Our future

BN and I feel stuck.  We want to live in/near the mountains, but in this world we have to have a good job.  His is here in Hampton Roads.

So we dreamweave about the day he retires or we spontaneously become independently wealthy.  We both see the same piece of land in our future and until this past weekend, we didn't have a picture. In our perfect dream, we see a house on a hill, a pond or other water source nearby and mountains in the backdrop.

As part of my researching for mom on genealogy, I came across another member of our family in a different branch that posted a picture of my great-great-grandfather's homestead as it looks today.  When I saw it, I immediately showed it to BN to which he replied, "Is it for sale?"

That land and our house plans...dreamy.

~R

The Nutcracker Ballet

I should have known better about buying tickets for a ballet in little old Suffolk, but I thought, hey, I'll give it a try.  Our town converted the old downtown high school into a cultural arts center.  There have been numerous events, ballets, productions, etc and this is the first time I've bought tickets.  It's a beautiful building and I love old architecture like this.

What made it such a flop for me is that there were no props.  The last Nutcracker ballet BN and I saw was so beautiful and elaborate.  You could spend the entire show looking at the scenery and props and never need to actually watch anyone dance.  It was that good.



The ballet in Suffolk?   Well, I think they did a fine job with the dancing although a few of them looked less than thrilled to be there.  The top performers for me were the two guys.  Men ballerinas or whatever they are called really are fun to watch because they are so strong and tend to do the most fantastical things.  The "Nutcracker" guy, however, had on white tights and after the show, Pete said they should not wear pants like that.  He could see the guy's butt in detail. 

He was right.  It was slightly obscene.

Here's what I heard the entire time:

BN:  ( I heard nothing...he kept dozing off)
Pete:  How much longer is this thing?
Repete:  I'm starving and I'm sooo bored. (several octaves too loudly)
Me: (to myself) Damn, this really is lame.  I can't stop staring at the nutcracker's nuts.  I can't believe I paid $80 for this.  Those white pants are too revealing, I wonder what the boys are thinking.  I'll never be able to get the kids to agree to a ballet again. 

~R

I finally saw it.

Twilight, that is.  My sister had a free night and needed to take her son to meet his date at the movies, so we decided to double date with them.  The fact that we couldn't go in together or watch the same movie didn't bother us one little bit.

And I learned a valuable lesson:  never chew wintergreen gum at the movies during a quiet scene.

I don't know how it happened but the theater was so quiet and I switched from popcorn to gum during the scene where Bella is laboring and Jacob is in shock at her "death".  I stopped chewing - because it was so quiet in there I could hear myself chewing even with my mouth shut - and then it happened.

Somehow, wintergreen infused saliva slid down the back of my throat and into my windpipe.  I had to cough but it was so dang quiet in there, I tried not to.  The force of trying to hold that cough in made me pee my pants just a little (my bladder will never be the same after my 9 and 10 pound babies), so I tried to get enough breath to tell my sister I was leaving my purse and needed to go to the bathroom.  She, a nurse, was poised and ready to perform the Heimlich or CPR or something drastic and I put up my hand - like hold up a minute, I'm fine really - and my eyes were starting to water at this point and I was walking down the steps and across the aisle to the lobby exit.

A couple in front of me held open the door and I'm sure because of my tear stained eyes and slight convulsive-type heaving (still trying to be quiet and not wet my pants), they probably thought I was all choked up over Bella "dying".

Finally, I make it to a stall and pee, cough, pee, cough, etc.  Cough a few extra times as I wash my hands and then make my way back to the theater hoping I didn't miss Jacob shirtless or anything.

And that's how I learned to never chew wintergreen gum at the movies.

~R

Genealogy

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

At least I found the perfect gift for my mother.

~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

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

The Rope Lost Files

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

~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

(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

21 years and still going strong

Yesterday marked 21 years since BN and I got  married.  And well, that's a long time.  Only it doesn't seem like all that long ago.

Just yesterday, my oldest was talking about how dad never gives up.  (apparently not on me either - teehee) Right now he has the boys semi-convinced that he is Batman. 

So I told him a story from when we were first married.

*******************************

One day back when we were newly married, I winked at BN.  BN looked at me and blinked both eyes.  I asked him if he meant to blink both eyes or could he not wink and he stated that he could not wink.

I was stunned because I never knew this about him.  Prior to marriage, we had dated for almost 5 years.  How could I not know this about my beloved, the future father of my children, the one with whom I share all my secrets?

Ten years pass and we had our oldest son.  BN looked at me from across the room and winked.  Needless to say, my mouth fell agape and I asked, "when did you learn to wink?"

He just laughed and said, "I've always known how to wink."

~R

The day the TV went out...

It was a dark and gloomy...day.  It really was.  We had just been cleared of the two tornado warnings in our area and with all the rain and the wind, we just wanted to hunker down and watch a movie.

BN was out of town and a neighbor kid just home from school was hunkering down with us.  Then, "POP!" and the 55 inch screen went dark.  At first there was excitement over the popping noise and then disbelief that we couldn't watch t.v. or a movie or play a video game. 

That television was the only one in the house because BN and I are strict about keeping all television activity in the family room.  Our bedroom is used for two things and t.v. is not one of them.  We don't allow televisions in the boys' rooms because we don't want them spending so much time apart from the family, which happens with kids we know that have access to games and computers and televisions in their own rooms.

So when the boob tube went out and the mourning period was over, the boys grabbed their big box of markers and art pads and sat at the table drawing until dinner.

We spent the remainder of Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday without television.  The boys played outside when it wasn't raining and when it was, they played indoors.  Simple as that.

You can bet your booty that we are fixing the problem, but I'm kinda liking the silence.

~R

Photographs

Can I just say I love my hand-me-down iPhone 3.  I was tired of my old flip-don't do darn thing-phone and BN wanted to upgrade to the iPhone 4, so I got his old phone.

I loves it!

I started texting.  Never knew I would like doing that.  It's so easy to drop a quick note to someone.  Or have long conversations with your best friend while she's at work. *snicker*

I love being able to look up stuff while we are out and about.  And checking traffic on the many tunnels and bridges that back up around here.

But mostly, I love that I have a camera with me at all times.  And the quality of the pictures aren't bad.  In fact, they are pretty good.  Not as good at the 4, but still good and I don't miss great shots of my boys because I'm not lugging around my big camera and all its accessories.

If only it had video...I'll have to wait for BN to upgrade again and then I can get his 4, which has video.

I wonder if all the other mothers out there have guilt problems with pictures?  Do you try to get an equal number of shots of your kids?  Technology has made this task so much easier.  If RePete is doing something cute, I snap a quick picture and turn to Pete and do the same.  If Pete is doing something radical on his Ripstik, then I can turn and get RePete to do the same thing.  Snap! Snap! It's that easy.

I was going through the 200 plus photos on my phone this afternoon and made sure that after deleting photos (already downloaded, of course), that I had the same number of pics of each child.  Trust me this is necessary because child number one notices these things.

Here's a few that I like carrying around with me.  Remember those plastic picture sleeves that fit in your wallet?  Thing of the past.  And I can carry so many more around with me now.

~R

Weekly Update - 5/6/11

In my life this week... I've been bored out of my gourd.

In our homeschool this week...Just plugging along.  Should be finished by the end of the month.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...we had our last homeschool PE this week.  It was a field day with goodies at the end.  Lots of fun.


We also visited BN's parents this past weekend and the boys got to hunt for shark's teeth with their grandma.  It's one of our favorite things to do when we visit.

My favorite thing this week was...Got to hang around horses and breathe country air.

What's working/not working for us...lack of social activity. 

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...getting ready for the homeschool convention.  I normally order my books online, but always like to go and see what's available.  I always take a price list with me and if the booth has it for cheaper, then I buy it there.  This year I'm planning to take BN and the boys so they can see what it is all about.  I think when they see and know what I have to wade through in order to pick the very best books for them, they have a better understanding.

~R

I've been thinking...

this would be a good time to take the batteries out of the smoke alarms.

...about a lot of things.  One recurrent theme is selfish and it revolves around a being a stay at home mom.  Wondering what could have been?  How successful would I have become in my career had I put the kids in daycare and then school?

And then once I get over my selfishness, I wonder about my children.  Should I have put them in school?

And I look ahead to when my children are grown and have children of their own and wonder how they will raise them.  Will they want to homeschool?  Will they want me to help and would I be willing?

BN always said that had I continued on my path, I'd be running the company by now.  But back to my questions?  What would that mean for me?  For my family?

And is that our goal in life?  To be at the top of the company we work for?  To "have it all".  What does that get us in then end?  Whether you believe there is an afterlife or you reincarnate or that there is nothing at all after death, why are we here and what are we doing?

I wonder about the purpose of life and realize that all of these concerns can be answered if I find that purpose.

the fire trucks should be bearing down on our house right about now.

I received, in the mail, a christian homeschool magazine.  I don't know how I got it, but there is was and since I'm nosy and love to read, I decided to take peek inside.  About half of the stories I skipped immediately.  Stories about being a "help meet" and "subordinate to my husband" are not stories that interest me.

But one story, amid all the brainwashing, did use a few words I could understand.  She spoke of the seasons of life and how one "can't retire now at age 30-something and then bear children at 60".  And how the seasons of life are "fleeting".

To appease my wandering mind and answer my own questions, I feel like I'm where I need to be.   While there is a tiny part inside me that wants all the recognition (blog much?), it is tiny and as the years pass, that need gets even smaller.

And rather than worry about what ifs of the future, I'll tend this season that I'm in and let the future seasons develop as they will.

~R

My First Weekly Journal

In my life this week...We spent time with family that I hadn't seen in a few years and a few that the boys had never met.

In our homeschool this week...Due to all the traveling and visiting, we decided to make this week our spring break.  Love the flexibility of homeschooling.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...We traveled to North Carolina.  My grandmother isn't doing so well and I wanted to make sure the boys got to see her one more time, just in case.  Sadly, it does seem we don't get down there unless someone is ailing or departed.  I'd like to work on this.

Pete got to see a cousin he hadn't seen since they were this big.  

Pete (left) with his cousin and my aunt and uncle.

We also attended our weekly co-op and are sad that we only have two weeks remaining in the semester.

My favorite thing this week was... The pride RePete felt when he was cavity-free and able to have his picture taken for the "Smile Club" at the dentist yesterday.  Poor little fella has had such a hard time with his baby teeth but thankfully his adult teeth are beautiful and healthy.

What's working/not working for us...I switched gears last week after some friends and I chatted at our monthly WTM meeting.  I've decided to get back on course with Writing With Ease.  I believe in the process but having to convince my boys that it is best has been hard.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...Looking forward to finishing our school year and gearing for the next.  Spending a lot of time thinking about how I want our next year to look.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...I'd like to share a quote from Our Life in Words.  The post is in my feed but not on her blog so I can't link.  The post was on critical and higher order thinking and something I strive to teach to my boys.  I would have loved to have been in that class with that teacher.

When I was in high school, I clearly remember Mrs. Leahy saying, "You can do the work and answer the questions and get an A.  Or, you can read the work and think about it and form your own opinions and conclusions and challenge ideas and be an interesting person who goes places." 

~R

Baby LJ

Remember a few months ago I threw a baby shower for my sister?  Well,  here's how my diaper cake turned out.

And here's the neck of the baby that wore those diapers.

~R

Wordy Wednesday

What can I say?  I'm a rebel.

Do they even still do Wordless Wednesday?  I think I tried once but still had to narrate a bit.  It's an affliction of mine.  I think it is called Talkitis, or something like that.

Anyhoo, our ski trip went wonderfully.  Our boys are naturals.  There, I said it.  I bragged.  But they really are.  Poor Pete snowboarded and if you haven't done this, then know that you will fall a lot in the beginning.  In fact, I'm pretty sure teaching you to fall is one of the first lessons.  Well, I'm not sure at all and Pete just informed me that he wasn't taught to fall - it just came naturally.  lol.

RePete took up skiing.  Seeing him zooming by on short little skis with no poles just cracked me up.  I asked his instructor when they recommend poles and he stated that he doesn't recommend them until one can ski a black diamond with proficiency.  WHAT!  And he didn't say "one".  He's more of a "dude" kind of dude.

Okay so at least now I know why I suck at skiing.  It's the poles.  Next year - no poles.  I'll let you know how that goes.

Here's a picture of me and my ski bunny.

~R

Call Me Crazy

but we're headed to the mountains this weekend.  The very place I shredded my ACL a few years back.

However, this trip is for the boys.  It'll be their first time on skis and snowboards.  Pete wants to snowboard and RePete wants to ski so they'll be getting lessons on the first day.

I'll be fluff.  I still don't think I've built my leg back up enough so I won't be skiing or snowboarding.  Instead, I'll be following them to lessons, snapping photos and video and when BN takes them to the bunny slope, I'll be sipping cocoa in the lodge.  Or maybe I'll go back to my nice comfy condo.  Can you imagine being in a three bedroom condo at the top of a mountain without anyone making noises?  I can.

I should insert RePete's evil laugh here.  Moo haha  He can't quite get the "wa" sound in there and it's hilarious.

It's a shame we'll only be there for one night.  BN can't get any time off work right now and since we're taking our 16 yo nephew who would just hate to miss school (moo haha), we'll be arriving early Saturday and leaving around dinner time on Sunday.

And other than BN's guy trip to WVa to snowboard later in the month, this will be our last ski trip of the year.

Next year, I'm buying a snowboard.  Reread the title.

~R