Here are a few pictures from our cookie baking day with our friends, Dawn, Brandon and Brianna.

And here's a few pictures of my Princess and her boys. She got her first pair of jeans on Christmas (they have since been exchanged for a cute skirt, LOL, as she only wears dresses).

We enjoyed our wonderfully peaceful holiday, just spending time here at the house together. Today the kids were surprised with another box of presents from my sister, Aimee. We had kind of forgotten that it it had been sent because she had already sent a box of clothes and toy cars last week. Underneath CD player, walkie-talkies, chess set, and more "stuff" was the best Christmas present (at least, to a homeschooling mom, LOL)....

TONS of BOOKS (almost 60!)

Ella grabbed one and ran to her little couch and said, "I gonna read a buuuuk." Deuce is at the dining room table devouring a book, and COdy brought one into the living room to read. That's what I like to see! Man, there is nothing like a box full of brand-new books (as any "Sonlighter" knows, LOL)

Now. how do I find room on our already packed bookshelves for all lof these new treasures???

Very random, just took some pics of the kids tonight... Please ignore the off coloring in some.. I am still trying to get used to the new camera....

Cody and Deuce were explaining Santa to Ella and this is what I heard Cody say to Ella, "And then Santa breaks into your house. But, don't be alarmed- he is not gonna steal anything. He'll leave you presents."

Deuce spoke up, imitating Santa, "Turn off your alarm, ho ho ho. I'm just a jolly fat man spreading joy."

Silly kids. Ella is now saying "Santa" very clearly, LOL.

We went to the Christmas Eve service at church and then came home and sang "Happy Birthday Jesus" and had cake for a mini-birthday party for Jesus. The kids have now headed up to bed and Shawn and I will finish wrapping and putting out gifts. Tomorrow will be a quiet day around here. Gifts when we wake up and then Shawn's dad and uncle will come over at about 2 for dinner. I think this is the most relaxing, nonstressful Christmas I have ever had, lol. No crazy family functions to deal with, just my husband and kids here at our home. Nice.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have a fantastic holiday!

We have a family membership to the children's science museum in Dayton, but it had been a few months since we had been there, so I decided to take the kids yesterday. All 3 have always had a blast there, so we were all looking forward to it, but when we arrived Ella completely shut down. Now, anybocy that is around Ella for a bit of time always comments on how outgoing and social she is, so this was very strange. It wasn't even crowded there, initially. Look at how pitiful she was...

She finally warmed up after about 20 minutes. We went upstairs to a pretend grocery store and, ugh, they have a real (dead) deer head mounted on the wall. Ella saw it and then I had 15 minutes of this: (and yes, she is wrapped tightly around my legs)

So, by this point I am thinking that I will never get her to play with anything and have fun. *sigh* But then the heavens part and light shines down right on one of her favorite activities:

Yeah! She loves to write (she even carries a journal and a pen around with her most of the day, LOL).

And to top it off, she even found a quiet place to read (her other favorite activity):

After that, the day went pretty well (as long as we ignore the rowdy group of school kids that were on a field trip- TRASHING everything in sight. Made me feel so much better about being a homeschool mom). The kids found an activity that they all loved and could all do together:

The boys also loved going into the tree house and doing a little bird watching (partially because, at the time, it was the only way to escape the loud school kids- then they came into the treehouse and ran us off.....)

Cody loved the "Science in Toyland" exhibit:

We had a great time, but I wish my boys would have stayed still long enough for me to get a few more pictures of them. More than half of the pics of them shows just a blur where a boy once was, LOL.

That's what Ella says to Cody while he sits at the bottom of the slide, waiting to catch her. The videos are dark because it was very early this morning and I hadn't turned on the living room light, but her little voice is so sweet, LOL.

Ella is such a girly-girl! She plays dress up all of the time. Here are a few pics from last night.

****You will probably need to pause the music box to be able to hear my kids on the video**** :-)

Wow! What a rush, shopping yesterday and today. Dawn and I got up and went shopping at 5 am on Thanksgiving, We didn't do too bad with the deals, either. I managed to get everything I set out for, and have now made a HUGE dent in my Christmas shopping.

Meijer had a sale that started at 6 am, so we went in the store at 5 (open 24 hours) and loaded our carts full, then hung out near the register until 6 to check out. That part of the trip went very smoothly and we were out of the store by 6:10 am.

The next part of our plan was to head to Kmart, which opened at 7 am. We pulled in the parking lot at 6:15 and saw a crowd forming at the door. *sigh* This meant that we'd have to stand out in the freezing cold for 45 minutes- not my idea of a fun time, but I'd do it to get the toys that my kids wanted. I really wish I had worn long underwear. I think I will buy some before next year, LOL. And maybe I’ll being hot chocolate. J

We were pretty close to the front of the line (and everyone was actually standing in a nice line and not pushing). Dawn was heading one way to get an item that we both wanted (divide and conquer, LOL, the best way to do this) and I was going to head to toys. As I was trying to get into the door, people started pushing and one woman ran a cart into my hand, tearing off the top of my thumb nail. I was so cold that I didn't even feel it until I thawed out in toys, but man! That hurt. I grabbed a baby doll that I wanted for Ella and a couple of games for the boys. There was an older woman trying to reach a game on a high shelf, and no on near her would even help her. *sheesh* People lose all sense of manners and ethics when faced with sales like this. I went and got the game down for her and set out to find Dawn again.

Dawn was stuck in the electronics department, LOL. The crowd was so thick that she couldn't just walk right through. Ugh..... It was just crazy. As soon as she could make a break for it, we finished everything else up quickly and got the heck out of there.

Today was even worse, of course. Shawn and I both went (with all 3 kids) at 4 am and so did Dawn and Rob. Luckily, my kids love this kind of stuff (Ella kept saying, "Shop-ing? Shop-ing?). We decided we could accomplish more if we had a higher number of people shopping, LOL. Shawn wanted to get me a new camera and I had some things that I needed for the kids, so he took the boys with him. We were at Walmart, and they do things differently. They put out giant skid of sale products wrapped in black plastic and then cut the plastic off at 5 am. MY GOODNESS!  One woman was, literally, laying across the skid of pajamas to ensure that she got what she wanted right at 5. I have never seen anything like this.

You knew when 5 am hit, because the noise and energy was just crazy.I didn't need anything on any of the skids, so I found a quiet aisle to keep Ella away from the crowd. Shawn kept Cody down in a cart so that the crowd didn't hurt him. (We decided that next year we will just find a sitter. I didn't realize how insane people can get over these deals, it is nuts!) Somehow we managed  to, again, get everything we wanted and I honestly had fun, but was very glad to leave the store. :-) We all met for breakfast afterward to tell our war stories, LOL.  :-)

Cody after leaving Walmart

Deuce trying to sleep after Walmart

Ella taking a nursing break while we waited for Rob and Dawn to meet us for breakfast.

(Oh, and ALL of the pics taken in the van were taken while we were PARKED in the restaurant’s parking lot…  My kids NEVER ride without seatbelts, and I just noticed that it could have appeared that way, LOL.)

Shawn was in a great mood, considering that he HATES crowded places, LOL.. or, maybe he was just thrilled to finally be out of the store????

Dawn didn't want her pic taken, so Rob is representing both of the M******'s, LOL

I saw this on another blog- Prncsstefy- and thought it looked fun.   I'm not gonna tag ya, don't worry, but would love to see your answers also.   Copy the list and the highlight the ones you have done.  (I am underlining the ones I have done) Leave me a comment when you are done and that way I can see it. :-)

Here goes...

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang/played a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class (My FAVORITE!!! I start again in January)

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Gotten flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (My kids have the stuffed raccoon I had as a baby)

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Made a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

From the publisher of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine:

http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Thanksgiving_Placemat/

The above link will immediately take you to your Thanksgiving Placemat e-Creator! BUT – surprise and Happy Thanksgiving! We are giving you MORE than just the placemat. There’s a much larger, FREE ebook waiting for you at the above link, one that we normally sell in the store. It’s perfect for Thanksgiving and includes free copywork pages about Thanksgiving for your children. NO STRINGS ATTACHED to any of this – it’s all FREE. Go grab it at the above link and feel free to send that link to your friends, too. It’ll only be up through Sunday and then it’s GONE.  J

We hope you enjoy these totally FREE gifts. Be sure to check out our Black Friday sale, too (below). Certain levels of purchases earn you a number of different free curriculum items, as well. You want other free stuff? Check out the BELOW link to Black Friday.

http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/BlackFriday/BlackFridaySale.html

By the way, between now and Sunday ONLY, we have our one-year subscriptions to The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine on sale for only $7.95. Normally they go for $25 so this is a crazy deal – but only through Sunday. Why don’t you give one to a friend for Christmas? It’s under $8 and they get a whole YEAR of TOS Magazine – from you. That’s a very affordable gift! J

Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow, and may the LORD bless your family richly this season.

From our family,

Paul and Gena Suarez - plus 5!

I just received a phone call from a woman whose child attends St Pat's school. Apparently a couple of the moms are wanting to get an elementary band together at Sound City Music in Troy. They do not have enough students, so they decided to invite homeschoolers to join in this as well. This sounds like a great opportunity. :-)

The lessons are geared towards grades 4th-6th, but she said that they might be flexible enough to go down or up a grade level or two. Mondays, 5:30-6:30, $7.00 per class if they have 7 students. (with more students, the price could possibly come down a bit more). No prior music knowledge neccessary. Contact Sound City Music at 335-2406 (ask for either the owner or Rick Paltida) or contact Mary Meyer at 335-6450 (she is the mom who instigated all of this, LOL).

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Your Personality is Very Rare (ESTP)

Your personality type is dominant, driven, poised, and self-aware. Only about 5% of all people have your personality, including 3% of all women and 6% of all men You are Extroverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Perceiving.

Would you like to win some awesome books? Splish, the newest frog around TOS, is giving away free books on his blog this week! Hop on over and check it out. 

And, I have to recommend And Then Mama Said... It Takes Time to Learn to Read. We just got our copy a couple of days ago, and this book has become Ella's favorite! She just stands at our bookshelf saying, "Sish fwease!" Translation: "Splish please!" :-) She is addicted, and has now renamed my Webkinz frog. She carries the stuffed animal around all day calling him "Splish," lol. 

Okay, so it's not a homeschool funny, but it still cracked me up.  :-)  I read this on a homeschooling board.

THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks.

Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes .

There is no fast food.

Each man must take care of his 3 kids, keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework and complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money. In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week.

Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time--no emailing.

Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment. He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to Urgent Care.

He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.

Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house,
planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times. The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done .

The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn himself with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep fingernails polished
and eyebrows groomed. During one of the six weeks the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties.

They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.

They will need to read a book to the kids each night and in the morning, feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair by 7:00 am.

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father ill be required to know all of the following information:

each child's birthday,
height, weight,
shoe size, clothes size
and doctor's name.
Also the child's weight at birth,
length, time of birth,
and length of labor,
each child's favorite color ,
middle name,
favorite snack,
favorite song,
favorite drink,
favorite toy,
biggest fear and
what they want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island based on performance.

The last man wins only if he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice.


After you get done laughing, send this to as many females as you think will get a kick out of it and as many men as you think can handle it.

Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, eh? Trick or treating is Ella's new favorite activity, LOL. She can even say, "Trick or treat," quite well. You should have seen the wonderful look of surprise when I told her to say that at church and a sucker was dropped into her little bucket. Too cute!

Cody got to meet some firemen and they put him up on their truck to get a quick picture. When he got down he told us, "I'm done trick or treating now." LOL, that just made his night.

Deuce was finally allowed a somewhat scary costume. Funny thing was, he didn't want to scare Ella, so he went around barking and wagging his backside like a puppy. Ugliest dog I have ever seen, haha.  I'm considering a rabies shot for him (of course, I don't believe in vaccines, LOL, so maybe not).

Here's some pics of my kiddos.  Aren't they adorable???

I am sitting here watching Ella play and thought I'd take a minute to update my blog.  I just never seem to find the time anymore.  I have the marketing class that I am in right now keeping me busy.  Plus, I have the modules that I write for The Old Schoolhouse.  Add in on top of that my newest job with The Old Schoolhouse (Travel & Conventions Assistant to the Publisher- what a mouthful!) and I am busy!  Oh, but I love it.  I am the type that LOVES LOVES LOVES having a million and one things to do and this is just great. 

Ella is being strange right now.  She is wearing her pj's, a purple ballet tutu,  a red glove (on her foot!)  and a blue glove on her hand.  I have lost my camera (and, do not tell me to look in the diaper bag, LMBO!  I already looked there.) and would love a picture of her.  I was about to get her dressed for the day but she keeps telling me that she is "pitty" (pretty), so I'll let her be.  :-)  I do have to wonder, though, why does she get all dolled up and then stand on the train table and dance?  Is she planning on being an actress on Broadway?  Doing musicals?  (You should've seen her dancing to "Cool Rider" the other night, LOL.  Yes, I am a geek that loves Grease and Grease 2).

8:25 in the morning and my boys are already cleaning their room.  Yeah!  It's gonna be a good day.  I get to sit here and play on the net (I have honestly not "played" on the net in a LONG time, so I don't feel guilty) while the boys clean their room and Shawn cleans the bathroom and kitchen.  (Oh, Ella just added a pink Disney Princesses backpack to her outfit, LOL),  I think I traumatized poor Cody.  The other day I accidently locked him in the basement.  I didn't realize he was taking his dirty laundry downstairs, and saw the basement door unlocked, which is a HUGE no-no with a toddler in the house.  He freaked out (I was right by the door when he came back up and unlocked it right away!).  Now, everytime he goes downstairs, he says nice and LOUD, "Make sure no one LOCKS ME IN THE BASEMENT."  Ugh, I hope he never tells people about that in public.  I can just see the knock on the door, from DCFS, now.  yikes!  A homeschool mom locking her child in the basment?  So stereotypical, LOL.

Well, I had better get going.  I am supposed to go to Dawn's house to work on our marketing class project together. 

Okay, I am not promoting this *just* because I wrote a good portion of it, LOL.  You really do need to check out the deal on Amusing Mathematics in The Schoolhouse store.  For a SHORT time, it is only $5.00!  You can't beat that!  And, I just have to say, the "magical" elephant thing is my favorite!  You should've heard Christi's response to that!  :-)  You'll have to buy it to know what I am talking about!

Just a few pics of the kids being themselves, LOL....