So todays lessons...

Lesson number 1- not sleeping does not equal waking up with a "good" attitude. I just did not sleep well last night and had trouble waking up this morning which of course doesnt start off the morning well! This being said we did not get school done before we had to leave at 10:30, but that's just OKAY!

Lesson 2- always get to Hickory Hollow at 11:00 right when they are opening so you are ASSURED a seat, without "sharing" the table with a friendly stranger... which the restaurant's many signs encourage. SO NOT ME!

Lesson 3- When your kids hear about the splash park that they were "supposed" to get to go to but didnt have a plan in mind to make it up to them! I thought well we cant drive an hour to the other side of Baytown, we wont make it in time and we will waste A LOT of gas! Gas = money right which we are short of! So I thought lets get our bathing suits on (the kids not ME) and go to the splash area at Hermann park. MISTAKE- there was no parking and just not a good situation. So we left and I drove aimlessly around trying desperately to think of something to appease my children who were bless their hearts being really, really good about it all! So we keep driving and finally end up back at home after almost an hour- you might think GAS but literally that was like 15 miles! I kept stopping to THINK of something. Anyway, we got home and I told the kids we could go swim at Maw Maws on Saturday and then ***light bulb*** moment. I let them play in the backyard with the hose. Now mind you, we dont have a "cool" sprinkler, this was JUST a hose. But they had a blast for almost an hour! So yeah ME.

Lesson 4- when you fail to plan, your plan fails... this would be in the area of meal planning! We are very tight this paycheck because of the camping trip, a car repair and various "stuff" so my grocery budget got cut down some. I didnt plan very well so we are scraping stuff together. You know those interesting meals! Which is fine and I dont mind doing, but I just wish I had planned better and I wouldnt be in this position. I have been meal planning since we moved in and have done great except for this two weeks literally! So I already have my meal plan for the next two weeks done when I grocery shop on Monday!

Lesson 5- when you plan to clean up the floor of the school room and end up moving the entire seating arrangement you have gone too far! I just meant to straighten up, but then I was like, I wonder how it would work better this way. I also want something to hold our books by where I sit and I dont want to buy anything, so I need enough room to accommodate the shelf I already have! But I think I like it better so far... we will see tomorrow when I do SCHOOL! Which is what I didnt ever get to today! We did however start Old Yeller though. The kids are really enjoying it so far- I will let you know how that goes when we are through with the book.

Lesson 6- Although reading some blogs today took some time ( I spent almost 45 minutes reading) it was worth it by how encouraged I was when I stopped! I really did feel better about some choices I have been making- I felt like they had been reinforced! I do enjoy it and I do profit from it, I just need to place a limit on it and stick to it! That is all about boundaries which I am WORKING on!

So what did you learn today?

Wow I havent posted in months and here I am twice in one day...

So earlier my post was whiny. Not tooooo whiny but just whiny enough. Do you know whiny is one of those words when said enough times doesnt sound like a real word? Well it feels the same way whenever you spell it that many times too!

I digress.

We left the house after lunch and headed to .... the library. One of our favorite places to be! This summer I plan to try lots of the libraries around me too! Maybe we will find one that we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. I love our library for its closeness and old buildingness but it's kids section leaves MUCH to be desired and there is no where to sit and be cozy and their are always so many people on the internet that they filter over to the kids section of internet and that for many, MANY reasons makes me leery. So not that I will not continue to visit our library for just go get some books.. but I want to find a library that I LOVE.

I would also love to find a librarian who is actually nice. Do YOU know one of those? I really have not had the pleasure of meeting one! For instance today I had a large pile of books- like 25 hardback and I was holding them all since I hadnt brought the normal library suitcase I usually have. So I am in line holding them. I am not paying attention to what the ladies in line ahead of me are doing I am just holding my books and keeping track of three kids- who move quick and of course one eyeball is on the computer section AT ALL TIMES! So the lady in front of me leaves the line... I gladly move up and place my LARGE, HEAVY stack on the desk and proceed to sort them out- I dont know why I do that but I do. I am sorting and the librarian is oviously still typing stuff in. So I wait. The librarian has yet to say a word to me btw... so the original lady standing in line comes back and slightly huffily informs me that she wasnt finished. I am like "okay, so I push my stack of books to the side, pull the children back away from the counter to give the lady some room to "finish her transaction".


WHY DIDNT THE LIBRARIAN JUST TELL ME THE LADY WASNT DONT YET????


The librarian never said a single word to me. The whole time. I think I said something stupid like, are you getting ready for the summer crowds.... NOTHING! She is not mute or deaf.... I have heard her speak.


Why?


So anyway, this summer I vow to find the library I LOVE for special occasions!


e have signed up so far for

the Houston Public Library Reading program
Barnes and Noble Reading Program
Borders Reading Program

I plan to sign up for

HEB reading program

and any more I can find! I love reading programs! Well I say I love reading programs but what usually happens is I sign up for them and the kids read a TON of books and I never get any of the prizes- because I cannot stand the library in the summer and I just never go to the other places! So why sign up? I dont know it is just a thrill for me I guess! But this year I plan to participate and actually get all the prizes! Yeah! It is a GOAL. How about I have a prize for myself if I turn in all the kids reading programs papers? Yes! I will give myself $20.00 to spend at a bookstore! I love bookstores!


Make sure and ask me about the GOAL!

Oh MY Goodness...

I am coming to you live from a home schooling "session", can I call it a session? We are back here in the school room, Matt is copying his multiplication facts, Emily is working on addition and Kaitlin is KILLING me with math. I think I have literally blown some blood vessels. We have been in the school room for like 25 minutes, no longer actually! Time for lunch!


Emily did well on her reading of course this was after I made her sweep the kitchen and dining room after complaining about reading in the first place!

Matt looked at me after a few problems of subtraction with borrowing from the hundreds..." Mom how do you do subtraction?" I was like, "HUH?" What he had been doing was the math in his HEAD------ I am making him physically do the "math" on paper! So what he meant was how do you write all the borrowing stuff! He just does not get it on paper- he just does it in his head! While that sounds great in theory.. he still has to KNOW how to actually do the work for when the numbers are just TOOOO big to do in his head!

Kaitlin is working on fractions right now. AKKKKKKKKKKKKK. Dave has been enlisted to help on several occasions lately. Although he can explain the math.... he is not a teacher? Does that make sense? He doesnt really understand why we dont just GET what he "explains" the first time. I mean it makes sense to him! so I am at a loss! She is doing common denominators and I cant seem to convince her that you cant ummm make numbers up while you go? There is actual math involved... and the math is surrounded by the little things called RULES. Bothersome I know!


So anyway...we found this neat game online with fractions but I got so frustrated trying to help her get the answers - answers I am (YES... I am not ashamed to say) not really sure are the right answers! So we took a break... fortunately the next lesson in her book took a short hiatus from actual denominators and numerators and on to word problems...

HMMMM. So I wrote the 4 things you do to solve word problems on a paper and tacked it on the wall next to her...

1. What am I supposed to be finding out in this word problem?
2. Do I use addition, subtraction, multiplication or division to figure it out?
3. Set your problem.
4. Solve the problem and make sure it makes sense in regards to the story...


So I just checked her work and she did fine, but they were very easy and there was no trickery involved... You know when word problems twist and turn and you dont have any idea what they are really asking you to solve!

So it bugs me when the question is not answered properly...

Mother bought 8 bags of sugar for $1.76 a bag. What did Mother pay for the sugar?

Answer: 14.08 (((*******WRONG*****))))

the proper answer is $14.08 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay I am done... all the children have ran away... far away! They get a break because I NEED A BREAK... why because I am having trouble breathing and there might be spots involved! Maybe we do need a summer break???

Um no way! We have to make up the 4 weeks we have missed in the last 3 months! So I trudge on... this afternoon is easy--- reading and making the 6 flags of Texas out of whatever the kids want to ....let the creativity flow!

March 27???????????????????????

March 27?

Where have I been????

I have been here just apparently VERY, VERY busy.

Now I am in no way saying that those of you who manage to blog everyday are NOT busy!

I dont know what is wrong with me! I just dont blog.

In fact I am only blogging tonight because I happened to read Brenda's blog, The Family Revised, and saw that she had linked to my sad, sad little blog!

So here I am... blogging.


I am laying in bed with hubbie and even he showed surprise at my blogging!

So what to say after such a long, long absence?

NO Brenda, I do not have a camera... after the whole losing the camera fiasco and finding the camera fiasco a few months ago you should be amazed to find out that I lost my camera again! Actually Matt did, but I am casting no blame! So I am camera less now! Dave vows I am banned from buying a new camera and I havent had the guts to even start saving up for one yet!

We were driving home from Becky's house (my friend who will not blog) and I said to Dave can you believe we have ONLY lived in the house for almost three months? I mean it hasnt even been three months! It feels like forever! Someone asked me the other day if we are all settled in and I was like kindof... I feel bad saying that we arent but to be truthful I dont think we are. I still havent "found" a place for everything!

This is my plan... I have been SOOOOOOOOOOO busy that I feel overwhelmed so I have decided to SLOW down! I am actually bowing out of a few activities that I have already signed up for. I do not like doing that but I am at my wits end! I want to work on the house, I want to home school my kids (yeah I mean actually do school with them--- what a novel concept!), I want to work on some things with the kids, I want to work on our budge!

Let me break down some of those things a little more for you!

Work on house-

I want to get things more scheduled, and organized. I went though MOST stuff as we moved but I am already ready for another purging. I also want to organize my kitchen, update my coupons and menus and get cooking! My MIL got me a bread maker for mothers day! Yeah, I made Sourdough bread today but I wanna do much more! I wanna cook everyday! I wanna cook from scratch! I wanna use whole foods!!!!

I need to make lots of lists of all the things I need to do around the house... I think it is going to be really long!


School kids-

I actually need to school them! We need to start our Bible again, start their new spelling programs, keep working on math but catch up some too! and I need to continue working on Texas history! I have so many crafts and we are going to make a diorama of a battle scene! I am hoping to hook Matt with that!

We also need to work on organization in school and some chore charts!


Budget-


Well now that I have a better handle on what our monthly expenses will be at the house its time to work on our budget some! I need to start being much, much more careful in my spending! I have to much MISC. spending! I need to account for all that misc. and really count the cost of each purchase. I want to save for some specific things and the only way that I can do that is by being really careful! I know that I can do it, I have certainly done it many times before!



So that was a long, involved post with lots of rambling and mix matched conversations! But that's okay, it was the first of many catch up posts!

What's been up lately...

All the things that I am passing by as I am endlessly running....

Sickness (first all of us)
then me for over two weeks
then my hubbie for over a week
then me again!
( of course with sickness comes medical bills!- Ours was over 300 in way less than two weeks! No fun right!)

We were moving- my husband and mom and dad actually saw the house and dh signed the lease without me actually seeing it--- read back a few months to my control issue post :) Hmmm. I really did very well to be honest!

We begin moving. If you have moved you know how that is!

We renovated the bathroom at the house literally over the weekend- from the flooring up literally! We had to move a 500 lb Clawfoot tub in order to change the flooring. Hubby had fun!

We are still moving in, boxes everywhere, now we have mattresses! Yeah!

So for fun my laptop is sitting on my newly installed mattress and we leave during a thunderstorm because the electricity went off and the back porch get broken into, they break my bedroom window and steal the laptop!

AKKKKKKK.. I wasnt so upset about the laptop persay I was upset becasue of all my stuff- PICTURES (with no backup... lesson learned! All my favorite blogs, all my favorites period, my files, all my downloads for home school, everything! It is very unsettling but it could have been simply a crashed harddrive that did the same thing so really LESSON LEARNED ON BACK UPS!

camera lost AGAIN. We are hoping it is actually in the house somewhere but I have not come across it!

All the little things that happen in general, just lifes little hiccups seem to have happened in the last few weeks.

But... good things have happened also. The best being how I have handled most of the hiccups! I really think that I saw the fruit of my labor.... I have been working so hard to change some things I truly feel like I am making a "little" bit of progress!

Hello out there.. can anybody hear me.

Okay, you know when things dont turn out how you want them too? Or things just arent going your way. Well I have had just a little bit of that going on lately! I have been very busy and blogging has just totally taken second place...actually less than second it has been like 6 or 7th place!

I feel like I am running a race but there is no finish line.

I need to see the finish line! I need to know that things will come to an end. I was just talking to a few friends today at our home school support group... we were talking about phases our kids go through and how nice it was that we KNEW it was just a phase and would last for so long than be over! That is so true....most things our kids do is a phase! Some phases I am SOOOOOOOO glad to get rid of, others I wish would stay a little longer!

but back to my race... I am running and running and running. The good part is that I dont feel out of breath or that I am struggling. Does that make sense. I dont see a light at the end of the tunnel but it doesnt feel scary or bad. I feel like I am just in a phase that will last however long it lasts.

I know I didnt move around the world or anything but there have still been some MAJOR adjustments! Really!

So I am running... but heck at least I am not standing still!

sorry, sorry, sorry!

Okay, laptop is out of the picture so I could not get on all week! I am at my limit!!!!

Okay winner of the give away is BRENDA at the Family Revised!!!!!


Yeah. Tracy will get hold of you Brenda and get you a catalog!


More LATER... I Promise!

Blog update put on hold cuz today is my babys bday!

Okay all you people out there who have gotten to the point in your life where you have had your last child...what did you DO when the last one turned 6!

I mean 5 is still a baby right! 5 is still little! But 6, that is a whole new world! I can hardly stand it! I have attempted for the past few days to get her to decide NOT to turn 6. I have bribed, cajoled, harassed and possibly provoked...


she finally told me, "MOM, God made me grow."

So I concede and she IS going to turn 6 today. She thinks she is 6 now, we will talk about labor and birth minute later on in life!

I however will remind all of you about the labor and birth minute for a while!

If any of you think Emily is difficult now~ Yes, I know you have ALL thought that before! Well she was literally BORN this way. I had so many problems with her pregnancy! Bed rest for weeks and weeks~ with two, basically toddlers! I had doctor appointments out the wazoo! Thanks MOM, AMY and whoever else EVER had to drive me to an appointment in GALVESTON!

Finally the finale of her pre birth was hospitalization! Fun times. They put me in the hospital on Jan. 22 for about a week, then let me go on home on complete bed rest but than on Feb 13 I was back in the hospital! I stayed there for a few days and than was moved to a domicile (no not from going nuts, that was a place people stayed who needed to be close to the hospital, with nursing care but not AT the hospital every day) Anyhoo, so I got to the domicile, this SMALL little room, with a small little bathroom and a TV. AND there I stayed, minus my MANY visits back and forth to the hospital labor and delivery room and doctors appointments, until March 12! Why did I get to leave my little cubby room on March 12, because Emily finally decided she had had enough of my tummy and was whooshed from my womb into the big wide world!

So two days later I got to go home for the first time in over a month! It was very exciting for me, I felt weird and strange! Other people (MY FAMILY!!!!) had kept Matt and Kate for so long and I had so little contact with them, I was depressed and it took me a really, really long time to get back to myself!

Is it bad that I now wish for those days at the domicile back???

No really. I love my kids, and I cannot BELIEVE that my youngest is turning 6! She is getting to big! No more baby hands. No more "whining" (hey I can dream cant I). Actually the whining has gotten much better...now it is the MOUTH. I have no idea where she gets it from... (wink, wink).

So here is my baby all grown up now!!!!

Yes, she got a grown up present...her very own Nintendo DS.

PS. Dont forget to comment to get an entry into my UPPERCASE LIVING Give Away~ Go here to find out more! Tell your friends!

Hey you guys...

I am back! In honor of my grand re opening of the blog, I am going to have a give away. I am going to give away a prize from UPPERCASE LIVING!!!

You will have have 50 dollars to spend! AND Uppercase living is having a special:

Purchase any Uppercase Living item from March 4 – April 6, and you’ll get ½ Off any additional item of equal or lesser value

Yeah! I have a consultant (Tracy Haack) who is going to send the winner a catalog and you can choose what you want and The Story Of My World is going to pay for it! So tell your friends...

Leave a comment and you get an entry.
Comment on it on your blog, link to me and tell me about it, you get another entry.

So bring on the comments!

Tommorow... I will have a blog update about where I have been the last few weeks and what the family has been up to all this time! I cant wait to read all your blogs again and get caught up on my favorite bloggers lives!

Today is the first day of the Give away. It will go through next Monday @ 11:59 p.m. So every comment you make between now and Monday night counts as an entry!

I will announce the winner on Tuesday morning!!!

Update on life in general...

Kaitlin is back. She is safe and home and had a great time!
I am so relieved. I feel as though I accomplished something although she actually went? Does that make sense? I dont know if would do it again any item soon...it was really, really hard.

I am impatiently patiently waiting for word on a house from our realtor. I will let you know when I hear!

I am at Amy's house, I got up at 5:30 so hubbie could drop us off here at 6:00 on his way to work. That is how bad I didnt want to drive. That is insane! I am keeping Kirsten and a friend of Amy's daughter. Amy is attending the area Republican party women thing....I like hearing about it but would rather keep the kids!

I am not doing the greatest on the budget this month, it was a little too tight. I also am having the "I wanna buys.." more! Not a good combo! I am also waiting to hear about the house which of course affects our budget amount. We have to have money down (it is only a rental) and we need to make a lot of purchases. At this particular house we will need a fridge and washer and dryer. A lot of houses have these included but a few dont, so we will have to get at least a fridge right away- I can wait longer on the washer and dryer. I also need a dining table and chairs. I know the style I want, but I might have to make do with a card board table for awhile! Which is okay with me... as long as I know which one I am getting I am okay with waiting. We are going to paint the girls bunkbed, but I cant decide what color! Matt we are just keeping his bed for now. We are hoping to get the kids both a set of new furniture...it is high on my list! There are of course a number of things that outrank kid furniture but it is on my list and I am going to start saving for it!

We have done almost no school work in over a week...we did math and we have kept up with our reading. The kids also had book club on Friday so that was something. So I have made our a list of MUST DO for school and plan to finish by Feb 28! We will have our medieval feast next week!

Our next unit is going to be ocean. I might actually use a curriculum but tailor it a little, it will still be a "unit" study. We will again do all school off this curriculum except for math and language. I am looking at Learning language Arts Through Literature and really liking what I see so far! We might start this for our language. I am going to make Ocean last through mid April and go on to Texas History from mid April -mid June. After that we will do a camping theme, which will tie into our support group camping trip! FUN!!!

In addition to buckling down on school I will of course be PACKING! Oh and hopefully MOVING! I am so excited! I went into the YMCA that will be in the area of our house, it is nice. Maybe I will actually USE it!

I am going to make a huge list of things I have to do and get to it.

I am also going to make a huge list of things I need to FIND in the area.
You know neighborhood dry cleaners, alteration shop, oil change place, nearest CVS and Walgreens, just all the basic needs! I know where the library is and a Dollar Tree!

I am also going to make a huge list of house needs and prioritize them with a number and make sure I buy things in order of need instead just getting stuff I see I need!

Okay enough of what I am going to do this week....

What do you have on your plate??

The Great Backyard Bird Count comes to an end...

Okay so participated this year and we saw ONE bird.

ONE BIRD!

Oh well, he was fed well!

Happy Valentines Day...late but still relevant

Okay, for this Valentines Day post Dave, my valentine, has agreed to be interviewed...



Carrie: Why do you love me?
Dave: Because you are you.



Carrie: When is our anniversary?
Dave: June 28


Carrie: What is "OUR" song?
Dave: Here and Now by Luther Vandross



Carrie: While dating what was my favorite thing to do with you?
Dave: (laughing) kiss me.



Carrie: What did I wear on our first date?
Dave: I do not know.



Carrie: What is the best gift you haven ever given me? (from your perspective)
Dave: your necklace (this was a necklace attached to a pig that said From your one and only...)


Carrie: If you could give me the perfect gift what would it be?
Dave: I would have to think about that...are you talking money, no object?
Carrie: Yes.
Dave: Still dont know.



Carrie: What is my favorite thing to do on a "date night"?
Dave: movies because we dont get to see them often but dinner too so we can sit and talk.







Carrie: If I could go buy one thing today, what would it be?
Dave: something you wouldnt normally buy? I mean not like a diet coke?
Carrie: Yes.
Dave: you would probably end up buying something for the kids.



Carrie: What is my favorite movie?
Dave: personally I would say it is a toss up between You've Got Mail and White Christmas but I am leaning towards White Christmas. Um what is your favorite movie?
Carrie: um that is hard, I like lots of different parts of movies. Is your favorite the one you will always watch if it is on or that you will specifically put it on!
Dave: so is your favorite movie TombRaider?
Carrie: um maybe yes... (dont judge me...lol)



Carrie: What do you love most about me?
Dave: I am not completely answering your question... one thing I am completely fascinated with are your eyes. physical attributes...
Carrie: whatever
Dave: I love how you try to learn about things people like and incorporate that into something you do for them or get them.

(He said a few other things which he said I couldnt share...)



Carrie: What do you think we will be doing on our 25th anniversary?
Dave: Well I guess we would probably have a party or go out to dinner.
Carrie: is that all you want to say Mr. Romantic?
Dave: um yeah.

She is packed. She is excited. She is finally going to bed. My husband is still not home and I feel ill.

Dont usually post like this but I just have to get it out.

I hate anxiety. I hate fear.

I know people are praying for her trip and for me specifically and you dont know how much those prayers mean to me.

I cant breath.

I try to get a deep breath and I just cant.

Job 4:8
I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me
dwell in safety.

Acts 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in
him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Proverbs 18:10
"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."

Fitness Friday

Fitness Friday again...

Brenda at the Family Revised has given us a "Do what ya want" assignment. So I am just going to do a simple update. I will however be participating in her Time Capsule so go check out what she is doing!!!

I am doing a food journal this week in preparation for upcoming doctor appointments. I am getting a full blood workup when I go to the doctor. I also have all my "girly" stuff scheduled too.

It is amazing how much food I CAN eat. I am not dieting. I am just totally aware of what I am eating! I have not been as hungry lately which is weird because stress for me usually equals EATING. For instance, last night we were at a Valentine skating party and we ordered a pizza. I ate two pieces and two cookies! That's all. I would have normally eaten more pizza and the desserts would have been hard to pass up!

My goals are weird this week:

keep up with my food journal
track my body stuff (girly stuff) for doctor's visit
water
no eating after 9 oclock (I think this is where the stress eating is taking over!)
keep more fruits and veggies on hand



I found the YMCA near where we will be moving and it will most likely be about as close as the one is here! So I will transfer our membership and hopefully GO!!!!!


I have some news that I will share soon... No I am not pregnant!
It is in relation to my weight loss (no I am not getting lap band surgery-although I looked at my options.)

So that's all folks...

Carrie in Texas

On the inside...

On the outside there at times I know I seem fine. I may even feel fine in that moment but other times it is just to much, like a crushing tidal surge of emotions. This house hunting is really stressing me out- no the doing just the waiting and wondering and what if's! I could look at homes forever if I needed too as long as I knew I could get anyone of them I wanted...does that make sense? The not knowing is just getting to me...HENCE my control issues!

On top of this incredible stress, Kate is leaving tomorrow for her trip and I wake up to yet another plane crash. That makes three since Dec 10. I dont care that it was a commuter plane, I dont care that there were survivors on the two other crashes.... I just feel sick. very sick.

I know I havent been blogging, I am just doing the barest of things, only what I have to do. It will get better. I know it will. My hubbie has also been working a lot. That is really hard on me- sorry all you single moms! It is just overwhelming as a literal 24/7 mom to have the kids 24/7. I get to a point and I guess I begin to shut down- it usually takes me a lot longer to reach this point but with the house stress and the trip stress I have reached it a lot quicker!

later

My head is spinning...

Well by now you all know we are moving but the house hunt is slow going! We are renting and really would like a particular area and have bad credit and need at least 3 bedrooms SOOOOO that = pain in my patootie!

I am stressing out so not blogging much! I promise to do better.

Send up a prayer that I will not stress and that God will lead up to the "house" HE has for us.

HMMMMM...

Ernest Hemingway said once that to become a man you had to do three things...

Father a child
Fight a bull
Plant a tree


How utterly random could ya get? I mean those three things were how you became a man? Not being responsible for the child his whole life, not raising a herd of bulls for a living and not planting an orchard to sustain a life....

Do these three things strike you as odd? I mean I understand that Hemingway was a deeply disturbed young man. I know he had serious problems, but THIS is what he though made you into a man???

HMMMMMMMMMM...........................


Supposedly (meaning I am not a physician and did not actually research these facts) once you die your hair continues to grow for several months.

Is that weird? I mean why would it keep growing? Does it grow faster or slower than when you are alive? Do you still have body? Curls? Does it still get frizzy???


HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM............................



The sound of E.T. was made by someone squishing their hands in jelly.


Now I want to know WHY they choose that sound? How did they come across the sound? Did they have a bunch of bowls of jelly sitting around or did they "squish" it once and just record it? What kind of jelly?



HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM........................



Stressed is desserts spelled backwards.

No comments neccesary.


HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMm.................



Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least 6 feet (2 m) away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.

Okay people get out the measuring tapes. I am pretty sure the large percentage of you people's sinks are NOT 6 feet from your toilet. So unless you have it covered or in a jar....YUCK, YUCK, YUCK.

What does that mean for toilet paper or the BOOKS you have on the back of your toilet seat that you read while you go potty...(dont judge me, lots of peeps read in the bathroom! lol)

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.........................

Okay I have given you enough to think about.

Kate and Matt's story...

The Princess, the Knight and the Squire

Once upon a time there lived a royal king and queen and a chivalrous knight who lived in a wondrous castle. The castle was up on a hill that over looked a meadow with farms and farmhouses. The kind and queen were getting worried for they were getting old and tired, and when the kind was about to give up the queen had twins, a prince and a princess. The Kingdom rejoiced. They sang and the castle workers cried for joy.
The day after the twins were born, a dragon came to the castle and said to the King and Queen, “ On the Princess’s 16th birthday I will come to get her and if she is not here, you, your son and daughter and your kingdom shall be destroyed.” The dragon blew a spark on a near by curtain and flew off. The workers hurried to put out the fire.
Fifteen years and 364 days later the King and Queen called upon their daughter and explained how the day after she was born, the dragon had come and what he had said. By the time they had finished telling her the story the Princess
(named Ladybird) was in tears and the Queen and King dismissed her. Princess Ladybird went up to her room and told the Prince (named Hawk– for his sharp eyes) the whole story.
On the day of the twins 16th birthday the Princess told the Prince to go to the old knight and ask for his help.

Later that day the dragon came, he looked bigger, stronger and fiercer than the last time they had seen him. The Princess gave Hawk a look that had hope, promise, respect and honor and then she bravely went up to the dragon and said, “I am ready.”
“Good,” said the dragon and gently put down a wing. “Now get on or else!”.
The Princess quickly got on the wing and the dragon swiftly flew away. The next day the Prince did what the Princess has asked him to do, he didn't even stay for breakfast because he went straight to the Old knights hut. The Prince knocked and a man in about his fifty’s answered, “Yes?”
“I am Prince Hawk, “ the Prince said, “my twin sister Princess Ladybird has been taken off by a dragon. She has asked for your help.”
“She has, has she?” said the Old Knight.
“Yes, so will you please help us?” said Prince Hawk.
“I will think about it,” replied the Old Knight. And one hour later the Old Knight came to the castle to talk to the King and Queen.
“Prince Hawk has asked me to help save Princess Ladybird, but I have no squire. Can the Prince be my squire?”
The King and Queen looked at each other doubtful, finally the King spoke up, “On one condition, he must come back safe from harm.”
“Done!” said the Old Knight. “May I go see him Your Highness?”
“Yes.”
The Old Knight bowed before the King and left for Prince Hawks bedroom. He arrived at the Prince Hawk’s bed chambers and the Old Knight asked the Prince to be his squire.
“Yes, “ said the Prince, trying to be calm. “Yes, I will.”
An hour later the Prince was putting on the armor for the knight. The Knight picked up his shield and sword.
“Ready?” he asked the Prince.
“Yes!” came the reply and they set out on their journey. They faced ogres, giants, wizards and witches. Finally in the deepest and darkest part of Wizards Forest they found the dragon.
The dragon woke and the Old Knight and his squire fought him for hours. Princess Ladybird watched in terror as they got scratched, wounded and burned. But the Old Knight and his squire fought on till the dragon was dead and Princess Ladybird was free.
So the three traveled back the way they had come and when they arrived at the castle it had almost been a year. The Old Knight was rewarded with gold, silver, gems and jewels for his bravery. The King, Queen, the Prince and Princess and all of the kingdom lived happily ever after.

The End

This story as was told by Matt and Kaitlin.

Are you okay?

Emily: I think I just cracked one of my bones.

Me: Wow, that sounds serious. Are you okay?

Emily: I didnt die.


Arent we glad she didnt die from her cracked bone!

Fitness Friday

Hey I am late on Fitness Friday... let's just pretend it is still Friday!




Okay last week Brenda told us to do something new! HMMMM.. Well we all know she meant with our fitness situation but I would have to be having a fitness situation to do something new with it! In keeping it real... I have NOT been doing the fitness thing! I have not been watching what I eat, or counting carbs or doing ANYTHING that resembles a diet!

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... here is something new I am going to do!

I am going to tell my loyal readers something about myself.......

I have totally chickened out a number of times but here it goes.

I weight 331 lbs.

Yes, Many of you dont believe it. That is okay, I know exactly how fat I am! lol!

But here is the thing. I dont want to be this fat anymore. I always say this and I ALWAYS mean it BUT the new twist is that I always says "oh it's not the number, it is how my clothes fit"

Now that is true to a certain point.

BUT NOT WHEN YOU WEIGH 331 lbs! IT IS ALL ABOUT THE NUMBER.

So I am on a diet. NOT a "lifestyle change", NOT a I want to eat "healthy" phase.

A DIET.

I am going to a doctor and get all the necessary blood work done and speak to the PROFESSIONALLY (imagine that!)... and I am going to get a grip on this situation! And it is really a situation in my case!

So there it is. In a nutshell.

I will let you know what the doctor says and I am just all about keeping it real right now! I need you ladies to really, really pray with me about this situation and I am going to need some serious help! It is going to be one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life! But I have to.

Too good for a Wordless Wednesday...

Okay, I am getting the picture that I need to explain the picture!

Here goes...

My brother used to work at Ashley Furniture and when the store opened they had this thing where "anything" could happen. Well one day they had a monkey at the store! It was so cute! It would drink out of a water bottle and it got into my purse and another lady's purse and would go through our stuff! It was hilarious! The monkey got gum and unwrapped it and started eating it!

Kate got to sit and hold the monkey for quite a while! It was a really, really neat experience for her!

Wordless Wednesday

Okay this is how I roll...

In lieu of a post of my mottled thoughts...I am going to link you to a few of my favorite bloggers and a few new reads!

Everybody wants the comments love! So peruse my blog roll and read my bloggy friends thoughts and comment!

Brenda @ The Family Revised
Jennifer @ Planted by Streams
Dawn at Picking up Pebbles
Kysha @ Love's School
Sonja @ Wonder Years
Jennifer @ The Coplings Hobbit Hole also check out her food blog and her school blog!
The Texan Mama @ Who Put Me in Charge of These People
Lisa @ verybusymomwith4
Dawn @ Because I said so
Debbie @ Finding Normal
Carrie @ Thoughts, Ponderings and Musings
Julie @ Living on Less

I will stop for now! In a few weeks I will link to some more! If you have a blog you love feel free to send me a link so I can check her out too! For Mr. Link and this particular post please put YOUR name but the link of your favorite blog, unless you write a post with the link in it! Got it?

Useful and Beautiful...

Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.“

- William Morris

Okay, so I am struggling...BIG SURPRISE. I was reading one of my favorite blogs The Keeper of the Home. I have mentioned it before...and she had this quote on her site along with a post about...stuff.

I have lots of stuff. But right now I am specifically going to focus on my school room. I have too much stuff. I am also NOT using the stuff. I have great intentions, but keeping it real I just dont use it. So we are, in the near future moving to a rent house. It will most likely be smaller than our current accommodations. This means I have to pare down!

I am sooooo not good at that! Now dont get me wrong. I will throw stuff away. I will throw perfectly good stuff away simply because I am in the ZONE and know it will never get to a recycle place, or thrift store! When I am in the ZONE, I dont want to bag stuff up and have it just sit in a corner waiting for the Salvation Army pick up day! I know that is BAD, but whatever it is what I do.

When I am in that place, I gotta get it out RIGHT THEN!

So back to my stuff... I have all this awesome home schooling stuff. I have neat curriculum, tons of books, hands on activities stuff, craft supplies! But I am not using it! Some of it I have had for years and still havent used. Some stuff I bought when I home schooled Sarah Jean and that was 10 years ago! I havent used it yet...but I cant bring myself to throw it away. I mean it is neat, it is educational and I have great intentions that I will USE it someday.

So the problem is letting go of things that are not useful or beautiful...

If I havent used it in 10 years and my kids are past the age I would have used it than I GET RID OF IT!!!

If I have plans for something "neat" than I need to put it in writing when I plan to use it, write a curriculum plan and put everything I need for it in a bag or folder!

If I have read a book that I didnt really like I DONT have to keep it. Even if it was a gift!

If I have changed my mind about a curriculum than I need to get rid of it! Bye Bye Horizons!!!

If I am NOT using it because my kids are simply not there yet, than I need to make sure that it is really a curriculum that fits into Dave and my plan for how we want to school. If it does not NO MATTER HOW AWESOME IT IS...I can throw it away.

If I have 5000 googly eyes... I can probably put a few hundred in a simple Ziploc back and GET RID of the rest! I don't have to keep every craft item I ever bought just because there were a few left of it!

If I have printed something out, but didnt use it I can throw it away... I can find it again on the world wide web if I need it!

If I have a paper that I really need to keep I can scan it into my computer and keep it on file! Wow using technology usefully!!! What a concept!

If it is not beautiful or useful...it's out of here!

For all you peeps who are freaking because I keep saying I will throw it away... I will put it all in a box or two and put it directly in my suburban. I will take it to our home school coop one time and on the way home dump the rest at a donation center! Feel better?

Maybe someone else will find it useful or think it beautiful!!!

Update, Accountability club, my envelope

Okay, so I have been a bad blogger lately, it must be in the air because a lot of my favorite reads have blogged just a little bit less lately! I have not been feeling well, we have been busy doing family stuff and I just having taken the time to blog!

Well a little update over the past few days. I was supposed to have my Accountability Club Mr. Linky up but I havent yet! My resolutions arent going great but they are at least going! I had my envelope post scheduled to come up on Jan 30 and it did before it was ready and I deleted it, but for any who got a peek...

I have lost a few pounds, I thought I would be embarrassed putting my weight on the blog but honestly everyone knows I am WAY over weight and no one believes I actually weigh that much anyway. Well I DO! But I really dont care about the number as much as how I "look", actually how my clothes fit! I am losing weight although very, very slowly! I see it as a glass half full though cuz at least I am not gaining weight right!

On my envelope....

I will tell you two other things that are in my envelope. One is my anxiety. I am such an anxious person, unless you too are an anxious person you dont understand! In fact many, many people in my life REALLY do not understand (shout out to my family!) I cannot help it. I can work on it. I can do my best, but I cant make the feeling of anxiety go away.

BUT... in December my sister asked me if my daughter could go with her out of state...like on an AIRPLANE. I said, "um no, I really dont think I can do that."

So I was literally typing a post a few days later and talking about working on my anxiety. I got up to call my sister and tell her that Kate could go. You cannnot fathom HOW HARD THIS WAS FOR ME. I got off the phone and cried.

I know she will be fine. I know she is with family. I know she will have a BLAST. I know this is an awesome opportunity.

DOESNT MAKE ME FEEL ANY BETTER.

But since we bought and paid for the air fare and I have told her about it... well let's say that I wont be making any appearances at the airport and I will be doing a LOT of praying!

Next in my envelope is our debt....

We made stupid mistakes. We are attempting to correct those steps by becoming debt free. We took Dave Ramseys class and while we do not follow the program entirely, our goal is to pay off our debt and live debt free. We DO NOT use any credit cards and have not for over four years. Anything bought is done with cash. Any vacation, any purchases, Christmas...etc. That is an awesome feeling!

But in addition to living credit card free, we want to be debt free! So that means paying off the old debt! Well this month we sent a money to pay 1/3 of a very large credit card! We have plans for Feb and March and that card will be DONE!

That is very exciting to us!

So there is my envelope post, accountability post, update of past few days post all wrapped up in one!

I will put mr. linky up in case you want to write an update post on your resolutions.

The Great Backyard Bird Count.....

Okay so next month is The Great Backyard Bird Count! We know it is coming every year but we always forget out about it! But not this year! WE are so particpating. We are buying 3 bird feeders this month and putting them out so birds will start coming here! WE are cleaning out our bird wash and getting it ready for the little birdies to bath! WE will be ready!

We are getting all our bird books out to help with identifying and we will chart all the birds that come!

The Wonder Years Blog is also going to particpate in the Great Backyard bird watch and has some great tips! Go check them out.

If you partcipte come back and link up on Feb 28 and let me know your total count! I will have a give away for the person who has the most birds!!!


So please little birdies... come on by!

Princess Day...

Well Matt was off with Mom having a special "day". Kate is going on a trip with Mom and Amy in February so mom is doing something with Matt and Emily this week and next. But today was Matt's day, he choose..Chuck E Cheese (just to play), Red Lobster for lunch and then strangely enough he choose to go over to Mimi's to spend private play time with his "cuz"! Actually for Matt it isnt a weird choice, I wasnt that surprised, but he could have picked just about anything!



Anyway, so Matt was away having fun and we decided to have an all day Princess Day. The girls and I read The Princess and the Kiss and we worked in the guide that goes along with the book. We worked on a scripture verse,

" I have loved you with an everlasting love." Jeremiah 31: 3b

We talked about preparing our hearts. How God hows his LOVE through providing for us and guiding us. We talked about God wanting GOOD for their lives even when you doubt what HE has for you. It was a wonderful time.

Later we read the Princess and the Pea did all kind of princess activities!!! Plus Kate wrote a short story and did MATH. Emily and I did a phonics lesson on blends and read a bit.

We had read the story of Hansel and Gretel last night so today we started the day by making a Gingerbread House! The girls had so much fun! They were busy for quite a while!

I also if you noticed by the girls PRINCESS pics that I finally got around to playing on PICNIK! Which I love and must absolutely pay the extra 24.95 for because I wanna change eye color!!! It is SOOO easy and awesome! I will be messing around more later when I have extra time!

Possibility vs. Reality

We all see possibilities in life...

Possibilities of a better relationship
Possibilities of a better financial situation
Possibilities of a new baby
Possibilities of a vacation, or new car

Than reality hits!

The possibility of a better relationship is stifled because one spouse is working on the relationship and one isnt (I dont mean you dear hubbie)
The possibility of a better financial situation is ruined because of a loss of income or a job change, higher insurance or doctor bills.
The possibility of a new baby is taken away for health reasons.
The possibility of a vacation or new car is put on hold for LIFE's bills.


This is the same for everyone... I mean it might seem like someone has it all, a better financial situation, a vacation to Disney and a new car, but their relationship is bad. Or someone might have a great relationship but not a baby. Or someone might buy a new car but than lose a good financial situation!

We ALL have trials! We all have reality to live with!

We are currently looking for a new house, well not new just different! We are wanting to rent and of course need "x" amount of square footage to fit our family of 5! We want to be in a certain area of town and have a particular budget. You know the drill. A nice house, that is big enough that you can afford!

Well in steps all of our possibilities!

A house that has square footage vs. location.
Or a house that has price vs. square footage.
Or a house that has a locations vs. price!

IT moves the rent house from possibility to reality. WE cant have it all. WE have to compromise. WE have to accept reality.

I want everyone to get what they need in life... I want people to live blessed lives and be joyful and at peace. But what is it that gives them joy and peace?

A house.
A relationship
A job.
A vacation.
A location.

No.

It is God.

As we drive around looking for our possibilities... we in reality want what God has for us, and that is what Dave and I are striving for. That is what we are praying for. Literally driving through neighborhoods praying that God will show us the house HE has for us!

What in your life is a possibility but what in reality does GOD want for you?


Carrie in Texas

Updates...

Okay...

I have loads of stuff to update! But first I want to say this...

Can you believe that it is January 25? Does it not seem like it was JUST Christmas!
Almost 1/12 of 2009 is already gone! Have you been keeping your resolutions??? Well on January 31 I will have a post with Mr. Linky up to recap all of our resolutions and to give an update on how we are doing.
It is the Accountability Club! So write your post and come post it to Mr. Linky!

Okay update. At the beginning of the week I posted my list. This was awesome. To be honest it was for the most part more than I could actually do BUT, I could have really gotten 90% of it done if I had worked a little harder! For instance, I could have vacuumed my room. I just kept putting if off and than life would happen and than it was already the next day... see what I mean?

So anyhoo... what this list did was make me accountable, because I just knew my bloggy friends would check back to see what I had accomplished or maybe not accomplished? So I WANTED to accomplish things. It was also a constant reminder of what needed to be done. I woke thinking...

"Hmmm, what can I get done on my list today???"

That is a great feeling. For instance on Friday I was supposed to go to lunch with a friend, well I messed that up--sorry again jennifer! But since we were already dressed to go out, we left the house! I took the library books, Kristals present, the clothes to donate and went to the bank and Target!

YEAH! I would just honestly not done all those things if they hadnt been on the list!

So here is the link back to my list post from Monday, go check out what all I got done!





Update on yesterday's post...


I can say- and HUBBIE confirms...


that I did for the most part have more of a meek and quiet spirit when dealing with the kids.


I mean I wasnt perfect, but I did so much better.


I was praying A LOT.


I tried to THINK before I spoke.


I tried to BREATH instead of BLAST!


and I did. I will continue to pray my prayer daily...


(Karly I do not still have the answers but you are welcome for coffee anytime!- I will keep you up to date on my progress)

Update---Jennifer I did make this...YUMMO! and the ganache was so simple!

Hubbie says, "Got Milk..."

My new prayer...

So I have been struggling dealing with an issue basically since my children were born!

Discipline...

I now you all do! I am sure none of you have it figured out! If you do, I'll buy you a cup of coffee if you will just TELL ME!

We have tried this and tried that. We are fairly consistent. We dont let the kids "get away" with stuff all the time...

But yet, we do not have obedient kids!

Now I have good kids compared to some, but I am not comparing! I want obedient kids.

I know BIG DREAMER!

But really I do want obedient kids, I do want to trust that my kids will do what I ask or other people ask. I know every parent wants that.

I used to get really irritated when a parent had "given up". Do you know who I am talking about? They couldnt MAKE their kids obey so they just stopped trying! What is that about?

Well I just dont give up very easy! So I keep trying different techniques to attempt to curb my kids disobedience! That is not working.

I know BIG SURPRISE!

So I am looking to scripture... now that is not to say that I havent looked to the scripture before but I am going back to some roots. I have a big problem. I dont obey the scripture so how on earth can I expect my kids to! I am told in the scripture to have a

meek and gentle spirit

Well I dont.

I yell. I raise my voice. I am ugly. I blast people.

I dont want to be this way, I have tried so many times NOT to. But I cant seem to help myself! If I as a grown adult cant control my actions why should I expect that of my kids???

So my morning prayer is looking like this..

Dear God,

I pray for peace over my family. I pray for YOUR quiet spirit to lead me in all my actions today. I pray that you will keep my tongue from saying things that you would not have me say. I pray that my actions will show you and that they will allow my children to see YOU through me. I pray that you will bring to my mind the scripture that will help me in each and every situation I come across during the day. I pray that you would give me wisdom in dealing with my kids. I pray that you would send them gentle reminders to choose obedience each and every time. I pray that you help ME to show the same grace that YOU show me every day! I pray that you instill in me a meek and quiet spirit. I pray that as I seek to know You more that I will learn to have self control and to think on good things. I pray that you will be in charge of our household and in all decisions we make.

In Your Precious Name,

AMEN


Feel free to ask me throughout the day if I am being meek and quiet, and if I am being an example of HIM.

Fitness Friday

Okay so Brenda at The Family Revised gave us our assignment.

GOALS

I have goals.

I have plenty of them.

I have big goals.

I have small goals.

I have unattainable goals.

I have detailed goals.

I have goals!

My problem is rarely making a goal! My problem is keeping it! I just dont usually manage to accomplish my goals. Now this is not me whining... this is just keeping it real!

goal- drink water
goal- lose weight
goal- eat healthy and sensibly in order to accomplish goal 2 and be healthy
goal- be careful with finances
goal- be careful with time
goal- travel
goal- read good books

Now these are some of my present goals, not all of them just a few!

Let's break it down...

Drink water- supposedly I need to drink an ounce for every pound. That's a lotta water ladies! I wont even tell you how many! But that a lot!!! I probably at the most drink about 10 cups (80 oz) I will work on this! I promise to up today to at least 13 cups!!!

lose weight- well I am losing a teeny, tiny, itty, bitty bit! But I am also NOT gaining so there you have it! I will watch my portions and my choices. I know the drill!

Eat healthy- I am cooking at home mostly which helps that some, I an incorporating some more veggies into the kids meals and trying really hard at this. It is a process!

Be careful with the money- we are totally meeting this one. Not perfectly but we are doing really well! We are paying off debt right now! FUN! Also we are saving for various situation coming up!

Be careful with my time- I am working on this... It is hard when things are already set in stone, but I am working on it and making the changes I can. One of those things is outside activities... we are getting better and I am staying home more!

Travel- this is important and we will do a little bit this year but right now travel money is mostly going toward debt! WE will travel later!!!

Read good books- I have a list of books I want to read this year. I will post it when it is complete. I am going to my first Adult Book Club club on Sunday night, I am very excited. I have never gone to one!

Matt and Daddy at the Airport Museum---Wings and Wheels Show

Last Saturday Dave took Matt to the Airpost for the Wings and Wheels show. My Uncle Joey was supposed to fly his plane in but it was to windy at the airport and he had to turn his plane around. But while they were there the boys checked out some planes! Matt took most of these pictures btw...with my NEW CAMERA! yeah!

Almost Wordless Wednesday...

This is from a while ago but she fell sound asleep this way!!!!!

Respectfully your, Mr. President...

Part One...

No matter if you like Bush, started out liking Bush, dont like Bush...none of that matters as of today!

He has done a GREAT service to this country.

George W. Bush and Laura Bush...THANK YOU.

Thank you for putting YOUR entire life on HOLD for 8 years. Thank you for giving up any personal time, any privacy, all you normal activities for the past 8 years. Thank you for placing your self in the care of the Secret Service and in harms way in order to Serve this GREAT NATION.

WE honor you and truly appreciate you for serving.

WE know that any decisions...right or wrong

Were made with your very best intentions in mind and we thank you.

May God bless you and KEEP you as you venture into this new part of your life...

Thank you Mr. President,

Respectfully yours,