Apr. 13, 2008 Rodent on the loose!
We have a menagerie in our house. Since we have moved here (five years ago November 2008), we have had 2 cats, 2 bunnies,a dog, a chinchilla, and 4 rats. Not all at once, thank goodness! My oldest daughter is the rat and chinchilla lover. Today she came upstairs and announced that one of her rats is missing...perhaps since last night. ICK!!!
The rat could be anywhere! I am kind of rooting for the dogs (we have a "cousin" dog visiting this week) to have had a "snack" last night. Horrible, I know. However, it is a lot better than knowing it is running around the house at night. Sigh.
Any suggestions on catching a critter? |
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Apr. 11, 2008 Where art thou Spring?
Looking out my window, one would never guess that it ios indeed Spring. 34degrees F, snowing, and cloudy. I am so tired of snow...and winter weather. My husband keeps telling me that we should move down South...anywhere would be warmer. It doesn't help that a co-worker of his says he has already harvested tomatoes from his garden. Sigh. Mine is covered with snow. On the bright side, the chives and sage were starting to come back!
Homeschool is going well...but I feel as if we are trying to cram too much into one year. Hopefully, I will get better at scheduling and less worrisome over the years of trial and error. It does get easier, doesn't it? We have completed Character Development, 9th grade history, and Apologetics. We still have Math (4, 6, and 9), Science (Biology and Meteorology), Middle Ages History, Music Appreciation, Language Arts (4, 6, and 9), Latin (4, 6, and 9), Bible, and Writing. Most courses will be finished by the end of June.
Of course, if the weather were nicer...we wouldn't want to be inside doing school anyhow. I guess this snowy stuff isn't such a bad thing then!
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Dec. 18, 2007 The Gifts Mom Really Wants
How is it that every year, (when my children and husband ask me what I want for Christmas), I never get what I really want? Don't get me wrong...any gift is highly valued and appreciated. But every year they ask...I tell...and they look at me like I am crazy for wanting those things...and therefore I don't get them. :(
On my list:
1) Time to clean my OWN room.
2) Time as a family playing games by the fire.
3) Time in the bathroom without incessant knocking on the door.
4) Time alone in a quiet house.
5) Time to read a book that isn't for school or for kids.
6) Time to catch up with the laundry.
TIME. Which means someone taking care of the other needs (baby, toddler, cleaning, cooking, etc) for just a little while so I can have that TIME. It doesn't cost anything...fits nicely in a stocking...and you don't have to stand in long lines or brave cold weather to get it. So easy...but never given. Maybe next year! |
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Nov. 22, 2007 Things I am Thankful for...
A God who loves me, created me, and died in my place so that I might be with Him.
His creation
My family
My loving husband...who puts up with me and loves being home with his family.
My daughters...each unique and wonderfully made.
My sons...one ball of energy that never quits and his brother, the grumpy one :)
The United States of America...home of freedom and nation under God.
Our nation's forefathers...who wisely and bravely built this nation upon God's Word.
Our soldiers who are fighting and have fought for our freedom.
The families of our soldiers who have spent holidays like Thanksgiving without their loved ones so that we could be free to spend them with ours.
Home.
Homeschooling.
Heat :)
And many, many more things....
Happy Thanksgiving! |
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Nov. 22, 2007 High Needs Baby
I have a "high needs" baby...I guess that is what you would call him. He is always wanting to be held...not while you are sitting...but held while you are walking around the house. He is a grumpy boy...fussing and crying most of the day. I am at a loss on what to do to help him be happier!
This is our 5th child. All of my older children were happy most of the time. They cried when hungry, wet/dirty, or cold. They slept like champs at night and during the day. They loved the swing or being on their tummies on the floor. I could snuggle with them and yet still have time in the day to get other things done.
Not so with my son. He sleeps well at night...but has to be right next to me for most of it. He rarely naps during the day. Once in a while he will collapse from sheer exhaustion...but not for long. He seems to have this sensor that tells him when I leave the room. He wakes up as soon as I leave. He doesn't like swings or being on the floor. He has to be held up so he is standing or held while I am standing. We were given a Baby Bjorn, which has been a lifesaver. However, you can only wear the baby for so long before your back goes out! I discovered the wonders of a bouncy seat...we get 15 minutes to 1/2 hour sometimes from that!
My mother suggested I try rice on him and see if that helps. It isn't that he is not getting fed....he is 3 1/2 months old and is wearing 6 - 9 month clothes. Perhaps it will help though. It is almost as if he is impatient to get big and be up and walking around. I try to tell him that will come soon enough...enjoy being a baby for a short time. Perhaps that is good advice for me too...to enjoy him being a baby for this short time.
Happy Thanksgiving! |
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Nov. 12, 2007 New favorite song at our house!
So my three year old son has discovered the wonders of YouTube. His father was showing him tractor clips and he found this song...which is now his favorite. We listen to it MANY, MANY times a day. HELP!
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Nov. 12, 2007 How much is too much?
How much is too much school?
I am beginning to feel like I am trying to get too much into our days. As I look at our schedule and my kids tell me about a neighbor who only does math each day...I wonder if I am doing way too much! Am I trying too hard to give my kids it all? Are they learning anything? Or just going through the motions of completing the next assignment?
How do you know what is MOST important and what is excess? How do you structure your school day? What do you expect your children to complete (number of subjects, hours of school day, assignments, etc) each day?
Anyone out there have any advice? I have a Freshman in high school, a 6th grader, and a 4th grader. My day is complicated by a 3 year old and an infant. Our school day, as it is now, starts at 8 am and ends at 4-5 pm...with a half hour for lunch.
My Freshman is learning: British history, literary analysis, essay writing, SAT prep, Biology, Latin, Bible, apologetics, Algebra I, Music History, Character Development, and guitar.
My 4th and 6th grader learn together: Biology (separate units on plants, animals, and human body), History of the Middle Ages, Bible, Character Development, Creative Writing, Cursive, Latin and Music History. They learn separately: Math, Language Arts, SAT prep, Logic, and computer skills.
Any advice would be helpful! Thanks! |
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Nov. 3, 2007 The Greatest Treasure of All...
I have noticed that since I have cut back at work and come home to spend more time with my family...that I appreciate them MORE than I did when I was working.
Don't get me wrong, I have always loved and wanted my family. I just didn't appreciate them as much. I didn't have the time to get to know them. I had very little energy at the end of a busy day to put into them. Their needs were just another thing on my very long list of "things to do" that never seemed to end. Their noise was overwhelming at the end of a long day working with other people's kids. My own family got my leftovers; I was missing out on so much!
The thing that really gets me is that I knew this all deep down, but it took me a few years to get the courage to do something about it. It was like knowing where to dig for treasure but never "getting around to it" because it would mean taking time off from working at the local laundry mat. How crazy my way of thinking now seems to me...now that I have recognized that I have been living with this treasure all around me and just never took the time to "dig". |
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Nov. 3, 2007 All's Quiet on the Chaska Front
My husband and two oldest daughters went away for the weekend to Iowa for a youth retreat. There are a few things that surprise me about this seemingly uninteresting event...
1) My husband went with the girls! He is a homebody and spending an entire weekend in the company of a bunch of teenagers would not be on his list of "Things to do in my lifetime" :)
2) My husband actually WANTED to go! See above...which is why the WANT part is so amazing!
3) My oldest daughter actually wanted to go! It is not a required event for her, as it is for her sister, and yet she decided to go with her sister to help make her first youth weekend a good one. I am so proud of her! I am sure she would rather be home listening to her ipod, posting on her blog, role playing with her new friends...all while hiding out in her room. Talk about homebody!
4) My house is quieter without them all! This is amazing, because I have my three YOUNGEST here with me (baby, toddler, and 9 year old). It is amazing how much noise comes from the three who aren't here! :) Love you guys!
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Oct. 16, 2007 What to do with teenage daughters...
It appears I have been tagged by my oldest. Who in the world am I going to tag?
Rules:
Players start with 8 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged write there own facts in and these rules. At the end, you need to choose 8 people to tag and don't forget to leave them a comment telling them to check out your blog. Also remember to write who tagged you. (I was tagged by CaptainPippinGates...you'll have to check my friend link to go to her site. I have no idea how to link to her in here)
1. My favorite time of day is our family's morning Bible reading.
2. I love Fall.
3. I am really good at tuning noise out...even my own kids :)
4. I like a good mystery...especially British mysteries.
5. I am most interested in learning about Creation Science.
6. I can't bake.
7. I am becoming a neat freak the older I get...and having a harder time obtaining neatness the more children I get. :)
8. I am not good at this...but hope to get better at it.
Sorry...but I have no one to tag, Captain. :)
Have fun! |
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Oct. 15, 2007 One of THOSE days...
Today was one of those days...
Baby crying. Toddler sick. Girls nit-picking. Husband free but not really. Computer having issues. Can't download the program. Children waiting on me to tell them what to do next...but I am busy, busy, busy. My house is on the verge of the point of no return...and would someone please tell me why my flashy icon keeps jumping all over my screen? I have an issue with my laptop. I seem to make my curser jump all over the place, even deleting whole sections of my typing...and I don't know how I do it! UGH!
This was one of those days. And yet, the kids are ALMOST in bed. The baby is sleeping (hopefully for the night!)...and tomorrow I will have the privilege of doing it all over again. Better. Prayerfully.
Good night to all you mothers out there who do this great privilege of raising your kids every day.
God Bless!
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Oct. 15, 2007 Keeping It Going!
Just a quick entry...to keep it going! I promised myself if I ever started a blog, that I would be regular in updating it. Here's to attempting to keep that promise!
Well, my daughter, who turns 15 in a month, started a blog two weeks ago and is doing really well. I didn't expect her to have any trouble finding things to blog about, as she is "bent" towards this form of communication anyhow. I am happy that she is meeting new friends with similar interests and backgrounds.
Her mother, however, is not "bent" towards this form of communication, so this will be a good challenge for me. I tend to eventually give this link out to family...hopefully, they will find something interesting to read by then! HA! In the meantime, please put up with my ramblings. :)
We just got back from a week full of traveling. The weekend of October 7th was my sister's wedding. She was married in a "historic village" in Hastings, Minnesota. Reallly neat place. They have been taking in historic buildings that were to be torn down and placing them on their farm. The entire village is fenced in and private...so you have to rent the whole thing for a wedding. Great for pictures...many possible locations. They have all kinds of buildings...a jail, a school, a church, a reception hall (new and not historic), a victorian house, a cabin, barns, windmills, a gas station, etc. They also have beautiful gardens too. Here's the link:
http://www.littleloghouseshow.com/
If you are looking for a unique place in Minnesota...check it out. They say it fills up fast though, so think ahead. My sister got married on a Sunday just to have it there!
After we got back from the wedding, we traveled out to Wisconsin to see my in-laws. My father-in-law is building a garage...more like a barn in size! My husband and oldest son went out early to help him, and the girls, baby, and I came out on Thursday. They got the roof up, shingled, and were putting up the plywood sides when we had to finish for the weekend. My brother-in-law flew in for the week from Texas to help also. I am sure they are very happy with all that was accomplished.
We also had Thanksgiving with my in-laws this weekend. It is a family tradition to have early Thanksgiving with my husband's family in order to more fully enjoy the Fall. Makes sense to me! By the time November comes around, we usually have snow...which just doesn't seem very Thanksgivingish. Anyhow, it was a very nice time...and the food was very good!
God bless your week! |
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Oct. 1, 2007 "D" is for Delightful
There are many things I would consider "Delightful"...
A baby's smile-
A toddler's kiss-
A crisp Fall day-
A good piece of Classical music-
An afternoon spent in the company of friends and family-
But I find the most "Delightful"...
Daughters.
Delightful to watch them grow in the Lord, in wisdom, in grace, in knowledge, in skill, in their interests, and in beauty.
I thank the Lord for my daughters! Though you may give me gray hair...I would not exchange it for all the riches of the world. Being your mother is the most rewarding thing I have ever done.
God bless your day!
-MOM |
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Sep. 28, 2007 The Journey Home
This is my first blog entry...ever. What does one write in a first ever blog? I have found many a blog with an audience to share, a story to follow, or an ability to entertain. As of this moment in time, this blog has neither the audience nor the ability. :) So I will begin with the story....
Married for 15 years to my wonderful husband, Kevin. Mother to five beautiful children. My husband was homeschooled, which makes our family 2nd generation homeschoolers. I attended both private and public schools. Homeschooling was something I never considered after we married...I bought into the whole "lack of socialization" argument. I should have been more open to it, but it was not something I thought I could or would want to do.
I tried living in the world of the working mother for the last 8 years. I even home schooled my oldest daughter for most of two years while working and sending my other kids to private school. That experience turned out to be laboriously difficult and no one enjoyed it. Finally, I became pregnant with our 5th child and decided there was more I wanted from life than the stress of trying to have it all. I decided it was time to make the journey home. Surprisingly, it was an easy and short journey to make! We only had to start moving our family in the right direction. I wish we had done this long ago.
It is great to be home!
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