My Mom

My mom is coming down this weekend to pick up the girls. She is going to let them stay with her while we are in Hawaii because we are taking a kid free vacation. That's the reason we are going to be able to do some of the things that our on our "to-do/dream" list (i.e. shark diving, volcano hiking, trail hiking, surfing, body boarding, etc.) Once the younger 2 get a little older, we'll start taking them on trips too. I'm really excited about and looking forward to those trips.

I'm so excited that my mom is coming down. Although it's only been 2 months since I have seen her, I'm really looking forward to it.

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful mom that truly cares about others and is a wonderful example of love. My mom, no matter what happens, seems to always have a wonderful spirit. She rarely gets angry and is always encouraging and uplifting. Well over 50, she has an energy level that can keep up with my 3 year old. In fact, she can tire him out. She's only staying one night, but it will renew my spirit and give me more energy for the week ahead. I love you mom!

Kids & Chores

I truly believe that children, toddlers, and even babies are smarter than we give them credit for or even think they are. K has such a wonderful servant spirit, that I can help but pray he doesn't lose it as he gets older.

Since he's been able to walk, we've taught him and encouraged him to pick up after himself and help others. Even though he's not yet 4, when he's done with his meal, it's his responsibility to put his plate and silverware in the dishwasher. He even gets his own drinks if there is a cup available. He helps with the laundry by putting the clothes in the washer or dryer and he learned how to fold washcloths and socks when he was 2. He has vacuumed my bedroom, swept my kitchen, and would help mop if I would let him, but I think he would have too much fun playing in the water. Just the other day, when I came back inside from taking the trash out, he had already put a new trash bag in the trash can for me. I didn't even have to ask or mention it. I never once taught him or showed him, but he's always watching. I don't say this to brag because trust me, he doesn't help every time with everything, but I can start to see baby L pick up on some of the same behaviors - yes, even at 10.5 months.

Today, while her and K were taking a bath, K started wiping the water off the tub and she got a washcloth and started imitating him. It was so cute. Here's a video of her helping me with her laundry. I'm teaching her young... :-) Now if I could just get her to stop turning red & screaming at me when she wants my attention...

Vacation

In less than one week from today, we will be leaving for vacation. To name a few to dos, we are planning to go shark diving, whale watching, volcano hiking/biking, hike 2 miles to a waterfall, visit Pearl Harbor, and learn how to surf. M surprised me with tickets to Hawaii for Christmas and let me tell you, I was surprised! I had NO idea! He even went through the effort of having a friend pay the down payment so I wouldn't notice it on the credit card bill or the amount missing from the bank, now that's thinking ahead. My mom is keeping the older 2 girls while M's mom is keeping the younger 2. Although I will miss them all, I'm looking forward to having some time with M and creating memories on our newest adventure. Stay tuned for pictures from our vacation.

ASL

I found another wonderful site to further my education in the profiency of American Sign Language (ASL). I don't remember who taught me or where I learned it, but when I was in elementary, I learned the ASL alphabet and to this day remember it. When K was a baby, we taught him a few signs and it was very helpful to know when he wanted to "eat", wanted "more", and when he was "all done". As he continued to grow, so did his interest in ASL. Unfortunately, my knowledge didn't expand past the ASL baby books I had. So, I started doing a little online research and found http://www.aslpro.com/. It's basically an online dictionary of signs. It worked great every time K had something specific he wanted to know. Unfortunately, when I didn't use the sign for "moose", "cow", or "deer" enough, I forgot them.

When baby L, K and I stayed with my mom this past hurricane season, I found Signing Times on PBS. It was so fun and interesting that I had to order the DVD set. It made it to our house the day after we got back from my moms. I was so excited! I couldn't wait to start watching them with K. I was even more excited when K and I began signing to another and actually understand what the other was signing.

Since then, my interest in signing has deepened and of course, I can't find an ASL course anywhere in our city, not even at the local University. So, once again, I got online to find some courses. I was so excited when I found a website that not only teaches ASL in course form, but is free. I printed out the workbook and completed my first lesson today. I'm truly looking forward to signing a church service to a particular lady in our church that is only ever able to stay for the singing because the words are on a screen that she can read and doesn't have to be able to hear.

Family Night

We started a new tradition in the house. On Friday nights, we have Family Night. During this time, no one is allowed to talk on the phone or play on the computer. It is a time set apart to spend with family to get to know one another better, to have fun together, and to bond. We've only been doing it for a month now and it's usually after baby L goes to bed, but so far, we have played the new Monopoly a couple of times, a geography game, and recently, we played video games in the home theater. Now, every time I go somewhere I look to see what games they have that we can play as a family. It's bringing back a lot of memories from when I was younger and used to play board games and card games with my mom and friends.

Since we had our homeschool Science Fair last Friday night, Family Night was moved to Saturday, but it was fun. K stayed up a little later and beat us all. For someone who doesn't ever get a chance to play video games, he did really good. If I thought playing video games were a healthy hobby, I would let him play more, but that's one hobby I don't want him to get addicted to. I like the fact that he still enjoys playing outside and would rather be outside than inside. That's another topic for another day.

Patience

I tell K quite often that he needs to have a little patience. Now that there are 5 other people needing my attention, he's having to learn a lot quicker, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Although I new we were trying to teach him, I didn't really know if he understood... until tonight.

M just came in the living room with a big smile on his face to tell me how funny our son is. M said he was trying to rush K to pick out a book to read to go to bed by telling him to hurry. K looked at him and politely said, "use your patience."

Even though they may not seem to be listening, they are paying attention.

Story of Ping

K and I "rowed" the story of Ping by Marjorie Flack a couple of weeks ago. Here's the lapbook we completed. He learned about China, the Yangtze river, buoyancy, and discretion. We also did a little math, but he got tired of coloring all of Ping's cousins, he had 42 of them. He learned that China is a country in Asia and about it's flag. He even drew his own picture of Ping. We took our time and did it over a 2 week period.

Thoughts

I really need to start taking a notebook with me everywhere I go. I was in the gym the other day and had 1/2 a blog thought out in my head. I don't remember what it was about, but I'm pretty sure it was good. I was driving in my car the other day and I thought of a blog topic and had to stop myself from thinking too much so I could concentrate on the road more, I forgot what it was about too. I created this blog so I would have a way to show my distant family members what is going on in our lives and to have a place to share my thoughts, yet I can't seem to remember my thoughts and our lives are very regimented right now.

Baby L

Baby L had her first piece of ice today. I actually gave it to her as a joke to see what she would do since she doesn't like cold things at all. She won't even drink her milk at room temperature because it has to be very warm. Needless to say, she liked it a whole lot more than I expected. She was so cute that I had to take a picture!

Here's a picture of her on Valentine's Day! She's growing up so quick... She's cruising very well and is very vocal about the things she does not like.

K's Prayer

K and I have a running joke about him growing up. Every time I notice he can reach something new, I tell him he has to stop doing that. He looks at me, grins that wonderful grin, and says, "I can't. I'm going to keep doing it." What he's referring to is growing up. My little boy is growing up so fast. It's hard to believe that he's almost 4.

Anyway, today while he was getting out of the bath, I told him he needed to stop doing that (getting bigger). He looked at me, grinned that wonderful grin, and said he needed to get bigger so he could be a daddy. To which I replied, "you need to be a husband first because that's the way God intended for it to be." We then had a very short conversations about husbands and wives. It was a really cute, but short conversation. He then asked me who his wife was going to be. I told him that only God knew because He already had her picked out. Looking up, he then prayed this precious prayer, "Dear God, who is my wife going to be?" *grin* He looked at me and said her name was Sarah.

Girls Gone Home

I just got back from taking the girls to meet their mom. They are staying the night with her in their rooms, their house, with their sister, and with their mom. They said they didn't get much sleep last night because they were so excited about seeing her and spending time with her. Courtney was especially excited. After we finished our meal at McDonald's at the 1/2 way mark, she wanted to wait outside until she got there. I told her she could, but I wanted to stay inside and wait with the 2 younger ones. She chose to wait inside with us, but as soon as she saw her mom drive up, she bolted outside. It really was a wonderful sight!

Since M is working tomorrow, L and I are going to drive to the 1/2 way point (about 2 hours) tomorrow evening to pick them up. I'm excited to hear about the wonderful time they got to share with their mom and their younger sister.

They say there isn't anything stronger than a mother's love, but I think a child's love for their parents can be just as strong.

Harlem Dance Theater

The Harlem Dance Theater was in town the other day so the girls I went to the student presentation while M stayed home with the younger 2. It was interesting. The dancers were very good. It was very educational as well as beautiful to watch.

After the performance, they invited several kids to the stage to find out the style of dancing the local youth did. It was very enlightening and hasn't changed much since I was in school, but as the teachers cheered on their students, I couldn't help but be thankful that I am homeschooling.

Hide-n-Seek

K peeking out a hole in a box he was hiding in while playing hide-n-seek. Hide-n-Seek is one of his favorite games. He also loves BIG boxes. I think I'll just ask everyone to give him an empty box for his birthday....

Pleasant Surprise

The other day, M and I went out to eat with a friend for his birthday. We were the first ones there and one of the first to leave, 3.5 hours later. M and I never were the stay out late kind of people, but now that we have kids, we're usually home before the clock strikes midnight.

Our babysitter wasn't able to watch the younger kids for us, so we asked Victoria and Courtney if they would and they agreed. I locked the computer so they wouldn't be able to get on it while we were gone and I even let them know I was setting up the video camera to tape them while we were gone. I wanted to see who did what and how they treated each other while we were gone. I have to say I was a little nervous. The last time I had left them all alone, we got several phone calls letting us know that one or the other wasn't helping and when we got home, K was still awake. We were gone longer than I had expected that time, but it was only 3 hours.

I don't like setting up a video camera, but I want them to feel as though everything they do is being watched, because it is. Although I can't watch and be aware of everything they do every minute of every day, God is very aware of everything they do and they need to be aware of that. I also needed to know who was telling the truth about doing what.

What they don't know is that I haven't watched the video because I don't really think I need to. All three of them had very similar versions of how the evening went. I guess the video camera served it's purpose. Courtney even told me she moved it a little it would record her and K better when they sang. Courtney is a singer by nature. She sings so much that I have lyrics in my head from songs I have never heard. :-)

We got a phone call from the girls about 2 hours after we were gone asking where the lighter was. That made me a little nervous. They told me they were making us something, but couldn't tell us what it was. I trusted them and we finished our dinner. Here's a picture of what K and the girls made for us while we were gone.

They even made some cupcakes for them to eat so they wouldn't have to wait for us to get home. They didn't put much icing on our cake because M is trying to watch his weight in preparation for our vacation to Hawaii in a couple of weeks.

The cake and the cupcakes were very good. It was a pleasant and delicious surprise.

Economic Stimulus - Government

Here is an entry from a blog about leadership and politics that I follow. If you haven't checked out http://orrinwoodward.blogharbor.com/blog, I would highly suggest it. It's very eye opening and informative.

Here is a profound parable that teaches many lessons on personal responsibility and the price of freedom. Thank you Jason Frega for passing this on to me. We do not make people or society better by giving handouts. Only by strengthening the character and work ethic of the people do we improve our communities. Character must be developed through the Dream, Struggle, and Victory process. Failure is never final and without failures, it is nearly impossible to know what you need to improve. Read the parable and please share your thoughts on how it relates to our present bailouts and stimulus packages. God Bless, Orrin Woodward

A chemistry professor at a large college had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Professor noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back, and stretching as if his back hurt. The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.

In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?' The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come every day to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again.

You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat; you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd. Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught.

Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America. The government keeps pushing us toward socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc. While we continually lose our freedoms -- just a little at a time.

Baby Sign

Baby L started waving bye-bye a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't until today that I realized she can sign milk. They're so similar that I didn't realize that she was actually doing two different things. Poor baby, there's no telling how many times she might have been asking for milk and I just kept saying' "bye-bye". :-)

We taught K a few baby signs and now we're actually learning how to communicate with sign language. I'm not as consistent as I would like to be, but when we're in a store and I sign something to him, he understands what I am telling him without having to say a word. It's especially nice if he wonders off a little ways and I want him to do something, I don't have to yell or run to catch up with him, but can just sign to him.

It's nice to be able to communicate with my 10 month old and actually understand and know what she wants without either one of us getting frustrated trying to guess.

kitchen update

M put up the stove vent today. Now all we have left are the two glass doors next to the window, the drawer above the fridge, and the light fixture above the sink.

K's profession

K has decided he wants to be a pilot when he grows up. He says he wants to fly us wherever we want to go. I can't help but wonder if this will be one of those dreams that he'll actually pursue when he gets older or if it's one he'll forget about. Hopefully, he'll remember and pursue it so he really can fly us around one day. Who knows, by then, M or I might have our pilot's license.

Baby L update

Baby L turned 10 months and got tired of waiting for me to get her walker ready, so she created her own.

A Drawing of Me

Victoria drew a picture of me today and I wanted to share it with all of you.... I actually asked her to draw me as a superhero, but she just laughed and gave me this. She left off the wrinkles and laugh lines, saying it was a younger version of me. :-) She has a lot of artistic talent that I don't think she uses enough of.

Boys & Their Toys

A friend of ours dropped this off to us yesterday. K is so excited about being able to ride it when it's painted, has an engine, and it can go. Today, he told me, "Momma, I got a job for you" as he walked out of the kitchen expecting me to follow him. I couldn't help but smile as I said, "O.K." and followed him to see what he wanted me to do. When we got outside he told me he wanted me to connect the wire from the gas pedal to the tire so he could go. I explained to him the wire was supposed to be connected to the engine, which he knows it doesn't have before he could drive it anywhere. He said in his best manners, "well, when it gets an engine, than I will connect it to the engine so it can go." I can't help but marvel at what appears to be my little boy growing up. It was definitely a proud mommy moment.

Now, K is outside picking flowers for everyone. He really does have such a giving heart. As he gave Courtney her flower he told her to make sure it didn't die, as the one from yesterday did. :-)

Backsplash

M and Courtney started doing prep work for the back splash in our kitchen today! Although we will not be able to fully use our kitchen for a few days, at least I won't have to look at an unfinished back splash in a few days and the kitchen won't feel so dirty. I'll post pics when it's finished. Stay Tuned!!!!

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Here's a before and during picture... STAY TUNED!!!!

Local Homeschool Support Group

My husband and I attended a homeschool leadership meeting, Saturday, Jan.31. It was very informative and worth the time. I know this seems kind of lengthy, but our right to homeschool is under attack and a lot of homeschoolers don't even know it.

Like some of you I was preparing myself for homeschooling my young children, 3 years and 10 months, for when the time was right. I knew I didn't need to register them with the state until they turned 7. I still had a few years, but I think learning from others experience is vital to having less stress, so I joined a local support group. What I didn't know was that God was using what I thought was preparation for my own children's education to actually be preparation to teach junior high and high school levels with very little notice (two weeks). In December, my husband and I got custody over two of my teenage nieces, 15 and 12. I went from reading young children's books, doing crafts, playing blocks, and racing cars to teaching an actual Bible study and relearning and teaching Algebra, Biology, Literature, World History, World Geography, Spanish, English, Home Ec., and Physical Science. It's been a very fun and interesting month. Had I not joined our local group last year, I would not have had any idea what curriculum I was going to use, because I wouldn't have had the advice or knowledge from experienced homeschoolers. I would not have had any clue where to start, much less how to start.

The support you have as an individual homeschool mom is important. Please make sure it's support and advice from those that have experience, not just from those that are in the same place as you.

Our local support group has a variety of people that are different in appearance, but like-minded in their purpose to teach their children about Christ. If you haven't joined a local support group because your children don't have to be registered with the state yet, or because you have enough socialization, I would recommend, join anyway. The support and ideas you can and will get (if you want them) or give will be well worth it to you or to someone else. Although joining a local support group is not vital to homeschool success, it can be very helpful in times you never would have imagined, and informative in things you never would have thought.

Also,If you are not a member of www.parentalrights.org or haven't signed their petition, I would suggest looking into it. The last thing we need as a parent, whether we homeschool or not, is for our children to be able to make adult decisions for themselves because the government says they have the right to and that the parent doesn't have that right over their child. If you really want to get involved go to www.10and2.org for more information about how you can be proactive in amending the U.S. Constitution.

God entrusted each one of us with the children He created through us, not through the government.