LOTS of it when you are a mom.

9.  Starting your day with a smile  (not yours, theirs)

10.  Did I mention hugs?

Enjoy.

artwork

My son, the three year old, drew a self-portrait today.  He only told me that he was wearing boots.  I don't see the boots, but I will let you judge for yourself.  I don't understand the hair either.

His sister, the five year old, thought he looked lonely because he had drawn rain and he shouldn't be alone in the rain.  She added herself on the right holding her baby brother, and her older sister on the left.



When you give a 5 year old the camera...

When you give my five year old the camera you usually get images of things at her eye level (in my case, lots of pictures of my posterior), this time I got a lovely image of the car dash.

apple salmon recipe

I made this the other day and it turned out great, my husband called it a grand slam!!  I even ate a second helping and I don't like salmon, my children even ate it, and two asked for seconds.

1 cup basil chopped
1/4 cup onion chives chopped
1 large or 2 small green apples chopped
2 lbs salmon fillets or steaks (mine were skinnless)
1/2 cup olive oil

Heat the oven to 325 or so (less than 350 because you want to cook the fish slowly)
Chop everything except the salmon and mix it into a paste.  Get a nice roaster pan and put some of the basil mix on the bottom.  Put the salmon on top of the basil mix.  Put the rest of the mix on top of the salmon.  Put it in the oven for about 25-30 minutes depending on the thickness of the salmon.
Enjoy!!

weekend fun

This weekend we spent some time relaxing and staying away from the heat outside.  It was so hot that my daughter said that the sidewalk might melt her feet.  Her sister was dubious, melt, really?  The reply, "My feet are a little bit sensitive to boiling hot lava."  Yeah, that's hot.

Then we saw some tumbleweeds blowing away.  My son informed us that they were not tumbleweeds, they are in fact cuddle weeds.  Hmm, I don't think I would like to cuddle with those, they have stickers.  "But, Mom, they look cuddly."  I sit corrected.

Things could be worse, at least I have my health.  "When you lose your health where does it go?  Can you give it to someone else who needs it more?" "I think it goes to your kids, that's why you get so tired right before you have a baby."  Yep, there might be something there.

"I have a good imagination, it's just not quite as out there as my sister's."  Can't add to that.

"If she wasn't such a drama queen, we could actually see the real world, I mean, really, I'm not sure I can stand to live with her and her drama.  It's just overwhelming me."  Right, the person I feel for is their brother, good thing he got another boy to help with this.

"I can't do it, my back hurts, I'm thirsty and I'm tired."  Pause while brother stares at her, his reply came with a huge sigh.  "Yeah, you don't have to like it, you just have to do it.  I'm hydrated too, I need two more drops of water, but I'm still doing it."

"Why is your brother's room so clean, and yours is a mess?"  Eye roll, followed by huge sigh and shrug.  "It's not my fault he can't imagine enough to play with more than one toy at a time."

"A grown up elephant is called a cow."  "Well, just the girls, the boys are called bulls."  "That's dumb, why would the girls and boys be called different things, they are all elephants?"  "Otherwise they would get confused."

"If an elephant wore sunglasses would the other elephants still recognize it?"  Where does she get this stuff?

"Why don't lions need to wear glasses to see?"  "If they had glasses I bet the zebra stripes wouldn't work as camouflage."  Then there's that.

My favorite from the weekend came when my son and I were watching beach volleyball.  "Mom, the Americans won!  I was cheering for the Americans, were you cheering for the Americans?"  "I was, why were you cheering for them?"  "Because they are from our country, we probably know them!"  He was so excited I couldn't tell him we would likely never even be in the same town.

Olympics

I am enjoying watching the olympics, seeing amazing people do amazing things.  What I can't figure out is why my children have absolutely no interest in watching at all.  They watch maybe 5 minutes and then go off to slay a dragon or draw a princess birthday party.  I'm not really complaining, I'm glad they don't want to be couch potatoes but I am slightly perplexed by their total lack of interest.

Fun in school

My 7 year old was working on math today and decided to teach her brother (remember he's 3).  I gave her some simple multiplication problems and let her go.  She taught her brother for about 15 minutes and answered her math problems.  Later when I was working with my son on the work he was doing I asked him if he could find the number 6.  He said, "There is the 6.  Mom, if you have two groups of 6 that's twelve, but one group of 6 is always 6 and it gets lonely." 
Multiplication might be easy for him, but explaining that the numbers don't have feelings might break his heart.

Watermelon

We harvested our first watermelon on Sunday.  We ate it on Monday.  We talked about how yummy it was today.  Here is a picture of our watermelon.  The children are really excited and interested in the garden.

Pizza snobs

My children are quickly becoming pizza snobs.  I didn't realize that when we planted the garden we would mostly make fresh pizza sauce and make our own pizza dough to give the kids a healthy pizza for special occasions.  I was planning to make salsa.  Now, when I ask my children if they want pizza, they automatically say, "Yes, just make us some please."  This means that they want the fresh stuff over any store or restaurant.  I wonder what will happen as they get older and realize that fresh food is yummy.  I'm seeing a huge garden in our future.  Good thing we live in the desert where gardening is easy?

Funnies

While playing Scrabble my 5 year old daughter spelled the word "BEEF" my husband said "What's your beef?"  Without missing a beat she replied "My beef is chicken."

My son was coloring and I asked him "what is your favorite color?"
At first he replied, "I am still thinking about that."  Then, about 5 minutes and 6 colors later he said, "I've been thinking my favorite color is reddish.  Sorry, it's not your favorite color."

Today as we were driving away from the pool my son said "Mom, did you see that dragon fly?" 
"No, I didn't."
"It's ok, I'll take a picture in my mind and show you when you aren't driving."

Awesome, long lasting toy, Evenflo excersaucer

We bought this excersaucer 7 years ago.  It's now being used by it's fourth user.  My children are not small and they were not gentle with it.  We also used it while we remodeled our house to contain our son.  I just replaced all the batteries for the first time and only one toy is no longer usable.  I highly recommend it, if they still make them.  It's an evenflo by the way.

more school

My son was awake at 11:30pm again and asked to do more school.  He wanted me to read the organic gardening book to him, so I did.  I was tired.  I now know many things about organic gardening and he is telling me that we need chickens to help with our garden.  I think we might have to get chickens.  He also learned what a lowercase g is, so that's more what a 3 year old should learn.

Hmm, less than ideal

I told them to clean their room, I even sent their Dad to help.  Now three people are playing hockey.

Baseball game

We went to the baseball game last night, got some junk food, and watched the fireworks afterward.  It was fun to watch the children enjoy something out of the ordinary.  It was also funny to see my son at the game in his hockey jersey.  The part I really liked though was seeing each of them enjoy different things.  My oldest liked the food and spending time with Grandma.  My second liked the fireworks.  My son liked ther food, the baseball game, the people, the fireworks, Daddy's glove, and the National Anthem.

school at midnight

I thought that one of the advantages of homeschooling was scheduling.  Little did I realize what that actually means.
I finished my nightly chores last night about 11:20 and I was excited to go to bed before midnight.  Then, my three year old son asked me if he could do some school.  I silently cursed the nap I'd let him take in the afternoon and told him of course he could do school.  So, there I was from 11:25 until 12:15 teaching my son.  He did five workbook pages of math, and one addition page on his dry-erase book.  Then, he traced all his letters on the dry-erase book and asked to read some books.  We reviewed the sounds for a, m, and s and then learned the sound for l.  I was so tired I actually started falling asleep while he was practicing his letters.  Then, my husband reminded me that this was the reason we were homeschooling.  The major advantage of teaching when they children were most receptive to learning.  I agreed last night, but when the alarm went off this morning I started questioning my sanity.  Until, my son woke up and said "Thanks for reading this book to me last night Mom."  I guess I'll be doing school at all hours for a while any way.

smart cars?

We saw a smart car in the parking lot today.  My 5 year old said “What is that?”  I followed her finger and found that she was pointing to a smart car.  I said “That’s a car, they call it a smart car.”  Her reply “How can a car be smart?  It doesn’t even have a brain.”  Her sister chimed in, “It can’t be too smart it looks like a stink bug and those aren’t smart.”  Then, my 3 year old cracked me up with his two cents, “I wouldn’t even want a toy car that looked like that.”  Ahhh, guess what car we will never own.

our real, although, not rough camping trip

We went camping this weekend, for one night only.  We drove 400 miles to spend one night in the mountains.  Crazy I know, especially since we could have driven 25 to get to the mountains, but it was so much fun.  We decided that it is not about where we go, or even what we do, when we go out as a family to someplace it usually means making memories.  We made some great ones.  My 3 year old caught his first fish, much to his great joy.  My 5 year old named all of the wild flowers something strange.  There were butter buttons and spaceships and some other names I'll never remember.  The important thing is that she had fun.  My 7 year old didn't catch any fish, but it wasn't from lack of trying and she has a wonderful cast.  I think she needs a fly rod.  They all woke up about 3 hours earlier than normal and said they had the best time.  We weren't exactly roughing it, we went out to dinner and we have a tankless hot water heater in the trailer, with our comfy beds and an air conditioner.  We did follow my two rules of camping, take lots of food, and have a comfortable bed.  We also spent a wonderful weekend together and hopefully started a trend for the summer.

Butter Chicken (my style, with what I have, and my kids eat it)

3 cloves of garlic
1/2 onion, or 1/2 cup onion chives (the chives are in the garden so there's that)
16 oz tomato puree
2 tsp Garam Masala
1-2 lbs chicken in bite size pieces
butter (I've used anywhere from 4 Tb to 8 Tb depending on what I have, I even left it out once and it still worked, when I left it out I used a Tb of olive oil)
heavy cream (again, I've used 2-3 cups and once I used soy milk because we were out of cream and it still works)

It works best if the chicken is mostly cooked to start with but it will cook in the sauce.  I usually use left over chicken from when we roast a whole chicken, but you can use any kind of chicken.

Puree, the tomatoes, onion, garlic, then melt the butter in a large skillet with high sides.  Put the sauce in to the butter, when it's all mixed add the cream.  Add the garam masala, mix.  Add the chicken and stir again.  One low heat, uncovered simmer for about 30 minutes, stir it regularly but not constantly.  Enjoy. 

This freezes well in tupperware and it's a great way to use tomatoes.

progress on our list (from some days)

These are the things I've gotten to do so far this summer.  We were trying hard to get some of them done soon, especially since it's been raining.

Reading a good book.  I've actually read several this summer, and I had a couple read to me, which was wonderful!!  Ella Enchanted (chapter book for children) is fun, as is Waking Beauty (picture book for everyone, even my husband enjoyed it)

Dancing to a good song.  We were all in the kitchen getting dinner ready when a song we all know came on the radio, we all started dancing.  Good thing nothing burned!

Dancing in the rain.  We have been doing this every chance we get, luckily we are actually having good rains this year.

Playing outside as the sun sets.  I started letting the kids play in the yard in the evenings even though it puts bedtime later.  I think the time spent with each other is more important.  Besides, they are trying to sell mudpies to the people driving and walking by the house.  I'm curious if they get any takers.

Swinging.  We went to the park in the evening and started swinging together, ah, it was relaxing.  Now we are considering a porch swing.

Coloring.  My son is letting me color with him almost every morning.  I'm not sure if the coloring is more fun, or if his directions are more entertaining.  I hear "Mom, color carefully, inside the lines, here's your crayon." from my 3 year old, it really is the best.

Eating popcorn.  We had a WONDERFUL time at tea with friends and we got to eat popcorn.  Ahhhh, tea.

my son's wisdom

My son and I were discussing what it means to be a grown-up and what you get to do versus what you have to do.  I asked him if he would still give me hugs when he was a grown up.  He said of course he would because I would still be his Mom.  We decided that one hug a day would be a great thing to start the day with, so, he said he would give me one hug every day forever.  I love my hugs, they are wonderful but lately he's been adding something.  About a week ago he started giving me two hugs saying "because I didn't give you one tomorrow."  This is so sweet and I love him for it, but it made me think.  Why not give an extra hug for tomorrow?  You haven't given them one tomorrow and what if you can't, you don't know what tomorrow will bring, you may not get to give that hug tomorrow.  Too soon he will realize that he isn't saying what he thinks he's saying, I'm sure he's more worried about yesterday, but I will not tell him to stop because I like my hugs for today and tomorrow.

More wacky stuff I had to say today

Today I again found myself saying things to my children I never imagined I would have to say.

Stop licking the rock.

Please take your finger out of the butter.

When you play hockey in the kitchen please don't use the bag of brown sugar as a goal.

I will take a picture of the receipt, but you have to give it to me right now.

And my favorite today...

Please stop brushing your brother's teeth, three times is enough.

Fun Reading Lesson

Today we weren't home for very long and so did not have much time for school but I wanted the girls to have a short reading time.  The problem with the original plan was that they were so excited from their outings that they couldn't sit still.  I changed tactics.  I got out the cookie cookbook and said they could make cookies if they found a recipe without butter because we were out of butter and they had to get all the ingredients out and mix up the dough and I would help with the baking.  Well, it took them about half an hour to find a recipe that had only ingredients we actually had on hand, but they were successful and managed to mix up some pineapple cookies.  Then they decided to bake them tomorrow because they wanted to help with dinner!  Reading lesson number two.  I won't tell them they were learning if you don't.

A special story for you.

Today we did a fun project for handwriting practice.  We made a group story.  We started out making pictures of things that we liked, dogs, flowers, trees, the park, and other stuff.  Then, we took turns writing sentences to make a story.  The five year old (A) started it, then the seven year old (S) continued and they took turns.  Then my son wrote "THE END".  Here's what they made...

Flowers.  S

Princess and queen. A

Rose garden. S

Tree with dogs. A

Playground. S

Cats with bread. A

The playground caretaker's house. S

fun today

My 7 year old daughter was talking loudly today.  I said "Who are you talking to?" she didn't hesitate, "I'm talking to myself."  I paused, then asked "Can you talk a little quieter to yourself?"  She thought for a second then said, "Then, I won't be able to hear myself."  I have no response for that one.

My 5 year old daughter drew a picture of a butterfly, with big teeth.  I asked her what it was and she looked at me like I'd lost my mind then replied.  "It's a butterfly monster Mom."  As though it were obvious and duh, what else would it be?  Again, I have absolutely no reply.

My 5 year old again. 
"Mom, why can't we fly?" 
"Well, we can fly in airplanes and balloons and things like that sweetie." 
"That's not what I meant, I mean how come we don't have wings like birds?" 
"I don't know, I would guess it's because we aren't birds.  If we had wings then I think we couldn't have hands, that would make building houses and stuff much harder wouldn't it?" 
"But Tinkerbell has wings and hands, why can't we be like fairies?" 
"Because fairies aren't real?" 
"Mom, you have no imagination."
She seemed really sad, perhaps I let her down.  I guess I should work on my imagination.

tidbit

When we were watching the fireworks show tonight my son kept turning around and telling me about the green ones because he knows green is my favorite color.  I was so pleased that he knew the color green because he usually doesn't care about colors.  He's such a sweet boy, I hope he never grows out of that.

added to the timeline

Today we talked about what it means to live in this country and we added some important dates to our timeline.  We added the birth of the nation and George Washington, then my daughter wanted to add the making of the Liberty Bell because they rang it when they read the declaration.  I had forgotten that but she remembered.  I think it's a good thing we've been using Liberty Bell stamps.  Then she wanted to add the year the Star Spangled Banner Flag was made so we did that.  It really made an impression on her at the Smithsonian.  If you ever get a chance to see that you really should, it was quite memorable.  Then, we sang "Happy Birthday" to our country.  I think it was a fitting way to end our study and the children thought it was fun.  The timeline is a great way to discuss history because they can see how it relates to things that they know.  Of course Ancient Egypt is so far away they have trouble relating to that, but seeing how far away it is still helps them understand it.  And then my daughter surprised me by explaining that if people were living in ancient Egypt they would put the rich people in the pyramids and they would then be dead.  I'm not sure she's getting all of it, but some stuff is sticking in her brain.  We may need to do some review next week.

some days

Some days are definitely better than other days.  Today was one of the other days.  It made me remember how much I love my family and my friends.  Today also made me think of ways to make ordinary days more of the some days, the days that are better.  Obviously I want to do this without spending lots of money I don't have because then I would have more of those other days while I was waiting to pay off all the money I spent trying to have fun.  So, I made a list of good memories I have to see how much money it would take to repeat those memories for my children.  Many of the things on the list don't cost much at all.

Watching the sun rise with a good friend.
Reading a good book.
Watching the sun set with a good friend.
Dancing to a good song.
Dancing in the rain.
Dancing in the rain to a good song.
Eating watermelon outside.
Playing outside as the sun sets.
Swinging.
Playing music with a good friend.
Listening to a friend play music.
Flying a kite.
Spending time in the forest.
Watching the sun rise while sitting on a rock.
Coloring.
Eating popcorn.

The list goes on, but I noticed three things that are repeated; friends, music, and outside.  I promise to try to make these memories possible for my children.  I am going to start by doing all of these things with my children before the first of October.  I'll keep you posted.

timeline

We were discussing history and when things happened.  We were having trouble getting across the idea of a long long time ago, like before Grandma was born, so we made a timeline.  Luckily the kids got some poster paper for their birthday, a 75 foot roll.  So, we made a 26 plus foot timeline, starting in 3000 BC and going to 2015.  It's awesome, 1/16 of an inch is a year.  Now the problem is where to put it.  We actually don't have a wall that long in our house, so we are discussing cutting it up or cleaning out the garage and putting it out there.  I might get a clean garage out of this activity.  Oh yeah, and the kids are starting to understand what a long long time ago means.

isms

My children have things that they say that make me laugh.  I should correct these things but I can't, I don't want to correct them because then my children would not be themselves quite.  My oldest daughter started most of them, but not all.  Here are my favorites:

Puddle up - this is used to call them all together for a meeting, instead of huddle up.
Siryup - instead of syrup.
steamwork - when they work together for something.
gramotor bars - a favorite snack.
pretty cheese with please - unique to my oldest son.

Part of me hopes they never use the proper words.

tomato woes

so I lost my precious yellow pear tomato to a bacteria, poor thing.  I am sad.  Then it got so hot that my ripe red tomatoes are cracking from the heat.  I am hoping that cooler temperatures this week will lead to better tomato results.  My son absolutely loves to eat the tomatoes so he was sad with me when we lost the yellow pears.  I guess we will have to put our hopes on the new celebrity tomato that we planted this weekend.  I will let you know how that goes.

Lesson 4-42 with select pictures

After she was reading fairly well and enjoying the lessons, I starting adding some handwriting practice for her.  It was basic really.  She got to write the last sentence in the reading lesson.  These were sometimes really basic such as lesson 4 but as we went on I was amazed at her desire to change the story with that last sentence such as in lesson 40.

Lesson 4

Did the dog teach the cat to swim?  No, the cat ran away.  The cat ran far away.  The cat got lost.  That cat ran very far away.  He got lost.  That is sad.

Lesson 5

We do not need to teach the dog to swim.  The dog can swim.  The dog likes the pool and so do I.  We can both swim in the pool.  I do not have to teach the dog to swim.

Lesson 6

The dog is swimming.  The cat is not swimming.  The cat is still lost.  Can we find the cat?  We looked for the cat.  We did not find the cat.  We can look more but I do not think we can find the cat.  Look, there is the cat.

Lesson 7

The cat ran.  The cat chased a rat.  The rat ran away.  I do not want the cat to catch the rat.  I do not want a rat.  The rat can be sick.  Cat, do not catch that rat.

Lesson 8

The cat is not lost.  The cat did not catch the rat.  The cat still cannot swim.  Can we keep the cat inside?  If we keep him inside he will not run away and get lost.

Lesson 9

Watch me jump.  Watch me run.  Watch me sit.  Watch me eat a hot dog.  I like hot dogs.  I like hot dogs with buns.  Do you like hot dogs?  Do they like hot dogs with buns?

Lesson 10

We can run.  We can jump.  We can eat hot dogs.  We can go to the park.  We can jump at the park.  We can run at the park.  I like the park.  Can we go to the park now?

Lesson 11

The dog is out.  Can we let him in?  No, do not let him in.  Why not?  He was in the mud.  I do not want mud inside.  The dog will need a bath.  If he has a bath, then he can come inside.

Lesson 12

Did the dog take a bath?  The dog took a bath and washed off the mud.  Is all the mud washed off?  No, there is still mud on the dog.  Then he cannot come inside.  He is sad.

Lesson 13

Do you like the park?  We go to the park but not if it is cold.  Do you go to the park if it is cold?  We do not go if it is windy.  We cannot go if there is too much wind.

Lesson 14

We went to the park.  We ran at the park.  We ran in the grass at the park.  We sat at the parl.  We sat on the swings at the park.  We sat on the grass at the park.  We like the park.

Lesson 15

The tree at the park is green all the time.  It is an evergreen tree.  The tree at the park is big.  There are other trees at the park.  I like the big tree at the park.  The other trees are not big and they do not stay green.

Lesson 16

I saw a red ball.  It was a big red ball.  I saw a big, red ball at the park.  I kicked the big red ball at the park.  It was fun to kick the big red ball at the park.

Lesson 17

The dog sat on the big rock under the big tree at the park.  We cannot go to the park when that dog is there.  I was sad that dog was there.   Go away dog, I want to play.

Lesson 18

The dog was not at the park today.  The dog was not under the tree.  The dog was not on the rock.  We looked but we did not see the dog.  We got to go to the park.

Lesson 19

How much food did the dog eat?  It will make him sick.  I did not give him much.  He will not get sick.  If he eats too much he will get sick.  He did not eat too much, he is not sick.  That is good.

Lesson 20

This is a mess.  I never saw such a mess.  How did this mess get here?  How can I fix such a mess?  I wish it were less of a mess.  Now I have to pick up the mess.  I do not like this mess.

Lesson 21

What did we get for lunch?  We got hot dogs for lunch.  I like hot dogs.  Not all of us like hot dogs.  That is all we have for lunch.  If they do not eat hot dogs they will not eat lunch.  That is sad.

Lesson 22

What can we eat for lunch?  Can we eat hot dogs for lunch?  Can we eat rolls for lunch?  Can we eat eggs for lunch?  Can we eat hot dogs and rolls for lunch?

Lesson 23

Do we get to see the trees today?  No, we have to stay inside.  I do not want to stay inside.  It is too windy.  Why is there so much wind?  It is spring.  In the spring there is lots of wind.  I am sad.  I want to see the trees.

Lesson 24

I saw a green balloon.  Then I saw a red balloon.  Then I saw the girl at the park that sells balloons.  It was fun to see the balloons.  I like balloons.

Lesson 25

This is so much fun.  What is fun?  I am reading all by myself.  No, I am not reading to you.  I am reading.  I am good at reading.  I can read long words like little and inside.  Can you read hard words like every and day?  Yes, I can.

Lesson 26

Do we have balloons today?  I like balloons.  I like red balloons and green balloons.  I even like brown balloons but I do not think they make very many brown balloons.  How many brown balloons do we have?  We do not have any brown balloons.  I think we can get some.

Lesson 27

Have we ever had a brown balloon inside?  I do not think we have had a brown balloon inside.  We had a green balloon and a red balloon.  We even had a yellow balloon.  I do not think we ever had a brown balloon.  We could get a brown balloon.

Lesson 28

The balloon got lost when he opened the door.  I did not want to open the door.  It is too windy.  We will never see that balloon again.  I liked that balloon.  Now we lost that balloon.  I am sad.  He is sad.  We wanted to keep that balloon.  Now that balloon is lost.  That is sad.  Poor lost balloon, now it will pop.

Lesson 29

We did not see that car turn.  It was a black car.  Now we do not see it.  Will it come back?  I do not think that car will come back.  When it turned we did not see it.  Did it turn left?  I did not see if it turned left.  I saw a black car, bit I did not see it turn.  I saw the car stop.

Lesson 30

I saw a red car hit a black car.  I do not think anyone got hurt but the red car is broken.  I do not think the black car is broken.  I saw the black car drive away.  The red car did not drive away.  The red car sat still.  Then a big truck took the red car down the road.  I am glad no one got hurt.

Lesson 31

I saw a big black dog run in the street.  I think that big black dog was lost.  I think that dog is sad.  It would be sad to be a lost dog.  It could be he was not lost bit I did not see anyone with him.  I think that big black dog was lost.  He did not look sad.

Lesson 32

I sat on a big rock.  The rock was hard.  I sat on the rock as long as I could.   I saw a small brown bird.  It sat still, then, the small brown bird left.  The rock was warm.  I sat still on the rock and the bird came back.  I liked seeing the bird.  I wanted to see a bigger bird but I did not.

Lesson 33

When I woke up I saw that it was sunny out.  I wanted to go to the park.  It was sunny outside but it was not warm.  It looked warm but it was cold.  It was too cold to go to the park.  I wanted to go to the park so I was sad.  I had to stay inside.  The next morning it was warm.

Lesson 34

When I woke up today I sat still on the bed.  I think I am sick.  I want to go back to sleep.  I feel bad all over.  I do not want to eat.  I will go back to sleep.  I want to feel better.  I do not think I will feel better today.  I am sad.  When I am not sick I will be happy.

Lesson 35

The black cat is in the yard.  The black cat hunts the birds in the yard.  I like the birds.  I do not think I like that black cat.  I wish that cat would stay away.  If it would stay away from the birds it could be in the yard.  It hunts the birds so it must go.  I will chase that black cat away.

Lesson 36

I like to sit at the table when I color.  I think I color better when I sit at the table.  When I color I like to color with many colors.  I do not like to use only one color.  I can put my colors on top of the table, then no one can step on them.  If colors get stepped on, they can get broken.  Then they get broken that is sad.

Lesson 37

I like the color green.  Some girls do not like green.  Some boys do not like green.  Some girls like pink.  I do not think many boys like pink.  I think most boys like red or blue.  Some boys like yellow or brown.  Some girls like yellow too.  Some girls like purple.  Some girls like red.  I like green best.

Lesson 38

I had a dog when I was a little girl.  It was a brown dog.  Dogs can be fun.  Dogs need work.  Dogs need food.  Dogs need beds and dogs need love.  Some dogs need big yards.  Some dogs get cold.  Some dogs like to stay inside.  Some dogs do not like to stay inside  Some dogs chase birds.  My dog was a big dog.  He did not chase birds.

Lesson 39

There is a big tiger at the zoo.  I like to watch the tiger.  He walks around in his cage.  He is a very big tiger.  I think he must eat a lot of food.  If he did not eat a lot of food he would not be so big.  I think he ate a lot of food when he was little too.

Lesson 40

Dot is from Mars.  Dot has a brother.  Her brother is from Mars too.  I think I would like to go to Mars.  There are no trees on Mars so I could see all over.  I like trees so I think I would not stay on Mars.  Dot likes trees so she moved here.  Dot got tired of trees so she moved back.

Lesson 41

I do not like grass in the spring.  Grass makes me sneeze.  I do not like to sneeze.  Most days I do not sneeze.  Some days I sneeze all day long.  I do not think those days are fun.  I do not feel good when I sneeze that much.  I do not want to sneeze.