Pierced ears

MY little girl is growing up. When she was turning six, Aunt Sheila gave her a gift card to get her ears pierced. She was a little scared and saved it for months in my purse. Every time went to Wal-M*rt together she would mention it, but then say no. Finally,she spent the gift card on other fun stuff MONTHS later. We have talked about it so many times. She asked once, "Mommy, can they just knock me out so I don't feel a thing?" I said, um, no, not for ear piercing. AND, by the way, I need you to remember a hard word, "epidural". lol I was muttering and walking away so it was more for my husband I was saying it. But thirty minutes later she said, "OK Mommy, am ready now!" I said, for what? She said, "For that EPIDURAL thing". Then we can get my ears pierced?? She is a crack -up. Anyway so a few MORE months go by. The night before her Daddy's birthday, she says(at 8 PM) "Mommy, I am really ready to get my ears pierced." So I grabbed my purse and threw her in the car.(BUT I have to say, I was kind of a cheater pants. I gave her Ibuprofin before. AND I dabbed oragel on her earlobes, then washed it off with wet wipes RIGHT before walking in the place) She was so brave and after seeing the first one done, and crying a single tear. . .she was so excited-- she was all smile and dimple. She just kept saying "I did it I did it!!"

Crazy love

crazy love

MY life is a tad insane. I know it. I admit it. I have right now, a plastic box with rocks and frogs in my entry. I have two new kittens who feel the need to BE everywhere all the time. Add to that the five current children. My brooding preteen who needs constant toddler-like reassurance of my affection. My very practical 9 year old who keeps us all balanced and tries to maintain peace(emotionally that is-- he literally bounces off walls physically!) My adorably sweet 7 year old who has become a little, um, emotional. She prays every day for her "two new sisters to come quickly," but I think she is very nervous about their coming too. My #4 asked me yesterday if I could change his name to Miguel.(?!) He is , hm, words escape me. He has been rough today, and every day for the last 5 yrs. He is a "challenge to parent,""strong -willed", "spirited" those are the terms the books call him. He requires so much of my attention, emotions and constant discipline that I feel like a wrung out sponge some days. But I also see his growth and improvement and feel grateful for my boy. The first I did not birth, but the very first to come by adoption. Then there is my baby. Who lately hates being called that. She is quiet and shy and her brother's faithful minion. Those two are biologically linked (they share a birthmom) and so spiritually linked it still baffles me. When she was a newborn and he was 14 mos old, I had their cribs in the same room, end to end. I would wake up to check on them early and find him curled up around her!! With one chubby arm protectively over her and his other around his night night. This sight was terrifying night after night, but at the same time, comforting. They needed me, but just as importantly, they needed each other. How lucky am I to get to see that. She is 4 and FINALLY warming up to people. Family members are saying she is "coming out of her shell". She says, "mommy, I yoves(loves) you!", AND. . .(dramatic pause) I YIKE (like) you!!" Well, thanks Sweetie, that says it all. I like you too AND I love you. Love is like. . . a yo yo we let it go we roll it up. . . over and over and it always thrills me when it comes back. Love is like opening a present, every time a kid says I love you to me, I feel like someone just gave me a present. Every slobbery kiss. . . sticky handed hug. Crazy wild and lovely.

Gotta Gush and say thanks

OKAY! I cannot remember any and all who may have talked about "Teaching Textbooks" for math, but I had to gush a little and say a broad generalized thank you to the ones who did. This is an answer to prayer!!
I ordered their 5th grade math for my oldest. We have tried several math programs out there and last I had heard TT was only upper grades so I hadn't even thought of it for real yet, but knew I would check it out when he got to 6th. BUT THEY HAVE 3rd and up.(third is being released soon) So I ordered it Monday, no lie here, and it was here this morning(WEDS!!) My boy, (who hates math with a passion) has said thank you mom for trying another one for me a thousand times before it got here. When it arrived, he was so excited, he got up and did lesson one while still in his pjs. He finished it with missing only 1 problem and that was a typing error. I would post a pic but he didn't want me taking one of him un-showered and in pjs.(whatever, kid!)
So, for the first time EVER in our 9 years of homeschooling, I feel a fit with math. He said,"I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!"(ELF quote there) lol so because he "don't care who knows it" I thought I would share. He said, "mom, can you feel that? That weight being lifted??" Yes, Son, I can. lol We are doing the happy Snoopy dance here. The "give math a chance dance." thanks ladies!

the Zen of sarcasm

I got this as an email. Not sure where it came from originally. . . so sorry to "steal" it but it is so funny.


The Zen of Sarcasm


1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either.. Just pretty much leave me alone.

2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broke fan belt and leaky tire.

3. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

5. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.

6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

7. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

9. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is probably not for you.

10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day .

11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably a wise investment.

12. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

13. Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.

14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

16. A closed mouth gathers no foot.

17. Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.

19. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving .

20. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

21. Never miss a good chance to shut up.

AND

22 . Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
-

Everything I need to know I learned on vacation

The deep and not so deep.
1. Do not give out Dramamine to the hubsy when you are 2 hrs into a 7 hr trip.(no matter how whiney, I mean how much he begs) If you do, realize there is a NON drowsy formula. He popped those pills so fast. I was amazed. I said did you take them already? He said, well you gave them to me. I said, how did you ever survive high school. He smarts off "with a little help from my friends" HAH! So the moral? Say no to drugs.
2.If you accidentally DID do number one, you can let him have MT Dew and no doze. He survives the over the counter drug mix pretty well. But make sure you are dealing with a guy 220 or so.
3.USE the GPS from the beginning. E says it means Getting places safely. Good job son. But we came up with a few more, get pleasantly surprised? (as in stumble onto a store while lost) going precariously somewhere(as in lost on a swerving mountain road), and many others the kids and I thought of in the moment. Here is the kicker with GPS. Trust the darned thing!! IF you are going to use it, then trust it. Do not take a turn cause it "feels right." No I was not the driver. I tell you, I think a trip was good marriage counseling and therapy all in one. TRUST each other? NO! Trust GPS? YES!!
4. When a person says"please dispose of this" it means quietly, and skillfully GET RID of it. as in, it is something at least slightly revolting. It does NOT mean lick it off! (no I did not do this, and yes the spider on the butter knife was saved from untimely death.)
5. Trash cans in every seat, or every room, or well, everywhere you can fit one, is the way to go!
6.DO NOT attempt to make your family stay at a hotel where there is caution tape! This involved threatening him. I am sad to say. Thus be flexible. JUST because you had plans to stay there and actually had them "hold" two rooms for you, doesn't mean you have to stay. (hold? Hold up? holding drugs? why did they have caution tape?? I was not sending out scouts!sure, maybe they DID just paint the porch but I am not sticking around to get the scoop!)
7. Air freshener. 'Nuff said.
8. Canoeing with your spouse is a great form of therapy. Add three kids into it, and just "float" with the conversations. . .
9. Have snacks all the time readily available. For some reason, people begin to act as though they were raised by wolves when the food supply gets too low. They quickly turn on one another in some prehistoric type of display. Fascinating but I am thinking unhealthy. It is easier and kinder to all to JUST FEED the animals!often.mommy too.
10. Listen to music. . . rollin' rollin' rollin' on the river. . . Music is the soundtrack to life. Get it going and watch everyone become a bobble head.

Listen. Love. Laugh. Sing. Dance. Eat. Drink. Be happy and do fun thing, then rest a lot. Life will be like a vacation every day.

My Moriah

My sweet baby is no longer a baby! Now she is a little girl 4 years old. No longer in diapers or strollers or slings. This was our first vacation to realize we are past those things. I have to say, I am kind of glad. I LOVE babies, and there are moments when I miss that, but really, truly I am glad. My littlest one is getting to be a bigger girl. She talks, squeals and giggles. She runs to her daddy, she pesters her brothers and borrows clothes from her sister. . .wow! it is going by all zoomy!
kickin' it up at the lake: something about a lemony yellow Dora suit makes a girl get frisky and brave.

Summer Vacation 2009(part 1)

The first part of our vacation was Monday. We went to Beaver's Bend State park here in OK. It is a couple hrs from home. Since the hotel we were first going to stay at had caution tape around it. . .(no I am NOT kidding)Mom promptly said Dad better find us a new nesting place fr the night, when he said he could just check it out, I said I would personally make sure he was outlined in chalk within the paremeters of that caution tape. He decided to side with me. So we stayed at a lovely lodge with a gorgeous view of the lake. Had a 24 hr stay. GREAT food(catfish) and had canoe and paddleboat fun. Oh, and go karts.





The other end of the canoe! Um, sort of looked like the D Man was resting. . . but then again, I was taking pictures so oh well.





The big boys got to do the paddle boat. And they took off!!




This is what Olivia does every time we go to the hotel. She finds the Bible there and begins to look up her favorite verse.(Ps 4:8, which we have painted onto her bedroom wall) She loved reading out on the balcony at the lodge.




This is what D man does every time we go to a hotel. lol But to be fair, he HAD driven a few hrs.