Calibelle's Madhouse

Homeschooling 2011-2012

2011-10-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

I've had several questions on what we are doing for homeschooling this year. Don't really have time to go into it all,so hopefully, a picture really is worth a thousand words. :>)

Here we go...

Since August, Austin has read: The Box Car Children, The Secret Garden, The Black Pearl, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Where the Red Fern Grows, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Bud, Not Buddy, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Wizard of Oz, Sign of the Beaver, Little House in the Woods, Little House on the Prairie, and he is currently working on an abridged version of Treasure Island. I think there are more books, but they are likely still floating around his bed somewhere.

For social interaction...I have a small afterschool care running every day with six children here. He is also in boy scouts.

For P.E. Austin swims on the city swim league 4 days a week. He's getting quite a little bod on him. :>)

For Art, Austin attends a homeschool-group art class every Friday.

For music, we will start learning to play the piano come January, but shhh....don't tell him and spoil the surprise!

Hope everyone enjoys getting this little peek into our schooling world.
Love to all,

Taking Care of My Man

2010-10-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

I'm heading off to California today. Not sure how long I'll be gone. Three-four weeks, I suppose. I don't like leaving Doug this long. I'm feeling terribly guilty. I decided to make a whole bunch of yummy pop-it-into-the-oven dinners for him. This way he knows I'm thinking about him and that I love him.

He'll have Riviera Egg Pies, cheesy meatloaves, macaroni casseroles, chicken enchilada casseroles, ground taco meat (seasoned and ready to throw into a shell or on a salad), and a bag full of pumpkin muffins for the mornings. Truth be told, he'll probably just grab something on the way home from work, but at least I've tried.

Tree Huggers

2010-10-07T07:30:00.000-07:00

When I call my children monkeys, I'm really not exaggerating much.
When outside, you can find them in the trees.

Fun Little Kitchen Tip

2010-10-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a suggestion for when those pesky onion oils are just
too much to bear.

From 2010.10.06

Faith got a great kick out of this. She ran downstairs, grabbed an extra pair of goggles and the camera. (Notice the angle and blurriness of the picture.)

Camping FUN?

2010-09-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we braved our first camping trip in nearly six years. We paired up with some good friends and headed off for a weekend adventure. I say "adventure" because this wasn't just any ol' camping trip. This was a "birthday party" camping trip. Our campsite was teeming with half-naked wild ~~animals~~ children, none of which could find their shoes. There was a glow-in-the-dark bug hunt, complete with bug catchers and a collection of live daddy-long-legs and stick bugs. The party also include a scavenger hunt! A middle-of-the-night downpour added a soggy element to the experience. We all awoke to wet clothing and squishy pillows. Did the kids care? Nope. This simply added MUD to the fun. Awesome. It continued to rain throughout Saturday. The boys ran the campgrounds like a pack of wild puppies while the adults stood in the rain, drinking and marveling at the child perspective. While the rain added to the childrens' fun, a much needed, command decision to "just enjoy it for what it is and to leave a day early" was made by the adults. This of course, is easier said than done, when you know how much more cleanup is ahead of you now that the rain has saturated your every belonging. (Even my purse got wet. Days later, I handed a damp twenty to a store clerk.) Still, after awhile, our forced grins weren't so very forced. By the end of the day, our spirits were high enough to wonder if maybe sleeping on wet pillows wouldn't be so very bad. We did end up leaving early, but it at least it was on a positive note.

Thursday -Game Day

2010-09-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

For the third week in a row, we have implemented "Thursday-Game Day." Basically, once our lessons are done, we all meet at the table and play educational games together. I am on a hunt for FANTASTIC games and am open to any suggestions.

From 2010.09.23

This week we tried a new game called, "Hidden Hints." It's for ages 7+ and I rate it a 4 out of 5. I have two small problems with this game and I've docked a half point each. The first being that the clue cards offer no written phonetic pronunciation of the tested words. Austin was asked to read and comprehend the meaning of words like "picturesque" and "meticulously." He stumbled on the pronunciation and I had to help. Really this isn't a big problem, it's just that it's a bit limiting. Hopefully, he'll remember for the next time. Secondly, I couldn't keep my 4 year-old interested. I know. I know. It's for 7 and up! Still, many games offer some wiggle room in the age category. This one does not. We played this game FIVE times in a row. Austin just loved it. Faith bailed halfway through the second game. I DO like this game and highly recommend it. Just be prepared to be involved!

A big plus. The case is super fun and caught Austin's attention immediately.

From 2010.09.23

Answer three cards correctly and win a "Hidden Hint" towards finding your mystery item.

From 2010.09.23

First person to correctly guess at their mystery item wins.

From 2010.09.23

Reading the card out loud.

From 2010.09.23

Thinking hard.

From 2010.09.23

Hooray! Austin earned all three clues and guessed at his mystery item.

From 2010.09.23

One of Many Crazy Weekends

2010-09-23T16:18:00.000-07:00

We'll Start with Friday Afternoon.

Wash'n Gourds.
The kids and I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed the dirt and peelings off of 100 gourds. These gourds will be used at the upcoming community picnic. We tried everything (including a high-pressure steam cleaner) to get the little bastards clean, but in the end, the gourds still looked nasty. I later learned to soak them in a mixture of hot water and fabric softener for 15 minutes before scrubbing. Okay...I'll remember that for next year. Still, it was some quality time with my children, who for the most part, were happy to help.

Oktoberfest
Doug and I ditched the kids and happily skipped off to a land of beer, shnitzels, beer,carnival rides, and yes, more beer. It's been a long time since I've been on a carnival ride...I LOVE THEM!!! WAAAAHOOOOOO!!!! The scarier the better! Doug on the other hand, is not impressed and struggles to find the thrill. Bummer. I'd love to hear the guy scream! The beer was good. I drank more than I thought I would. Those steins were HUGE!!! I had to use two hands when tilting one up to take a ~~guzzle~~ sip. When we weren't standing in line or swimming in adult beverages, I was mean and partook in one of my favorite past-times...PEOPLE WATCHING!. What better place than a drunken carnival in ALABAMA?!?!?! For a little extra fun, I secretly snapped pictures of some of my favorite ~~freaks~~ individuals. No. In case you hadn't figured it out yet, I'm NOT a nice as I might seem. Fun night with my hubby and good friends.

Pics of Doug and me. A few friends thrown in.

Below is a small selection of my "WTF?!?!" collection.
I've prefaced with my "OMG! Get the camera!" face.

Saturday: The Monte Sano Art Show
What a beautiful day! (Okay, it would have been much more beautiful if I could have fit my fat ass into my shorts and didn't have to borrow a pair from a friend. These things do tend to put a damper on a girl's day!) I love taking the kids to things like this. We ran across an oil painting of Falls Mill in TN. Having recently been there, this caught Faith's eye and pulled us into the artist's booth. Faith was fully enamored and asked the artist several questions about her art. Precious. Austin found a scrap-metal exhibit that caught his interest. He took a ridiculous amount of pictures and had a great time.

Sunday was the community picnic. After last year's great success with the kids, I was asked to run the gourd decorating table again this year. Who knew the kid's would take to this so much? Doug says that my table's popularity was only rivaled by the free food. Again...WHO KNEW? I'm already signed up to do it again NEXT year! (Hopefully with bigger tables and a canopy. Geez. I melted in 100 degree weather for 3 hours!) Unfortunately the popularity of this silly project kept me chained to the table. I missed EVERYTHING! Such a bummer. Thank goodness for Doug. He kept an eye on the kids and socialized with all of the neighbor dads. The Bear Scouts got to check off a requirement by talking with the on-site police officer. The officer gave a small lecture and answered questions. THEN HE HANDCUFFED THEM AND THREW THEM INTO THE BACK OF HIS SQUAD CAR!!! Fantastic. The boys loved it.

So that was our crazy-fun weekend. A little too much for me,
but all self-inflicted!

Mystery Trail

2010-09-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

There's a chalk line out on my patio. I had better grab
my camera and follow it.

It starts here.

From 2010.09.23

Under the couch and around the carpet.

From 2010.09.23

And out the door. I wonder where I'm being led?

From 2010.09.23

Zoe's curious, too.

From 2010.09.23

Up the wall we go.

From 2010.09.23

Still following Zoe and the mystery trail.

From 2010.09.23

Oh. It ends here. Rather uneventful, don'tcha think?
(I must be really bored.)

From 2010.09.23

Fried Squirrel...It's What's for Dinner

2010-09-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

From Screen Captures

Let me preface this posting by offering some personal background information.
I'm not a big fan of guns. They are dangerous in the wrong hands. I agree that "Guns don't kill people-people kill people." Thomas Jefferson, Father of the Declaration of Independence wrote,

"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms ... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes ... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."

I cannot argue with this logic. I can simply state that the eternal optimist that lives in my heart hopes that if we all put down our guns, there will be less violence in this world and in our children's future.

I do not believe in senseless killing or killing for sport. Truth be told, I have gone without eating meat, entirely, and could do it again. My sappy and mushy heart looks at baby calves and piglets and loves them. I see these creatures play with each other. They jump and chase and wrestle. They have fun. They run to their mothers for love and care when scared. Pigs are known to have an equal-to or greater than intellect than dogs. I imagine their intelligence could rival a few people I know. I wonder what makes humans so much better than all of God's creatures? How do we know for sure that these animals don't have souls? They play and have fun. They show love and care for each other and other creatures. They demonstrate intellect. I believe they have as much right to live as we do.

I do understand and appreciate that we, the human race, are omnivores. God has created our bodies to thrive on plants and animal protein. I conceded my vegetarianism years ago. I reluctantly watched as my husband fed our babies steak. They delighted in it and I was forced to admit that this was as natural for them as the sweet potatoes I fed them.

I have married into a family that does not agree with my sentiments. They have all lived their lives owning and using guns. They eat meat and love it. They are average Americans and there's nothing wrong with that. My husband and his have zero issues with guns or killing animals.

I entered my relationship with Doug young and full of very strong beliefs and ideals. My heart contained very little "gray area."

I was NOT going to raise my children eating animals. Clearly I have conceded. I, too, now partake in carnivorism. Admittedly, I still feel quite nauseous while preparing raw meat.

We were NOT going to have guns in our house. Doug and Austin now have several.

My children were NOT going to lay a finger on a gun. I have conceded on this point as well. Living here in the south, I realize that many families own and use guns. I believe it important that our children be educated on gun safety for fear that one day they will run across one and make a deadly mistake.

Austin was NOT going to own a gun. Clearly this is a right of passage in a Brummett boy's life. Another concession. I agreed to allow Austin his first BB gun at age 10.

Yet again, I have been overruled. Austin just recently received a BB gun from his father and g-dad at the young age of 8. Grrrr...

Okay...Austin will NOT be allowed to shoot animals. He will only be allowed supervised target practice. He is to respect the value of animal life.

Now it is with this last part that I have come to the point of my entire post.

On Sunday afternoon, Doug shot a squirrel with a pellet gun. He first shot it in the rear and then he shot it right in the head. Doug killed the squirrel. My children burst into my house hollering, "Daddy shot a squirrel." They were bouncing up and down with excitement...practically clapping their hands. THIS is NOT who I want my children to be! At what point did MY values become irrelevant? In an attempt to respect Brummett values, I have allowed MY own values to be trampled upon. Where is the mutual respect and accommodation of personal beliefs?

Yours truly lost her cool in a BIG pissed off way. I yelled at my husband in front of my children. I let slip a few colorful words. I'm still wondering if the neighbors heard me. I hollered about animal life and senseless killing. That killing things was at the HEART of my problems with guns. About setting a positive example for our children. You don't kill things and not eat them! About waste. About disrespect for me and animal life. I was truly mortified that my husband killed this squirrel. ( I feed the squirrels and talk to them in the mornings. I feel like he killed one of my friends. For that moment, I hated my husband.)

Shaking with anger, I went inside to mourn for the little critter and my childrens' values. Shortly there after, them smell of cooking meat wafted into the room. Faith announced that, "Daddy's cooking squirrel for dinner!" Are you kidding me? As my anger wavered, my hands ceased to shake. I am personally disgusted at the thought of eating my friends, the backyard squirrels. I feel my stomach sliding its way up my throat at just the thought of my children eating rodent. I was adamantly opposed to it. Still,Doug had heard me. He showed me the respect of not wasting the life he had taken. He ate the squirrel. My children who were so thrilled at the death of this poor creature were each forced to take a nibble. (I opposed this at first, but realize that Doug was right in demanding this.)

As I have shared just a tidbit of this story with others, I have been met with laughter and a request to blog about it. I do see the humor in this story, and I have had a laugh. But I can't really offer my typical smart-mouthed and zany post. This actually hit me pretty hard, for several reasons. I'm still upset about the squirrel and the kid's reaction to its death. However, I'm no longer angry with Doug. He absolved himself the moment he popped that fried squirrel into his mouth.

Want It

2010-09-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

The kids and I have started saving our pennies for this little dandy.

The Zillio Mini Mountain
This is a top rated math game geared to ages 4-94.
Go online and check it out. Maybe you, too, will start dreaming
of the Zillio!

From digital_photos

Post-Game Goofs

2010-09-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

This silliness is quickly becoming one of my kid's favorite things to do.

Money Bags

2010-09-16T16:17:00.000-07:00

Introducing....drum roll.......MONEY BAGS! A fun to play coin value game that is an absolute HIT in our home.

From 2010-09-16

Fun, dollar shaped path to follow...

From 2010-09-16

Realistic $$$

From 2010-09-16

Goofy Characters are always a plus.

From 2010-09-16

This board game leads the players through a series of chores and odd jobs that are each assigned a coin value. The player rolls the die, moves the character, spins the wheel for additional coin collection instructions, and collects their pay.

This unlucky player had to give their chore money to Mr. Money Bags.
See how a player can spin on the NO QUARTERS section. The player would collect their 32 cents with a combination of pennies, dimes and or nickles.

From 2010-09-16

Faith is really a bit too young for this game, but she can certainly count the #'s on the die and move her player the allotted spaces. Besides, some of this money business is bound to wear off on her, right?

From 2010-09-16

Well, look at that! Austin stole all of Mr. Money Bag's money!

From 2010-09-16

He's $$$RICH$$$

From 2010-09-16

Monkey see. Monkey do.

From 2010-09-16

Faith "reading" the instructions, ensuring that we all play by the rules.

From 2010-09-16

Time to count up all of our chore money and make an exchange.

From 2010-09-16

Faith is fully aware of what a dollar is. This game just took on a new meaning to her.

From 2010-09-16

There you have it. Learning Resources, "Mr. Money Bags."
Kid tested. Mother approved.

It's FUN! See?

From 2010-09-16

Wanna See Sumpth'n Cute?

2010-09-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

From 2010-09-16

A Trip on the Caribbean Ocean.

2010-09-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

Today's assignment was to look at a picture, answer a few story-building questions and write a story using a handful of vocabulary words. Austin narrated and I typed. Yes. I did help a little bit. I mainly kept him from veering off into a dozen sub-plots and I occasionally suggested an appropriate time to use a vocabulary word. For the most part, this story is written by Austin. Good job, Kiddo.

A Trip on the Caribbean Ocean

by Austin

John and Michael were two brothers who were on a cruise vacation in the Caribbean. While John was enjoying a drink outside, a monsoon storm appeared out of nowhere. Dark black clouds rolled in and it got very muggy. The waves got bigger and bigger, crashing against the sides of the ship. A bolt of lightening struck the ship and a huge fire started. The passengers were scared for their lives and began jumping off the sides of the ship. They all forgot that lots and lots of sharks live in the Caribbean. Soon, nearly 20 sharks began a feeding frenzy. John and Michael remained on the ship waiting for the fire to burn out while all of the other people were eaten alive. When the fire had finally destroyed most of the ship , the brothers jumped of the sides onto a piece of driftwood. The sharks were now full and had swam down to their caves to wait until they were hungry for their next meal. The monsoon had calmed but it was still raining very hard. The boys kicked away from the ship wreck as fast as they could. They were pretty frightened. They floated on their raft for at least one more day. They had almost given up hope when they saw a bright light about 20 feet away. A rescue boat had finally found them! A friend named, Derek, was driving that boat. He drove up to John and Michael, grabbed them, and pulled them to safety. Soon, he drove them to a close-by island that he knew of that had lots of fruit that they could eat. John and Michael were thankful to have reached land and put their feet on firm ground again.

The End

Kids Got My Camera

2010-09-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

I love how much they love each other.

On My Way!

2010-09-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

Today I finished the last of my CDA (child development credential) training. One year, 120 clock hours in lecture, 480 hours on the job. It's been a great year and I've learned much. Next step is to test through the state and have my paper reviewed in Washington. I still have to figure out the on the job assessment, but I'll find a way!

I Needed A Project

2010-09-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

There have been too many changes the past few months. The hamster in my head keeps spinning on her wheel. Day and night and night and day. I can't sleep. My thoughts are continuously returning to the chaos. My brain JUST WON'T STOP! I needed a positive distraction...a project of some sort. A project large enough to do the trick but small enough to finish on my own and to complete within the newly assumed "tighter than last year's jeans" budget. Ahhhh...the hideous bathroom. I HATE this bathroom. We bought our house two years ago, and I have loathed this bathroom each and every day. Thing is, the tile is really well done. I can't in good conscience rip out perfectly maintained tile. Not to mention the price in a full bathroom remodel. Hmmmmm....where to begin?

From 2010.09.09

I started by ripping off the AWFUL wallpaper. You can't tell by the picture, but it has teeny-tiny black dots and little pink flowers. The border is black and white with a bouquet of pink flowers. Ewww. The walls had ZERO texture. That added an unexpected step to my little adventure.

I'm quite certain that Doug enjoyed watching me work. I turned around several times to find him snapping pictures of me.

From 2010.09.09

Next...what color does one paint a black and white bathroom? Red was a common answer. White was another. Baby blue is NOT my thing. Hmmmm. I made a rather bold choice of GREEN! As I began painting, my friend Melissa looked at the color and said, "I'm a little nervous for ya, girl!" I can't tell you how much that pleased me. Melissa's an art major and this wasn't an obvious choice for her. Good. I didn't want anything obvious.

Yikes! It was very green. Maybe I was a little nervous for me, too.

From 2010.09.09

I painted the sink vanity and replaced the nasty white pulls with brushed nickel.

From 2010.09.09

Throw in a few more accessories...

From 2010.09.09

Finding the right shower curtain was a pain in the booty. Not to mention shelf do-dads.

From 2010.09.09

There we have it. Our bathroom all freshened up. I don't hate it anymore. :)

From 2010.09.09

Still to come...Doug will build a black frame to surround the mirror and I am looking for a large green rug to replace the black ones. Now here's my question: Do we replace the light fixture or keep it? If I do replace it, any ideas?

From 2010.09.09

I would appreciate any and all helpful commentary on this. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Fieldtrip Friday

2010-09-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

I will be attempting a regular "Fieldtrip Friday" in our homeschooling adventures this year. It may or may not happen weekly, but I am certainly gonna give it a try.

From 2010.09.10Fieldtrip

Today, we went to a gourd farm. "A GOURD farm?" you ask. "WHY?" Well,"Why not?" I will be running the gourd decorating table again at this year's community picnic and we needed to round up some gourds. We were fortunate to get a tour from a sweet and funny couple that had been working on the farm for the past decade. Both kids really enjoyed this rather odd outing, declaring it to be a "perfect" fieldtrip. Who'da thunk it? Thank you to our friend, Cynthia, for setting this up for us.

Some of these gourds can reach over 6' long and can pull in around $50! Nuts.
We did learn that in order to avoid cross-pollination, the gourds are pollinated by hand at four in the morning. This continues for an entire month! I'm beginning to understand why these things are so expensive.

From 2010.09.10Fieldtrip

Dumb bells

From 2010.09.10Fieldtrip

This will go for $250. I'm still in shock. Who would of thought there would be so much money in funky fruit? Of course, I can't help but going straight to the gutter when I look at some of these things.

From 2010.09.10Fieldtrip

Yup. Still in the gutter.

From 2010.09.10Fieldtrip

Mr. Grady looking for a BIG gourd to show the kids. What a nice man. Very sweet and just silly enough to keep the kid's attention.

From 2010.09.10Fieldtrip

Gourds have all sorts of creative uses.

From 2010.09.10Fieldtrip

I want to live here.

From 2010.09.10Fieldtrip

A private lake with a paddle boat! Maybe I can get them to adopt me?

From 2010.09.10Fieldtrip

The end result. We took home 100!

From 2010.09.10Fieldtrip

The Good Days Get You Through the Bad Days

2010-09-09T17:59:00.000-07:00

Today began with a fight. I informed Austin that I would be reading his lessons to him while teaching him how to take notes. WHINE! "But I HATE writing!" His hazel eyes teared up and his little face wrinkled up into that of a sour old man. Ugh. It was gonna be THAT kind of day...again. After a few rounds, I lost it and demanded that Austin put his shoes on and grab a backpack-we were headed back to public school. Daddy intervened and suggested that I go old-school on the kid and smack him with a ruler every time he whined or complained. Nice. Oh, so very helpful. However, the threat of corporal punishment did manage to straighten out Austin's attitude. After a little prayer and a few deep breaths, Austin and I were off to one of our more successful schooling days in a long time.

Austin's lessons were completed in record time. He scored 100% on each of his assignments and on his spelling test. He completed more handwriting than I had ever seen him do in one setting. We performed a science experiment. (We love those.) We joked. We laughed. We both learned. We were done by 11:30 a.m.!

Since we were on such a roll, I put off my household chores and took the kids to the bookstore. We picked up a sweet book and a jigsaw puzzle. Faith, Austin, and I spent the next two hours reading books, working on puzzles, and playing games. Afterwords, the kids and I turned up the music really LOUD, sang, danced, and tackled the task of cleaning the kitchen and preparing dinner.

I'm tired and I'm ready to be done playing "Mom" for the evening, but I'm happy and am thankful for this day with my children. As my dear friend has repeatedly reminded me..."It's the good days that carry you through the bad days"...we were ALL long over due for a "GOOD DAY."

"The Pokey Little Puppy" an old friend that I was happy to bring home today.

From 2010.09.10

And a puzzle to go with our new book.

From 2010.09.10

This shark puzzle is surprisingly difficult.

From 2010.09.10

Ta Da!

From 2010.09.10

Just 'cuz she's pretty.

From 2010.09.10

Happy girls.

From 2010.09.10

I know it's for little people, but "Shoots and Ladders"
is still one of my favorites.

From 2010.09.10

We have a winner!

From 2010.09.10

We also have a poor loser banging her head in disappointment.

From 2010.09.10

So sad.

From 2010.09.10

For the next game, the person with the smallest feet
got to go first.

From 2010.09.10

The "Ducky" game. One of Faith's favorites.

From 2010.09.10

Can you guess who won this game?

From 2010.09.10

Uh-oh. Looks like we have more than one poor-sport.
Hmmmm...Gonna have to work on this.

From 2010.09.10

Badaweenas

2010-09-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

Faith has been signed up for a year at Jill's Dance Studio. In her 5-year-old class they learn ballet and tap. She LOVES it. The hard part is getting her to hold still long enough to take a picture. Below are some of my attempts.

From 2010.09.02

Silliness

2010-09-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

Silly Putty Monsters..."They don't really ebzist but they sure are spooky."

From 2010.09.02

Just Another Day at School

2010-09-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

From

Faith's assignment was to practice cutting long straight strips into the sheet of paper. She did a lovely job and,well...took a few liberties. This would be frowned upon in a public school, but in MY house, we applaud this sort of creativity. (With or without panties.)

Lest Thou Partake in Poor Grammar

2010-08-31T07:56:00.000-07:00

"Faith,I'm no longer a Tiger Scout. I'm now a Bear Scout. When the time comes for you to join the Girl Scouts, I believe you'll start out as a Brownie. MOOOOOMMMM! Momma! Is that right? Will Faith start Girl Scouts as a Brownie, or possibly a Daisy?"

I caught this small snippet of conversation this morning. Can I just say how pleased I am with my eight year-old son's language development? Doug and I have never really approved of speaking to our children as little people. Starting from a young age, we have tried to speak to our children as adults, using proper grammar and our big-kid voices. I can't take all of the credit, I do believe that all of the reading we do makes a big difference. We read A LOT of quality classic literature. These stories often use an older language, instill positive moral values, and engage the reader with their amazing tales. As I hear Austin using words such as, "perhaps,""pardon," and once a "who-so-ever," I feel reassured in our decision to homeschool. Just as I begin to I fear that he's growing up all too fast, I'll catch him referring to pancakes as "pan-a-cakes" and astronauts as "aster-nuts." I'm typing this post with my dear son singing (in his most annoying voice) the Star Wars theme song. Over and over and over and over. Kids will be kids.

Mama's Got a Brand New Bag...umm...I Mean BLOG

2010-08-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

Inspired by a friend's enthusiasm for her upcoming blog "make-over" and by a returning urge to blog, I've given Calibelle's Madhouse a brand new, oh so girly, look. I have even entered a handful of new posts! Could it be that I'm back? We'll see...

Field Trip Fun

2010-08-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

From 2010.08.26

Today we visited Falls Mill. This is an operating water-powered grain mill and museum in Belvidere, Tennessee. It was originally built as a cotton and woolen factory in 1873, but was later converted to a cotton gin, then a woodworking shop before its present use as a grist mill. My children showed a slight interest, not yet appreciating history, but LOVED exploring the bottom of the stream bed.

Here is a view of the water wheel. I believe that this is the mill's third wheel, the first two being made of wood and only lasting 8-9 years. This last was purchased over 100 years ago for $1050. Wow.

From 2010.08.26

The belts and wheels working away...I loved seeing the mill in action.

From 2010.08.26

I wasn't able to get a close up picture of this machine behind Austin, but it cracked me up. A DOG POWERED BUTTER CHURN!!! The dog got his exercise on a tread mill that pumped the churn. A little elaborate, don't you think?

From 2010.08.26

Spinning. She asked what kind of plants fibers could we spin. When no one answered, I answered, "Hemp." She asked again...I again answered, "Hemp." She completely ignored me. Ha.Ha. It's not like I suggested we smoke it. Clearly, she was looking for, "Cotton." It just seemed a little too obvious to me.

From 2010.08.26

Weaving is pretty cool. Austin got to help a bit.

From 2010.08.26

We listened to a restored player piano.
Faith, Austin, and WONDERBOY!

From 2010.08.26

After our tour, we picnicked below the mill and played with all of our new homeschool buddies.

From 2010.08.26

Austin and Wonderboy bring out the goofball in each other. Their energy is almost uncontainable. Need to learn how to bottle it. I was in definite need of a shot by this point in the day. LOL.

From 2010.08.26

Oooooh. Salamanders. They hunted critters for at least an hour. I was presented and apple-juice bottle full of minnows, as well.

From 2010.08.26

Lots and lots of little people to get to know this year.

From 2010.08.26

I came home with a bag of Falls Mill corn meal. Faith and I made corn bread muffins for dinner. YUM!!! This is some good stuff! Not your average grocery store quality. Very tasty. I suppose I'll have to drive back up to TN for some more!

From 2010.08.26

Weekend of Freedom

2010-08-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

Let me start this post by saying, "THANK YOU!!!" to our lovely friends for keeping our mini-monsters for an entire weekend. What an awesome gift! Doug and I truly needed the escape. We didn't go to any extremes in celebrating this fantastic milestone; the relaxed "us" time was all we needed. I didn't have to cook ONCE! No dishes...no grocery store. We enjoyed a couple dinners out, a fun mountain bike ride, we toured downtown a little bit, joined the YMCA, enjoyed a little indoor recreation :>), and we worked on the the downstairs bathroom renovations. All in all, it was a great weekend.

Has it Been Ten Years Already?

2010-08-20T07:51:00.001-07:00

Funny Little Faith

2010-08-19T05:57:00.000-07:00

Faith: "Mama guess what?"

Me: "What?"

Faith (bent over with her tush pointed at me): "Chicken BUTT! Bththththththtth!"

Me: "What a lovely little girl I have. Don't point that thing at me!"

Faith: "But, WAIT! I forgot that's not what I wanted to tell you. Mama. Mamaaa. MAMA! I wanted to tell what I want to be for Halloween!

Me: "Oh. Tell me. Something PINK, right?"

Faith: "Nope. I wanna be a CHINESE GIRL! That's a good one, right?"

Me: "Hahhahahahahahha! You funny little thing."

Grandma Nancy!!!

2010-06-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

Oh, boy! Oh, boy! We love it when we have visitors!

Recent Austin Pics

2010-06-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

Recent Faith Pics

2010-06-22T08:32:00.001-07:00

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Father's Day

2010-06-20T16:09:00.000-07:00

What a Great Way to Start Summer

2010-06-04T15:56:00.000-07:00

The fountains at Bridge street are an absolute favorite with my kids. Of course, it does tend to bring out the potty-minded side of them. With us were close friends the L-Kids. We'll just call them "Thing One" and "Thing Two" until I know if it's okay to use their real names.

Goofy-Goobers

2010-06-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

Yikes!

2010-04-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark! What the heck is going on out back? Those rotten dogs are barking their heads off. YIKES!

Does anyone remember a past post where I confessed a deep hatred for snapping turtles? Nothing's changed. I loathe them. They are nasty buggers and they scare the piddle outta me. You can imagine my reaction when we found this momma scouting our backyard for a place to lay her eggs. I tried animal control and then a neighbor who (chuckle.chuckle.) offered me a recipe for "fine eatn's."

From 2010.04.29

Botanical Gardens in April

2010-04-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

I took Ms. Fafe and friend "Smiley" to the gardens after work one day. Oh, MAN! Those two were full of energy and sillies. We cut our trip a little short because they WORE ME OUT!

Easter

2010-04-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

This Easter was lovely. The weather was warm and the children were in high spirits. We participated in the neighborhood church Easter festivities and then went to a friend's home for some swimming and more holiday fun.

Recent Cakes

2010-03-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

I've added a new cake that I made this past May. This cake was a birthday request from my friend's 13-year-old daughter. I created a teal and lime 13 to go on the side. The cake decorating turned out pretty well, most certainly an amateur job. I learned how difficult it can be to work with chocolate fondant, large volumes of butter cream and high humidity. Let's just say...things got sticky. However, the bottom layer was chocolate-chocolate chip with a fudge filling and the top was a chocolate-chocolate chip with caramel filling. OMG!!! Both layers tasted FANTASTIC! Don't mean to brag but I think that I make the best chocolate cake in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!! My rear end agrees.

Pictures!!!

2010-02-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

Community Picinic

Morning glories on the back fence

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Carving pumpkins with friend, Connor

Halloween with the Jones family

Grandma and Grandad visited in Nov. These are some pics from their camera.

Faith's 4th B'day. We went to Chattanooga, of course. The catamaran ride on the Tenessee River was VERY cool but got to be a bit too long for all of us. The captain let the birthday girl and her brother drive for a little bit. Very special.

Turkey cookies for Faith's class

From 2009.11.23

Grandma Jenny and Uncle Robert came for a short visit early in December. These pictures are all from Rob's camera.

Santa's Village. After standing in the line to see Santa for 45 minutes, Faith refused to sit on his lap. Grrrr....

Christmas day...presents, stickybuns, park, dinner, stories, Cootie game, bed...whew.

Snowy Days

Home School Perks

2009-09-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

This was the little boy that came to our lessons today. How I managed to keep a straight face, I'll never know.

From 2009.09.24 Community Picnic

Ya gotta love this kid.
.

Is She REALLY Posting Again?

2009-09-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

Yes. It's true. I stopped posting the day I went back to work. Yes. I have been busy. But, honestly, I just got a little burnt out on the whole blog thing. I'm trying to get back into it, but now I really am busy working AND homeschooling. Doug recently said that I smelled like, "Playdough and bubbles." That about sums it up. My world seems to be all about teaching little people. Certainly not a complaint. I love it. But, after spending my days teaching them and my evenings preparing to teach them, I'm not feeling very inspired to take my few personal minutes WRITING about children. So please, bear with me as I find my groove again.

Love to all of you.
Erin

BTW...The Calibelle's Madhouse site is under construction. I hate to sacrifice picture size for a fun backround template. I need to make some adjustments before I'll be satisfied.
.

Fun at the Lake

2009-09-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

After a year of Austin's nagging, I finally got the courage up to ask Doug's boss if we could come up to his lake house and go fishing. I was met with an enthousiastic,"Yes!" and a great big smile from my boy. Not only was the boat house opened up to us, but we were treated to dinner and a lovely evening with a fine couple. We all had a great time. After we pried the kids off of the lake and said our thank-you's and goodbyes, Austin snuggled up close to Mr. Jim and said,"I'm gonna invite you to my birthday party." (Note that Austin's birthday isn't until late February.) Mr. Jim said that it was one of the nicest things a child had ever said to him.

Summer '09 Pool Pictures

2009-09-15T12:31:00.000-07:00

Playin' Indoors

2009-09-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

These summer storms have required us to get a little creative. I'm pleased to say that both of my children do a beautiful job entertaining themselves. Of course, this does sometimes lead to "playdough barretts." (Notice the playdough pressed into Fafe's hair.) They even amuse me when they clean up the playroom.

A Story by Faith

2009-09-08T11:44:00.001-07:00

This afternoon, my little potty-mouth, Faith, told me a story. It went something like this:

"Once upon a time there was a butt. The butt had two eyes, a nose, a mouth, and two ears. The butt had pierced ears. One day the butt was very sad and ran away."

I interjected with, "Why did the butt run away?"

She continued..."Because nobody really likes a butt-head. All of his red friends and all of his pink friends would chase him and spank him in the face. So...the butt-head with earrings ran away. The End. Oh. His old friends could always find him because they just followed the poopie smell."

Okay...Yes. Faith has an absolute potty mouth. We generally really discourage this, but I didn't want to critique her story telling. Remember that Faith is just three years old. Honestly, I think it's quite a funny and well thought-out story. Is it just me?

Gotta love her.

From 2009.08.15

Summer Camp Fun

2009-09-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

I didn't bring my camera on all of our activities, but I thought I would share a little bit of what my summer looked like.

This was one of our letter-boxing adventures on Monte Sano. The directions informed us that it was 1.5 miles to our destination, but it DIDN'T mention that our return trip would be on a serious incline. By the end of it, the kids HATED me. Ha. Ha. Weenies. I thought it was fun.

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Here are some pictures of the DRIVE THROUGH ZOO! I'm pretty sure that they DON'T have these back home in CA. So very hick. All snide comments aside, it was fun and a little bit crazy. We drove in the van and all of the animals followed us. You can see from my pictures that I kept the windows rolled up for most of the trip. I am most definately an animal person, but I really didn't like the emus. They were pushy and kept trying to stick their heads into the windows. The kids laughed and screamed, pushed and shoved. It was an absolutely successful adventure.

We went roller skating every Tuesday afternoon. On this particular day, I was camera retarded. Excuse the aweful pictures. The lighting was difficult and having 20 wobbly kids on wheels tends to keep a girl busy with matters more pressing than figuring out camera settings.

Green Mountain is GORGEOUS. I plan to set up a letterbox there sometime soon. This was a beautiful day and I would have loved the hike if I hadn't stupidly brought Faith. It was too much a hike for her and I ended up carrying an extra 40lbs for nearly two miles.

The Chocolate Crocodile gives free tours to children. They also give each child a yummy little goody bag. BEST FIELD TRIP EVER!!! The kids had so much fun and the chocolate was so good. If we all wear those glasses/nose/mustache disguises, maybe I can get us all back in. Wink. Wink.

Bridge Street has such a fun fountain center. What a great way to cool off on a hot summer day?

We tried bowling. Some of the kids liked it. Most were pretty disappointed that they weren't as talented as their Wii's would have them believe. Pretty sad, really.

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Get your own

The big end of the summer fieldtrip was to Chattanooga. I know. I know. Chattanooga AGAIN. What can I say? I LOVE IT! You'll notice a little ham-bone in more than a few pictures. She just kept jumping in. I was amused more than irritated.

So, this is pretty much what I did with my summer. If you happen to like kids and a LOT of them, it's not a bad job.

My Wednesday Night Kids

2009-08-05T13:17:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. It's time for me to say goodbye to my Wednesday night kids. Half of our kids weren't there tonight. Bummer. I would have liked to hug them all one last time. I know that it's time for them to move on, but I feel a little bit sad. I've spent nearly two years with some of these children. This was a tough bunch, too. Feels like I just got them into the groove and now I have to send them away. Boo. Hoo.

Calling All Chain-Saws

2009-07-31T11:45:00.001-07:00

Yes. Everyone is okay. I fell and possibly fractured my arm (Explanation at an other time...I'll go to the dr.s tomorrow) but we are all just fine. We are more than fine. Faith was sitting on her bed directly below where the bulk of the tree hit the house. God was watching and protected my sweet baby. I feel more gratitude than anything else.

If anyone feels inclined to come play lumber-jack tomorrow, please feel free to come on by. We would *SO* appreciate the help. I'll feed and water any good samaritans.

From 2009.07.31 downed tree

The New Patio

2009-07-01T07:39:00.000-07:00

This summer we built a screened in porch. It is AWESOME. How nice it is to go outside without being eaten alive by mosquitoes. I find myself gravitating to this area more than anywhere else in the house. I sometimes wake up early to enjoy a few minutes of solitude out on the porch with my books and my coffee. We have also been doing our studies and painting out on the porch in the afternoons. My only regret is that we didn't do this sooner!

I've Had a Bad Day

2009-05-27T16:07:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought it was safe to bring the scissors out of hiding, Faith goes and shows me how little I know. Geez. I was upstairs putting laundry away while Faith was downstairs *silently* watching cartoons. I'm heartbroken. She had such beautiful hair...

From Faith's Long Hair

Her hair was usually a bit messy, but I did so love it.

From Faith's Long Hair

The pile of hair clippings.

From 2009.05.27

"I'm berry berry sorry."

From 2009.05.27

No. It's me who's very sorry.

From 2009.05.27

Faith rockin' the mullet/ducktail. Party in the back
and buisness up front. Nice. This makes me so sad.
I loved braiding her long hair.

From 2009.05.27

I can't believe she did this.

From 2009.05.27

Now I really do have mixed feeling about taking Faith to such a fun kid's salon, but I wanted a stylist experianced in "self cuts." Part of me wanted to leave Faith's mangled hair just the way it was. She could certainly live with it for a few days. Maybe then she would feel the effects of her actions. Maybe...On the other hand, I will be starting work at the preschool tomorrow. This "I don't watch my children and I let them play with scissors" look is really not how I want to start things out. So...off to the stylist we went. Besides. I don't think I could continue to look at Faith's "do" AND keep my temper.

The stylists at Spoiled Rock'n Kidz are great.

From 2009.05.27

And here we are. Very short.

From 2009.05.27

You can't really tell, but she has several REALLY short and stick-outy spots.

From 2009.05.27

The barret helps cover the super short spot on the side.

From 2009.05.27

Amaziningly enough, her hair turned out rather cute. I admit that I MUCH prefer longer hair on my little girl. Still...I really am impressed with the care that the stylist put into this fix. I didn't want a pixie cut and wanted to start the growing out process immediately. Faith's hair was shaped to look neat today and it should grow out nicely without much maintenance. This, of course, is provided she doesn't attack it before then. Thank goodness I found Spoiled Rockin' Kidz!

From 2009.05.27

May Scouting Activites

2009-05-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

This year, each cubscout family was assigned a month to be in charge of. The Brummett family was assigned the month of May. Austin and I had so much fun creating our activities. We decided to design our month around taking care of our earth and the creatures in it.

For the first week, we discussed living green and lessening our carbon foot print. We also discussed our world's vanishing frogs. Did you know that our frogs are going extinct? This is the world's greatest loss since the dinosaurs. Within our lifetime we will likely loose one third of the world's frog population! We also discussed bringing beneficial creatures into our yards. Bats, owls, spiders, toads, ladybugs and praying mantis' are all examples of creatures that we should protect and encourage in our environments. For the craft, we made toad houses. A toad can eat 100 mosquitoes, slugs, worms,etc...a day. Talk about natural pest control!

For our second week, we learned about the food chain. We talked about what would happen if we allowed our top predators to disappear. The boys all worked together and made a food chain poster. They were so cute working together and enjoying learning as a team.

Our third week was my very favorite of projects and lessons. We made worm composting bins and discussed the benefits of keeping our waste out of the landfills. Both the kids and the parents seemed to enjoy this project.

Today ended our May scouting obligations. The pack (or those who were still in town on Memorial Day weekend) all met at the neighborhood park for some community service work. The boys actually seemed to have fun picking up trash and cleaning up their park. I think that our pack may very well make this a bi-monthly service project.

After the clean-up project and a small lunch, we all piled into our vehicles and headed off to Hayes Land Preserve for a letter-boxing adventure. (Thank you to the two love birds who created the letterbox and made sure that it was ready for us. You know who you are!) This was my first time letterboxing. What a cool thing to get into. What a great way to teach your children to follow instructions and to open their eyes and look at the world around them. We all enjoyed the adventure continued on for a fun little hike afterwards.

Goodmorning Momma

2009-05-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

This morning, my children jumped out at me looking like this. They were each growling, "Wiki Tiki! Wiki Tiki!" Wow. Apparently they need to be cut off of the old Scooby Doo episodes! Too funny. They look kinda like those Luchadores, don'tcha think?

From 2009.05.23

Beware of the Wiki Tiki!

Doodle Fun

2009-05-22T16:33:00.001-07:00

You've heard of Kung Fu Panda, but have you heard of Kung Fu POPPY? KEE-YA!!!

From

Poppy spent most of her day dressed as a "Karate Dog" and was repeatedly asked to jump up on her hind legs. The kids were trying to get her to bark while in the air. Oddly enough, Poppy seemed to enjoy the costume as well as the attention and treats. She never did bark for the kids, though.

Back in the Kitchen

2009-05-15T12:10:00.001-07:00

The kids and I have been making COOKIES!!! We made chocolate chip cookies for Faith's preschool class, for the little boy around the corner who broke his arm, as a birthday gift for our friend Zach, for the soccer team and for the cubscouts. OOH boy!!! That's a lot of cookies. I've been using this as an opportunity to fine-tune my recipe. I know the taste that I want, but I'd like them to come out a bit more cake like-WITHOUT the use of shortening. Maybe I'll make just one more batch...anyone want some cookies?

My Life

2009-05-15T11:51:00.001-07:00

Shredded pantyliners. Yeah. This pretty much sums up my life with kids and dogs. Thanks Fafe. Thanks Zoe.

From 2009.05.15

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

This Mother's Day was a bit of a flop. I had really wanted to have a picinic at the Botanical Gardens and then to all come back home and work on the yard. Unfortuately, it was raining AND Austin came down with the flu. Bummer. I spent the day watching t.v. and caring for Austin. The day wasn't a total loss, however. Spoiled little me was given a KitchenAid stand mixer. WAHHOOOO!!! This thing is AWESOME!!! I love it. Faith also made me a beautiful flowerpot with her fingerprints in the shape of a flower. It is so sweet and she is so proud. Despite feeling cruddy, Austin made me a lovely little card. My family loves me and made sure to show me that they were thankful for me. I'm not big on Halmark Holidays, but it is nice to have a little recognition every now and then.

From 2009.05.15

My Summer is Looking Up!

2009-05-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

Now I have to have a popsicle party!

Margarita Popsicles:

Ingredients

* 3/4 cup sugar
* 3/4 cup fresh lime juice
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
* 2 tablespoons tequila
* 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
* Kosher salt, for garnish
* Special Equipment: 4 small popsicle molds.

Directions

Combine sugar, lime juice, water, lemon juice and orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool transfer to a blender with tequila, orange liqueur, and lime wedge and process until smooth. Pour into the molds. Freeze until hard, preferably overnight. Remove from freezer and run cup under warm water to loosen popsicle. Garnish with kosher salt and serve.

My summer is looking up!

Popsicles For Breakfast, Anyone?

2009-05-07T07:13:00.000-07:00

Just had to share this recipe that has recieved two sticky thumbs up from the kids and two chipped nail polished thumbs up from me. Since I started making my own yogurt (I'll reserve details on that for a future post) with the raw milk that we have been buying (again, another post) I have been looking for all sorts uses for yogurt. As my mother did, I make yogurt popsicles regularly. Boy oh boy, did we do good on this one!

First of all, I sweetened some vanilla yogurt with a little extra steevia and added a squeeze of lemon juice. I put this in a small ziplock bag.

Next, I pureed two cups of hulled strawberries. I added a splash of vanilla extract (yes, I'm making that too), about one tbs of lemon juice and 3 tbs blue agave syrup. This strawberry mixture went into another small ziplock.

Afer snipping a small corner in each bag, I alternately "piped" each flavor into the molds. Easy Peasy. In the future I will skip the ziplock and use my piping bags. It was a little messier than I had hoped and I'm much more proficient with the piping bags. Doesn't really matter, the perfectionist in me just wanted them to turn out prettier.

Never the less, the popsicles turned out like YUMMY strawberry creamsicles and perfectly healthy.

I think that for my next batch I'll try cherries instead of the strawberries. Then maybe peaches. Mmmmmm....

From 2009.05.06

As most of you know, my children are of the clothing optional mindset. :>)

From 2009.05.06

Faith and Daisy

2009-05-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

We've been pet sitting "Daisy" a little maltihuahua that belongs to the our friends the G-Kids. Okay, I admit she's not my favorite dog in the whole wide world. In fact, I nicknamed her "Rat-Turd" and "The Abomination." Despite my efforts to make Daisy happy, the poor nervous little dog just couldn't settle down and relax in our home. However, she IS a sweet little thing and I can certainly tell that she is very loved at home. There aren't many little dogs that allow themselves to be wrapped up and loved on like this. Faith LOVED having Daisy stay with us.

OOPS! The video is sideways. I'll fix this a little later.

Weekend Fun

2009-04-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

Austin: "Mom, if you love Chattanooga so much, why don't you MARRY it?"

Me: "Maybe I will. So THERE!"

This weekend, in celebration of Earth Day, the Chattanooga aquarium was hosting a party. Of course, we HAD to go. So, after a rather amusing 9am soccer game, we headed off for a day of fun in Tennessee. We had a wonderful family day and I really do love Chattanooga. I'm working on a plan to spend a few days up there as a mini-family vacation.

Pig-Nosed Turtles:

(I feel that I should defend the grumpy tone I used with Austin in this clip. My son has recently started having to "go" RIGHT THIS SECOND! He gives absolutely NO warning and becomes ridiculously dramatic if you don't drop everything and let him go. I'm just plain sick of it. It is NOT a medical issue. Austin is a drama queen, plain and simple. This nonsense is wearing my "sweet temperment" thin.")

Look who found a mirror! You can't tell, but Faith attracted a crowd of people. Several people also caught her on film.

More mirror time

More Cute Faith

Hey. Look! There's a Poodle in my Doodle!

2009-04-21T12:55:00.001-07:00

I think we can all agree that Poppy is a pretty goofy looking dog, no matter what the cut, but this new summer "do" takes the cake. I will say though, that Poppy seems to like it. She normally sulks a bit after being shaved. She's been very "prancy" since coming home from the groomers. Great. I have another princess in the house.

Before Picture:
Okay, she's a pretty cute goofball.

From 2009.03.15

Lots of curls. Lots of fur.

From 2009.03.15

The Poodle in my Doodle.
I keep telling Poppy that princesses shouldn't sit with their legs wide open.

From 2009.03.15

I'm always surprised to see how skinny Poppy is. (Yes. That's a naked Faith behind the puppy. I don't know why she's naked. She was just dressed five minutes ago.)

From 2009.03.15

She sure is a good dog.

From 2009.03.15

Marriage

2009-04-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

Today I recieved an email with bunch of questions about marriage that young children had answered. Some of the answers were pretty funny and I kept wondering how my OWN children would respond. So...I asked them. Faith only answered a few. She really wasn't interested in talking to me just then.

1. HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?

A- I don't even know how to begin to answer that question.

F-I'm marrying Evan Grace.

2. WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

A- How about 51 years old? Nah...31. That's still pretty old.

F-When I have a baby in my tummy. (YIKES!)

3. HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

A-She has a ring with a diamond on her finger and they are probably kissing.

F-Uh-uh.

4.WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

A-Well, they both have crooked teeth and sometimes they both drink that big bottle of booze together. What's that stuff called again? Yeah. Wine. It's gross.

F-They like STUFF.

5.WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

A-They go to Rosies and have dinner and maybe give eachother presents, too.

F-Stuff.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE TURNING SOUR?

A- I would sneak into my car (if I had one)drive home, pack up my things, and run away.

F-I'd kill'em. (What a sweet little thing.)

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

A-When no one is watching or maybe when they are married.

F-I'm gonna kiss Isaac.

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR TO BE MARRIED?

A-I don't know. I'm not an expert on that. I think I'd choose not to be married, though.

F-She fled the scene.

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?

A-There wouldn't be as many people because the girls wouldn't be getting the "ingredients" to make babies.

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

A-I'll just keep giving her gifts when she gets angry. That's what Dad should do for you. You might be a little bit nicer, if ya know what I mean.

Austin's First Soccer Game

2009-04-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

Yay! Austin had his first soccer game...AND HE ENJOYED IT!!! The coach did an excellent job making sure that all of boys got to play and get time with the ball. I especially liked that in Upward Soccer, they don't really keep score. (Of course the boys do, and the Wolfpack spanked the other team.)At one point in the game, the coach pulled the star player, because the other team had not yet had a chance to make a goal. It was only after the opposing team had made a few goals and regained confidence, that he was allowed to play to his full potential again. Austin did OK. He needs to practice dribbling the ball with BOTH feet and he needs to be MUCH MUCH more aggressive on the field. Oh...it might help if he paid a bit more attention, too. Really, though..the important thing is that he'sgetting some excersize, socialization and having FUN!

Austin on the bench, watching the game through "binoculars."

From 2009.04.18 Soccer

Deklin has the ball. He ROCKS. At one point the kid HEAD-BUTTED the ball across the field. Do you see Austin smiling?

From 2009.04.18 Soccer

Austin likes to run next to the ball without actually kicking it. So many lost opportunities...Oh well. He's awefully good at getting himself in there. That's gotta count for something.

From 2009.04.18 Soccer

Cool shot. Austin got to kick from center field.

From 2009.04.18 Soccer

Again. He's very good at getting in there. Now...to gain confindence and learn to take control of the ball.

From 2009.04.18 Soccer

After the game, the boys award eachother stars. The team awarded Austin with a "Best Effort" blue star. I'm gonna have to agree with that assesment. He earned it.

My Favorite Way to Babysit

2009-04-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

Kids are funny. OOOOH! T.V.

From 2009.04.17 pizza

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone! I had such grand plans for this year's holiday. At Christmas, I decided that it was time to start bringing in a little bit of our own family traditions. Although relaxing, our family-of-four holidays are lacking a bit of the magic that makes memories. For Easter this year, I had planned on making my mother's cinnamon rolls, Nancy's lamb cake,and Aunt Sandy's egg dish. These personal favorites have always made the holidays feel more special. Unfortunately, I found myself sick with a fever and a head cold Friday. I slept most of Saturday. Doug,apparently, wasn't up to braving the dying of Easter eggs on his own. WE DIDN'T DYE EGGS! What kind of parents are we? We didn't even have an egg hunt the next morning. Fortunatley, the neighborhood church held a pancake breakfast and an egg hunt after the service. Easter morning, Austin, in his usual fashion, woke the family just before 7am. He had already raided the Easter baskets (we did manage those!)and was bringing Faith basket trinkets in bed. Yawn...I still felt like crud. We kept the baskets very simple this year and were pleasantly surprised to find that the kids were just as pleased as ever. I guess when you don't have another child's basket to compare yours to, it's easier to be thankful for what you've recieved.

Despite our lack of holiday enthousiasm, the Easter Bunny did pay us a visit. He seemed to have forgotton a half chewed up carrot on the coffee table. Boy is that bunny messy! He left a little "carrot crumb" trail all over our living room. (I think that he chews with his mouth open. Gross.) We could see everywhere that he had been in the room. I've gotta tell ya...that Bunny is pretty nosey! He was all over the place! Maybe he was just looking for the dyed eggs that we were supposed to have left for him to hide. I don't know. I'll have to set out the video camera next year...catch him in the act.

I guess it was a good thing that Austin woke us all so early, because we barely made it to the church by 9am. I'm so glad that we went. This small community church is FULL of children. I loved seeing all of the little girls twirling in their beautiful Easter dresses while the boys squirmed under their handsome collared shirts and ties. We all felt very welcome and enjoyed the company as well as the meal. Our children hyped up on candy, syrup and the anticipation of an egg hunt wiggled through the entire service. Aside from a few choice phrases provided my darling little Faith, we survived the "family service" and were set free to go hunt eggs. I'm sorry to say that my Austin took home more eggs than his fair share. He'd dash from here to there and before I got a chance to tell him to save some for the little kids, his basket was full. Turns out that I'm one of "THOSE" mothers who let their big kids bombard the little ones. I didn't mean to be. It all just happened so fast. He had half a basket full before Doug and I even made it out onto the field. I think that Faith may have picked up one or two, but she wasn't that competitive nor did she seem to care all that much. I felt a little better about Austin, when he came over and shared several of his eggs with his sister. I grabbed a few more and tossed them back onto the grass. After the hunt, both kids played with thier friends on the playground while Doug and I chatted with several of our neighbors. Being around all of the children and watching them enjoy the magic of the holiday reminded me of all of the fun my cousins and I always had on Easter. It wasn't the same as being home, but I did feel part of a family and a bit of that childhood magic I miss so much. With a few adjustments (coloring books for the service. a gag for Faith, and reminding my child to be considerate) we may just have found an Easter tradition afterall.

Aunt Bec sent a bunny cake pan to the kids for Easter. I got a little bit of help but my little bunnies bounced off to examine their eggs and to eat candy. Thanks Aunt Bec for the fun pan.

From 2009.04.12

More pictures. We seemed to get more video this year than pictures. I'll try to get some of that up soon.

I Suck.

2009-04-06T13:14:00.001-07:00

This Saturday was Austin's first soccer game. He was excited. We all were. We showed up in high spirits, camera in hand, and ready to play. But where was his team? We didn't seem them anywhere.

Yup. I suck. His game was at 8 a.m., NOT at 9 a.m. Oh, and by the way...Austin doesn't play for the Jayhawks. He plays for the Wolfpack. Crap. No wonder I got the time wrong. I had my kid playing for the WRONG TEAM!

In my defense, Austin DID originally play for the Jayhawks. Then the team got split. I just didn't catch the name change. We could taste Austin's disappointment. I felt like the worst momma ever.

More Randomness...

2009-04-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

Faith and Austin were happily playing in their room for nearly an hour before I was invited to share in the fun. When I walked in the room there were made up baby beds lining the floor but only one baby happily wrapped up and in a bed. Faith then introduced me to this baby. "Baby Jack", she called him. "And, Momma. Momma! Over here under my crib are "the cousins." Sure enough, several little naked baby dolls were piled under the bed..."the cousins." Austin had rigged a pulley system over the side of the crib to hoist each "cousin" up and out from under the bed for a feeding. Faith, oh so sweetly, attended to each baby before shoving them back under her bed.

I'm sorry, but I think that this "Baby Jack and The Cousins" thing is really FUNNY. Kinda messed up, but really funny.

More Austinisms...

2009-04-06T12:57:00.001-07:00

Austin and I were playing outside when he randomly brought this up:

Austin: "Momma. Sometimes I think that God made us out of playdough."

Me: "Mmm..Okay. Well, the bible does say that He made us out of dirt and then breathed life into us."

Pause....

Austin: "Well...That makes sense, because when I put my fingers in my mouth, they taste like dirt."

Chuckle. Chuckle. I just love this kid.

Soccer

2009-04-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

Austin has started playing soccer this season. This was, admitedly, my idea and not his. He has shown NO interest in playing sports. I've been frustrated with his lack of sportsmenship and lack of self-confidence. I'm thinking that a team sport will help with both of these issues. Austin will be playing on a very low pressure Christian soccer team. Each child gets to play and each child is awarded recognition after each game. I am *SO* hoping that he enjoys this. I'm not excited about giving away all of my Saturday mornings, but I suppose the kid's worth it.

A few pics of this week's practice. Austin seems to be enjoying it. He's not all that bad, either. :>)

From 2009.03.31

Another One?!?!

2009-04-01T19:06:00.001-07:00

"Hi. My name is Erin and I am a cake-a-holic. It all started out innocently enough...admiring a friend's amazing cakes. Then I decided it would be safe just to
TRY making one. The first one tasted so good. I ate way too much of it. I woke up wanting a bite and went to bed wiping cake crumbs off of my mouth. I thought I had it under control, but then some of my other friends asked if I would take a class with them. Its all been down hill from there. My house smells like cake. My clothes smell like cake. My KIDS smell like cake. I have all sorts of "cake ideas" that I want to try. I keep saying...Just one more...THEN I'll be done. My house is a disaster. All I have to show for my day is cake. I'm getting fat. I don't fit into my jeans. I want to drown my fat sorrows in more cake. Please, dear friends...I think I need a cake intervention."

LOL..Okay...I think it's really more like I am an impatient perfectionist and will keep making cakes until I learn to disguise or not make any mistakes. I'm frustrated by the flaws I see in my little creations. I can find several in each one. I don't like spending that much time on something to not "get it right." I really do need to chill out on the cakes. My rear really is getting big and my house really is getting messy. Just one more....for Easter...then I can stop. Maybe. :>)

This latest cake was hands down my favorite cake that I have done. It was so HAPPY and Spring-y. I thought it was a great way to express how much I enjoy this time of year. This little delight was made for my kids at church. It was my little thank you for letting me take a month off of teaching to take this decorating class. It was fun to show off the "fruits of my labors." It felt good to make something special for my class and to see dozens of little faces so happy. How can you eat a cake like that and not feel good inside? Thankfully, I was able to share (force) enough of my cake with our friends at church that I only brought home one large slice for Austin and Faith to share. My sad "skinny jeans" thank all who helped eat that monster sized cake.

From 2009.04.01

But Wait! There's More!

2009-03-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

I spent today making another cake. This time it was a cake that I chose to make and not one for the class. This one seems so much more my style that the others. No nasty fondant. FROSTING! No loud pink bow or hard crunchy flowers. My cake was completely and wonderfully edible. Always a lemon fan, I made a lemon pudding cake with a raspberry marshmallow filling. Yum...the cake took longer than I had imagined it would but I think it turned out really nicely.

From 2009.03.28

Cake Finale

2009-03-27T11:04:00.001-07:00

Well, my four-week cake class is over. I enjoyed the class and found something that I'm actually decent at. It was fun. It was NOT relaxing. Good grief. There was a lot of work that went into this class and the fondant flowers. I think I spent about seven hours making 38 fondant roses for my final cake. The final cake construction was a disaster from beginning to end. To start with, I made my fondant instead of buying it. The store bought product is great for decorating purposes only. It is VERY expensive and it tastes like chewy sweetend shortening. We peeled the fondant off of my last cake. So...a couple of us tried a marshmallow fondant recipe that our instructor gave us. Both of our batches were complete flops. (We think that the recipe might have been incomplete or that the marshmallows should be melted on the stovetop instead of in the microwave.) Anyhoo...the fondant was unusable, and this meant a last minute change of plans. I opted for my chocolate coma cake instead of the planned almond cake. The coma cake can hold its own without frosting and and the almond is very tastey but needs a little something.

The next problem I ran into was the actual baking of the cakes. I picked up these "magically wonderful" silver strips that you wrap around the cake pans while cooking the cakes. These little wonders are used to keep the cake from doming and to ensure a level top. Well....hmmm....I guess they work. Instead of the cake rising into a dome, it stayed flat in the middle and cooked out the sides. Two days later, my house still smells like burnt cake. With two cake batches down the drain at 10:30 at night, I was feeling a little testy. Oh! And of course! I was out of veg. oil and needed to run out to the store. I started my second batch of cakes at 11pm. I was pooped and picked up a couple of boxed cake mixes instead of making mine from scratch. They made crazy huge domes that took up half of their mass. Grrrr...I had LOTS of left over cake scraps and my intended 4" cakes turned out about an inch shy of my goal. Again, grrrr.......At about 12:30am, my cakes were cooled enough to remove the domes and to start icing. Wahhhhh....one of the cakes ripped on the side. Okay...breathe...just grab some of the icing from the last class and "patch" the cake sides. The patch held, but it wasn't pretty. I began icing the cake only to find that I had grabbed the wrong kind of icing from my fridge. Waaahhhh....I was icing my cake with ROYAL icing (the stuff you make flowers with that hardens and lives indefinatley.) Great. My cake was going to have crunchy icing underneath the fondant. There's just no coming back from that one. I was ready to grab my cakes and with a running start SHOTPUT them off my back deck. But, alas...there was no time the next day to get the cake done before class. So, I whipped up some buttercream frosting and did my best to make amends to my cake while amusing myself with visions of my dogs eating splattered cake off the lawn the next morning. At nearly 2am, my cake was covered in fondant and looked presentable. At last...I could go to bed.

So, my cake was more costly than I had hoped for. It was lumpy. It had crunchy icing in between the layers and a nasty tasting fondant cover. BUT...I took it to my last class anxious to finally finish this nightmare cake. Surprise surprise. After I stacked the cakes (which got bumped and left a little "wonky" looking) and added the flowers, my cake actually looked pretty. Professional? No. Prettish? Yes. I was glad that I finished the cake. My flowers really did turn out beautiful, and despite falling short of the high expectations I had for myself, I was proud of my accomplishment. I mean really...I'd be totally impressed with the cake if it weren't mine!

So here are some pics of my nightmare cake. I'll post them up, take a deep breath and put this cake business to rest for a few days.

My beautiful roses. I was very pleased with the way that they turned out.

From 2009.03.27

My Lumpy-Bumpy-Crunchy Nightmare Cake "pre-flowered."

From 2009.03.27

Judy and I with our "almost" finished cakes. Can you tell I was exhausted? I mean really! Look at that hair! I LOVED Judy's color choices. I would have never thought of that. Gotta start thinking outside of the box.

From 2009.03.27

The cake:

From 2009.03.27

Well that IS pretty...still needed a few more detailed touches...sleep first.

From 2009.03.27

Oh but wait! Does it get any better than this? My cake! My Semi-beautiful nightmare cake got the PERFECT ending! Can you guess what has happened to my cake? If you've been reading my blogs for any length of time I'm sure that you've already got a pretty good idea...FAITH. Yup. That's what I get for leaving Faith and my cake alone in the same room. She made it,"So much more Boootiful, Momma. Don't SPANK ME!!! I'm berry sorry. But it's BOOOOTIFUL!" No. I didn't spank her. I didn't even punish her. I was too tired and slightly amused. Like I said, "It was the perfect ending."

From 2009.03.27

And LOOK! She even added a little something.

From 2009.03.27

The Garden in March

2009-03-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

March might be one of my very favorite months here in Huntsville. I love watching the world wake up. Everyday, the grass is a little greener, the trees begin to bloom,and the jewel colored flowers seem so very vibrant after the dreary cold winter. It's nice to see all of the birds again, too. They are so very busy finding worms, calling for mates, and building nests. Oh! And pooping on my truck. Never the less..I feel energized by the sunlight and the return of life.

Makin' a Cake

2009-03-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

This cake decorating business has definately peeked the kid's interest. I've heard a lot of, "Can I try's", "When't it gonna be my turn's?" and "COOL! How did you do that's?" I promised each of them a chance to make a fondant rose this weekend. I surprised them by letting them MAKE their own cakes. They made the cakes on their own. I gave guided direction and hovered VERY closely. Of course, I ran the oven duties, but other than that...the kids made thier cakes and decorated them. It was a fun project and the cleanup wasn't bad. I think my favorite part of this was the kid's postive attitudes and cooperation with eachother. Faith did an amazing job following directions. I had know idea how much she could really do. She was OH SO CAREFUL when cracking the eggs. Austin's first egg drooled down my cabinets, into the drawers, and on to the floor. His next egg landed in the bowl, shell and all. Pretty funny, really. I enjoyed listening to Austin while making his rose. He has been watching me and I have been telling him step-by-step each direction..."Punch the little flower in the tummy with the ball...tickle the tummy with the brush...have the head HUG the center...the legs like to hug the arms..." I hardly had to remind Austin of the steps, he knew what do and I heard my silly instructions come right back out of his mouth. Look at his rose! It's better than my first one!

Cub Scouts Pine Box Derby Qualifier

2009-03-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

Austin's car took third place in the Pine Box Derby Qualifier Thursday night. It might have done better if he hadn't dropped it and broken the fin off. Still...he qualified and was able to repair the car and compete in the regionals. There were a LOT of super cool cars out there. Like science experiments, you can tell which kids made theirs and which parents made them. Austin and Daddy spent several hours working on theirs together. Austin drew out the design and chose the colors. Daddy used the saw, Austin sanded and painted. It was a real team effort...AS IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE. I was glad for the project, but we all found the regionals to be a bit too much waiting around for little boys.

The Qualifier with pack 364

The Regionals at Madison Square Mall
The lady in uniform is our den mother, Debbie.

Fun at the Park

2009-03-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

We've been playing at the park a bunch lately. Austin got a soccer ball and a basket ball for his birthday. Both kids really enjoy chasing the ball!

These pictures are all taken within two weeks of a eachother. Notice the crazy weather we've been having. One day it's 45 degrees, the next it's snowing, the next we're in the upper 70's, and then the rain came. It's STILL raining.

Look What I Made!

2009-03-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

A couple ladies from the neighborhood and I are all taking a cake decorating class together. This was my first cake. Not too bad, if I don't say so myself.

I need to find a recipe for fondant that actually TASTES good. The fondant is pretty enough to be worth the extra effort, but it tastes a little like vanilla sugar and shortening. I think I still favor an ugly cake that tastes like heaven to a gorgeous cake with a chewy covering.

From 2009.03.12

Looks like I smudged my bead border with the cake cover. Bummer.

Sci-Quest TORNADO Class!

2009-03-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

Today I took Austin to his first science home-school class at Sci-Quest. The hour long classes are held once a month and are on a different subject each class. This month's topic was TORNADOS. (A popular topic in these parts.) I took little Isaac along with us. I wasn't sure how much sunk in until we got home and Austin starting talking about EF4 tornados. Okay. Don't learn THAT in the average first grade class!

A smaller class of 5-7year olds.

From 2009.03.12 Sci-Quest Class

Kids putting pennies in the "Money Funnel" taking note that the pennies gain speed as they near the base of the vortex.

From 2009.03.12 Sci-Quest Class

And Mom was concerned about how Isaac might do in his first classroom setting!
Isn't he cute?

From 2009.03.12 Sci-Quest Class

SUCKED IN!!!

From 2009.03.12 Sci-Quest Class

Tube spun and the fire got long and skinny. They talked about how a tornado is formed by hot and cold air mixing in an unstable enviroment.

From 2009.03.12 Sci-Quest Class

Making thier own vortex's. Where else do you see vortex's? Austin replied, "When you flush the toilet!"

From 2009.03.12 Sci-Quest Class

Each child brought home a "Tornado Maker." Now we just need to drink 4 liters of soda to get the bottles!

From 2009.03.12 Sci-Quest Class

Next months agenda: Density. Should be interesting.

Austin's Birthday, Take 2

2009-02-28T12:56:00.000-08:00

As we promised, Austin was allowed a slumber party for his 7th birthday. We kept it small and only invited 3 friends. Everything was done very low key: Delivered pizza, open a few presents, eat a little cake, watch a movie, attempt to get the boys to sleep. The saving grace of the party was the anticipation of SNOW! We were looking forward to 4 inches of snow the next morning. I warned the boys that the snow would come early in the morning and could very well melt before noon. If they wanted to play in it, they had better get their sleep and wake up early in the morning. The little rascles finally crashed just before mid-night. (This was actually a HUGE improvement to the last sleepover.) The next morning we were blessed with a wonderful snowfall. By 7:30a.m., I found my groggy and frozen little self standing at the park watching the boys attempt to have a snowball fight. We only got about an inch and a half of snow, but I heard no complaints and it certainly did make the party one to remember.

Here are some pictures of the "night of."

The "Snow-Morning" after:

Creative Defense

2009-02-27T12:55:00.000-08:00

I thought this was pretty cute. I love that my "Big Boy" still plays. This was Austin's imaginative way of keeping Faith and Poppy out of his room.

From 2009.02.28

Back to the Gardens

2009-02-26T07:02:00.000-08:00

It's February, and time to get in for our monthly visit to the botanical gardens. THIS time we got to take Grandma Chris with us. We started out our visit with paninis and hotdogs at the garden cafe...mmmmm....Then we went for a stroll around the gardens. Although sparce, we did take note of the signs of new life popping up here and there. The daffodils were blooming and we kept our eyes out for little tiny flowers emerging from the leaf mulch. We found a tadpole the size of a mouse in a pond...not sure how that big guy is surviving the cold. Still no butterflies, but we were greeted by two early bird turtles in the pond. The kids had fun running through the kid zone and hunting out new life. I can't wait to see the changes instore for us this March!

Who Knew?

2009-02-22T07:28:00.000-08:00

Who knew that Austin and a blow-dryer don't mix?

From 2009.02.28

Yes. I have since had his hair cut and we did brush those nasty little teeth.

Happy 7th Birthday, Austin!

2009-02-21T18:58:00.000-08:00

My little Austin is now seven. Time flies.
Grandma Chris flew in for Doug's and Austin's birthday. The kids were so excited for her to come. A birthday's not a birthday without a grandma. We decided to keep Austin's special day simple this year. After a leisurly morning, we all headed off to Toy's R Us to spend the birthday money burning a hole in Austin's pocket. We came home with a very cool Lego set and spent much of the remainder of the afternoon playing Legos. After an early dinner at Rosies, we had the *G-Family* join us back at home for cake, icecream, and presents. Austin surprised us all by picking out a carrot cake instead of the typical white cake with vanilla frosting. He also wanted the one with carrots and not one with flowers or balloons. Fine by us. Carrot cake is great.

It was a laid back and happy birthday.

Two Peas in a Pod

2009-02-21T18:47:00.000-08:00

Faith and Evan Grace are the bestest of buddies. They are *SO* cute together! When I say together, I mean TOGETHER. They don't split even 5 feet from eachother. They trade clothes and repeat everything that the other one says. Pretty funny.

These are pictures from Austin's b'day.

I've Got Her Now!

2009-02-21T07:24:00.000-08:00

Best blackmail picture-EVER! The teenage years might not be so terrible after all.

From 2009.02.28

Sweet

2009-02-14T07:14:00.000-08:00

Our wonderful postman, Charlie, brings the kids candies from his wife's candy store on holidays. How nice is that?

From 2009.02.14

Friday Night Fun

2009-02-13T07:07:00.000-08:00

Another fun filled evening with the *G-Kids*.

From Collages

Happy Birthday Jess!

2009-01-31T08:58:00.000-08:00

My bestest friend here in Huntsville is Jess. We met a year or so again at church and immediately "clicked." For her birthday Doug and I invited Jess and her family over for pizza, cake, and games. I think we all had a really nice time.

I actually baked a cake from scratch. I've only done that once before. Costco and box mixes are entirely too convenient. But, I wanted to put the extra effort in for my friend. Even if it turned out like chocolate covered cardboard, I would have at least tried to do something a little extra special. Fortunately, the cake turned out amazingly well. My caramel filling wasn't quite the consistency that I would have liked it to be and my chocolate concoction leaned a little bit. The taste however was great. Chocolate cake made with cinnamon and coffee with a caramel filling. It was like a very rich and decadent truffle. It was hard to eat an entire piece. As we all finished our cake, we found ourselves in a state of chocolate comatose. I've decided to keep the recipe and call it "Chocolate Coma Cake." Anyhoo...enough about the cake. Happy Birthday Jess. I'm so glad to have you as a friend. Thanks for spending your special day with us.

Coma Cake

From 2009.01.31 Jess's B'day

Kids warming their hands by all of the candles! :>)

From 2009.01.31 Jess's B'day

Birthday Girl (and help) making a birthday wish

From 2009.01.31 Jess's B'day

The Outside "Holiday Tree"

2009-01-31T08:14:00.000-08:00

A short reprieve from the cold weather allowed my children to spend most of the weekend playing outside. I loved them running into the house with sweaty forheads, red little noses, dirt smudges all over and smelling like filthy puppies. Austin has taken to climbing trees and he learned to hop the fence. Now he prefers hopping over the fence to using the door. Nice to see my little boy acting like a BOY. Both kids gathered the plethora of dog toys spread across the yard and "decorated" my hydrangea bush. They were so proud. My sweet little puppies came running in for the camera to take pictures of their "holiday tree." I really am blessed to have children who play so very well together. I love it.

From 2009.01.31

A Bug?

2009-01-29T20:08:00.000-08:00

Help. Momma! Momma! There's a poofy bug in the hall! Momma...COME LOOK! Get it outta here. I don't like poofy bugs!

The "poofy bug" apparently kept moving whenever Faith walked by it. It really freaked her out! I tried not to laugh. (I wasn't successful.)

From 2009.01.31

Foam Fish

2009-01-26T12:28:00.000-08:00

We are loving foam sticker crafts. The kids can do them with very little of my direction and they are fun to play with afterward. Best of all, very little mess!

From 2009.01.26

Helmet Powder

2009-01-26T12:23:00.000-08:00

As I was making brownies today, Austin asked if he could pour the "helmet powder" into the mix. Goof-ball. I've gotta get that kid cookin' in the kitchen!

Observe the lovely "Helmet Powder."

From 2009.01.26

Calling the Kettle Black

2009-01-25T15:17:00.000-08:00

Have any of you ever checked out my hubby's blog?
Doug's blog
I'm terribly amused by how much of a dork my man is. He is very meticulous and he writes very detailed posts about his tools, his garage, his bikes. Can any non-tool-dork actually follow what he's talking about? I'm pretty sure that most of his readers actually read about half of what he's written while grinning and shaking their heads. He recently posted a video that he made of his garage. He introduced all of his tools and showed us where each one lived. My spoof: "Hey guys. What's up. This is my new bench and her name is Bertha. This is Dora the Drill Press and this darlin' over here is Sarah the Skill Saw. This is Bambi my band saw. I love her. I really really do. OH! And have you seen all of my baby hand planes tucked neatly away in their drawer? Aren't they so cute? Do you think they are too cold in this drawer? Do they need a blankie?" I'm pretty sure that he kisses them each goodnight before he goes to bed. I could go on and on, but really...this isn't nice.

My point: This last weekend, I cleaned and organized the kid's playroom. I was irritated with the lack of organization, and let's face it...the lack of child help. I decided to label EVERYTHING (the toys, the tubs, and the shelves)to make it perfectly clear where each toy goes. There are no excuses. (Okay. Faith could probably argue that she can't read, but WHATEVER!) The room is immaculate. The closet is perfect and I actually enjoyed the project. I find myself walking into the room and looking at the closet just for a little smile. Turns out that I am just as much of a dork as my husband. (Maybe not JUST as much but close enough.)

We now know what tub the toys go into
and where the tub belongs.

From 2009.01.18

Sci-Quest

2009-01-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, my Grandma Sue gave us a year membership to Sci-Quest. Awesome fun. Thank you Grandma. The kids just love it. On New Year's Eve, Doug and I took friends Drew and Will with us. The boys went crazy over the robot arm. Last week, we went again with our friends the G-Family. No matter what the adventure, we always have more fun when our friends join us.

Observing Winter

2009-01-24T08:33:00.000-08:00

Doug and I took the kids to the Botanical Gardens Butterfly Center this morning. No. I didn't expect to see butterflies or all of the turtles happily basking in the pond. But, that was my point. I tried to prepare my children for the experience of seeing NOTHING. I wanted them to observe the cold dormant gardens so that they can appreciate all the signs of new life as the weather begins to warm. The kids weren't as disappointed as I feared that they might be. They both seemed to grasp the lesson. We looked in the turtle pond. "Where are they?",the kids asked. We talked about where the turtles might go to keep warm. They wondered if the caterpillars were eggs waiting to hatch or if they, too, were hibernating. We talked a little about migration. It was VERY cold outside and our lesson was kept to a minimum. I don't think that any of us had a super time, but it was a nice family outing and it served its purpose. Thank you Grandma Nancy for the membership to this wonderful garden. We plan to go at least once a month and to observe all of the changes of each season.

Faith's First Day of Preschool

2009-01-22T14:09:00.000-08:00

Hooray! Hooray! 2009 is off to a GREAT START. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, Faith will now be at preschool from 9am-1pm. Thank goodness. I love my daughter, but she is SO very bored at home. She can't be trusted alone...she gets into anything and everything. This has always been difficult for me, but now that I'm homeschooling Austin, keeping a careful eye on my daughter has proven to be nearly impossible. I would have had her enrolled earlier in the year, but the potty-training issue continued to get in the way. Now that Faith is 95% there, I was able to sign her up!

We enrolled Faith last week. Over the weekend, Daddy took her out shopping for a new pair of shoes and a first day of school outfit, in hopes to build excitement for her first day. We packed her lunch in a hot pink Barbie lunch box (GAG!) and packed her little pink backpack full of extra clothes and sleeping towels. Faith was ready to roll. Momma, Daddy, and Austin all took our little Faith to the preschool. We walked her into the room, the teacher met Faith and then showed her around. In less than five minutes, my baby girl was waiving good-bye to us and turning her back to engage in play. No hesitation. No tears. She was happy to be there and happy to see us go. Oddly enough, I wasn't teary. I wasn't even concerned. Faith has been ready for preschool, since she first sat in on Austin's preschool class at eight months old. I felt confident that this was the best thing for her and I went home with a smile on my face.

At home, Austin and I sat down to our first day of uninterrupted lessons. The day's work was completed in record time and we both enjoyed a new level of relaxation. Whew. We needed this.

I felt a touch of anxiety, as we went to pick Faith up from school. I entered the classroom to find the children playing outside. Faith and another adorable little
girl were happily teeter-tottering away. I received a nonchalant, "Hi Momma." and my baby turned her back on me yet again. She wasn't ready to go yet. Big smile. Giant sigh of relief. Maybe I was a little more nervous about this than I had thought. :>) Whatever the case, I think that we were both ready for this step. Faith is already anxious for her next class.

Faith in her new outfit and new HOT pink shoes.
This picture really captures my "Miss Fafe."

From 2009.01.24-Faith's First Day of Preschool

Faith outside of Faith Presbyterian Preschool
Not a drop of hesitation.

From 2009.01.24-Faith's First Day of Preschool

Makin' Martians

2009-01-03T06:53:00.000-08:00

Cousin Kayleigh gave Austin a "Martian Maker." So very cute. We were entertained for over an hour. THAT is a good gift!

Thanks Kayleigh!

The Incredible Hulk

2008-12-30T12:38:00.000-08:00

From 2008.12.13

Doug and I have always laughed that the perfect Halloween costume for Faith would be the Incredible Hulk. She can run around the neighborhood half-dressed, loosing her temper and yelling at people. It's a saddly accurate description of our little doll, but the thought of it gives us each a chuckle. Despite having mentally pictured my daughter mutating into a green beast, I was truely unprepared for the latest of Faith's *antics.*

It was a quiet afternoon on a very cold winter's day. Doug was in the garage working on his latest obsession. I was downstairs folding laundry and watching T.V. and the kids were quietly playing upstairs in their playroom...or so I thought. Thump. Thump. Thump. "MOM!!!!" Austin was at the top of the stairs and hollering for me in a panic. "Mom! You gotta come quick! It's Fafe! She looks like the Incredible HUUUUULLLLLK!!!"

As I bolted up the stairs, I thought to myself, "Oh. This can't be good." I rushed into the kitchen, pushing past my poor son and offering a very weak appology before my jaw dropped. "Oh. Good Lord." I gasped. (Okay. It's highly likely that I added a bit more color to that statement.) There, on the kitchen floor, was a huge puddle of green food coloring. The oven drawer was open as was the cabinet right next to it. The silverware drawers were open and the cabinet above the counter was also open. I could see how my "little dear" had climbed her way up onto the counter and into my cabinets. She must have gotten the little bottle and squeezed it all out onto the floor. Once that was done, she clearly performed a happy dance in the mess. My brand new white kitchen towel had been used to wipe up some of the disaster area. Miniature green foot prints lead my eyes from the color catastrophe to the back door. Oh,yes. Green smudges on the door handle confirmed that I was on the right track. Outside, I found my little hulk. Fafe had peeled herself naked and had PAINTED her body green. Yes. Green legs. Green arms. Green belly. And worst of all...her entire face was GREEN! She was standing in the dog's water bowl, washing off her feet. The water was tinted green and,of course, to a dog, water tastes much better with foot flavoring. Both dogs were greedily lapping up the water and had dripping green gotees. Lovely. No. I didn't take pictures. I was appalled. Faith was stained the color of asparagus! Besides, I don't think I will ever forget her huge smile and the brightest twinkle I've ever seen in a pair of eyes. What do I do with this child? Back in April, I offered her up for sale for about a dollar. I had no takers.

As I told this story to my friend, Leslie, she commented, "That's the kind of story they make movies about!" Aaahhhh....my silver lining. I've always wanted to write a book. Now I can hope that God gave me a child like Faith as an inspiration. Hey. It worked for John Grogan and his dog, Marley!

FYI...A VERY VERY long bath and a good scrubbing removed enough of the green to go out in public the next day.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T21:28:00.000-08:00

Hi all. Don't know when I'll have time to do the full Christmas update, but here are some pictures until I find those few needed moments.

Faith's Comment of the Day

2008-12-25T10:40:00.001-08:00

Faith: "Mom. Sometimes I like you."

Me: "Well...Sometimes I like you, too."

??????? :>)