Homeschool Circus

Mess of the Day #31: Oh, Rats!

2009-11-27T20:52:00.000-08:00

Sorry I don't have a pic for you, but you'll have fun imagining this one. We have been staying with a friend, helping her recover from knee replacement surgery. Pete came to me, saying that Screech was using Windex on the family's rat cage. It was actually worse; she had sprayed the Windex on the poor rats! Their fur was blue and soaked. I asked her why she did that, and she replied earnestly, "I was trying to make them go to sleep!"

Screech is Not Amused

2009-11-07T05:42:00.000-08:00

I don't know who I feel sorrier for. Screech, because Pete sprayed Silly String in her hair? Or Pete, because he got blamed for it when actually, DADDY was the culprit?

Mess of the Day # 30: Crib Sheet Art

2009-11-06T07:06:00.001-08:00

We're Alive!!!!

2009-11-02T01:09:00.000-08:00

"Finally!" you're saying, "I don't have to look at a picture of that kitten anymore!!!!" I am SO sorry I haven't posted in ages. It's been so long that I forgot my Blogger password and it took me several tries to login! Here, in a nutshell, is what has been going on with us:

- I have discovered Facebook. 'Nuff said!

- This past summer, I went through a bad bout of clinical depression. Nothing brought it on, but life was a daily struggle for awhile. I truly didn't care about anyone or anything. After some medication and lifestyle changes, I am finally back to 100%!

- As if that weren't bad enough, soon after my depression set in Hubby lost his job due to the economy. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as he was there to help me cope everyday and took over all the major household duties. I don't know what I'd have done without him! Please pray for him, though, as he hasn't found work yet. He is looking for a management position in Health/Safety/Environmental or in Quality. We would prefer to live in the southeast if at all possible. If you know of any such openings, please let us know!

- Drama Queen and Pete will be in a play soon, "Hansel and Gretel". They will be playing a brother and sister who get lost in the forest. I am proud of both of them: Drama Queen for being so expressive, and Pete for having his first major role and memorizing his lines so quickly. I am in charge of costumes, which is SO much fun!

- We're still homeschooling and loving it! Drama Queen is especially loving math, thanks to Teaching Textbooks. Wonderful program! Here the kids are modeling the Egyptian costumes I made for them:

- Pete is thriving in Taekwondo. He recently earned his purple belt.

- Pete tried to scam the Tooth Fairy and received this note (created by a most clever fairy), which was later found wadded in a tight ball in the outside trashcan. (It was MIGHTY unusual that he offered to take the trash out by himself for the first time ever!) Any fairy communication was vehemently denied.

(You can download a blank copy here!)

- As you can see, Screech is still Screech! Yes, she's eating with her feet.

She is cracking us up lately with her affinity for bugs, dead or alive. She lets the live ones crawl all over her, then she plays with them for hours until they die. Here she is holding a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. The people at the nature center had to beg her to get it back!

The only reason she is petting this LARGE tarantula so delicately is because we bribed her. She'd have grabbed it out of the man's hand otherwise!

Here she is playing with dead beetles in lieu of dolls:

Last but not least, Sylvester the cat is growing like a weed! He's no longer that tiny kitten, but he's as sweet and cuddly as ever!

That's it for now. I promise, I'll update regularly now that my love affair with Facebook has begun to wane!

Our New Kitty!

2009-04-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

As you know, we recently lost Doodle H., our cat of 17 years. My neighbor recently took in a stray mother cat, and tonight we got one of her kittens! Isn't he adorable?

In Which Mammarino Gets a Teeny Bit Political

2009-04-07T15:30:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-love just called to thank me for the lovely Christmas card she received from us today - which was postmarked Dec. 13, 2008! Gotta love the trusty ol' US Postal Service. Doesn't it just make you want MORE of what our government has to offer? Just think of the possibilities! Health care! More control over education! Ahhh, my heart flutters with anticipation . . .

I Ain't Got No Vee-Hicle

2009-04-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

This has been the condition of our yard for the past week. All we need is a tattered, threadbare couch on the front porch and we'll be bona fide, certified rednecks!

I might ask mah cuzzin Billy Joe Jim Bob tuh brang me sum chickens and a coon dawg.

(In my poor Hubby's defense, it rained ALL WEEK, and the parts for my van had to be ordered!)

WFMW: Pete the Perfectionist

2009-03-31T21:45:00.000-07:00

This week's WFMW is a backwards edition; this week, I get to hear your tips! Here's my dilemma:

Persnickety Pete, my 1st grader, is painfully perfectionistic. (Try saying that 10 times fast!) He is very bright but feels that everything is "too hard", and he often refuses to do his work for fear of messing something up. For the record, I am extremely patient and try my best to make school fun and laid back. I never, ever criticize; I try to stay really positive. Here are some examples from our homeschool:

One day, he had a complete meltdown because his work was "too hard". His assignment? No, it wasn't to calculate pi; all he had to do was draw four small circles and cut them out! He either forgot or didn't hear me say to draw them first, and he was left with a paper that made Swiss cheese look solid!

Today, he was to think of words that begin with the letter "n" in order to finish a simple project. (Keep in mind, he is reading very well at this point.) I showed him lists in dictionaries, on the web, etc. and nothing satisfied him. He never did do it.

Sometimes he cries and refuses to continue if he's drawing or writing something and it doesn't look good enough in his eyes.

I really want him to have a good school experience and feel good about himself. This is driving me NUTS! Any ideas?

Here are my previous WFMW posts:

Checkout Line Pastime
Cheap Capris
Save a Life! (Not WFMW, but an important post!)
Cooling Oatmeal
Backseat Entertainment
Gifts to Spark Your Child's Imagination
Reading Motivation
Finding a Babysitter
Charging a Cell Phone
Swim/Shower with a Cast
Free Tech Support
Calming Injured Children
Choosing a Phone Number
What NOT to Soak Contacts In
Broken Glass Cleanup
Cheap Rolling Cart for Conventions
Chocolate Recipes
Tooth-Tugging Tip for Terrified Tots
Handy Earache Relief
Uses for Leftover Bread
Leaky Diaper/Pull-up Fix
Snack Mix Recipe (at the end of the post)
Awesome Stain Recipe (at the end of the post)
"Fun"damentals of Family Life
Removing Wite-Out from Everything
When NOT to Save Money
Public Service Announcement

For more WFMW, stop by We Are THAT Family!

She's Just as Unpredictable

2009-03-30T17:25:00.000-07:00

Introducing . . .
"Hippie" Longstocking (as she calls herself!)

I love this age!!!

Happy $%&@#*$ Day!

2009-03-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

(If you have little ones looking over your shoulder who know how to read, you may want to shoo them away or read this later!)

March 26 is Create Your Own Holiday Day. Pete declared that it was Stay Up All Day and Night Day, which I promptly nixed. (Aren't I a meanie?) He decided to join Drama Queen in her celebration of Backwards Day.

When Screech inquired as to why Drama Queen's clothes were on backward, her sister patiently explained that it was Backwards Day. Screech "corrected" her, saying, "No! It's B*st*rds Day!"

Alright then. Let me be the first to wish you a very happy B*st*rds Day!

It's right up there with Festivus.

Mess of the Day #29: Secret Stash

2009-03-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

Apparently, Screech has been stuffing miscellaneous items into a hole in a speaker for several months now. Contents:

- 9 snowman and Santa figurines
- 1 Hot Wheels truck
- several large wads of stuffing
- various lengths and styles of yarn
- 1 pencil
- 4 other miscellaneous toys

We'll Miss You, Doodle H.

2009-03-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry I have been absent lately! Even though we've been extremely busy, there's really no official excuse. It was simply a matter of getting out of the habit. I have really missed blogging, though, and look forward to getting going regularly soon! ("Getting going regularly?" See, it's been so long that my grammar has gone out the window!)

There is tons of news, but the main news is that we lost our cat of 17 years in the wee hours of St. Patrick's Day morning. It was hard, but we knew it was coming. She started getting sick a few months ago, and although she had moments where she perked up quite a bit, she never did get completely back to normal.

(Wasn't she gorgeous?)

A little history of how I got her: I was living in an old apartment just before I finished college in 1992. One night, as I returned from my shift as a waitress at Chi'Chi's - man, I miss that place (the food, not the work)! - my headlights caught some movement as I pulled into the driveway. A stray cat was living under our house with a litter of the most adorable kittens you've ever seen. When my landlord (a grumpy, 90-something-year-old codger) got wind of this, he declared that he was going to beat them all to death with his cane. Horrified, a neighbor and I captured the cats one by one and took them to the Humane Society. Molly was the very last one, and she was so beautiful I just had to keep her.

At first, Molly was terrified of me and all humans. Gradually I got her to trust me, although for years she hid from most everyone else. She never was very friendly to anyone until Drama Queen was born. After that, she was so desperate for attention that she would cuddle on any stranger that came by! By the time Screech was born, she would endure anything if it meant getting a little attention. You can see how much her personality had changed by these pictures:

Like most cats, she had lots of quirks. She was fascinated with watching toilets flush. When I showered, she meowed anxiously and pawed at me as if to say, "Oh! The horror of my beloved owner being blasted by that water! Grab my paw and I'll pull you to safety!" Every time I took a nap, she burrowed under the covers and curled up by my legs. When I practiced piano, she insisted on sitting on my lap. She had a penchant for car seats and loved to curl up on them. (Once, I left one in the house while I was on a weekend trip and found that she had used it for a litter box. Bad kitty!)

Well, she did have an excuse. Someone had accidentally left a baby gate closed, and she was unable to squeeze underneath to get to her litterbox because she was so fat! At one point she weighed over 17 pounds. The vet had scrawled "OBESE" on her chart in gigantic letters and put her on diet cat food. I had to limit her to such a tiny portion of food that I gave her half in the morning and half at night to space it out so she wouldn't be so hungry. She snarfed it down in seconds, slobbering and scattering it everywhere, then meowed all day long, wanting more. After many months of this, she never really lost weight. Her constant begging for food drove me batty, so finally I just kept her cat bowl piled high. Funny thing, her weight came down after that!

Molly had several nicknames (thanks to hubby):

Molly Wolly
Molly Wolly Doodle All the Day
Doodle
Doodle H.M.N.N. Buggen (which stands for Doodle Henrietta Matilda Natalie Nicole Buggen)
and finally, we simply called her Doodle H.

Around Thanksgiving this past year, Doodle didn't eat well, didn't use the litter box much, and threw up about once a day. She lost weight and got really dehydrated. When I took her to the vet, she weighed only 7 pounds! They admitted her for three days and gave her IV fluids. (I needed medical care myself when I got the vet bill.) She had a problem with her kidneys, which is common in older cats. When I got her home, I had to give her some of these twice a day:

It was no picnic, as she wet on my leg every time I did it.
Every. Time.

The freaky part was giving her THIS every day:

Yes, me. At home. This was some kind of subcutaneous fluid treatment she needed. I had to jab a GINORMOUS needle into the scruff of her neck and let this stuff drip into her for 10-15 minutes every day. It was the weirdest thing I've ever had to do in my entire life. Believe it or not, she did fairly well with it. It was actually kind of funny, because for awhile after each treatment it looked like she she had these big blobs of fat on her legs.

Screech also did her best to care for her:

Doodle rallied for awhile and started eating again, but at some point last month she started eating less again. About a week before she died, she completely stopped eating. I tried everything: every brand of cat food, table scraps, tuna, you name it. She got weaker and weaker. The day before she died, she couldn't jump up on the bed anymore to cuddle with me. When I picked her up, she just laid her head on me - something she never did. I knew that it would be a matter of hours, so I camped out in the recliner and cuddled her for several hours until she died in my arms.

Hubby was so supportive during this time. The moment she died (12:25am), I woke him up to tell him that I thought she was gone. (Funny, although I had watched her take her last breath and no longer felt her heartbeat, there was still that residual denial.) He hugged me for the longest time, then we talked for awhile. He went back to bed, but got up extra early and buried her before dawn. (Isn't he AWESOME?)

Doodle H. was a really good cat. She was a good listener:

She even guarded the mountain laundry for me during our lice crisis, lest some evil person might have come and tried to steal it:

You were a good kitty, Doodle H. We'll miss you.

Doodle H.M.N.N. Buggen
March ?, 1992 - March 17, 2009

By the way, if you ever face the loss of a pet, I highly recommend the books Dog Heaven and Cat Heaven by Cythia Rylant. These picture books can be precious keepsakes for a pet lover of any age, but they are great for helping children through those first hard days. Each describes the special things that animals get to do in heaven. In Cat Heaven, cats get to eat on God's kitchen countertop and sleep on His bed, and cuddle on angel laps. Here's an excerpt:

There are trees
in Cat Heaven,
trees made
just for cats,
trees growing
so green and so high.

But no one
gets stuck
in a tree
anymore -
if a cat
wants down,
she will fly!

Mess of the Day # 28: Cat Door

2009-02-12T21:10:00.001-08:00

The cat door is just too tempting not to play with.

WFMW: Checkout Line Pastime

2009-02-11T17:36:00.000-08:00

I love those miniature books that come on the front of the large Cheerios boxes. They are the perfect size to tuck in a purse or diaper bag. Even for their tiny size, though, the books are complete; they're not abridged or watered down. Whenever we are stuck in a long checkout line, I get them out to pass the time. (Bonus: Distraction from all those indecent magazine covers!) Reading aloud to children is SO important and this is a wonderful way to read to your children even more!

The books are only available for a limited time and are on the Cheerios boxes now. If your kids don't eat Cheerios you can always donate the cereal to a food pantry, church nursery or preschool (you can easily get the book out without opening the cereal). Click on the picture to learn about the latest offerings:

P.S. Look at what Screech has been up to. This one's a lulu!

Here are my previous WFMW posts:

Cheap Capris
Save a Life! (Not WFMW, but an important post!)
Cooling Oatmeal
Backseat Entertainment
Gifts to Spark Your Child's Imagination
Reading Motivation
Finding a Babysitter
Charging a Cell Phone
Swim/Shower with a Cast
Free Tech Support
Calming Injured Children
Choosing a Phone Number
What NOT to Soak Contacts In
Broken Glass Cleanup
Cheap Rolling Cart for Conventions
Chocolate Recipes
Tooth-Tugging Tip for Terrified Tots
Handy Earache Relief
Uses for Leftover Bread
Leaky Diaper/Pull-up Fix
Snack Mix Recipe (at the end of the post)
Awesome Stain Recipe (at the end of the post)
"Fun"damentals of Family Life
Removing Wite-Out from Everything
When NOT to Save Money
Public Service Announcement

For more WFMW tips, stop by Shannon's blog!

Mess of the Day # 27: A Sad Day

2009-02-09T12:21:00.000-08:00

I have dreaded this day.

I knew it was coming.

Drama Queen never did this.

Pete never did this.

But of course, we knew Screech would do this eventually.

Here's a "before" picture. Note the length. See the beautiful, golden curls.

Okay, enough suspense.

It really could have been worse.

There's enough length left in the back to put it in ponytails and no one will notice the difference.

If I leave it down, though, she definitely has that redneck look. Sort of a modified mullet:

Next thing you know, she'll be wearing nothing but a diaper everywhere we go, and I'll start calling her "Sissy" and her brother "Bubba" . . .

Mullet Girl was really proud of herself . . .

. . . until she realized I wasn't.

You just keep talkin', Mamma! I'll get into something bigger! Bigger than Wite-Out! Bigger than cereal! You just wait!!!!!

WFMW: Cheap Capris!

2009-02-03T19:16:00.000-08:00

Stores everywhere are clearancing their children's clothing at ridiculously low prices right now. Many times I would find an awesome sale (pants for $.50!), only to be disappointed when I couldn't find clothes in Drama Queen's size. One day I hit upon a great idea: buy pants two sizes too small, and have her wear them for capris! For instance, Drama Queen currently wears a size 8, but size 6 pants make perfect length capris for her. Yes, it helps that Drama Queen has a teeny tiny waist, but this would work for most any child if you do this with stretchy knit pants or leggings. The best part is, you don't have to save them for next winter; your child can wear them in the spring. (This is a great way to start a spring wardrobe without paying beginning-of-the-season prices!)

I have also done this with pants she has outgrown. You really get your money's worth out of a pair of pants this way!

Speaking of clearance sales, be sure and go by Target right after Valentine's, Easter and other holidays. They always have cute little holiday T-shirts marked down to about $2. Some don't look holiday-specific; I once got Drama Queen an adorable pink and green "Sweet" shirt after Easter, and she wore it all summer long. I got her a pink "Snow Angel" long-sleeved shirt, and it doesn't look the least bit Christmasy.

Here are my previous WFMW posts:

Save a Life! (Not WFMW, but an important post!)
Cooling Oatmeal
Backseat Entertainment
Gifts to Spark Your Child's Imagination
Reading Motivation
Finding a Babysitter
Charging a Cell Phone
Swim/Shower with a Cast
Free Tech Support
Calming Injured Children
Choosing a Phone Number
What NOT to Soak Contacts In
Broken Glass Cleanup
Cheap Rolling Cart for Conventions
Chocolate Recipes
Tooth-Tugging Tip for Terrified Tots
Handy Earache Relief
Uses for Leftover Bread
Leaky Diaper/Pull-up Fix
Snack Mix Recipe (at the end of the post)
Awesome Stain Recipe (at the end of the post)
"Fun"damentals of Family Life
Removing Wite-Out from Everything
When NOT to Save Money
Public Service Announcement

For more WFMW tips, stop by Shannon's blog!

Thank You, Miss S

2009-02-01T21:37:00.000-08:00

I hated middle school. I hated the kids. I hated the classes. I hated the teachers. I could write posts on this subject for years and never exhaust it. But there was one teacher that touched my life in a positive way, although I wouldn't realize it until over a quarter of a century later.

Miss S. was my Health and P.E. teacher. Unlike many health teachers I'd had, she actually put a lot into teaching the class. I even remember a bulletin board she made with a huge, hand-drawn louse with the caption, "Have You Been Nit-Pickin' Lately?"

Actually, I couldn't STAND Miss S. She had no sympathy for any of us who endured painful monthly cramps. She claimed that such things "don't exist" and told us to suck it up and dress out. She often left our gym class unsupervised, during which I suffered nearly unbearable emotional bullying. When I spoke to her about it she blew off my complaints.

I remember well the unit she did on first aid. We practiced bandaging one another, making homemade splints, and performing the Heimlich Maneuver. It sure beat my later high school health class, in which we outlined every chapter of the book, did the questions at the end, and did all manner of busywork while Coach C read the sports page and occasionally sneered at the untouchable kids.

Fast forward to this past week. Drama Queen and Pete were enjoying a snack of juicy Arizona oranges (thanks, Grandma!) while I was working on the computer in another room. Suddenly I heard gagging noises - followed by silence. My heart nearly exploded in my chest as I raced to Drama Queen. She was on her way to me, but we took different paths and missed each other. By the time she reached me, her face was THIS COLOR; no exaggeration.

Scared. The. CRAP out of me.

I immediately spun her around and performed the Heimlich Maneuver. After two or three "J" thrusts, the orange membrane popped out onto the floor.

I have never before considered a wet, sloppy mess to be so beautiful.

I have seen many pictures describing the Heimlich Maneuver, but they don't present it as clearly as Miss S did in seventh grade. (This video, however, does an excellent job.) Thanks, Miss S. I would gladly endure the taunting, bullying and loneliness of middle school all over again to be taught by you once more.

NOTE: Often when a person is coughing or starting to choke, our first instinct is to slap or pat the person on the back. DON'T DO THIS; it could make it worse. Please watch this very short video to ensure that you know how to do the "J" thrust properly. It just might save a life!

Maybe I Should Save It for Halloween . . .

2009-01-08T19:30:00.000-08:00

Time to take the old Christmas tree down, dont'cha think?

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-19T08:36:00.000-08:00

3 Kids + 1 crowded van + 3 DVD players (HALLELUJAH!) + several boxes of granola bars and fruit snacks + 1 mommy (Daddy will fly up later due to work) = 1 wonderful trip to Wisconsin (I hope!!!!)

During this Christmas season I pray that we will all remember Jesus not only as the lowly baby in the manger, but also as our risen, glorified Savior. May God richly bless your family this Christmas season and throughout the coming year!

Love and blessings,
Laura

P.S. I'll be back on the blog by mid-January.

My Doomed Career

2008-12-15T08:11:00.000-08:00

Today I put the "Wiggly Wiggly Christmas" movie on for Screech in order to get some Christmas baking done. I was inspired to dance along during the first number, which prompted a full-blown-screaming-tearing-Mommy's-clothes hissy fit from Screech. Funny, I would have expected her to laugh.

This reminds me of the time that Hubby was talking to our then-six-year-old niece about an upcoming Christmas concert that his musical family was planning. She asked worriedly, "Aunt Laura's not going to sing, is she?"

~sniff~ I guess I have no hope of making it in the performing arts!

Go Buy This Music! Now!

2008-12-14T13:33:00.000-08:00

Josh Groban's voice has been stopping me dead in my tracks every time I have heard him on the radio for the last few weeks. I didn't even know who he was. (Not having television, I'm not exactly on the cutting edge of things!)

I love his renditions of classics like "O Holy Night" because they don't have any of the pretentious-sounding ad libbing that so many artists throw in as they attempt to put their own fresh spin on them. He simply sings them . . .and they're beautiful.

Go to iTunes (or your favorite mp3 store) right now and buy "O Holy Night". It will be the best 99 cents you've ever spent!

The Stealth Sickness

2008-12-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

We've had some kind of stomach bug go through the house. I've nicknamed it "The Stealth Sickness" because a child will be fine and playing happily one minute, then will suddenly throw up without warning. This is followed by diarrhea. Lovely. Pete had it first a few weeks ago, and it lasted a few days. Then he got it again a few days ago, and then Drama Queen got it. This morning Screech told me that her tummy hurts. Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At least Pete and Drama Queen have the bowl technique down pat, so this minimizes cleanup. I have them keep a gigantic plastic bowl nearby at all times. A few days ago, Bunny watched as Pete, um, utilized his bowl. I would have expected her to be frightened or even disgusted, but instead she asked earnestly, "Is that cat food? Is that chocolate milk? What is it, Mommy?"

My son - the magical fountain of food. At least Screech didn't try to sample any!

We have had a few messes to clean up due to the stealthy nature of this illness. (They're better! Wait, they're not! It's all over now! Uh oh, here they go again . . . ) Early this morning, as I slept peacefully in my cozy bed, Hubby dealt with the aftermath of one of Pete's episodes. Pete had been bowl-less because we THOUGHT he was better. And this was after having had a huge dinner of a curried chicken and broccoli casserole. Emphasis on the broccoli, Pete's fave vegetable.

My hubby, he is a saint.

I didn't get halfway through typing this post when Screech started throwing up. Poor thing, it scared her to death. It freaked her out and there was a huge mess. The second episode (15 minutes later), she did her thing right in the bowl. I heaved a huge sigh of relief as she heaved in the proper place. Then she proceeded to wipe her mouth on a decorative Christmas pillow.

Free DVD

2008-12-09T20:22:00.000-08:00

I just found out about a great deal. You can get a free DVD of the movie "Amazing Grace" just for registering for Walden.com. (Follow the link and click on the bottom left where it says, "Get free gifts!"

I found out about this through Money Saving Mom. Lots of good stuff on this site!

Prayer Request

2008-12-08T07:02:00.000-08:00

Please pray for my dear friend, Tracey. She's close to my age and recently learned she has a type of breast cancer called Invasive Lobular Carcinoma. She has to have a bilateral mastectomy and chemo. I am just reeling from the news. In my mind I know that younger women can also get breast cancer, but it's still shocking to see it actually happen to someone I know and love. Tracey has two young children (ages 8 and 4). It sounds like her prognosis is good, though; the doctors think they caught it early. She is a strong Christian and has a lot of support, but I feel so helpless because I live so far away now. Thank you so much for praying for my precious friend!

Mess of the Day: None!

2008-11-30T17:43:00.000-08:00

You're not going to believe this one. I could hardly believe it myself.

This display has been on our kitchen table since mid-October and Screech has yet to touch it. I told her not to, and she actually obeyed! Can you believe it? Not a single bite mark on anything!

I never thought I'd see an entire day of obedience, much less a month and a half!

Crisis Averted!

2008-11-24T14:16:00.000-08:00

The Sharpie has been found! All is well with our little world. I had actually put it hidden and out of reach to begin with; it just wasn't where I normally put it. WHEW!!!!!!!

Oh no . . .

2008-11-20T14:16:00.000-08:00

In our haste to finish a project for Master's Academy this morning we lost a black Sharpie. As in, one of those permanent type markers.

I am afraid. Very, very afraid.

WFMW: Oatmeal Trick

2008-11-18T09:44:00.001-08:00

My kids and I love oatmeal, but I used to not fix it often because the little ones would be impatient for it to cool down so they could eat it. I discovered a couple of great tricks to not only cool it down instantly, but also to make it even tastier!

Method #1
Add a spoonful of vanilla ice cream. YUMMY! After you taste this, you will never want oatmeal any other way! To save calories, Edy's or Dreyer's Fat Free Sugar Free Vanilla is wonderful.

Method #2 (Thanks to my dear friend Beth for this idea!)
Add a few small frozen berries (blueberries and raspberries work well). They thaw quickly and add vitamins and minerals and lots of other good stuff!

If you missed it, I posted the worst-ever Mess of the Day on Monday. Click here to see it!

Here are my previous WFMW posts:

Backseat Entertainment
Gifts to Spark Your Child's Imagination
Reading Motivation
Finding a Babysitter
Charging a Cell Phone
Swim/Shower with a Cast
Free Tech Support
Calming Injured Children
Choosing a Phone Number
What NOT to Soak Contacts In
Broken Glass Cleanup
Cheap Rolling Cart for Conventions
Chocolate Recipes
Tooth-Tugging Tip for Terrified Tots
Handy Earache Relief
Uses for Leftover Bread
Leaky Diaper/Pull-up Fix
Snack Mix Recipe (at the end of the post)
Awesome Stain Recipe (at the end of the post)
"Fun"damentals of Family Life
Removing Wite-Out from Everything
When NOT to Save Money
Public Service Announcement

For more WFMW tips, stop by Shannon's blog!

Mess of the Day # 26: Just Guess!

2008-11-17T18:08:00.000-08:00

What is Screech into now? (To get a better look, click on the pic to see it full size!)

Three guesses . . .

. . . and the first two don't count . . .

You're right. Wite-Out. Again. Emptied the entire bottle into her hands.

Big sigh. At least I don't have expensive furniture.

By the way, I have decided that Oops! brand remover is the way to go. It was very quick to clean up and didn't have strong fumes.

And my little trick for using baby oil to get Wite-Out off skin? Doesn't work for this amount. (It was crusted on THICKLY.) I used plain old soap and water (Dove unscented to be easier on her skin), and it all with flaked off a little scrubbing.

All clean and back to her sweet self!

Catching Up - Halloween

2008-11-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

I have a ton of updating to do, and I'm determined to get it done! Here are some pics from Halloween:

Pete was a Jedi, Screech was a skunk (I have 25 reasons why), and Drama Queen was a pioneer girl. (Not Holly Hobbie, not Laura Ingalls, and definitely not Nellie Oleson, she says.)

Pete is a handsome little Padawan. Anakin Skywalker, eat your heart out!

Screech's costume was just so appropriate (and pretty darn cute, I might add!) I didn't make it (although there are patterns for this exact costume); it's a Tom Arma. Drama Queen wore this many Halloweens ago. Although if I thought SHE was stinker, I had no idea what I was in for one day!

Drama Queen's costume took a lot of time, but I had so much fun making it. There was one slight problem with the main dress: after I finished it I realized that I had made an ADULT size 8! If I'm not just plain dumb, I'm definitely sewing-challenged! I managed to take it in without cutting it, so she can grow into it.

The cute little dragon below is our next-door neighbor.

We went trick-or-treating around our neighborhood with a couple of the other neighborhood children. It was so much fun to do it together. The cute little princess below is our other next-door neighbor.

Although we do participate in Halloween, we don't have anything to do with witches, ghosts, monsters and the like. I had seriously considered not doing Halloween at all due to its pagan overtones (and respect Christians who choose this route), but I figured to be consistent with that we would also have to do away with Christmas trees and other Christmas traditions that have pagan roots. Besides, we are not "celebrating" anything evil in our hearts; we're just dressing up and mooching some candy!

WFMW: Backseat Entertainment!

2008-11-11T16:52:00.000-08:00

We have enjoyed "Jungle Jam and Friends the Radio Show" for years. It is absolutely hilarious! It is a Christian program with great messages, but without being the least bit preachy or hokey. If your kids like Veggie Tales, they will love Jungle Jam. It is great for those long trips to Grandma's house!

Most episodes have two stories. One story is set in the jungle with funny characters such as Nozzles the Elephant, Millard the Monkey and Sully the Aardvark. The dialogue is a riot. It reminds me a lot of Rocky and Bullwinkle (without the political overtones).

The other story centers around a boy named Marvy Snuffleson. The story usually begins with Marvy being sent to his room for misbehaving (for instance, refusing to do his math homework). Something always happens (a window left open while raining, etc.) and Marvy's bed washes out of the window and onto the high sea, taking him to Razzleflabben Island. While there, he visits with the Razzleflabbens (large furry creatures) and something happens that is connected to his misbehavior. For instance, the Razzleflabbens need Marvy's help figuring out how many slices of delightful cheese bread need to be prepared so there is enough for everyone. A comedy of errors ensues, and Marvy learns a lesson. Again, the dialogue is hysterical. There's no way to do it justice; you'll just have to hear it for yourself.

The acting and production are superb; the characters are well-developed and very funny. The narrator is great. Fun sound effects and catchy songs are sprinkled throughout. The scripts are well-written with engaging plots and loads of laughs. Like Veggie Tales, there are lots of subtle jokes thrown in just for the adults. I love it as much as the kids do!

Here's where it gets good: you can download a show in MP3 form (with two stories) from their website for only $3.95! There are also single CD's for $9.95, and 4-disc collections for various prices. They are all well worth every penny!

If you would like to try out one of the $3.95 downloads, I highly recommend the one called "The Grandfather". It is absolutely my favorite. It's a story about gossip and is followed by "Katie Sings the Blues," a story about being content. Click here to hear a sample.

The way their website is set up, I can't link directly to each thing I've told you about. Their web address is www.fancymonkey.com. Just mouse over "Jungle Jam," and you'll find all kind of neat things, including a list of radio stations that carry the show.

One more thing - one of my favorite Jungle Jam episodes was also made into a children's Christmas musical. It's called "Three Wise Men and a Baby." When I directed a children's choir at a church we attended in Kentucky, we put this on two separate times. It brought down the house! Out of the many musicals I directed, this was hands-down my favorite (and the most reminisced-about by the parents). It is still available; you can download the entire script for free on the website and purchase a split-track CD for $9.95. Also, the radio version is available in 2 downloads of $3.95 each.

Here are my previous WFMW posts:

Gifts to Spark Your Child's Imagination
Reading Motivation
Finding a Babysitter
Charging a Cell Phone
Swim/Shower with a Cast
Free Tech Support
Calming Injured Children
Choosing a Phone Number
What NOT to Soak Contacts In
Broken Glass Cleanup
Cheap Rolling Cart for Conventions
Chocolate Recipes
Tooth-Tugging Tip for Terrified Tots
Handy Earache Relief
Uses for Leftover Bread
Leaky Diaper/Pull-up Fix
Snack Mix Recipe (at the end of the post)
Awesome Stain Recipe (at the end of the post)
"Fun"damentals of Family Life
Removing Wite-Out from Everything
When NOT to Save Money
Public Service Announcement

For more WFMW tips, stop by Shannon's blog!

Public Service Announcement #2

2008-11-11T05:19:00.000-08:00

This product . . .

Tastes the way this product smells!

(Don't ask me how I know. I just happen to like to sniff things. The senses of smell and taste ARE connected, you know.)

Now for the weird part: they're owned by the same company. Did the toothpaste people get bored and go play with the teenybopper deodorant people?
Hmmm . . .

And where did they get the name "Kiss Me Mint"? Since this smells like a deodorant, it has conjured some disturbing images in my mind . . .

The Good Ole Days!

2008-11-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

The email read: "This Thursday will be a dress up day for all history classes. Wear clothes or accessories from the 1920's."

My first thoughts:

a) What on earth did kids wear back then?
b) Where am I going to be able to find anything like that?

Then, I Googled "children's clothing 1920's" and boy, was I excited! Two reasons:

Short pants.
Knee socks.

Up until he turned five, I used to dress Pete up every Sunday in dress shorts, white high-top shoes, white knee socks, and a little bow tie. I know, some of you are gagging at the mere thought, but I LOVED it! Oh, those sweet, chubby knees!

And, believe it or not, Pete loved it, too! He always, said, "Mommy, do I get to dress fancy today?" And he loved his bow ties (he called them simply "bows").

I was so sad when he outgrew all of that. I could still find the outfits, but the shoes were way harder to find. And he was just so . . .big. Wistful sigh.

Which is why I was so thrilled to dress him like this for 1920's day:

Oh, I could just put him in a bowl and eat him up with a spoon! And how did he feel to be dressed this way? Loved it. His only complaint was that the bow tie wasn't real.

Drama Queen's dress is from Strasburg. I bought it for $1 at a consignment store. Yes, as in one single dollar. It probably cost $120 new. Please don't hate me.

This was so much fun! I am tickled pink that Drama Queen loves wearing dresses and that Pete still loves "dressing fancy"!

Field Trip Fun

2008-11-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

We are having such a great school year. We got to go on five field trips this month! I know that may seem excessive to some, but they get so much out of them. I believe it is important to expose children to as many different experiences as possible. Books are one way to do that, but what better way than to actually see and touch and hear and smell?

Here's what we did:

We went to a botanical garden and were treated to a wonderful program about trees, the forest ecosystem, and so much more. Here the kids were acting out the roles of the different layers of the tree. Our friend in the middle chanted, "I support! I support!" while Drama Queen and Pete's group wiggled up from the ground while saying, "Slurp!" Another group swayed back and forth, saying, "We protect. We protect." It was so fun and memorable.

Pete checking out a bug he caught.

We went to an arts center that hosts a yearly fall festival in which they have hands-on activities teaching children about everything historical under the sun: blacksmithing, toys of yesteryear, printing (which Drama Queen and Pete are trying in the above pic), woodworking, weaving, spinning, quilting, feltmaking, cooking, beekeeping, churning butter, music, dance, making cornhusk dolls, caning chairs, art, trains, you name it! It is a fabulous experience. There was also a civil war era home next door that we were able to tour. The tour guide was top notch, and because we arrived as the school groups had to leave, we had him and the house all to ourselves!

We saw Slim Goodbody in Atlanta. Okay, this obviously wasn't the original Slim Goodbody, although when we saw this show two years ago we did see Slim himself. (And believe it or not, after all these years he really is still slim!) This show is AWESOME. He covers every one of the major systems of the body with an interactive, multi-media show. Even Screech is still singing the songs a month later! I can't recommend this show more highly.

I know this picture is freaking out many of you. Screech. Has. No. Fear. Of. Anything. Right after this pic was snapped she got fussed at for grabbing the snake! I'm not saying I want my child to be neurotic, but a little healthy fear is a good thing. If a dog barks in anger at her she gets in its face, wags her finger and yells, "Stop barking!" We are SO in trouble.
By the way, this was taken at the Georgia National Fair. (I don't get what makes it "National", but anyhow . . ) It is awesome. They have dozens of live exhibits and shows related to all things agriculture. We learned about beef cows, milk cows, sheep, dogs, rabbits, bees, pigs, chickens, and so much more. They had a free petting zoo and many hands-on exhibits. It was well worth the trip, and next year we plan to stay much longer.

Yes, this is a sweet pic, but I didn't take a pic moments later when
she dropped the poor thing on the concrete!

There was one more trip we took that I don't have pictures for: we went to see nationally acclaimed storyteller Odds Bodkin. He is incredible - quite possibly the best I've ever seen perform live. I am amazed at all the different things he can do with his voice. Be sure and check out his website. There is nearly an hour's worth of stories you can download for free!

This month has been so much fun. It's so funny how people who have no significant experience with homeschoolers assume that they're deprived. Deprived? Deprived????? In what other school can children have five field trips in one month's time? And as I've said before, being herded along like cattle on a field trip with a group of 75 kids is a completely different experience than having your own personal tour guide (Mom) and being able to take your time. With gas prices these days, many schools are cutting back so much that many kids are lucky to go on one or two field trips a year. To us, school is not just what we learn in books (although we read a lot!); it's about what we experience. There is so much out there to learn about and enjoy!

WFMW: Gifts to Spark Their Imagination!

2008-11-04T16:33:00.001-08:00

Today's Works-for-Me-Wednesday is the "The Toys Worth Buying Edition".

A couple of years ago, I hit all the after-Halloween clearance sales and bought LOADS of costumes and accessories to make the ultimate dress up center for my kids and gave it to them for Christmas. I found funny wigs for $2, light-up superhero costumes with built-in "muscles" for $5, and much more! We have had the BEST time with this. Not only do they have SO much fun with their dress up center, their imaginations have been sparked like never before. Here is a partial list of what they have:

dinosaur
doctor
soldier
knight
unicorn
princess (2 different dresses)
gladiator
Superman
Spiderman
Darth Vader
Batman
cat
dog
Power Ranger

Plus many awesome accessories:
black cape
various hats
Elvis wig
several long-haired wigs
opera singer wig
clown wig

I cannot tell you how much fun we have had with these things. The kids will literally spend hours playing pretend.

To present the gift, I bought a clothes rack to hang the costumes, an over door shoe rack for the wigs, and a large plastic tub for the accessories. After setting up the area in a corner of the playroom, I taped large pieces of giftwrap from one wall to the other. The kids had a ball ripping it down to see what was in the corner!

I found that even though there were two Wal-Marts in my area, one of them had way better clearance prices. Toys R Us had a lot of unique items, including some foam wigs that looked like cartoon character hair. Nearly every costume I bought was $5 or less.

Her is a pic of Drama Queen modeling several pieces:

I have two other great gifts worth mentioning:

For ages 8-adult: 20 Questions
This handheld electronic game is addictive! Think of something specific, such as a shoe or a bowling ball, and then answer the yes or no questions that the game asks. It will often "guess" what you're thinking - it's freaky! It has even guessed items like "utility pole" and "light switch cover"! People can't put it down. It has been a humongous hit with everyone I've ever given it to, and it is my all-time favorite go-to gift for anyone.

For toddler girls ages 2-4: Fisher Price Snap 'n Style Dolls

Screech LOVES her "snap dollies". Little hands can easily change the clothes, unlike other dolls. (Barbie, anyone?) They have rooted hair and are positively adorable. You can also buy different clothing sets for them. These dolls are hard to find; the only place I have seen them is Toys R Us.

Here are my previous WFMW posts:

Reading Motivation
Finding a Babysitter
Charging a Cell Phone
Swim/Shower with a Cast
Free Tech Support
Calming Injured Children
Choosing a Phone Number
What NOT to Soak Contacts In
Broken Glass Cleanup
Cheap Rolling Cart for Conventions
Chocolate Recipes
Tooth-Tugging Tip for Terrified Tots
Handy Earache Relief
Uses for Leftover Bread
Leaky Diaper/Pull-up Fix
Snack Mix Recipe (at the end of the post)
Awesome Stain Recipe (at the end of the post)
"Fun"damentals of Family Life
Removing Wite-Out from Everything
When NOT to Save Money
Public Service Announcement

For more WFMW tips, stop by Shannon's blog!

Praise Report!

2008-10-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, I shared that my dear father-in-law was diagnosed as being in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease. He recently had some additional tests done, and it turns out that the original diagnosis was wrong! We are elated! With a few brain-building exercises, he will be just fine. Praise the Lord! Thank you all for your prayers.

Vacation Pics - Finally! (part 1)

2008-10-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

Finally - here are some pics from our trip to Canada! Sorry it took so long!

We had a wonderful vacation, despite the weather being cold (low to mid 60's!) and rainy almost the entire week! Obviously, I snapped a bazillion pics on the one sunny, warm day we had.

Despite the rain, it was so much fun simply to be together. We played a lot of games like Mexican Train Dominoes and Rook. In Rook, I usually end up playing on a team with my nephew, who has a habit of taking the bid with absolutely nothing in his hand. Somehow, he always wins!

It is amazing how well Hubby's family gets along, even in close quarters. They always treat one another with so much respect. I enjoy being a part of them!

We took many cold rides on the fishing boat. Pete and Drama Queen had a ball, but Screech got so tired due to her erratic and poor sleeping during the trip. During one meltdown I said, "Aw, honey, what's the matter?" Screech bawled, "I need new batteries!!!"

She had her precious moments as well. It was overcast most of the time, but one day as we were returning to the dock some streams of sunlight burst through a break in the clouds. Screech exclaimed, "Look, Mommy! A window!"

Screech and Pete absolutely loved being with their extended family. Princess and Drama Queen are only 2 years apart and get along beautifully. Pete loved wrestling with and being tickled by Uncle D.

More pics to come soon! I look forward to sharing about how I drove all the way from Georgia to Milwaukee (and back!) with the three kids by myself!

They. Were. Angels. (Really!)

Kids Say the Darndest Things 2

2008-09-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry I haven't been posting! I have been struggling with some sleep issues and have been a walking zombie for weeks as a result, but I'm trying to get back in the swing of things!

Mommy: Pete, what do you call an animal that hunts its food?

Pete: Ummmm . . .

Mommy: Starts with a "p" . . .

Pete: (thinking hard) Ummmmm . . .

Mommy: Pre- . . .

Pete: (brightly) Pregnant!!!!

(Hmmmm . . . judging by the extreme hunger I had during my three pregnancies, I'd say he's not too far off!)

One more . . .

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!!!!!" Screech heard me growl in frustration at the microwave.

She asks sweetly, "You crazy, Mommy?"

I hope to have some pics up for you soon. My hard drive is full and I need to purchase another before I can download any more!

WFMW: Reading Motivation

2008-09-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

Reading is such a critical skill that I am always on the lookout for ways to encourage my kids to read more. www.bookadventure.com is a great website where kids can create an account and read books for prizes. It is similar to the Accelerated Reader program that many schools have: the child reads a book, takes a short multiple-choice quiz on the book, and earns points toward great prizes like a free subscription to Highlights magazine. Not only do they offer quizzes on difficult chapter books, but they also have them for beginning reading books like Dr. Seuss. My kids love it and are so excited about reading! I like it because the prizes are really absolutely free!

Sorry I have been so slow about posting lately! I am slowly getting back into a groove, but our lives are a little hectic lately because Drama Queen is in a local musical and has had rehearsal every night this week. In case you missed it, you can click here for the latest "Mess of the Day" post, compliments of Screech. (I was afraid it would be missed since I posted it only a little while before this post.)

Here are my previous WFMW posts:

Finding a Babysitter
Charging a Cell Phone
Swim/Shower with a Cast
Free Tech Support
Calming Injured Children
Choosing a Phone Number
What NOT to Soak Contacts In
Broken Glass Cleanup
Cheap Rolling Cart for Conventions
Chocolate Recipes
Tooth-Tugging Tip for Terrified Tots
Handy Earache Relief
Uses for Leftover Bread
Leaky Diaper/Pull-up Fix
Snack Mix Recipe (at the end of the post)
Awesome Stain Recipe (at the end of the post)
"Fun"damentals of Family Life
Removing Wite-Out from Everything
When NOT to Save Money
Public Service Announcement

For more WFMW tips, stop by Shannon's blog.

Mess of the Day # 25 Artificial Sweetener

2008-09-09T17:37:00.000-07:00

While we were chatting with friends at a fine restaurant, Screech did this. (For the record, Daddy was watching her!)

Kinda gives fresh meaning to the old Def Leppard song: "Poooour some suuugar on meeeee . . . "

I'm So Honored!

2008-09-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

I was nominated for this award by Beachy Mimi. I am so honored, because Beachy Mimi is exactly the sort of person I would give this award to. She's a hoot! (You have GOT to read this post. It's a riot!)

(And Mimi, I am SO sorry it has taken me so long to post this!)

I am hereby conferring this prestigious award on the following people:

Queen B
Grace for Gayle
Bring the Rain
Diary of a Former Atheist
Boo Mama

I am really sorry that I have been so lax about posting lately. I have been struggling to get back in a groove ever since our vacation. I had health issues for weeks, then sleep issues, and now we're plowing full speed ahead into school. I've been wiped out lately, and everything has fallen further and further behind. I'm trying to claw my way back out, though, and soon I'll be back to posting regularly! You're going to love what Screech has been doing lately!

WFMW: Finding a Babysitter

2008-08-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

I used to have the worst time trying to find a sitter for daytime, until I found a gold mine: the College of Education at my local university. I made a flyer with the following information:

Sitter needed for (number and ages of children).

When needed (on a regular basis, occasional, or both)

References required!

I placed my contact info prominently on the flyer in the body of the message as well as included several "tear-off" tabs with my contact info at the bottom. (This was handy after all the tear-off tabs were gone.)

I then put the flyers up all over the education building at the local university, then the calls started rolling in! I had potential sitters who were majoring in child development, child psychology, early childhood education, education, you name it! (This was so wildly successful that I eventually had to go back and take all the flyers down!)

I interviewed each person by phone (see link below for sample questions), then called the references (minimum of 2, but preferably 3) for the best candidates. (See other link below for sample questions to ask references.)

Questions to ask a potential sitter

Questions to ask references

Once I had chosen a few sitters, I had them over separately to meet my children and see how they interacted together.

For those sitters who made the final cut, I tried to rotate them every time I needed a sitter so my kids would get used to them.

Other babysitter ideas:

These days, I am really blessed to have a wonderful homeschooled girl who lives only 5 minutes away who has done 99% of our babysitting since we moved here. Homeschoolers are the BEST sitters, because they are often flexible and more available than other sitters. Also, many have young siblings and are very experienced with children. Best of all, the vast majority of homeschoolers I know are very respectful, dependable, and have strong moral values.

Another thing worth mentioning is that of the pre-teen homeschooler who is mature and responsible, but too young to babysit. (These are the most eager helpers you will ever encounter!) There are many times I've asked a 10- to 12-year-old girl to come be a mother's helper for an hour or two so I could get some major projects done. It's win-win: she gains valuable experience and you get something done (all the while training a future sitter!) This was invaluable when I was working on THE DRESS. Screech is such a handful, but having someone to read to her and entertain her makes all the difference in the world!

Here are my previous WFMW posts:

Charging a Cell Phone
Swim/Shower with a Cast
Free Tech Support
Calming Injured Children
Choosing a Phone Number
What NOT to Soak Contacts In
Broken Glass Cleanup
Cheap Rolling Cart for Conventions
Chocolate Recipes
Tooth-Tugging Tip for Terrified Tots
Handy Earache Relief
Uses for Leftover Bread
Leaky Diaper/Pull-up Fix
Snack Mix Recipe (at the end of the post)
Awesome Stain Recipe (at the end of the post)
"Fun"damentals of Family Life
Removing Wite-Out from Everything
When NOT to Save Money
Public Service Announcement

For more WFMW tips, stop by Shannon's blog.

Aaaaaugh!!! There's No Escape!!!!

2008-08-19T05:27:00.000-07:00

Our babysitter loves to tell us all the cute things the kids do and say. Recently she told us that when she was playing Trivial Pursuit Junior with the older two, Drama Queen was struggling with the question, "Name a state which is named for someone famous." She thought and thought, then suddenly she brightened and shouted, "Hannah Montana"!

(Sigh. My work is cut out for geography this year!)

Good grief! There is no escaping this girl. We don't own Hannah Montana anything. Drama Queen has never watched the show even once. I think the only way to get away from Hannah Montana is to boycott Wal-Mart. And the mall. Well, all stores.

Sheesh. The Amish really have the right idea on some things.

I'm a Rebel!

2008-08-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

I was raised to be ultra-frugal. It's in my genes. I had a great aunt who washed and reused plastic wrap. When we cleaned out her apartment after she passed away, we found a vintage box of Glad Wrap (likely an original from 1966). I think it's the only box she ever bought.

It used to be extremely hard for me to throw things away. Everything - toilet paper tubes, Crystal Light containers, the stiff piece of white cardboard that comes inside a new pair of pantyhose - could have a potential use when you're crafty and you have kids. The mere thought of throwing away a new strip of twist ties, even when I have a drawer full of ~~hundreds~~ thousands of them, causes me to twitch.

So, why don't I feel guilty for throwing out a handful of markers just because they're not washable?

Hmmmmm . . why, indeed . . .

Going Postal Over Peaches

2008-08-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

For the first time recently, I ventured over to the local, heavily-hyped farmer's market in search of peaches. I was so looking forward to them because there were none when we moved here last year due to a late frost.

Now, when you think of "farmer's market," what do you think of?

Produce!!!! Yes, those things called fruits and vegetables. Just the things you would expect to find at a FARMER'S market.

As I listened to some earthy music, I found handmade jewelry.

I found homemade soaps.

I found herbs and breads.

I even found some espresso and overpriced smoothies.

Funny, I didn't find any produce.

No cantaloupes.

No red potatoes.

No green beans.

No squash.

No watermelons.

And, HELLO, here we are in the great state of Georgia, and NO PEACHES?????!!!!!!!

Okay. In all fairness, there were a couple of people peddling some yummy-looking tomatoes, but that was it.

I finally found peaches a half hour away, and they were pretty tasty. We're near the end of the season, so I look forward to trying more varieties next summer.

I just packaged some peaches to mail to some very special people, and I went to great lengths to write in HUGE letters on EVERY surface of the box:

FRAGILE!!!!!

And what, pray tell, does the postal worker do with it?

She throws it. In. The. Bin.

I'm surprised that it's always the postal workers who go cuckoo and not the customers.

SORRY! I AM NOT YELLING AT YOU! BLOGGER WILL NOT LET ME CHANGE THE FONT BACK TO NORMAL SIZE. THIS IS WHAT I LOVE ABOUT BLOGGER! YESSIRREE, JUST IGNORE MY FONT PREFERENCES!

Scary, Scary, Scary!

2008-08-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

Screech's thing to say lately is, "That's scary, scary, scary!" (I think we have another Drama Queen on our hands!)

We had a moment that was "scary, scary scary" this morning. Hubby woke me at 6:00 AM and said, "I don't want to alarm you, but do you know where Pete is?"

I'm wide awake.

The last time we saw him was when we tucked him in bed. (Of course, my mind is racing, thinking of JonBenet Ramsey, Elizabeth Smart, and Polly Klaas.)

I asked if he checked between the wall and his bed, as he is always falling out of bed and sleeps so deeply that he usually continues sleeping wherever he falls. Of course, he had already checked all over his room and closet. We ran all over the house checking every room and closet.

Bathrooms - no Pete.

Kitchen - no Pete.

Living room - no Pete.

Screech's room - no Pete.

Drama Queen's room - no Pete.

Closets - no Pete.

Homeschool and computer rooms - no Pete.

Laundry room - no Pete.

Attic - no Pete.

Garage - no Pete.

All the doors are still locked. We are trying not to freak out, but we cannot figure out where he could have gone. Just when we were getting ready to call 911, Drama Queen comes out of her room.

"Are you looking for Pete?" she asks.

Um, YEAH!!!!!!!!!

She proceeded to show us a little pallet she had made under her desk - which was hidden by a toy box - where Pete lay sleeping soundly with not a care in the world. She told us that he came to her room during the night and told her that his room made him have bad dreams. Little mother that she is, she took him in.

"He just went right to sleep," she said.

WHEW!!!!!

What a sweet, caring sister! What a precious brother-sister bond they have!

What a couple of stinkers they are.

The story unraveled a little while later when I went in to get them up. That's when I saw a large, homemade banner that said:

SLEEPOVER!

I asked Pete, "Did you really have bad dreams?"

He thought for a moment, then replied sheepishly, "Drama Queen planned it."

Of course, we missed every sign there was:

- Pete's bed was neatly made (he always does this as soon as he gets out of bed);

- Pete never, ever has nightmares. In nearly six years, I can recall his having only one; and

- What kid goes to his sister when he has a nightmare, anyway?

I'm telling you, I need to get my mommy radar fixed.

Mess of the Day # 23 & # 24: Peaches and Underwear

2008-08-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

Our model is sporting the newest line from Fruit of the Loom. I hear that Spiderman will be red hot this fall . . .

I would have had # 25 to post as well, but the evidence was gone before I could get the camera. She had stuck Band-Aids all over her legs and around each toe. I couldn't believe I missed the photo op, because she has always been good about keeping Band-Aids on!

Peach update: The one in the picture isn't the only one she nibbled on! I have just found 2 peach pits under the table (her favorite hideout when she's sneaking food!). What a little toot!

Mess of the Day # 21 and #22 : Art Supplies

2008-08-10T17:50:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry that I haven't posted since I got back from my vacation. I have been having some health issues that started while I was on vacation, and it has been incredibly hard for me to get caught up on everything. (To give you an inkling of how it's been going, I still have not completely unpacked and cleaned out the van and we've been home since July 15!) I'd rather not go into detail on what's been going on with me, but I promise, it's nothing serious! The issues are not resolved 100%, but I'm feeling MUCH better. Actually, the side effects of some medications I was on were worse than anything, and thankfully I'm done with all of those!

I will post about my vacation - which was WONDERFUL, BTW! - another time, because I haven't felt like uploading all the pictures, etc. (I have so many that I need to find a website where I can share entire photo albums.) In the meantime, I want to share some sweet and funny things that the kids have done and said recently.

At one point, while I was on several medications and felt SO bad because I had been unable to sleep for several nights in a row, I got really depressed. (This was also partly due to a side effect of one of the medications.) Everything was getting to me: I was laying around all day and watching the house get trashed while I did nothing about it; the laundry was piling higher and higher; I didn't feel like playing with the kids; and everything was falling further and further behind. I was also bummed because I had huge plans to complete several projects around the house after we got back and before we started school, and of course they haven't been touched. I felt like I had been robbed of my summer. I told myself that I was a horrible mother because my kids were stuck at home all day with a slug of a mom who laid in bed 24/7. I commented to Drama Queen, "Honey, I'm so sorry that I haven't felt like playing. I wish I could do something special with you, but I just don't feel like it. I will as soon as I'm feeling better." She replied, "Oh, Mommy, we're already doing something special. We're together everyday!"

I bawled my eyes out. What a blessing she is!

Pete has been so helpful. When I was feeling my worst, I tried not to rely too much on Drama Queen. It would be so easy to do that because she is so responsible, but I have to remind myself that she got that way partly because she has been given so much responsibility. So, I try hard to give Pete the same opportunities. He felt like such a big shot the day I let him fix lunch all by himself! He has also been great about entertaining Screech.

Screech was actually pretty good on my worst days. It was simply a matter of slogging through until lunchtime, after which I could put her to bed and enjoy a 2-3 hour respite. (God has showered me with blessings in this regard; all of my kids have been excellent sleepers and nappers!) She did manage to get into a few things, though. There was more to get into because Drama Queen and Pete weren't putting things away (and I wasn't up to making sure that they did). Here is her latest handiwork:

I would like to personally thank the people who invented Magic Erasers, as well as the people who invented washable paint, crayons and markers! I don't even allow non-washable art supplies in the house anymore. I have a few Sharpies and permanent markers, but they are well hidden. Even Hubby, Drama Queen and Pete don't know where they are!

I'm going to try to get back into the blogging groove this week. Talk to you again soon!

Wish You Were Here!

2008-06-30T09:09:00.001-07:00

Well, we've made it to our first stop, my younger brother's house in KY. Having a great time!

Here's Why You Haven't Heard from Me Much Lately:

2008-06-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

Whew! I am worn out! I am taking a break from packing in order to print some maps and directions, but I decided that my brain needed a break as well! (: Drama Queen had her birthday party today, which was loosely based on a luau theme. She and her 15 buddies had a ball. (Yes, I know that's a lot, but it's so hard to choose who not to come when she has so many friends.) There were many more that were not able to come. Here are a few highlights:

Playing "Fish, Fish, Shark" (Duck, Duck Goose):

Playing a fun relay game:

For Lunch - Octopus Dogs:

(I know they look gross all tangled up together, but they looked cute on the plates!)

Okay, this REALLY looks gross. It was supposed to look like an aquarium. I think it better resembles a lake that has been used as an illegal dump for radioactive waste. The Finding Nemo fruit snacks swelled up and looked a little grotesque. Oh well. The kids liked it!

We had so many girls that we had to put them in two separate rooms:

Okay, I know Disney princesses don't technically go with a luau theme, but here's how you take advantage of a bargain (7 bucks!):

Finally, those who know me in real life will get a kick out of this mistake the bakery made on Drama Queen's cookie cake (I didn't bother to look at it when I picked it up):

Well, tomorrow we're off on a whirlwind trip! We are so excited. We have rented cabins in Canada with Hubby's family and we're going to spend a week together fishing, swimming, and just hanging out. The kids and I are taking the scenic route so we can visit family along the way, then Hubby will fly up and meet us.

Y'all, I have worked SO hard packing for this trip. You have no idea. I used to be terribly disorganized and almost always ended up pulling an all-nighter any time we went somewhere. This time HAD to be different, due to the sheer amount of stuff we need. You'd be so proud of me. I had the kids' clothes packed a week ago! I have been organizing, doing some serious laundry, making lists, and setting things aside to pack. (All the while planning the luau party to boot.) I was feeling pretty smug and proud of myself, until something came along and did THIS to me:

I had no idea that a little old wasp sting could cause so much pain! I've been stung before, but it was always a non-issue. I never had a reaction like this before. My arm has felt like it was in a vise due to muscle cramping, and the pain has kept me up for two nights straight. (Think of the feeling you get when you get a tetanus shot, then multiply it by a factor of, say, 1000.) I had to go to the doctor to get an antibiotic for infection. It has made it hard to lift or even move my arm, so it has been so hard to finish packing. The trip to the doctor and naps to make up for the loss of sleep haven't done much to help me accomplish anything, either.

So, here I am again, staying up late to get ready for a trip. At least it's not my fault this time!

I will probably not be back on the blog for nearly 3 weeks. I look forward to posting pics of our trip and telling you all about it when I get back!

Allergies . . . Gotta Love 'Em

2008-06-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

This little pile was created in less than 5 minutes, my friends. I should buy stock in Kleenex.

We're Ready!

2008-06-25T05:21:00.000-07:00

Can you tell that Pete and Drama Queen are just a teeny bit excited about our upcoming trip?

The wild blackberries in our backyard are ripening. Yum! Hope there will still be some when we get back! Assuming there are any left when we leave, considering how fast as Drama Queen has been eating them!

WFMW: Charging a Cell Phone

2008-06-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

(I'm sorry that I've been so derelict in my bloggy duties! I have many new exciting posts for you, but they are just going to have to wait until after our vacation. If all goes well, I might get some posted before I leave.)

I am really forgetful, and nothing irks me like leaving my cell phone at home. I came up with a perfect solution, and have not left my cell behind even once:

All I do is tuck the charging phone into my purse. I can't take my purse anywhere without disconnecting the phone. Works for me!

Here are my previous WFMW posts:

Swim/Shower with a Cast
Free Tech Support
Calming Injured Children
Choosing a Phone Number
What NOT to Soak Contacts In
Broken Glass Cleanup
Cheap Rolling Cart for Conventions
Chocolate Recipes
Tooth-Tugging Tip for Terrified Tots
Handy Earache Relief
Uses for Leftover Bread
Leaky Diaper/Pull-up Fix
Snack Mix Recipe (at the end of the post)
Awesome Stain Recipe (at the end of the post)
"Fun"damentals of Family Life
Removing Wite-Out from Everything
When NOT to Save Money
Public Service Announcement

For more WFMW tips, stop by Shannon's blog.

WFMW: Shower/Swim with a Cast

2008-06-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

Last summer, my niece broke her arm right before our big family vacation. This product saved her summer! It's a DryPro Waterproof Cast Cover, a rubber sleeve that fits over the cast, then you simply squeeze the attached pump a few times to draw out the air and create a watertight seal. That's it! Best of all, she could swim, tube, shower or do anything she wanted while wearing it. Never a drop of water got on her cast! They also make them for a PICC line, Ostomy or Prosthetic. My sister-in-law said it was worth every penny and more!

Here are my previous WFMW posts:

Free Tech Support
Calming Injured Children
Choosing a Phone Number
What NOT to Soak Contacts In
Broken Glass Cleanup
Cheap Rolling Cart for Conventions
Chocolate Recipes
Tooth-Tugging Tip for Terrified Tots
Handy Earache Relief
Uses for Leftover Bread
Leaky Diaper/Pull-up Fix
Snack Mix Recipe (at the end of the post)
Awesome Stain Recipe (at the end of the post)
"Fun"damentals of Family Life
Removing Wite-Out from Everything
When NOT to Save Money
Public Service Announcement

For more WFMW tips, stop by Shannon's blog.

Mess of the Day #20: Anthony Wiggle

2008-06-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

I always leave the door to the laundry room closed to keep Screech out. I opened it and left it for 30 seconds while I went to get a basket of laundry, because, of course, I can't open the door when my hands are full.

When I returned, Screech was making Anthony Wiggle "dance" in a washbasin, in which a pair of her shorts were soaking in an effort to remove massive amounts of, um, diaper leakage.

Ewww.

Because his body is not washable, I am so thankful that only Anthony's shoes bore the brunt of this unfortunate incident. By the way, we don't know where his shirt is. At least the body isn't made to be really lifelike. Did you know that, according to Wikipedia, Anthony has large tattoos on both arms?

I couldn't bear to take a picture of Anthony's makeshift swimming pool.

You're welcome.

Mess of the Day #19: Splenda

2008-06-17T07:28:00.001-07:00

Sigh. When will I learn?

No, This Is NOT Pizza Hut!

2008-06-16T20:38:00.001-07:00

I mentioned in this post that I regret our choice of phone number. Here are two of MANY reasons why:

12:17 A.M. (as in, MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT) Brrrrrring!

Groggy Blogger: (croaks) Hello?

Drunken Idiot: Izzis Pizza Hut?

Groggy Blogger: No.

Drunken Idiot: Can you look up the number for Pizza Hut for me?

Groggy Blogger: No, I won't. You obviously didn't do such a great job looking it up yourself the first time, so you need to try again!

Sigh. I know I should have been more like Jesus, but it's hard when I'm rudely awakened. Here's another doozie:

Drunken Idiot: Izzis Pizza Hut?

Disgruntled Blogger: No.

Drunken Idiot: Can you go up to Pizza Hut and tell them that there's a hair in my pizza?

Big sigh. BIG, huffy, grumpy sigh.

Mess of the Day #18: Marker

2008-06-16T11:00:00.001-07:00

Screech is quite the opportunist. She got into this while I was on the phone with Daddy. I had just checked on her 30 seconds before!

Mess of the Day #17: Yogurt

2008-06-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

Guess who's tall enough to reach WAY back on the countertops now? Nothing is safe anymore!

And guess who was busy watching Star Trek when this happened? (Hint: Mommy was at the neighbor's house at the time.)

Any time Screech gets food on the sly, she shovels it in as fast as her little hands will go. She knows that she'll be caught!

Our Wonderful Week

2008-06-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

I had an awesome "bloggy break"! We enjoyed our friends so much. Here are a few highlights:

We spent a lot of time just hanging out and having fun here at the house. Here is Doodlebug clowning for us:
Pete took Doodlebug for a ride on the wagon. It was so cute! They played really well together.
Here's Pete with Drama Queen's best friend, Gymgirl. (This is the same one he wanted to sleep with.)
Pete wrote Gymgirl this sweet note:
At the end of the week we went to Chattanooga together. The kids had a ball playing in the water outside the aquarium.
Pete played with girls all week and it shows. Here he is playing "mer-boy."
I had brought a swim diaper for Screech, but watching her waddle like a duck was so much more fun!
Petting the stingrays is always a highlight at the Aquarium.

We spent forever in the butterfly garden at the Aquarium. Gymgirl caught this one by herself.
Screech was so tickled to hold one by herself.

Poor Screech conked out after a long day with no nap.
Seconds later, she was like this:
Swimming in the hotel pool was a blast! (Screech wasn't getting her way in this pic.)

Easy Recipe Thursday: Mom's Creamy Jell-O Salad

2008-06-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been gone for so long! I REALLY enjoyed my break and will finish posting about it soon.

Here's one of my favorite things that my mom-in-love makes. It is SO creamy and yummy. It is also delicious made sugar free. Enjoy!

Mom’s Creamy Jell-O

1 small pkg. Jell-O, any flavor (strawberry or peach is awesome!)
1 C boiling water
2 C (1 pint) vanilla ice cream (not vanilla bean)
1 C fruit, optional (do not use fresh pineapple or kiwi, or Jello will not set)
Cool Whip, optional

Stir Jell-O into boiling water until completely dissolved. Stir in ice cream until completely melted. Chill until set. (If desired, stir in fruit when partially set, about 30 minutes.) Top with Cool Whip, if desired.

This is also delicious made with sugar free Jell-O and ice cream. I use Edy’s sugar free vanilla.

Ooh, I almost forgot. If you want a zingier, tangier flavor, make it with sherbet or sorbet!

Bloggy Break

2008-05-30T19:58:00.000-07:00

Howdy, bloggy friends. Just a quick note to let you know that I am taking a bloggy break for a week. I am preparing to have ADULT CONVERSATION!

GIRL conversation!

Every day for a week!

My best buddy from Kentucky is coming to spend a week with me. Woohoo! We're going to be up until 2:00am every morning, jabbering about everything and nothing.

See you in about a week!

Mess of the Day #15 & #16: Messy Mouths

2008-05-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this isn't that bad, but I thought the pic was cute. You've got to give her credit for matching the crayon to the outfit! These are the washable crayons. Somewhere I have a pic of a 2-year-old Drama Queen after she chewed on a black washable crayon. What a mess!

Screech eating her favorite thing: a "hopsicle."

Easy Recipe Thursday: Crock Pot Ribs

2008-05-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

This is so easy, it's embarrassing. I really do put more love and care into meals than this! (Just not every day!)

Crock Pot Ribs

- Country style pork ribs (bone-in or boneless), enough for your family (they will cook down quite a bit, so buy a little more than you need)
- Your favorite BBQ sauce (We love Sweet Baby Ray's; it's very sweet! We were on a Bull's Eye kick for awhile, but we burned out on it. We also like Montgomery Inn.)

Trim fat from ribs, if desired. Place a thin layer of BBQ sauce into crockpot. Add a layer of ribs, then enough BBQ sauce to coat. Keep adding layers of ribs and sauce, ending with a liberal coat of sauce. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Serve with extra sauce.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

2008-05-27T16:33:00.000-07:00

While spending some Mommy time with me tonight, Pete asked me if he could sleep with Drama Queen's friend when she comes to visit. (He fancies her as his "girlfriend".) I replied, "No," and when he asked why not, I stated that boys and girls do not sleep together unless they are married.

He then asked when girls and boys can get married, and I replied, "They can't get married until they are old enough to understand what marriage is."

"I know what marriage is," he quickly offered. "It's when a man is with a woman and he can't get away from her!"

WFMW: Free Tech Support

2008-05-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

**UPDATED** Sorry I forgot the name and the link! I added it below.

Computers can be maddening sometimes, can't they? The worst is when you have a problem and no one can tell you how to fix it. (Well, some will, but for a hefty fee.) What do you do?

I discovered a wonderful, FREE tech support service, www.protonic.com. This is not a forum where just anybody can read your question (and possibly give you bad advice). You create an account, post your question privately, and a real, live technician will be assigned to assist you with your problem. They are extremely knowledgeable and professional and will work with you via email until the problem is solved. They can help you with any kind of problem: security, internet, email, printing, creating web pages, Windows, and much, much more! I have used their services for years and they have helped me so much. Their service is completely free, but they do accept donations.

Here are my previous WFMW posts:

Calming Injured Children
Choosing a Phone Number
What NOT to Soak Contacts In
Broken Glass Cleanup
Cheap Rolling Cart for Conventions
Chocolate Recipes
Tooth-Tugging Tip for Terrified Tots
Handy Earache Relief
Uses for Leftover Bread
Leaky Diaper/Pull-up Fix
Snack Mix Recipe (at the end of the post)
Awesome Stain Recipe (at the end of the post)
"Fun"damentals of Family Life
Removing Wite-Out from Everything
When NOT to Save Money
Public Service Announcement

For more WFMW tips, stop by Shannon's blog.

The Week in Pictures

2008-05-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week, so I haven't blogged much. To catch you all up, here are some pics from this past week and the weekend:

Had ice cream at this AWESOME little place:

Went to Yellow River Game Ranch to see and pet the animals:

Those who know me in real life will understand the significance of this pic:

And this one:

Open wide!

AWANA Awards night. Drama Queen and Pete each finished their books! Drama Queen will move up to TNT next year.

Drama Queen's first Girl Scout campout. She had a ball! She's only been in this troop a few weeks, and she's loving it.

A few girls from Drama Queen's troop participated in a Memorial Day ceremony.

Have a great week!

Easy Recipe Thursday: Birthday Special!

2008-05-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Hubby's birthday! We had a wonderful day together. The kids did all the planning. They made homemade cards and poems for him, decorated, and chose the meal (Daddy's favorite pizza from an AWESOME local Mom and Pop pizza place). I made the yummiest cake (I will share the recipe below). First, I wanted to share Drama Queen's poem, which was written 100% by herself with no input from me (I have added a couple of comments in brackets):

Today Is Daddy’s Birthday

Today is Daddy’s birthday
For us to celebrate.
We’ll have some cake and candles
And I can “bearly” wait! [Daddy often calls her "Little Bear"]

I love Daddy truly,
I love him quite a bunch.
I wish today was Saturday,
Together we’d eat lunch!

I like Daddy’s moustache,
It’s nice and big and brown.
Whenever he is happy
He never makes a frown!

He takes us on a doo ride [This was Pete's word for "scooter ride" when he was little]
And we have so much fun.
We drive around the country
Until the day is done!

Sometimes we have movie night
And it is very great.
Then Daddy tucks me in at night
When it is very late!

I REALLY love my daddy,
That’s all I can talk about.
I really, really love him
Inside and out!

Here is the cake I made, in all its chocolatey glory:

(Yes, this is my own picture of the actual cake I made! Ain't it fancy?)

And here is the recipe from Allrecipes.com. By the way, this recipe is wheat and gluten free! No one in our family has issues with this; it's just an awesome cake! I was looking for a recipe similar to a flourless chocolate cake we had years ago at the old Berghoff restaurant in Chicago. I've found it! This is rich, dense and fudgy. It has a nice, dark flavor. I have never cared for dark chocolate, but I love this cake. The original recipe included a caramel sauce, but I left it off because I felt it competed too much with the rich cake.

Warm Flourless Chocolate Cake

1 cup butter, cubed
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter the bottom of a 10 inch springform pan, and line with parchment paper. (I used a 9 inch springform and it turned out fine.)

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in chocolate, and continue to stir until almost melted. Remove from heat, and stir until melted and smooth. In a large bowl, stir together 1 1/4 cups sugar and the cocoa powder. Whisk in the eggs until well blended, then whisk in the chocolate and butter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. (Do not overbake! Set your timer for 35 minutes and test every two minutes. You can thank me later. Mine went from a runny, wet toothpick to a completely dry toothpick in 5 minutes!) Cool cake in the pan over a wire rack. Run a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake, then remove the sides of the pan, and invert onto a serving plate. Remove the parchment paper. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar and garnish with strawberries or raspberries.

Serve warm with whipped cream (Cool Whip kind of reduces it from "regal" to "redneck"), raspberry sauce or vanilla bean ice cream.

Catching Up

2008-05-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

I know that since my absence from this blog, you all have been waiting with bated breath to see what we've been up to. Well, here you go:

Sunday, we met my oldest brother for breakfast in Atlanta. (He was in town for a business trip.) We had a wonderful time together. Except that it was too short. And I didn't get to see my sister-in-law, who is so much fun to talk to. And I didn't get to see my nieces or nephew. Anyway, it was WONDERFUL to spend time with him, as we live so far apart now and don't get to see each other much.

Monday - Did school, made a major Wal-Mart trip.

Tuesday - Did school and also cooked all day for a neighbor who just had a baby. Tried really hard not to eat the peanut butter pie we made for her (and succeeded).

Wednesday - had playgroup with the local homeschool group. The kids had the BEST time! Unfortunately, said good times involved lots of red clay for which Georgia is so famous. Had to have everyone take two baths (the first turned the water completely orange). Fixed computer. (YAAAAAY!!!!) Went to AWANA awards night. (More on this later.)

Computer Problems!

2008-05-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry to be missing in action for a few days! I'm having computer problems. We had a thunderstorm the other night and I couldn't get the computer to shut down properly. Because I was so worried about the lightning I simply pulled the plug.

Big mistake!

Mr. Computer is very angry with me. Very, very angry! As in, I-refuse-to-boot-up angry!

I borrowed a friend's Windows XP cd and tried to repair it. While I was sitting there twiddling my thumbs and trying to figure out what to do next, suddenly Windows booted up! I am getting ready to shut down and see if it will work normally without the cd. If you don't hear from me for awhile, it means that the computer is still on the fritz and I am busy losing my mind.

Hope to talk to you soon!

Welcome to Podunkville

2008-05-19T04:16:00.000-07:00

We live in a tiny community and we went to the local annual festival for the first time. This was about as dinky and hometown as you can get. The parade was, well, short. Had it not been an election year it would have consisted of 1 fire truck, and 1 ambulance, 1 church float, 1 group of baton twirlers and 1 vintage car. Not a marching band in sight. This is not right, people.

I felt SO sorry for the vendors, because this event was so poorly attended. I'm sure many lost money.

Except the $5 a pop bungee dude. He was makin' some serious moolah. He made ten bucks off us.

They had the obligatory pony rides, jumping activities and miniature trains. The kids had fun, at least! Hubby's favorite BBQ man was there, so we all had a plate of smoky heaven. Well, Hubby had a little more than that. He was so excited that he bought a half chicken at 10:00, then when we all ate together for lunch he had another, then when the kiddies didn't like theirs he finished them. He ate approximately half a flock of chickens.

While we ate, we enjoyed a singing group from a local church. I felt sorry for them also because nobody clapped for them except for us! I missed clapping for the first song or two because my hands were full of chicken and a squirming Screech, but even when we fervently clapped for all the other songs, almost no one joined us. There were a lot of seniors in the audience with their arms folded. I think they were a little offended by the drums.

We browsed the vendor booths and, with much restraint, managed not to buy any Capri Sun purses, marshmallow guns or pine knickknack shelves with cheap lace hot glued onto the edges. I did buy some fireworks for the kids, which being sold as a fundraiser by the local fire department.

Yes, that was, "by the local fire department."

It's a racket, I tell you.

Easy Recipe Thursday: Tex-Mex Rollups

2008-05-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

I love, love, LOVE these tangy little guys! They have my three favorite ingredients: cream cheese, cream cheese and cream cheese! Even people who hate Mexican food (read: Hubby) like these. The green chilies are mild and not "Mexican-y" tasting (kind of like green olives).

Tex Mex Rollups

2 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies, well drained
1 envelope (dry) ranch dressing mix
dash garlic powder
2 pkgs. large flour tortillas
Salsa, optional

Mix first four ingredients until well blended. Spread mixture evenly on tortillas and roll up jellyroll fashion. Freeze for one hour. Remove and slice into 1/4 - 1/2 inch spirals. Serve alone or with salsa for dipping.

Hints:
- The tighter you roll them, the better they hold together.
- Slicing them thinner (1/4 inch) looks prettier.

I have a sponsor for my first "Mess of the Month" giveaway! Gather your pictures of your kids' worst disasters, and watch my blog for your chance to win a Motsenbocker's Lift Off Stain Removal Kit!

No Mess Yet!

2008-05-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

Just letting you all know that I put all the cereal away after breakfast this morning!

I have a sponsor for my first "Mess of the Month" giveaway! Gather your pictures of your kids' worst disasters, and watch my blog for your chance to win a Motsenbocker's Lift Off Stain Removal Kit! This is the same awesome product that cleaned up the floor and clothing in the famed Wite-Out catastrophe at my house.

WFMW: Calming Injured Children

2008-05-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

I always keep a few dark red washcloths handy for minor injuries. Whenever my kids get a bad cut, I use one to stop the bleeding. Because of the dark color, the blood doesn't show up easily and the kids don't freak out as much. Works like a charm!

If you get a chance, check out my "Mess of the Day" posts. Soon I will launch a "Mess of the Month" meme and giveaway. I will post a Mr. Linky, and you all can publish pics of the messes that YOUR little darlings have made. I'll pick a winner and send them a gift!

Here are my previous WFMW posts:

Choosing a Phone Number
What NOT to Soak Contacts In
Broken Glass Cleanup
Cheap Rolling Cart for Conventions
Chocolate Recipes
Tooth-Tugging Tip for Terrified Tots
Handy Earache Relief
Uses for Leftover Bread
Leaky Diaper/Pull-up Fix
Snack Mix Recipe (at the end of the post)
Awesome Stain Recipe (at the end of the post)
"Fun"damentals of Family Life
Removing Wite-Out from Everything
When NOT to Save Money
Public Service Announcement

For more WFMW tips, stop by Shannon's blog.

Mess of the Day #14: Magic Stars Cereal

2008-05-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

Y'all, I KNOW I'm supposed to put the cereal away after breakfast, but I was late to Jazzercise. This is what I get! (Notice that there are no marshmallows in the cereal.)

By the way, I'm having so much fun with these "Mess of the Day" pics that soon I plan to launch a "Mess of the Month" meme and giveaway. Watch for this soon! I will post a Mr. Linky, and you all can publish pics of the messes that YOUR little darlings have made. I am working on finding a company who will donate something for me to give away. Since all this linky/giveaway stuff is new to me, I'd sure appreciate any advice from you experienced bloggers!

Mess of the Day #13: Desitin

2008-05-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

While I cooked dinner tonight, I had Pete watch Screech. He is usually really good with her and can entertain her for quite awhile while I am doing something.

I heard water running in the bathroom and went to investigate. Pete was attempting to clean her up after "not noticing" her getting into the Desitin.

He tries really hard to be helpful. Another time he watched her, he changed her diaper - complete with duct tape belt! (At least it wasn't a poopy!)

Mess of the Day #12: Ponytail Holders

2008-05-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Unbelievably Blessed

2008-05-11T15:36:00.000-07:00

5:00 am

(whispered) Daddy, is it time yet?

No. Go back to sleep.

6:00 am

Daddy, is it time yet?

No. Go back to sleep.

7:00 am

Daddy, is it time yet?

Okay!

Drama Queen's Cafe

All entrees are prepared with love
and served on a lovely Disney Princess lap desk.

Tall Stack Pancakes with Syrup
Served on a special "You're the Star!" plate

All Bran Strawberry Medley Cereal
served in the coveted butterfly bowl

Fresh Fruit

Beverage (Diet A&W Root Beer)

Dessert (the sweetest kiss you've ever had!)

Drama Queen had plastered these signs on the doors to my bedroom and bathroom. I happily obeyed!

What a precious doll she is!

Later this morning Drama Queen said, "Now, Mommy, you are not supposed to do ANY work today! We are going to do everything for you! Don't. Do. Anything!"

I answered, "Well, I was getting ready to take a bath. Are you going to do that for me?

Drama Queen replied, "No! That would be GROSS!!!!"

Here is a miraculous picture of me and my three angels. (I say, "miraculous" because everyone [read:Screech] is smiling! This has never happened before!)

After church Hubby and the kids took me to Carraba's Italian Grill, my absolute favorite restaurant. The food is absolutely divine! I ordered Chicken Bryan (grilled chicken breast topped with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, and a basil lemon butter sauce).

Oh.

My.

Word.

This is the best stuff I have ever put in my mouth! It was soooo juicy and just packed with flavor through and through. I don't know how they do it. No matter how long I marinate chicken, it always tastes so bland and chicken-y on the inside. Here's a pic (my camera doesn't even remotely do it justice):

Our server was AWESOME. I wondered aloud whether or not I would like goat cheese, then suddenly he dashed to the kitchen and returned with a small plate of it, carefully sliced and topped with herbs, no less! (It was yummy! If you like cream cheese, you'll love this stuff!)

And the bread! Oh, the bread! They bring you hearty, piping hot bread with olive oil and fresh herbs for dipping. This is not the Subway-tasting fluffy stuff that many restaurants serve; it tastes homemade! I could make a meal on the bread alone. (Well, that and the Word of God! Matthew 4:4)

Since it was my special day, I had part of my meal boxed up so I'd have room to splurge for dessert. I don't know what it was called, but words cannot fully describe its chocolatey awesomeness! It had layers of rich, fudgy brownie, chocolate mousse (or something similar) and real whipped cream. It was topped with the richest, most velvety chocolate sauce I have ever tasted. This obviously wasn't from a can! It would make Hershey's taste like water. If you take my recipe for Chocolate Ganache, use 1/2 semisweet chocolate chips and 1/2 milk chocolate chips, and add extra cream, you'd probably be really close to what this was like.

Not wanting the kids to be left out (I shared my dessert with Hubby), I ordered kids' sundaes for them. The cooks were probably a little distracted, because they accidentally sent adult size sundaes! Look at these!

The sundaes were topped with the same decadent sauce. They were incredible! The ice cream was wonderful by itself. It, too, was the real deal and didn't taste like it had artificial anything. The vanilla flavor was not overpowering so it complimented the chocolate sauce perfectly. Next time I'm getting this! Hubby and I ended up finishing (as much as we could, anyway!) Pete's and Drama Queen's. Screech, however, ate every last bite!

Happy Mother's Day!

© Homeschool Circus 2008
All rights reserved.

Mess of the Day #11: Water

2008-05-09T14:13:00.001-07:00

I caught her standing there pouring it out.

(The pic doesn't do the mess justice; it was everywhere.)

I couldn't be mad at her, though, because she was so sweet this afternoon. When she got excited about something and shrieked right in my ear, I said, "Please don't do that. It hurts Mommy's ear." She looked at me with such sympathy, rubbed my ear and said, "Awww, Mommy! Do you need a Band-Aid?"

Mess of the Day #10: Milk

2008-05-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

As I cleaned it up, she said, "I sowwy, Mommy!" (Even though I didn't act mad!)

What a sweetie!

Easy Recipe Thursday

2008-05-07T18:15:00.000-07:00

My friend Terri is launching "Easy Recipe Thursday" on her blog. I'm happy to add one of my favorites!

Ooey Gooey Monkey Bread

Ingredients:
½ C sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 (10-ounce) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 C firmly packed brown sugar (but don't overpack)
½ C butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 10-in. Bundt pan well. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a large Ziploc bag. Cut biscuits into quarters (I use kitchen scissors). Put a few in the bag at a time; shake to coat with cinnamon sugar mixture. Layer evenly in pan. Combine brown sugar and butter in a small bowl; pour over biscuits. Bake at 350° for 30 - 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool bread 10 minutes in pan; loosen edges with knife and invert onto serving platter.

Enjoy!

Please Help Me!

2008-05-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

This is Screech here. Please help me!!! As you can see from this picture, I am very, very sad. This morning my mommy (the 80's queen) made me wear this:

I know I look all happy and cheerful in the picture, but trust me, I was not laughing when she put it on. I screamed bloody murder and wailed, "I don't wanna wear thi-i-i-i-i-is!!!!" I begged to wear my Pooh outfit, or something cool - heck, at least something made in this decade. I shreiked, kicked and flailed my arms and legs for a good five minutes, but she won because she's stronger than I am. (I am so getting her back for this when I'm 16! I'll probably go through a combination goth/grunge phase.)

I don't know where she got this thing, but it has to be at least 20 years old. She's made me wear stuff like this before - on October 31, 2007, to be exact. You know, it's really sad when you can take a regular outfit, add a simple accessory and end up with a Halloween costume:

Please help me, I beg of you!!! Call the fashion police. Call Mrs. Fussypants. Call social services. Please . . . help . . .meeeeeee . . . .

Mess of the Day #8 & #9: Cereal and Books

2008-05-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

I have GOT to be sure to put the cereal away after breakfast.

Screech's favorite activity:

WFMW: One More!

2008-05-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

I just finished posting my Doesn't-Work-for-Me-Wednesday tip, then the phone rang and I was compelled to submit another.

We had to get a new phone number when we moved recently. The guy at the telephone company gave me my choice of several numbers. I chose one that had a cool-sounding pattern, similar to this one (this is NOT my real phone number):

(555) 535-3131

I thought:

Catchy!

Cool!

Easy to remember!

In reality:

Wrong numbers!

Lots of them!

All day long!

All night long!

It's not just one phone number that is getting confused with ours. People have thought that we are a restaurant, a transportation company, a doctor's office, and the home of someone named Eunice. Seems like it is just too easy to misdial a number like this.

This is not fun.

For more What Doesn't Work for Me, visit Shannon's blog, Rocks in my Dryer!

Vote for Me!

2008-05-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

If you all get a chance, head over to Mrs. Fussypants and vote for my caption so I can win some earrings! She does this every week, and it is SO much fun. I don't know where she gets those crazy pictures!

Fussy had to edit my caption for length (I tend to be a windbag!)

Here's what I originally wrote:

"When Max demanded a new outfit to make up for the bikini wax gone wrong, this wasn't quite what he had in mind."

WFMW: What NOT to Soak Your Contacts In!

2008-05-06T16:49:00.000-07:00

This week's Works For me Wednesday theme is "What DIDN'T Work For Me." Enjoy!

Once when I was visiting my friend Wendy, I had to stay overnight at her house unexpectedly because I had a horrible headache and was unable to make the hour and fifteen minute drive home. I didn't have anything with me for soaking my contact lenses, which were not the kind that could be slept in. (Nowadays, I use the kind you can wear for a solid month - I LOVE them!!!) No one at my friend's house wore contacts, and being a poor college student, I didn't go out to buy anything.

My friend gave me a couple of drinking glasses to hold my contacts and suggested that I simply soak them in water.

"Oh, no, no, no," I said. "That wouldn't be sterile."

Enter mysterious, foreboding music.

"Hmmmm . . . eye drops are sterile. Got anything like that?" I asked. They provided a bottle of Murine. I happily squirted a bit into each glass, plopped in my contacts, and went to bed.

The next morning - after a restless night thanks to a hyperactive hamster and his squeaky exercise wheel - I put my contacts back in. My eyes stung a little, but that had happened before when I had to put a contact back in without rinsing or cleaning, so I didn't think much of it.

Fifteen minutes later, in the middle of the morning rush hour on a busy interstate, my eyes were on fire. One was unable to open due to the pain. The other was half shut and tears were pouring out of it, making everything a blur. I couldn't go back to my friend's house, as everyone had already left for the day, and I didn't know anyone else in this city. Of course, this was also in the Dark Ages before cell phones.

It was the longest drive of my life. I kept thinking, When I can just get these things out of my eyes, I'll be fine! I made it back to my dorm, ran to my room, and swiftly plucked out my contacts. I closed my eyes, expecting blessed relief.

S-C-R-A-A-A-A-P-E!

Imagine that an evil plastic surgeon removed your eyelids and replaced them with 80 grit sandpaper, with the rough side facing your eyeballs. This almost approximates what my eyes felt like every time I blinked.

I ended having my friend Junior take me to Urgent Care, where they said that I had irritated my corneas or something. They numbed my eyes (with drops, thank goodness!) and rubbed some kind of ointment on my eyeballs.

That was an experience, watching a gloved finger with a glob of goo come straight for my eye. It was like something out of The Twilight Zone. They bandaged my eyes, gave me a prescription for something with Codeine in it, then brought Junior from the waiting room to lead me out.

"Bwaaaaaaaaah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You look like a bug!!!!!"

Junior has never been known for subtlety. Or tact.

By the time he got me back to my dorm room, Wendy was there with Suzanne, my roommate. The Codeine had kicked in, and I was feelin' mighty fine! I became their entertainment for the afternoon.

First, they took me to the park with them and had a ball leading me down the twirly slide. I'm sure it was a sight! Here I was, looking like an albino fly, laughing hysterically as I slid down over and over. (I'm sure the playground was cleared of children moments after my arrival.)

I tried playing Frisbee with them by randomly slapping my outstreched arms together "alligator style."

I didn't catch anything.

Next, they drove me to each of my professors' houses, parading me around while I giggled, "I'm on Codeine!"

The next day, my eyes were just fine, although I can't say much for my dignity. I have to say, I never left home without saline solution again!

Speaking of what doesn't work for me, as you can see from this post Blogger has a mind of its own and is always changing my font size! When I try to edit and fix this, it looks fine in the editing box but when I click "Publish Post" it goes back to the wrong size again! Anyone know how to fix this?

Here are my previous WFMW posts:

Broken Glass Cleanup
Cheap Rolling Cart for Conventions
Chocolate Recipes
Tooth-Tugging Tip for Terrified Tots
Handy Earache Relief
Uses for Leftover Bread
Leaky Diaper/Pull-up Fix
Snack Mix Recipe (at the end of the post)
Awesome Stain Recipe (at the end of the post)
"Fun"damentals of Family Life
Removing Wite-Out from Everything
When NOT to Save Money
Public Service Announcement

For more WFMW tips, stop by Shannon's blog.

An Amazing Weekend

2008-05-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing weekend recently. My niece was running in the Derby Festival Marathon in Louisville, KY, so we went up to see her and the rest of my family. It was a very long drive for us - about 10 hours - but the kids did great, as always.

So many amazing things happened during this trip! A few days before we left, I was talking to my best friend from KY (whose daughter is Drama Queen's best friend) and told her about our plans. She couldn't believe it - they were going to be in Louisville that weekend for a dance competition!

Long story short, we got to visit with them for awhile and see her children perform. Drama Queen and her friend were ecstatic! Here they are after one of the performances:

The next morning, the day of the marathon, we met them downtown for breakfast. After we were done, I called my brother from the restaurant to see where we should go to cheer on my niece. I wanted to be able to see her at several checkpoints. I was a little worried about how we were going to manage this, considering that many streets were blocked off, and parking in downtown Louisville can be a nightmare anyway. Then there was the matter of doing this with 3 kids in tow, buckling them into car seats and the whole nine yards. When I told my brother where we were, he said that all I needed to do was walk outside to the curb! We were already in the perfect spot, because she would be going by twice (crossing the bridge into Indiana and back).

It was so thrilling to see her run by! She looked GREAT! I was simply amazed at her strength and stamina. I called my brother (who was at a different checkpoint) to tell him that I saw her, and he was blown away to learn that she had already made it to that point. He had to get off the phone so he could rush to the finish line to see her, so it was just incredible that I happened to be in the perfect place to be able to tell him where she was.

My niece placed FIRST in her division! We were so proud of her! She also qualified for the Boston Marathon. Wow. I am just amazed!

We got to hang out with them for the afternoon and went to the Louisville Slugger Museum. It was great to spend time with them!

We were also blessed to be able to spend time with more of my family. We stayed with one of my sisters in Louisville and it was wonderful to spend time with her and my brother-in-law. We met with the rest of the family (my brothers, their families, my mom and her husband) for a wonderful meal. It was such a treat, because I don't get to see them much now that we live in Georgia. What a blessing this weekend was!

WFMW: Two Tips

2008-04-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

I have two tips for you today, so hopefully there will be something for everyone!

This morning, I had a mess of broken glass to clean up. Seems that no matter how hard you try, when you sweep the shards into the dustpan there are always those annoying, fine pieces that just can't make it over the lip of the dustpan. What to do? Using a vacuum cleaner can scatter the pieces, and you may never find them all. Enter my secret weapon:

Just pinch off the amount you need, and press it over the mess until it's gone! I have also heard of using a slice of bread, but this works much better.

My second tip is for those of you attending an upcoming homeschool convention. Do you ever wish you had one of those really cool rolling carts that looks like a milk crate with a telescoping handle, but don't want to shell out $20-25 for it? In the garden section of Big Lots, they usually carry these carts for just 10 bucks! They are slightly smaller than some (mine measures 13"L x 14.5"W x 13"H - about the size of a milk crate), but they work great. It collapses for easier storage. I've been really pleased with mine.

Here are my previous WFMW posts:

Chocolate Recipes

Tooth-Tugging Tip for Terrified Tots

Handy Earache Relief

Uses for Leftover Bread

Leaky Diaper/Pull-up Fix

Snack Mix Recipe (at the end of the post)

Awesome Stain Recipe (at the end of the post)

"Fun"damentals of Family Life

Removing Wite-Out from Everything

When NOT to Save Money

Public Service Announcement

For more WFMW tips, stop by Shannon's blog!

Mess of the Day #7: Glass

2008-04-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

What's the Big Deal?

2008-04-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

By now, I'm sure you've heard about the flap regarding Miley Cyrus. For those who haven't, a provocative picture of her was taken for Vanity Fair in which she appears to be nude, the necessary parts being covered by a bedsheet. (If you follow the Vanity Fair link, the picture in question is on page 2 of the story.)

Blogging mamas (and other mamas) everywhere are outraged. I was compelled to leave a comment on a post by Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer, and I ended up having so much to say that I decided to repost it here:

I SO understand the desire for clean television shows and movies for our children. Our family draws the line at movies which take the Lord’s name in vain, so out of all the so-called children’s movies that come out, we average seeing one a year. Television is completely out of the question.

That being said, I am disturbed by how dependent children (and their parents) are on these forms of entertainment. We are created to worship. Why are we worshipping the wrong god? Why is it so incredibly important to HAVE to be entertained?

Because our family watches so little TV, we have more time to do family things together. We read wholesome books. We play games. We explore His beautiful creation. Not filling our hearts and minds with false idols makes it easier to “Set [our] affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2)

I, for one, am a little sick of hearing about how “grounded” and “well adjusted” Miley Cyrus is. Articles gush about her “faith”and that she is a “committed Christian”. Although she may very well be a Christian, I have to question the commitment of a person who raves that “Sex and the City” is her favorite TV show. And let’s not forget the pics of her flashing her bra. (Those were not Photoshopped, because she later apologized for them.)

I am not saying this to lambast the poor girl. (Assuming she is a Christian, she’s a far better person than I was at 15.) My problem lies with the way she is practically worshipped. It’s almost like parents are so disgusted with the Britney Spearses, the Lindsay Lohans and the Olesons that when the first seemingly clean celebrity comes along, they let their guards down and fall all over her.

Again, why is entertainment so stinking important?

Yes, Hannah Montana seems to be a nice, clean show. However, one must remember, the bottom line at Tinseltown is $$$. Once the nice, clean show starts sagging in the ratings, and once Miley’s fan base starts aging out of tween- and teen-aged programs, they will reinvent her. They are already pushing her to “mature”; the Vanity Fair picture is a prime example.

Even more disturbing are the comments that some people have made:

“Honestly, I really don't see what the big deal is. It is extremely hard to be in Hollywood and still live like you have morals. Just cause you're on a Disney show that seems somewhat wholesome, doesn't mean the actors or their families are. Children should be taught to have real life role models, not movie stars and singers.”

What’s the big deal, she asks?

A fifteen year old - one who is idolized by children as young as three - appears to be naked in bed. Her tousled hair, sultry eyes and pouty, painted red lips seem to say, “Was it good for you?”

To me - as well as any other parent who doesn’t want their little girls to be sexualized - that’s a big deal.

The other part of that post which bothered me was the implication that because it’s too hard to live a moral life in Hollywood, children shouldn’t idolize stars. This smacks of the same reasoning that celebrities such as Madonna have used when they said, “I didn’t ask to be a role model, so I am not a role model.” As though it were that simple. Like it or not, anyone who is in the public eye IS a role model. Preachers. Football players. Mayors. Coaches. And yes, celebrities. Just because it’s harder to be a role model in Hollywood doesn’t mean TV and movie stars can get a free pass.

I do agree that children should be taught to have real life role models. Accomplishing this, however, requires taking an unpopular stance. We can’t have it both ways. We can’t tell our kids, “Okay, you can watch Hannah Montana, but I forbid you to want to be like her.” Everything a child is exposed to becomes a part of her. What do you want your child to be made of?

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” Phillipians 4:8

Mess of the Day #6: Cereal

2008-04-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

Found her hiding under the kitchen table.
Thank goodness the cereal box wasn't very full!

The Old Schoolhouse Special Offer

2008-04-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

I want to share a special offer from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. For new subscribers, they are offering a year's subscription + 25 gifts for only $25! If I could subscribe to only one homeschooling magazine, TOS would be it.

Here are some features about TOS that I enjoy:

- It is written from a Christian perspective;
- It's thicker than most homeschooling magazines and packed with great, well-written articles, including:

Reviews of the latest curriculum
Homeschooling tips
Articles highlighting homeschooling special-needs children
Suggestions for homeschooling gifted children
Interviews with renowned authors and educators, such as Karen Andreola
Fun contests in every issue
Product reviews
Lessons and activities for every subject area, from biology to art

http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66_60&products_id=1542

The above link will show you the pictures of your free gifts plus give you all the details.

This is a fantastic deal! The 25 freebies are really great. I can't wait to try them all myself!

Strawberry Time

2008-04-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

Hooray!!! It's strawberry time! And for once I didn't miss them!

And what goes better with strawberries but chocolate?

You are going to be so sorry you learned about this recipe. Sooooooooooooo sorry. Because not only is it the richest, creamiest, most luscious, most velvety chocolatey goodness that will ever cross your lips, it is extremely easy.

Better hit the back button.

Seriously.

You'd better not look at this.

Okay, if you insist. But don't say I didn't warn you. I am hereby not responsible for your Weight Watchers bills, gym fees, or new wardrobe from Lane Bryant.

This is actually called "ganache". Ganache is a French word meaning, "super-duper-fattening, heavenly, sinful, to-die-for chocolate." (Either that, or it refers to a combination of chocolate and cream. I forgot which.) Ganache may be used as a glaze, or as a filling for cakes and truffles. (Oh my word, you have got to try it on cheesecake! No, don't. Your hips will hate me forever.)

Be sure to always use real chocolate chips as opposed to chocolate-flavored chips. This recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips, but it is SO yummy with other kinds of chips. (If using anything but semi-sweet, leave out the sugar.) Milk chocolate is soooo rich. I have tried mixing part semi-sweet chocolate with part white chocolate, and that is the best! I have also had good results with peanut butter, chocolate mint, and other flavored chips. Let your imagination go wild!

Chocolate Ganache

12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips*
1 C. heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, optional** (no substitutes)
2 tablespoons sugar, optional

Place chocolate in a glass or metal bowl; set aside. Heat heavy cream, butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring mixture to a boil. Pour boiling mixture over chocolate; cover with plastic wrap. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Serve at room temperature with fruit for dipping.

*Or, 12 oz. semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
**You can leave the butter out; it's just a little less creamy.

The next recipe is way less fattening, but is still really yummy.

Chocolate Dip

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 container (8 ounces) Cool Whip, thawed
1/2 teaspoon rum or vanilla extract (optional)

Place chocolate chips and half of the Cool Whip in small bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on high 1 minute or until chocolate is melted and smooth, stirring every 20 seconds. Fold in remaining Cool Whip and rum or vanilla extract, if desired; mix until smooth. Serve with fruit for dipping.

Here are my previous WFMW posts:

Tooth-Tugging Tip for Terrified Tots

Handy Earache Relief

Uses for Leftover Bread

Leaky Diaper/Pull-up Fix

Snack Mix Recipe (at the end of the post)

Awesome Stain Recipe (at the end of the post)

"Fun"damentals of Family Life

Removing Wite-Out from Everything

When NOT to Save Money

Public Service Announcement

For more WFMW tips, stop by Shannon's blog.

Here are some pics of my little munchkins at the strawberry patch. Because we went during the school day (we're studying plants in science right now) we had the whole place to ourselves.

Drama Queen

Persnickety Pete

Screech

Screech was actually the picture of innocence for most of this outing. I expected to be run ragged trying to keep her out of the strawberries. She did great, carrying the pail for me and saying "Thank you, Mommy," every time I tossed in a berry.

Then - big mistake - she started to put a strawberry in her mouth, and I let her. She snarfed it down, then tried to grab more. She thought the whole pail was for her. Our happy little outing ended like this:

Poor, pitiful thing. Don't worry, at home she got to eat her fill of WASHED strawberries!

The Joys of Boys (part 2)

2008-04-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

(This post will make a lot more sense if you have already read yesterday's post, The Joys of Boys.)

Poor Persnickety Pete. Getting blamed and blogged about for something he didn't do.

Sweet, innocent Pete. He didn't whiz in the laundry hamper.

He did it in a pair of boots.

And poured the smelly stuff into the laundry hamper.

Multiple times.

Big sigh.

What to do? Well, he's never done anything like this before.

That we know about.

~shudder~

And it's not like he broke our longstanding rule of No-Whizzing-in-Footwear-and-Pouring-It-into-Laundry-
Containers.

To me, this fits squarely under the heading of childish irresponsibility. Still, I felt that there should be some consequences. All I did was have him take several audible whiffs of the boots (my, this seemed effective) and made him throw the boots away (which had to be done anyway).

Thankfully, the boots were his own. I don't think I could have ever forgiven him if they had been my $4500 Louis Vuitton ostrich boots.

(Yeah. Right.)

I've enjoyed hearing everyone else's stories of inappropriate eliminating by their boys. Most involve trash cans or carpet, but my favorite is the one about the air vent in the floor. It took 3 bath towels to sop it up.

I think I can live with throwing a pair of boots away and adding some extra Downy to the laundry.

The Joys of Boys

2008-04-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

Y'all know that I have serious laundry issues. So I definitely do not need any more.

As I was going through one of the hampers this evening, I noticed that the clothes were damp and a bit more, um, malodorous than usual.

My first thought was that our elderly cat was responsible. I quickly dismissed this idea because she is too obese, old and out of shape to jump that high. Besides, I've cleaned up enough cat and child messes to know the difference.

A mom's nose knows.

Knowing that Pete has a tendency to wait until the last minute, my next assumption was that he'd had a wet accident and tossed the odiferous undies in the hamper without telling me. As I searched for the smelly skivvies, I found more than wet underwear.

I found wet shirts. I found wet pants. I found wet socks. Many of these wet things belonged to Hubby and me.

(Putting on imaginary Sherlock Holmes cap.)

Hmmmmm . . . .

Hubby has not had any accidents this week.

I have not had any accidents this week.

Which leaves only one possibility:

Dear friends, my son has been whizzing in the laundry hamper.

(Counting to ten.)

(Again.)

(Again.)

(Not helping.)

(Banging head against wall.)

Why, why, why???

Perhaps he is marking his territory.

Does this mean that he's going to do the laundry from now on?