Deer Poop

You know you are a homeschooler when...

Three days ago, BN walked out front and came back in saying that the deer ate all my roses again and pooped on our walkway.

For whatever reason, nobody cleaned up the doo.  And then it just became a curiosity.

The boys and I have been examining the poop every day since.  First, the flies came.  Then the slug.  Then the rain.

Now there's nothing left but grasses of some sort. 

I was certain I'd find roses.

~R

Banned! D=78

I've banned myself from the genealogy sites until after the holidays.  I was on the computer ALL DAY yesterday.  I mean ALL DAY.  It was fun and the discovery was awesome but oh my goodness what in the world?

Anyway, a year's subscription to one of the popular sites was my gift to my mom along with helping her do the research and scan in photos and keep backups of what we find.  So good luck, Mom.  I'll come back around after the new year begins...or later this evening.  Whichever.

In other news I have decided that we can never take another week off from school.  In fact, maybe we need to go at it 7 days a week.  Every time we take a break, it gets harder and harder to get back to the grind.

So much so that I am seriously considering finding an online school so someone else can teach and I can just monitor the progress.  Or maybe I just need meds.  Whichever.

~R

Genealogy

is a huge time suck.  But I just can't stop.

At least I found the perfect gift for my mother.

~R

The Tree is Up

as usual.  We always put it up the day after Thanksgiving or soon thereafter if we are traveling. I'm not even sure why, but my mom always did, so now I do.

But it was delayed because after getting the durn thing put together and fluffing all the fake branches, I found out several strands of lights were out.  BN was able to get them to come on but was worried about the wiring maybe being loose and causing a fire, so down it came and off to BJs we went.

Now it's up and decorated but the rest of my house is a disaster area.  I had planned to do the trimming and get the house clean...  oh well, it's only Friday...  got plenty of time.

I thought about going out in the madness that is Black Friday, not because I need to buy any special deals but because I like being out in that mess.  Call me crazy, but I like it.  Although sitting here now, feeling tired from what little I did do today, I'm really glad I no longer BF. 

~R

Happy Thanksgiving

(post dated)

We are at BN's parents today.  So looking forward to the wonderful company and food.  Hoping to also get away for a few minutes to visit at my mom's for a bit too.  Or better yet, hoping they will all come over to the inlaws and visit for a while.

~R

Ever feel like this

Me, 6, I think

first thing in the morning?  If I have to get up early one more time, I don't think I'll actually make it out of bed.

I've had a crazy past four days.  Not enough sleep.

I love that when I cover my hair on the sides of this picture, I see my boys at about the same age.

My mom used to take pictures of us on Christmas morning right after we woke up.  I like to do that to my boys now.

~R

Market Day

Yes, that is the best I can do.

I really need to get hopping on the Christmas ornaments the boys and I are making.  Our homeschool co-op has started a craft fair once a month and for a small donation (determined by the seller), we can have a table to sell wares.  

I thought about selling something myself but everything I make is so laborious.  Take my socks that I knit.  I would have to charge about $100 per pair based on the hours of labor.  What?? I'm a slow knitter...but a good one.  :o)  At a very minimum, they would cost $10 just to cover the yarn.  So not worth it.

My soap takes time to cure and that requires pre-planning.  Not so good with that these days.

I'm just not in the mood to mass produce anything right now, so I decided not to make anything.

Until the fair in October happened.

Someone set paper and markers out on a table for the kids to draw and one of them got the idea to sell their artwork (just like the adults).  RePete drew and sold three works of art.  He made 45 cents.

And the fever set in.

Now both boys want to have something to sell so I decided to help them make the ornaments my mom taught us to make.  They are having fun and I plan to really dress up the table for them.  Pictures to come since our sale won't be until December 1st.

~R

Baby Lessons

Having a baby in the house will teach many things.  

First, I really need to dust. 

 Secondly, my iPhone is way too slow to ever catch him.

 
~R

Sock Monkey

beginnings...

~R

The Rope Lost Files

I may or may not have enjoyed the rope swing myself.

~R

Jesus

Our boys had a music recital today.  Our co-op meets at a local church and the recital was held in the sanctuary.  During a lull, in front of God and everyone,  RePete looked up at the stained glass and said, "Jesus looks lovely in that glass."

All heads turned to see Jesus hanging on the cross.  Ahem.


~R

The Dreaded 28 Foot Rope

My husband is a Crossfitter.  He LOVES Crossfitting.  One of the items used in their workouts is the rope.  So he bought one and he somehow managed to get that rope thrown over and tied to a branch twenty-eight feet in the air.

And then he climbed it.

Then our darling boys took over.

For some reason swinging causes them to open their mouths.

 

But it is not the swing or the open mouths or the loads of fun they are having that causes me pain.  It's the dust.  All of that dirt beneath the big tree gets kicked up and rolled in and brought into our house.  

If I weren't afraid of heights, I'd chop that thing down.

 

~R

I just noticed the difference in the trees from a couple of weeks ago to now.  Wow.

Sewing

I've decided I need a new hobby.  I have so many half finished projects, I figured adding a few more won't hurt a thing, except the already crowded spaces in my house.

Ever since I bought and made this pattern,  the company I purchased it from has been sending me emails showcasing awesome fabrics.  (I bought these fabrics from a local fabric store.)

I am a sucker for pretty things and fabrics are one of my favorites.  I have a piece of toile that I've had for about 8 years now.  I found it at the Design Center in Washington, DC when I was studying interior design and used it in one of my projects.

Anyway, (D=47*), I found this at Fat Quarters online a few weeks ago.

I bought this coordinated set of fabrics and they are a little bit crazy but I love them all and I plan to use them on smaller items, like a wallet pattern I bought from a Lazy Girl like me,  and small accessory bags, like for makeup or personal items in a purse.  Mixing and matching wherever I can.

I can't wait to start. 

~R
*my discombobulation number

Like father, like son...

Clothes shopping with BN is a waiting game.  He takes quite a while to choose the clothes and then he has to try them on.  It sounds pretty normal unless you are the one waiting.  The wait goes on and on and on.  And the funny thing is that the clothes he chooses look exactly like the other clothes hanging in the closet and folded in the dresser.  Not sure what all the indecision is about.

Pete takes time too.  His isn't about being choosy but more about finding a comfortable fit.  His clothes have to be just so or he can't wear them.  We spent way too much time in the store today.  He came out with two pair of jeans and two shirts.

I'm exhausted.

~R

11-11-11

What an auspicious number.

Today the boys and I took a friend and went to the beach to watch the Tidewater Veteran's Day Parade.  I laughed, I cried, I waved, I clapped and I thanked every veteran that I could.  I loved having the boys there with me and explaining what the different groups represented.  I especially enjoyed seeing my nephew lead his JROTC by calling cadence.  Great moment.

I would love to live in a world of peace and love, but until that happens, I'm proud to have served my country and I am proud of those that came before me and those that are currently serving. 

Happy Veteran's Day,
~R

#10 - I hate school

This was said by Pete a week or so ago and I took it as a personal affront and told him so. 
 
I let him know that I quit a perfectly good job because I wanted to stay home with him and then his brother.  When we realized that our school system wasn't right for us, we pulled him out of school and began homeschooling so that he could be free to be himself.  I spend a lot of money and time searching for just the perfect curricula for them both.  And I spend a lot of time and money driving the two of them around every week, so that they can participate in co-ops, theater, and sports.

He corrected himself by saying it wasn't school he hated, but things that were hard to do in school.  Then he thanked me homeschooling him.

Reason #4,197 why I love that kid.

~R

More on LGW

NaBloPoMo #9

One article Laura Grace Weldon wrote dealt with violence.  While skimming it, I found that the bigger message could easily be applied to everyday life.  Something as small as resolving conflicts within a loving, peaceful family.  (she herself may have said something similar, but I was skimming so may have missed some points)  And it made me think about my dad's visit this weekend.

"Nonviolence requires a level of conviction and inner strength that makes violence look easy."

Back in the day, my dad's day, kids were seen and not heard and spanking was just part of life.  He grew up in an orphanage and I'm sure the mentality there reinforced these ideas.  As he's gotten older and raised other kids, including many step-siblings and my 15 year old half-brother, he's softened a bit.  But on some things, he hasn't budged.

While visiting this past week, there were several occasions where I saw him shake his head and make that little hrmph sound as an indication that my boys were doing something wrong.  Those times included them getting rowdy and back talking.  He also said something to me once or twice about not letting them talk that way to me.

On some levels, I see it.  On others, I don't.  BN and I have always shared the opinion that human beings are human beings, no matter their age.  And thus deserve the same dignities and preservation of self. 

For one, we don't spank or smack.  I always cringe when I see a person smack a baby.  Babies don't know any better and smacking is not our solution.  Their world is all about the exploration and sometimes that includes the "no-nos".  There are plenty of ways to dissuade that discovery or behavior that do not involve violence.

Once the babies leave that phase they are just like us only smaller - both in size and knowledge base. 

Anyway, I'm am way off track.  Back to the story.

I admit that I probably let my kids get away with small infractions.  I always discuss these issues, but don't always act on them unless bodily harm is involved.  Or mental and emotional harm in the case of teasing and name calling.  Or it involves social norms and how we deal with it.  (we homeschoolers have a social stigma, apparently)

Kids get rowdy.  As long as they are in our home and they are not bothering anyone else, I don't correct them.  Based on my dad's hrmph, I knew they needed to take the fun elsewhere.  No problem.

As far as the back talking or what dad perceived as back talking, well, I might be a bit wishy washy on this matter.  BN and I believe that kids get a say in things.  Do they get a say in our finances?  No.  Do they get a say in what BN and I personally do?  No.  But in respect to their own lives, they get a say.

So when I tell them to stop what they are doing and do something else, I allow for some negotiation.  My dad doesn't.

But my kids are well adjusted human beings.  Capable of thinking for themselves.  And that's how I roll.

~R

Engrossed

Nablomono #8

I'm actually gonna squeak this one in on time.  I tend to get thoroughly engrossed in things in the evenings.  My nightly interest might include knitting, crafting, reading, editing photos, or just vegging in front of the tv with my favorite man.

Tonight, while looking over curricula, I came across a newsletter with this writer, Laura Grace Weldon.  Her website has me glued to my laptop.  Everything she writes about, I want to copy and paste somewhere I'll see it again and be able to share with others. 

Go on over and read.  I have some things to ponder.

~R

#7

Apparently, I'm not cut out for this everyday thing.  I thought about writing yesterday up until I went to bed, but I was busy scanning old photos for my mom and editing them.  Ones like this.

Original scan of my grandmother as a young girl.

After editing

I decided to leave the cardboard backing intact just because I like it.  It helps further date the picture.  For my family, it's nice to have these photos especially since my grandmother passed away last April.


~R

Digital Photography

has put me in photo hell.  I am sifting and sorting and deleting like crazy.  It doesn't help that I am now using a windows computer and I'm not used to the key shortcuts and for some reason I have three of everything.  I have no idea how that happened. 

One day, I'll get to the editing and digital scrapbooking.
That is...if I can stop taking more photos and adding to the chaos.

~R

Nablo #6

(Day 4) I should explain

Yesterday, This morning I back-dated my post and blamed it on my dad. (oopsie)

He was coming for a visit and was expected to be here at 9pm.  So I put off cleaning until Thursday afternoon, because I figured I had time. 

My plan on Thursday was co-op from 9:30 to 1:30, then home for our school work and then get RePete to the soccer field for a make-up game, and then back home where I would have about three hours to pick up the house, make dinner, blog and be all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for Dad's arrival.

Yeah right on a couple of counts.  More than likely, I would have been glassy-eyed and dragging-my-tail and he showed up as I was rushing to get RePete's soccer gear on and get out the door at 4:45.  So he joined us for the game and my lovely husband took us all out to dinner.

And then I came home and sunk my hiney into the couch, watched Three and a Half Men reruns with Dad until we all yawned each other into going to bed.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

~R

Thermograms

I know October was Breast Cancer awareness month and I missed the boat, but I wanted to put in a plug for thermograms.  Last November after my physical, I scheduled a mammogram as per my doctor's suggestion.  I have to admit that other than the wait and having a strange women pull and tug and rearrange my breasts (oh and not being able to wear deodorant) multiple times, it wasn't so bad.  I'd heard the horror stories of the pain and the squeezing and squashing.

A week or so after that I received a letter stating that there was an area of concern and that I needed to come back for a second mammo and possibly an ultrasound.

Even though we have no family history of cancers and even though my gut told me that it was nothing, in fact it was probably just my fibrous boobs (family history), letters like that will make you pause and cause butterflies in the tummy.

So I called and set a second appointment and then my doctor called that same day to make sure I was scheduling an appointment and then I went.

THIS time it hurt.  The area of concern was on the area closest to my underarm but still on the breast area.  It actually made me cry.  And then they did two ultrasounds.  It took FOREVER.

The whole time I kept thinking, this can't be good for me.  The squishing and the squashing just didn't feel right to me and I vowed to myself and my doctor (who called for a follow up and insisted on a six month mammo to set a baseline) that I would never do this again.

So here we are almost a year later and I'm due for a physical again and I thought I'd be proactive by getting a thermogram.

I highly recommend them.  There's no squeezing, there's no squashing and the results are instantaneous.  I'd love to share my results but I've gotta keep things PG on here and am not in the mood for the type of spam I'd get from that.

Anyhoo, it was just fibrous tissue.  Btw, they aren't covered by insurance.  Figures.

Test you breast,
~R

ps here's a link to Dr. Mercola's site with a video that describes it rather well.
pss it cost me about $200 and I'll gladly pay it again.
psss neither procedure is 100%