Back To School Preparation Time

Too busy these days... and no, I am not really accomplishing much, so don't envy me ;) ... wanted to share some info.... A few days ago we went to Manning's Open House for Educators and got to see some new (and old) products displayed and get some freebies. First of all, I got way too many catalogs, but that's okay. They are great for brainstorming and using some of the ideas, as well as, having them to order from, etc.. Some of the other freebies I got were :

Sergeant paints, sculpting clay, markers; various pens and markers; window marker; two Steve Spangler Mentos geysers kits; various scratch pads; decorative note pads; awards tags; achievement/chore sheets; Carson Dellosa sample Panda poster; spray hand sanitizer; bookmarks; etc.. All that and they served Walnut brownies, a variety of yummy cookies, mini sub sandwiches, and drinks. Throughout our visit we were served soda or bottled water while we waited... did I mention we were there THREE HOURS?! Yikes! But I am glad we went.

So, what did I buy? Not much because we had all our kiddos and we needed to get out of there and it was a packed house. I have some things I will go back for, but all I bought was this wonderful little folding ruler made by It's Academic. So, it folds down to the size of one inch, which I think is a great visual way to put into perspective just how much one inch is. Also, when folded down you see the numbers on the side and it shows the odd numbers.... when folded a different way you see the even numbers and at the same time counting by twos. I am going to use it as a visual for fractions, also. Many uses... great hands-on visual and only $1.49 !

What was the coolest thing that stood out for me? Crayola Dry Erase Crayons!! Great for the kids to use on dry erase boards, but also great for the teacher, too. I can't stand how quickly dry erase markers dry up. These crayons are just like crayons only softer making them smooth flowing to write with. Very similar to a grease pencil, if you are familiar with those. The crayons EASILY wipe away. Oh yeah, I did not buy them because they will not arrive in the store for about two more weeks. I tried to find a link, but they are not even on www.Crayola.com, yet. I assure you they exist... maybe we will see them in stores soon.

A couple days later I attended a small local Conference that made it's debut. It was the first annual Mid-County Homeschool Conference (MCHC). They did a great job and I believe it will grow tremendously in the years to come. I loved the workshop sessions and they had a panel of four homeschool graduates that did an Open Forum Q & A segment. They also had a panel of four homeschool fathers that did an Open Forum Q & A segment. All the speakers were local and they were great. It was a great opportunity to re-focus on our homeschool. I have been feeling a sense of fear the closer we get to starting our new year off. And I actually keep pushing our start date back because I don't feel ready. Going to this conference really helped me start to feel a little more ready. Ready or not we will start back on Monday, anyway. :) My husband will go back to work on Tuesday, so we might as well jump in to!

I have been re-organizing our school area, developing a schedule for our day, trying to figure out a strategy to make it all work, begging Savannah to please try to do her work without a struggle, looking through their school books, etc.. Okay, yes... today I begged Savannah and she said she would. And she will.... she tries, but she just is distractable and thinks she has to be perfect which is a bad combo. She is a wonderful kid and just today her Sunday School teacher was talking to me about her. She was the last one to leave the classroom because she was not finished with her project and I looked at her teacher and said something about her "speed" in doing things and the teacher said, "But she has such a sweet, sweet spirit." And she does!! She is a wonderful child.... and I am too hard on her. I just can't fail her.... she has to learn and learn well. And she is, but what is missing is all the fun extras that we have to push out because of all the procrastinating. Urghhh.... she has learned that from us, too. I have to admit that.... all her faults come from us, her parents. Arghhh... reality stinks doesn't it. So, I have to find what we are doing wrong and fix it. Like NOW! One of the speakers at the MCHC said that when you start homeschooling one of the things that happens is God starts to show you your problem areas. She said God let her see she had an anger problem. Yikes.... I'm sure she is not the first homeschool mom to have this revelation. We get frustrated and angry and start crying or squawking like a child ourselves. So, we have to deal with our issues.... not easy... but it is necessary to accomplish our goals. The one thing I said when I started homeschooling is that my biggest fear was that my kids would turn out like me. So, I am working on my issues.... I'm sure if I fix my issues then her will be fixed... simple really... right?! ;)

Okay, so I got a little pick-me-up from the MCHC, but now I am thinking that I might want to make last minute plans to attend the THSC Convention this weekend in Houston. Maybe it would just give me that extra boost and "direction". Maybe my husband could find some support in going and my kids could get another chance to enjoy a conference experience. Anyway, blogging is not something I can spend much time on these days... sorry, no pics right now.... and I have to get off this computer.... arghhhh... quite honestly, I would rather sit here and type and run from all the things that I should be doing, but I can't and I am sorry for that. I hope some of you will stick with my boring blog until I can commit more time to it. ;) Goodnight!!

Fun Pics!

Just a couple pics to show their bandana clothes we made together. You can't really see Caden's or Sahara's in the "concert" pic. I added these to give you a glimpse. I always have to take an idea and change it up and make it my own... translation = complicate it. ;)

This is my birthday performance. What a wild "group" they were singing for my special concert! They're all wearing their bandanas we made for them. Sahara's is a dress (2). Savannah's is a long skirt (2). Sierra's is a knee-length skirt (1). Caden's is shorts (2) and a guitar strap (scraps). Look at Caden rockin' out at two years old! Not quite sure where they learn that stuff.

(X) shows the number of bandanas used.

Sierra and Sahara taking a bath together. Sahara was loving her big sissy's face... slapping it, poking her eyelashes and eyes, gigglung uncontrollably! So sweet and funny!!!

School Motto

I was working in our schoolroom today and was really thinking about "why we homeschool". It was as if in my head I was talking to my kids about it and I was saying, "I homeschool because I want to be with you." Instantly, I could picture us starting each day chanting it to each other with simple hand signals.

I homeschool

(point to self; arms outstretched and moving outward)

because I want to be with YOU!

(point to self; point to kids as kids point to you --be loud and excitable)

I think I could use a reminder each day of why we are homeschooling to help keep it in perspective. I realize many of you do not need this... and if you do you do not need an explanation of hand signals. ;) Sometimes though for some of us it is in the little things we do that help us keep our perspective.

Okay, we now have a School Motto and School Bible Verse, but I still have yet to give our school a name. They want be little forever, so Little Things Academy is just not gonna cut it... I'll keep thinking. Meanwhile, I would LOVE to know if your homeschool has a name. Come on... leave me a comment telling me your school name or cool ideas you have heard from others.

A Girl Has A Right...

...to change her mind!

BUT that still doesn't mean it won't hurt!!

Sierra, 5

Ear Piercing

I did not think Sierra would ever get her ears pierced after seeing her sister go through the infection issues after her piercing. Suddenly, she is brave... uh, well until she got in that seat with two earring guns ready to fire off! Doesn't she look brave!!! ;) Yikes! Her Daddy took this picture by the way. I am so proud of her for facing her fears head on!

I Am Who I Am

I am who I am.
Not someone someone else wants me to be.
Or expects me to be.
I speak truth.... my truth...
Not what I expect you to be.
Really, I don't expect you to be anything but just who you are.
I like "realness"
Even if it steps on my toes.
I like diversity and differences.
And I like change.
And being able to change.
I like to think.
And I like to think for myself.

Hard Evidence

When I experienced my second pregnancy loss my faith was shaken for the first time. I caught myself thinking, "Why?". Many times in the past I had heard others asking, "Why?" when faced with a tragedy, but I simply thought we just can't ask that question. My thoughts were that you just have to accept it and know that God has a greater plan. I still think that... only now I have been to that dark place where I have asked, "Why?" and I have come through it. I have to admit though that sometimes I ponder (secretly, of course) if what I believe in is a fairy tale. Don't let me lose you here.... I know better! I KNOW better! And I certainly don't think it is a fairy tale. What I am going to share here may be too much for some of you. In response to my faith being shaken God has given me real life hard evidence that He is indeed real and certainly not a fairy tale. He gave me this evidence long before I reached that dark point in my life. I think that was intentional because I think he wanted me to reach back and search my heart and remember His evidence.

Let me shift gears for a moment. I believe that as parents it is important to recognize our children's spiritual gifts and as time goes by help them understand those gifts and embrace them. I am not certain what Sahara or Caden's gifts will be. I suspect one of Caden's will be musical. I don't presume to think that I will know all their spiritual gifts, either. I believe they may have a gift that I never know about, but I can already tell that Sierra has the gift of Service among other gifts. She just loves to do things to help. We call her our "go to girl" because she is the one you "go to" when you want to "get it done". She is so eager. Savannah has many gifts, but the ones I am going to talk about tonight or usually kind of kept "hush-hush". They're rare and "different" by the worlds standards. They are going to take some careful training, otherwise I think it will be possible for her to stifle them. I believe Savannah has the gift of prophecy and discernment. __gasp__ It's okay... I know it sounds strange. I don't mean prophecy like she is going to predict major events in the world, but this child has spoken some things that mindblowing for me. I'll go into that more in a bit. I have always seen in her that ability to discern good and evil. She has always been drawn to people that are good and never wanted to be around those that are not good. I think that it is remarkable for her to have that gift even as a toddler. She is the kid that got the Good Cititzenship Award all three years that she was in public school (Pre-K, K, 1st).

Anyway, back to the prophecy topic and how God has given me real life hard evidence to remind me that this is all not just some fairy tale. I think God gives Savannah knowledge of certain things. I don't think he gives her a knowledge of all things. I have a couple of relatives like this that know when someone is going to die; however, they do not know who.... only that is someone they are close to and usually happens a few days after they start to "feel it". They also "sense" pregnancies. Weird huh?! It's okay... I know this is too weird for some people, but that is the way the world has taught us to be... weirded out by it. It is in the Bible, though. If it is in there then I believe in it... all of it. Even the things I do not understand. Savannah's gift seems to be related to pregnancy, also. She has told me that I am pregant everytime I have been... BEFORE I EVEN KNEW! And she has told be both times that I have lost our other babies!! You think I am crazy? Maybe so, but as sure as I am sitting here she has. And the strange thing for me is that I am pretty sure that she does not even know she does it. She just makes a statement and then, it is as if she does not even realize she has said it sometimes. As if it is being spoken "through" her. With my second pregnancy loss we went on a family vacation. I fell on a large rock on my back and blacked out a few times. I never had bleeding or anything to indicate a problem and we were completely away from civilization, so we thought I was fine. That night in our tent we were preparing to go to sleep and as we were sitting there Savannah said, "Momma, the baby's not there anymore." She had a blank look on her face, but with a slight smile (a naive, innocent smile). I said, "What did you say?" She said, "The baby's not there anymore." I said, "Savannah, don't say that!" She suddenly looked me in the face and with the blank look gone said, "What? What did I say?" I said, "Oh nothing." I forgot about it really, although I thought it was strange. Later when I found out the baby had died I remembered. With my first pregnancy loss she simply look at me on day and said, "The baby in your belly is gone." All very odd, but I know that God gave these gifts to her! He would not want them to be stifled. He will want her to use them. It will be my job to help her understand how to use these gifts as she grows up. I can't be ashamed or let her be ashamed of of such a precious gift. We have to claim it as a gift from God and use it as such.

Uh-hem... she has also told me that others that she is close to are going to have another baby and guess what? Yep, they find out they are pregnant! She also seems to have a way of getting what she prays for regarding babies, too. She has prayed that I would get pregnant many times and well, let's just say five out of five ain't bad! 80) I did tell her to stop it when she was praying for twins immediately after Sahara's birth!! For me this is all hard evidence that God is definitely not a fairy tale!

I Want Them All To Have It

Now FAITH is the substance of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not seen. --Hebrews 11:1

We chose FAITH for our oldest daughter's middle name because I wanted her to have a strong, unshakeable FAITH. When I was pregnant with my second daughter I wanted the same for her. How could I possibly want less for her?! A decision was made at that time that ALL of our daughters would be given the same middle name.. Faith.... an unexplainable hope... pure evidence of things not seen! That's what I want all my children to have!!! I want them to believe in what they can't see. God.

An added bonus is that when they grow older, marry, and change their last names they will have that name that will be unchanged that they will forever have in common.

One Word About Me

Okay, I am rocking a baby, so I will do this. Hope "Me" doesn't bore you all to tears. ;)

Here’s how it works: USE ONLY ONE WORD! It’s not as easy as you might think. Copy and change my answers to suit you and pass it on. It’s really hard to use only one-word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your hair? twisty
3. Your mother? fifty-nine
4. Your father? ALIVE!
5. Your favorite food? watermelon
6. Your dream last night? forgotten
7. Your favorite drink? water
8. Your dream/goal? organize
9. What room are you in? living
10. Your hobby? blogging
11. Your fear? failure
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? vacation :)
13. Where were you last night? home
14. Something that you aren’t? shy
15. Muffins? banana
16. Wish list item? simplicity
17. Where did you grow up? Texas
18. Last thing you did? Rock
19. What are you wearing? clothes ;)
20. Your TV? consuming
21. Your pets? dogs
22. Friends? blessed
23. Your life? wild
24. Your mood? confused
25. Missing someone? always
26. Vehicle? van
27. Something you’re not wearing? socks
28. Your favorite store? JCPenney
29. Your favorite color? rainbow
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? Friday
32. Your best friend? Two
33. One place that I go to over and over? Pizza Hut
34. One person who emails me regularly? mother-in-law
35. Favorite place to eat? Carino's

OK, now it's your turn.... if you want to. And leave a comment, so I will know and can go read it.

Works For Me

Whoo-hooooo! We are getting a break from the Texas heat! We were have been parched here in Texas and it was really starting to heat up, then suddenly we started getting rain and cold fronts moving in. It has rained FOUR DAYS IN A ROW! Now when I say "cold front" don't get the idea I actually mean cold. We are still getting temps in the 80s and 90s. The 80s are at night or during the rain, but IT WORKS FOR ME!!!! Oooops.... it's Wednesday, so this could accidentally be a Works For Me Wednesday... never done that, but there's no time like the present! Well, UNOFFICIALLY... I don't know the "rules" and don't have time to follow them if I did. ;)

Wanting To and Matters Of The Heart

Well, I was planning and wanting to do an update to this post about being busy, but it seems that busy is just the way life is right now. I do want the ones who responded to that post to know that I did read your comments and it brings me great relief to know that my life is not the only wild life. On the other hand I know the burdens that you are facing are great and I don't take it lightly. I wish I could make it easier... Of course, I can't, but I know God will see us all through it.

I have written several posts about my recent issues with "The Passage Of Time" (in my Birthdays and Aging section... I am being lazy and not looking up the links). This is a HUGE issue in my life right now... a desperate struggle for me.... and not something I have been handling well. I have been contemplating some projects and huge job related decisions for my husband... how our lives would change for better... and worse... how important it is to be on track in our home life... that this summer could be the last Summer Break my husband gets and therefore, a chance at a family vacation that we don't really want to let slip through our fingers....yet, how do we take care of all the responsibilities that we have here.... and instead of vacation we could spend time with our families (our parents).... Meanwhile, everytime the phone rings I am still thinking I am going to get a call about my daddy, especially if it is at and odd time of day like late at night or on Sunday during church time. Thursday night the phone rang at 10:37 p.m. and as my hand reach for the phone and I saw the caller ID I was already thinking that something was wrong. My daddy had been admitted to the hospital for chest pains. Ten years ago he had a five bypass heart surgery. In February of this year he started having some chest pains. After testing he was told there was nothing to be concerned about. A couple weeks later he was admitted to the hospital where upon further testing they found he did have some blockages and had had a heart attack. They inserted a stint in his heart. He was told to take it easy, follow his diet, etc.... Hmmm... he says he has, but will admit that "maybe he should be a little more careful". ;) Well, he just had to go back into the hospital for chest pains and the initial tests showed that he was okay. Once again, an arteriogram revealed differently. The stint developed scar tissue around it causing a blockage (apparently there is only a 20% chance of this occurring). They put in a different stint and he just got out of the hospital today. Tell me.... just who gets THREE chances!!!??? It is a blessing! ... now hope he willl behave himself! ;)

Haircuts! Chop-Chop! and Chop!

A few days ago I gave Caden a quick haircut, because his hair was getting way too long. He is such a sissy about it, too. He cries and wimpers the whole time as if you are about to hurt him. Seriously ridiculous, but somehow sweet and cute all at the same time.

I have spent the last 11 months protecting Sahara from Caden. I have watch so closely that I accomplish very little and you have all read my posts about her delays, but she has survived. She is alive and well. Their daddy just does not get it though. He leaves her unattended while he "walks into the next room for just a moment". She has gotten tackled, push down with her head hitting a hard tile floor, and strangle hugged all in the name of love. Caden loves on her, but he is quite stout and he is just not gentle with her. And he has the maturity and reasoning skills of a two year old, because that is what he is.

So, the other day Caden is crafting with his older sisters and I give him the dullest scissors we have. I go into another area of the house while their daddy watches them all. Sahara is happily playing in the exersaucer, so Daddy decides it is a good time to put away a little laundry. He "only walked out of the room for a moment" when he came back to find a scissor happy Caden chop-chop-chopping Sahara's precious hair. I am not pleased as you can imagine. And I am not posting a pic of it because you won't be able to tell, but trust me she has a spot on the crown of her head that looks like the mange and short bangs on one side. It's baby hair, so it's not noticeable unless you are her momma. ;(

And so, that is the story of how two our kids got haircuts this week!

What's Keeping You So Busy?

Nursing the sick (Strep)... Being sick... Auction purchasing (furniture for closet organization)... Picking up auction wins (a lot of stuff... craziness!)... Delivering auction items to share :)... Pumping my way through some breastfeeding problems (arrggghhh!)... Wanting to be travelling... Dreaming of unchartered territories and cooler weather (thinking the Great Lakes)... Refereeing fighting , wild children... Pondering, yet not implementing a behavior/chore system ;( (Yes, I know it won't work if not implemented)... Turning 37... Staying up late to make my kids all matchy bandana clothing for MY birthday... Torturing my sick self on my birthday to have fun (for the kids, of course)... Attempting to reorganize our school supplies and books, our school room, and our MASSIVE family closet (and yes, I am thankful it is massive; otherwise it would not accomodate SIX people)... Observing the growing up of a tiny dark-brown eyed girl, a very stout blue eyed boy, a very vivacious light-brown eyed girl, and an overly relaxed hazel eyed girl (always being amazed that four children that so alike can have four different eye colors).

So, that's what's keeping me so busy (not to mention the normal daily duties). What's keeping you all so busy this summer? Comment here or blog about it. I LOVE to hear about it!

Considering Circle Time & Scheduling Our Day

"Circle time, circle time... We can do anything as long as we're together!..." Ahhhh... the wisdom of children's cartoons! :) Hehehe! That's a little diddly from Blue's Clues just in case your brain is not as saturated with children's shows as mine.

First of all, head on over to Tara's blog (Too Many Kids In The Bathtub) and read her post called "I LOVE Circle Time!!!". Then, come back here and finish what could have been a very long comment on her blog, if I had not stopped myself. ;)

So, now that you've read her post I've been thinking of doing something similar, but uncertain of how to attain it... keeping in mind I would like for my olders to be "done" with schoolwork by lunch and have free afternoons. Now I do not mean free to do nothing, but rather enjoyable activities that can still stimulate their brains without being tied down to worksheets, etc.. I like David Hazell's (My Father's World) thoughts on children having their afternoons free.


Shortly after beginning homeschooling I heard some mention of Circle Time. I also thought Circle Time sounded "cute" and have tried some version of it a few times. We do enjoy it, but ours has been very unstructured and ends up lasting longer than I think it will. Uh-hem.... Pondering it now I realize it is because we have fun during that time. That is a good thing, so I guess I really need to add a little structure and implement some time guidelines... without eliminating the fun. For us I do think that I could start our day with circle time and let it last as long as possible as long as I feel we are incorporating enough in for the olders to learn..... then, let them move into their independent studies. These are some things I would like to incorporate into our Circle Time:

1. Pledges (Currently we sometimes say the US Pledge, but this summer VBS has inspired me to add the Christian Pledge and Bible Pledge.)


2. Calendar Time (Month, Day of Week, Date, Year, Special Days and Upcoming Events)


3. Praise Song / Prayer Time


4. Devotional Reading (We have been using Savannah's MORE Magazine from our church. --published by Lifeway)


5. Bible Verse / Memorization


6. Storytime / Read aloud (Maybe a simple boardbook, a short story, and a portion of a chapter book. I am considering starting with a Hank The Cowdog book and then, in early Fall start the Little House Series. Also, might do some Five In A Row studies.... testing one out now.)


7. I would like to follow with activities in all subject areas including Character training that go along with the reading for the day... much like Five In A Row does.

I would then like for Savannah (3rd grade) to begin her independent work while I begin with Sierra (K). Much of Sierra's can be accomplished during Circle Time I believe. My problem is that Savannah has a difficult time staying on task and focused, especially when working alongside her sister. She also has a hard time transitioning from activities (all) to her independent studies. I think I am going to try a "fresh start" this year. Since it will be our first full year homeschooling (well, we did start back from the beginning of our curriculum and did a full year) or rather our first time to BEGIN THE YEAR homeschooling I think that if I start with being more organized and give her a time schedule maybe we can "nip it in the bud" early on... just get off to a "fresh start".

Thanks Tara for inspiring me to SERIOUSLY reflect on these things. Getting it "written down" via my blog has really made me productively reflect upon what I want our upcoming year to be like. Since we will be doing a year round schedule it is great that I have taken this time now to get this part done. I still have to look through each of their curriculum and decide what I want to eliminate or add or try to merge together, but this part being done is huge!! I am also going to consider adding the eBook by Preschoolers and Peace to my summer reading stack.

Just a Funny Observation

My husband thinks the kids need to have lots of "Other Stuff" in our homeschooling day. "Other Stuff" can be field trips, reading, art, science experiments, journaling, etc.... all the fun stuff. My kids have had a full week off for Summer break and I thought it would be good to give them some "Other Stuff" in the form of Art Time. So, I bought some tissue paper in a eight colors. I took the time to cut it into 2"x2" squares and set up a simple art project for the kids, but with Cody home I asked him to assist with Caden The Destroyer. Caden was quite smiley and as all two years usually do he lost interest with joyful enthusiasm quite quickly. My wonderful patient and art loving husband (~sarcasm~) continued to "complete" Caden's project. Now I would have just let Caden be done. I mean, he(Caden) was happy. He got to participate and he was ready to move on to playtime. :) Not Daddy... Daddy thinks you have to actually do the whole thing... LOL! So, Daddy is in there mumbling and grumbling and do it!!! Funny! BUT I did have to point out to him that he was the only one complaining about how hard it was, how it was taking too long, how he thought it was too much of a project for little ones, etc.. I told him (and the kids) that it did not have to be finished all at once. It could be a project that is broken into smaller time segments. It is a rainbow, so you could talk about one color at a time and do it as a Unit Study thing. You could read the kids a book while they do the project. Anyway, he is in there and I think he has stopped complaining now. Maybe we will do another project tomorrow! (~Snicker-snicker He-he-he~)
(I will post art pics later after they are dry, so come back to see their beautiful rainbows!)

More about Teeth

First, I want to say that much of my blogging is a way of journaling for my kids .... and myself. Lord knows my memory will need some serious help by the time they are all grown. I'll be 54 by the time Sahara is 18. And just so you do not have to do the math that makes me 36... at least, for a few more days.

Two days ago (7/8/09) Sahara got her fifth razor blade... uh-hem... I mean, tooth. I love how cute their little teeth are when they are new. It looks like they have grains of rice in their little mouths.

Yesterday (7/0/09) Sierra pulled her FIRST loose tooth while we were in Academy!! It was so gross... she was wiggling it and it kept bleeding and, of course, I had left the wet wipes in the van. If she would have left it alone it would not have been bleeding and I suspect it would have lasted another day, BUT I got sick (literally) of her making it bleed and said these all important words:

"If you pull it right now I will take you to Toys R Us."

She started twisting it! TWISTING! Ughhhhh! I was cringing. It just looked painful... and bloody.... gross! And then I am thinking, "What did I say?! What was I thinking?!" LOL! Do you ever speak something like that before you THINK!?! It was on! And before long she was holding that little tooth in her hand and celebrating! Not only was she brave enough to pull her first tooth, but she was getting to go to Toys R Us!

So, we went to Toys R Us and they looked around. Sierra had a little meltdown wanting to buy something for a dollar... like they have anything for a dollar!!! Eventually, we settled on buying each of them a light up sucker... something we never do. We were not meaning to be mean to her. My kids know that they rarely get to buy a toy. That is a special privilege and usually we start training them early this way by having them tell the toys "bye-bye" when we are ready to go. Rarely, do they have a meltdown, but she assumed she was getting something for pulling the tooth. I had simply said we would "GO" to Toys R Us. And yes, it was hard to not buy her a toy, but we feel that we have to stick to the rules or they will have the wrong expectations next time. And the Tooth Fairy did bring Sierra a container of purple Floam, a "Sticky Hand", $2, and left a trail of fairy dust throughout the room! Savannah had us slip 11 cents under Sierra's pillow, also. At our house the Tooth Fairy leaves a simple toy along with a couple of dollars for the first tooth. Thereafter, she leaves $1-3... the rules are subject to change based upon parental perogative. ;)

Ministry of Music... A Necessary NEED

I added a bunch of songs to my playlist on the sidebar. When my husband and I met we started attending church together shortly after. Not long after that we both started listening to Contemporary Christian music and the songs I added to my playlist are from that era. If you have never experienced the music of Rich Mullins you NEED TO listen to those for sure and go look up some more of his music. Unfortunately, the reason you may not be familiar with his music is that he died tragically in a car accident in 1997. He is probably most known for "Our God Is An Awesome God", but I read that his favorite song was "Elijah" and I have to say it is spectacular. Anyway, leave my player on and listen awhile and I hope you will be touched and receive the blessings all these songs were intended to give you. God will bless you with the words of these songs. The messages are profound.

I personally have the old CD for "Rich Mullins: SONGS" and I vividly remember 13 of the 16 songs ... I wish I could share them all with you, but listen to what I have on my playlist. If you like what I have there you will like all the others. Order or download the music and you won't ever regret it! I am not sure why it is on my heart to share this.... maybe one of you are needing it today.... and his music needs to live on and be passed on! Expect a blessing! Have a blessed day!

Pics from yesterday...

Firecraker #1 and Firecrcker #2 baking rolls... trying on their bandana skirts... Miss Modesty wanted hers ankle length. I hope she will always be so modest ;) When I get all the outfits done, I'll post that. The girls helped sew theirs, so it has been a slow project to get completed!

Little Firecracker shining her RAZOR teeth.... Those chompers are cute, but the worst thing ever for nursing.... I am daily consider if we can go on... They are all different and she is not biting me, but has always had a tight latch-on. Yowweeeeee!

Ready to eat... Simple fixings... I told the girls they could have made this meal all by themselves.... I have to learn to LET them!

Boy Firecracker is just too beautiful for words.... look at those fluffy cheeks, full lips, and long eyelashes.... Dreamy!! I tell everyone he is the "Man of My Dreams"! He is gonna have one lucky wife with all his handsomeness! (..coming from a partial momma)

Little Firecracker can Patty-Cake! Yeah, we still think she is pure genius... even with all her delays... At 11 months she still can't crawl or sit herself up.... well, she did sit up a couple times without realizing it, but it is just easier to whine and one of us do it for her... so, spoiled rotten... She scoots around in circles on her booty.

My "twin" firecrackers were born years apart... one male and one female, but they look so much alike. They are wrestling in the bounce house.

These two were enjoying the balls, but Sahara was scared to be alone. She only smiled if her Sissy was near. Safety in numbers, ya know.

Savannah liked the bowling, but Brother Firecracker was busy destroying any chance she had to bowl... He was kicking them down... That's one way to do it!

I do exist... here's a pic to prove it! A rare moment when I am in a photo. Sierra stuck some "bunny ears" on Sahara! Cute moment!

Savannah was excited about the bounce house! She asked me why her mouth is opened in this pic.... I told her she as very excited, obviously.

Wow! Another pic I am in! What's going on! Daddy stepped behind the camera for a change for a group shot... Yippppppeeee!

Taking a short ride down the rode to set off some fireworks.... Sahara had already had her fill, but she was hanging in there a little longer! Caden was anxious to see where we were going.

"I love these type of pics... They are watching Daddy light the fireworks, while I observe my "little doorsteps"... .they grow up too fast.... and check out my little guys bronze body!

I must tell you we all feel like we are "hung over" today... and no, we only had tea and Kool-Aid... We are just tired... exhausted really, but it was a fun night!

HAVE A BLESSED DAY!!!

Creating Traditions

{I'll add some photos tomorrow, so come back and see --DONE--... I'll also correct all the typos. -DONE-- Hope you can make sense of this post. ;) it's almost midnight! Goodnight!}

I am not real good at "doing" holidays. I mean, I am one of those people that throws a big birthday bash (although that may be changing) and I can come up with a lot of fun stuff to do for our parties complete with theme cakes, games, and over-the-top party decorations and ideas. The holidays are different, though. They are more complex for me. I think I have in my head that we have to have all these major "traditions". I grew up with it that way, but as I got older the "traditions" part kind of dwindled away more and more each year. As I became an adult and married there wasn't a lot to plan and it was really a matter of how to run from house to house and make everyone happy. And in our families it seemed that no one ever really had a plan. My mother wanted to plan, but she wants to go more complicated than is neccessary for small families. Now we have our children and that has made it difficult in many ways to do all the running around, but we still want those "traditions" for our kids. Out of necessity (and sanity) I have really been thinking about our holiday "traditions". So, today I decided to pull together some fun for my kids "on the fly"... no previous planning at all. I went out and prepared our larger kiddie pool and washed out our smaller kiddie pool and poured in three giant bags of ball pit balls. I had my husband get the bounce house out and I set that up. I set up a bowling alley on the sidewalk and then, got my kids involved in some easy cooking. I cut up some sausage for the grill and poured BBQ sauce over it. As Sierra walked by I asked her if she wanted to help me make something. Like I said, I really had no plan... we mixed up some instant pudding and then, I let her cut up a banana with a knife. Thrilled is an understatement... a knife!... very dull, so no worries... Before it was over we were crushing graham crackers in a bag with a rolling pin and making jello and all three of the older kids were involved. We created a very odd, but yummy dessert that was our own invention. Later my husband was actually frowning and looking at it strange... then, he tasted it and loved it! LOL! We all made some corn and then, I heated up some rice and mashed potatoes from the fridge. The highlight for the girls was "whack-a-can" crescent rolls! It took all three of use to pop that stubborn can open! All three of them help roll up the rolls... so easy and fun for them. It was all simple... simple food... all the food groups, but not very healthy.... Who cares! The memories are the "healthy" part. After dinner we went to grab some diapers I ... ahem... forgot to buy and came out with a box of fudgesicles, which we passed out in the parking lot. Not so smart as they were quickly melting in the Texas heat. We had to wait to leave to avoid a mess in the van. After that we were off to the fireworks stand for some simple fireworks. We went to a firework show earlier in the week and we just like to get some sparklers, Roman candles, silly unfolding lantern thing, etc... fun little cheap ones for the kids. Anyway, we came back here and exhausted them with all the festivities and Caden fell asleep in the kichen floor while I put his nightly meds and bandages on his toes (don't ask... we are full to the brim with skin issues here). It was so cute watching him pass out and then gathering him up in my arms to get him off the hard floor. Zzzzooonkkkk out! Meanwhile, Sierra was also passing out as Cody slipped her in bed. Sahara had actually zonked out a little early while still in her swimsuit. She was totally unphased by us peeling it of of her and putting her diaper on. She is currently sleeping in nothing but her diaper (snuggled in two blankets, of course). Cody jumped in the shower and Savannah and I decided we could share some cuddle time.. until she decided she was just too uncomfortable.... because she is getting too big! Within moments of moving to the couch she passed out, too! Easy! We might need to do this more often!! .... Oh yeah, all this took place after 4:PM today. The first part of the day was not so fun, but I think we turned it around and had a funfilled evening! Hope you all had some fun this 4th of July! And we did discuss the reasons we celebrate the 4th all throughout the week. I mean, that is the REASON we celebrate this day, right?! Don't forget to educate your family about this holiday. Make sure they know about our freedom and why we have it, that our country was founded on Christianity, and that many people have lost there lives to keep it that way, ... remind them that the fireworks are a symbol of the gunfire and that many veterans can not bear the sound of fireworks because of their war memories..., but also, CELEBRATE and create some traditions.

"...among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." --Declaration of Independence

ONE Simple Summer Project

We have been really busy and trying hard to really get a good routine with homeschooling... Ahem, we are failing miserably, but maybe by mid-August we will get it figured out. I have one that does not like to cooperate, so a five minute assignement stretched easily to 30 minutes and on days like today it is even worse... Seriously, a 15 minute writing assignment turned into 55 minutes of complaining and whining and then, when I finally told her that homeschool momma's can make their kids repeat a grade level and order the same book for next year she promptly did her writing assignment in 5 minutes!!! ARGHHHHHHHHH!!! Anyway, that is all the complaining I will do tonight on here... Moving on! As I was saying we have been busy and I have tons of pics and topics I could blog about, but I am going to stick with ONE Simple Summer Project that we did last week. Nothing grand..... just simple fun!

Supplies:

Permanent Markers (i.e. Sharpies)

Roll of Aluminum Foil

Clear Tape

Scraps of Cardboard or Heavy Paper

Hole Punch & String (optional, if you wish to hang it)

This probably does not require instructions, but cut your cardboard the size you want. Wrap in foil being careful not to wrinkle it up. Tape the foil to secure it in place. If your kids are young, you may want to draw them some designs to color in. That was the route we took. I asked what they wanted on it and drew VERY ABSTRACT images with the Sharpies plus added my cheezy little saying on it. After that I gave it to them to color and add any more details they wanted.

My kids had a great time with this. I know it is simple, but sometimes simple is best. They loved how shiney it was. Another spin on this could be to make different shapes and string them together like a mobile and hang out in the yard for and watch them sparkle in the sun. I have been following a tip that David Hazell* passed on at the homeschool conference... It is better to do a simpler version of a project than not to do the project at all. I totally agree! He used an example of making a sundial. If you can't manage to make the sundial, then rather than skip the sundial project altogether just simply stick a stick in the ground and observe the shadow throughout the day. It is still teaching the concept and you did not drive yourself crazy and stress out to do it! ;) Did I mention I REALLY like him. (*My Father's World @ www.mfwbooks.com)

Shocking Pregnancy!

Sierra, 4 and Savannah, 8

Wow! That's way too young!

.... Unless your just playing "Momma's"

And any minute now their "water is going to break"... literally! They are pregnant with water balloons!

My girls never tire of playing like they are pregnant. Usually, they stuff dolls or balls in their shirts, but Sierra got creative in the kiddie pool with a water balloon. I have no idea how they managed to stuff these balloons in their swimsuits. Their friend, R, is quite dramatic and decided to act shocked for the camera. Their all a hoot! I have to say that R is a wonderful neighborhood friend that at 12 is not too old to play with little kids. Her parents are doing something right! My kids love R to pieces!!! She was an answer to prayer for us. We live in a neighborhood with mostly elderly couples and we were praying for a family with kids to move in. Well, they have kids, but only one of the five is still at home. She is such a blessing!!

It's Mine!

Do you ever get to thinking that something is yours? Like, this is my house and I can do things how I want at my house? Do you think that? I can have it my way! Or this is my blog and I can say what I want here. Do you tell yourself that? I did just that recently... not on the blog, but I said it to a friend. I said this was my "turf"so-to-speak and it was a place I could share my thoughts freely. I mean that to some degree, but God put a strong conviction on my heart over it. Mine? Yeah, it is mine... but I am God's, so that means that this blog is God's! How selfish was I to lay claim to it in such a way! Mine! Mine! Mine! Like a two year old being selfish... What would God think if that?!!!!

So, if you have noticed I have not been posting much lately it has been because I have been finding myself thinking twice about what I type here. Is it just "chatter"... I don't have time to waste on that. My family needs me and I need them! You don't have time to read my "chatter" either. I don't want my blogging to be a hindrance to me or you all. I am still going to blog and blog read, but I want to be more careful with it. I believe it is a valuable tool, if used properly.

So, I have to ask myself these questions?:

• Why did I start? To try to make money at it, but I got sidetracked and decided I just enjoyed the therapy of it. No monetary profit has come from it.
• What is my blog purpose? To find others like myself with children, homeschooling, Christian, etc. and to share ideas and support one another.
• How much time am I spending on it? Too much! Blogging while rocking or holding a sleeping baby is okay for me and blogging maybe 30 minutes other than that is okay. Blogging to escape is not okay for me. I need too face my problems (or laundry) ... Hehehe!
• Why not just quit? I think it is beneficial if I do not abuse it. I am going to try to improve on that and stay true to my purpose. Also, I treasure my blogger pals that I have met and am meeting.

So, this is not my "turf", it's God's "turf" and I intend to honor that to my best ability. And I do realize I have not posted pics lately, so I will try to do that soon.