Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Note To Self...
#1 Remember that when you put up 13 trees in your house for Christmas, you'll have to pack up that many afterwards... and you'll have less than a tenth of the energy that you had prior to the holidays actually starting!
#2 The same boys that are letting you sleep in until noon every day (because they're enjoying WAY too many hours of video games than any "good mom" should allow)... those same boys are going to have a REALLY hard time going back to NO video games on school days...
#3 The holiday pounds that you put on this year... will be MUCH harder to get off.
# 4 Christmas really is your favorite holiday...
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Happy Birthday Dad
Friday, December 12, 2008
Never A Dull Moment...
No matter what it takes...
Monday, December 1, 2008
Then we went in the kitchen and made a huge mess...
But it was worth it... talk about a lot of YUMMY food.
Here is the "Real" cook! My mama is T.H.E. BEST
and this is how some of us try to keep the pies off of the thighs!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Studs in Training
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Happy Anniversary
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Weekend Weather
instead of bright blue skies, we got this ominous orange color...The Sylmar fires broke out a few miles away...
3 miles is pretty far away (supposedly)... but the view from the backyard seemed pretty dang close to me.
The kids would peek over the fence every once in a while to check out how close it was. Once they could actually see the fire from the backyard... they became a little more like their mama... and fREAKED OUT.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Can You Imagine
She was every teacher's dream. Motivated, loved learning...
Her "mother" was just dropping her off at school a couple of weeks ago. I remember noticing that she didn't 'look' like she felt too good when I pulled into school behind her.
Long story short... her mom died yesterday.
They only had a little time to embrace the news.
She told me on Friday that her mom "didn't even know who I was last night, so I just pet her hair and try to get her to take a drink. It's already that bad."
But as I hugged her today, I realized just how difficult "forever" is to grasp for a 9 year old... even as bright as this one. I know I certainly can't grasp it.
What can you do?
Except run home as fast as you can ... and ever so thankfully hug your own kids, and wonder why you are so blessed to live the life you have!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Definitions
(and yes... he actually uses it!)
When he was little... his idea of a great "rainy day game" was looking at "his" book and finding new words to try and trick his daddy with.
(Notice I said daddy... not mommy. He said he only liked to play that game with daddy because he "likes a challenge"...humph! and then I took his blocks away... because he started that when he was about 4!)
So, the real "adventure" of me starting to home school all 4 boys is really just beginning!
This week we just tried to figure out logistics... Like why it's not going to work for them to call me while I'm at work 47 times to ask if they can have a "recess" yet.
We'll see...
The one good thing... not having a school payment for the first time in 8 years will be pretty awesome! Whatever will we do??? (I'm thinking we may need to save it for the counseling services we may require if this doesn't go as well as we hope!! Hahhhh)
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Seasons of Life
It's a season for us to be Thankful ... and I am!
But once in a while... well,
DID anyone see all those cute fairies and princesses last night???
My boys... at the ripe "old" ages of 7 to 11 are 'too cool' to dress up anymore, much less humor me and dress up for any photos.
I liked it when they were little and I could make them dress up and take pictures.
Not that I don't LOVE my boys... and love the crazy, busy, LOUD life we live! I do!
But sometimes, I appreciate the season of life... after it's passed, much more than I did in the midst of it.
SO... as I look back at my cute photos of past Halloween's... where they were SO cute... I'm going to remember that this season...
the one I'm in right now... This is the season of my life when:
I'm able to sleep in. ( YAHHHHHOo)
I'm able to enjoy THEM putting away clothes (theirs and mine!); and get their own FOOD (usually without spilling it everywhere)
I'm able to enjoy them taking care of me, and each other.
I'm enjoying them wanting to snuggle and cuddle still (without wanting "something" from me)
I'm loving that they are becoming the "knights" albeit not in costumes... that their daddy is trying to teach them to be. (GOSH I LOVE THAT MAN!)
and a thousand other things that I couldn't have said... back in the season of our lives when they still would dress like I wanted them to, and wear their hair like I wanted them to... and smell like I wanted them to....
and go to school where I wanted them too...
But... that's another post.
PS!!!
Thanks a million for all your encouraging words and thoughts on our home schooling dilemma!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
home schooling... REALLY?
but apparently I'll be buying the next round for the entire populous in Hades... and soon!
We started homeschooling AJ in September for the first time... and since he loves it so much, within 2 months he convinced his 2 younger brothers to drop out of school and stay home with him. They all love it... and it's amazing how much they can accomplish!
As of this afternoon, the 3 of them have convinced my oldest son to get home schooled too!
BUT... wait!
I agreed to home school my 4th grader because it's the best thing for him.
I agreed to home school my 3rd grader and 1st grader because that's easy and the school they were at wasn't nearly academic enough. They REALLY wanted to get home schooled, and AJ enjoys having his brothers around to play with (most of the time); so we're doing it.
But, I'm REALLY hesitant to teach my middle-school son at home!
He's the "perfect" child... the "perfect" student... the "perfect" built-in tutor...
but the truth is... he's already smarter than I am in all the core subjects; and I'm not really sure I can do a good enough job...FOR HIM.
I don't know how we can tell him no though.
He's crushed because he thinks that I'm "trying to convince him to stay in school."
I just want what's best for each of them; and I wish that I knew exactly what that meant for each of them---
because by the time I finish paying their food bill for the next few years, and 4 sets of braces, and insurance for them to drive etc... I really don't think they'll be much left over for any counseling that may be need because I screwed up their education!
ha
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Tagged
1. My boys LOVE to clean
(and they get T.H.A.T. from their daddy!)
2. My mom was and IS ... the best mom in the world.
She'd let me stay home from school when I was a kid so that we could go shopping for the day.
Now, Kyle stays home from school once in a while to hang out and shop with Nana.
This was what he brought home last time...
#3...
My boys are Wanna BE Rockers...
#4. Daddy puts little boys on the roof
(when I'm not home) to pose for pictures.
#5 I love to redecorate my boy's rooms...
(but now that they're picking their own colors)
#6
The thing I'm most thankful for this month
is that my boy hasn't had a trip to the hospital in a long time!!!
In hind sight, dad would have saved A LOT more money by paying the tuition... instead of wedding! ha...
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Baby, Oh Baby
because just yesterday,
he started this adventure of being the "baby brother"...
and it hasn't always been so easy...
Always ready to go, go, go...
and has never had a hard time keeping up with the big guys...
Always ready to learn something new...
and always up for another ball game...
Yeah, my baby is getting big...
But he's always gonna be MY BABY!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Monday Madness
But... between going to LA again last week to see this...
and trying to do a little "much needed" cleaning with the boys to surprise daddy...
and cooking all the new recipes on Pioneer Woman's blog
(which are NOT conducive to me trying to lose weight...
but are great opportunities for me to try and teach fractions to the boys)
WELL...
I just realized that my poor baby doesn't have a party planned for his birthday...
and as forgiving as his daddy was when that happened to him a couple of months ago...
my baby...
my baby is mama's boy!
Which means ...
Birthdays = gifts and fun and friends and ...
So...
school is a "NO GO" for our homeschoolers today (again)...
because mama has to go take care of the important things in life...
AHHHH...
my baby's really going to be 7 already???
IDEAS ANYONE???