Favorite Super hero and why
Ok, so before I had boys, I was never into the whole super hero thing. Never read the comic books, never watched many movies. I think I saw Spider Man 1 in theaters because friends wanted to see it. And I used to watch The Adventures of Lois and Clark, but that was more about Dean Cain than anything else. I had a huge crush on him as a kid.
So when Joshua turned out to be a super hero geek, by default, I became a super hero geek's mom. He loves Ben 10, Super Hero Squad, the old Batman reruns, things like that. He has dress up costumes for SpiderMan, Thor, Batman, and a few others. I have learned more names of Super heroes in the past 4 years than I have in my whole life! And as Jonah gets bigger, I'm sure he will fall in line as well. It's just part of the fun of having boys.
So I pondered this question. I really wanted to give an original sounding answer. If I were to go with a super hero based on my favorite character on the big screen, it would probably be Iron Man. Those are just really good movies that held my interest. Green Hornet was good too, but those are too obvious. Then I thought about a cult favorite, like Captain Hammer, from Doctor Horrible. But truth be told, I am rooting for Dr. Horrible on that one. Then I thought about something slightly cliche like, "Jesus is my super hero". Well, he is. He came to the earth for the sole purpose of dying for my sins, saving the world. Then if that's not enough, he conquered the grave and death, rose again and now lives inside of any of us who choose to let him. If THAT isn't a super hero, I don't know who is! But it's too obvious, it's one of those answers like "What's your favorite book?" --Bible. DUH. What else, I mean. LOL. So I have spent some time trying to justify a real answer.
So I scoured the internet looking through lists of favorite super heroes. Aside from the usual, I saw Robin Hood. Once I thought about it, it made sense. He was the fairy tale's true conservative. The crooked government came and stole everyone's money, and Robin Hood came and stole it back! He gave the first tax breaks!! That's a pretty cool hero if ya ask me. Then I thought, well if I am thinking outside the box, Lila Rose is one of my (super) heroes. She has fought ceaselessly to save the lives of the unborn, those who cannot speak for themselves even when everyone seems to be working against her, that truly is a super hero.
This is just too tough to call, I thought. So I called up my husband to put my son on the phone--they were out fishing today. They were in the car driving, so I asked my husband to ask him, "who is your favorite super hero?"
"Batman." Joshua answers.
"Why?" I said.
"Why is he your favorite super hero, Bubba?"-hubs
"Because, because he can fly!"
"Joshua, Batman can't fly. Superman can fly." I said over the phone.
There was a pause, because they pulled into the drive.
When he got home, I asked him again.
"Why is Batman your favorite?"
"Because he can fly."
"Baby, I think that's superman you are thinkin of."
"But he has a cape!" Joshua said.
"Ok, well I don't think his cape makes him fly. Why else is he cool?"
"Well, ok, then I choose Green Lantern."
"Ok, why?"
"Because he glows in the dark!!" he says as he runs off to play.
Ummmm....I don't think Green lantern himself glows, in the dark, but there you have it. From the mouth of a four year old. It's a tie between Batman because he can(t) fly, and Green Lantern because he does(nt) glow in the dark. If my four year old can't make a valid choice, how can I?
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Day 5
A photo of somewhere you've been. Again, having trouble getting any good photos up. But thanks to a friend, I figured out how to it is just taking some time. But I will go ahead and tell you where the picture is of.
On of my favorite pictures is of Hannah, Jacob and Me, with Joshua in my tummy, at Gulf Shores in 2007.
SO sorry about the quality. I had to take a picture with my phone of a photo off of myspace (lol remember those days??!! Btw, if anyone knows how to get photos off their other than doing a print screen of each photo, let me know. I have hundreds that I don't want on there anymore.) I don't actually know where my hard copy (and this is a rare one I actually have) is of this photo. But this was one of my favorite vacations. The only the I wish maybe had been different, would be that it wasn't just Hannah. One of these days we will get back to the beach though. I loved that trip. We rented a condo with some friends of ours, Hannah got to wet her toes in the ocean, and I got totally sunburned!! We went to a waterpark and just had a blast. I think whenever we go back to the beach, a condo is the way to go, because you can cook there. That way, you don't have to spend a ton on restaurants. I was pregnant with Joshua here, about 7 months or so. This was in early June, and he came in early August.
Jacob and I didn't have a honeymoon, but 6 months after Hannah was born, Jacob and I went to Gatlinburg for our one year anniversary. We went to Ripley's aquarium, and the wax museum. It was great, but it was SO hot. It was July, and the heat was terrible.
We have also taken a vacation to Branson with just Hannah. That was fun-the first time she ate ice cream. They had lots of great shopping there. We did that when she was about 1 year old. Then we went to Gulf Shores (above) when she was about 18 months..
When Joshua was about 18 months, we went to Nashville for a week to spend time with Jacob's parents, who had just moved there. That was fun. We did get to eat at rainforest cafe. The restaurant was very cool, but the food was not all that great and kind of expensive. The kids had a good time though.
When Joshua was 2, right after his birthday, we went to St. Louis. That was another favorite vacation. We saw the Arch and had a picnic, went to Fitz' American Grill and saw rootbeer being bottled (and had the best burgers ever!!) We went to the zoo there, which was amazing. Best zoo ever. Seriously. We spent most of the day there. It is about 100x better than our Memphis zoo. Sorry, Memphis. We also went to the Botanic Gardens. They were absolutely beautiful, and Hannah loved the butterfly garden.
Last year, we took all 3 kids to Gatlinburg. The kids really enjoyed that trip. The mountains have got to be my favorite place, and I'll admit, if we had the money, I would have a log cabin vacation home in the Smokies. We took the kids to the Ripley's Aquarium there, and spent the day. They got to walk through the tunnel with sharks and colorful fish all around them. We walked up and down the strip, which is super touristy, but that's part of the fun! That's how you know you are on a vacation!!! We "panned" for gems. A total ripoff if not for the fact that we spent $30 on it and an hour there for the kids to have so much fun. That's why it was worth it to me. They panned through the dirt looking for "gems" with their dad. Oh, so many memories!!!
We haven't decided where or if we are going on vacation this year. Money is a lot tighter, and the responsible thing is to stay home and pay of some bills. But we'll see. I am a sucker for making memories with my kiddos. It may be years till we have the money to go to Disney, but we can always seem to find memorable vacations on the cheap. The next one I am hoping to do is the Cincinnati area. I want to take them to Kentucky (closeby) to the Creation Museum. And then in Ohio I found a real castle kids can go and explore, a dairy farm, and just tons of other free things to make memories. It's just a matter of getting there, and do we want to fork over the money to rent a car, so we don't put mileage on ours.
On of my favorite pictures is of Hannah, Jacob and Me, with Joshua in my tummy, at Gulf Shores in 2007.
Jacob and I didn't have a honeymoon, but 6 months after Hannah was born, Jacob and I went to Gatlinburg for our one year anniversary. We went to Ripley's aquarium, and the wax museum. It was great, but it was SO hot. It was July, and the heat was terrible.
We have also taken a vacation to Branson with just Hannah. That was fun-the first time she ate ice cream. They had lots of great shopping there. We did that when she was about 1 year old. Then we went to Gulf Shores (above) when she was about 18 months..
When Joshua was about 18 months, we went to Nashville for a week to spend time with Jacob's parents, who had just moved there. That was fun. We did get to eat at rainforest cafe. The restaurant was very cool, but the food was not all that great and kind of expensive. The kids had a good time though.
When Joshua was 2, right after his birthday, we went to St. Louis. That was another favorite vacation. We saw the Arch and had a picnic, went to Fitz' American Grill and saw rootbeer being bottled (and had the best burgers ever!!) We went to the zoo there, which was amazing. Best zoo ever. Seriously. We spent most of the day there. It is about 100x better than our Memphis zoo. Sorry, Memphis. We also went to the Botanic Gardens. They were absolutely beautiful, and Hannah loved the butterfly garden.
Last year, we took all 3 kids to Gatlinburg. The kids really enjoyed that trip. The mountains have got to be my favorite place, and I'll admit, if we had the money, I would have a log cabin vacation home in the Smokies. We took the kids to the Ripley's Aquarium there, and spent the day. They got to walk through the tunnel with sharks and colorful fish all around them. We walked up and down the strip, which is super touristy, but that's part of the fun! That's how you know you are on a vacation!!! We "panned" for gems. A total ripoff if not for the fact that we spent $30 on it and an hour there for the kids to have so much fun. That's why it was worth it to me. They panned through the dirt looking for "gems" with their dad. Oh, so many memories!!!
We haven't decided where or if we are going on vacation this year. Money is a lot tighter, and the responsible thing is to stay home and pay of some bills. But we'll see. I am a sucker for making memories with my kiddos. It may be years till we have the money to go to Disney, but we can always seem to find memorable vacations on the cheap. The next one I am hoping to do is the Cincinnati area. I want to take them to Kentucky (closeby) to the Creation Museum. And then in Ohio I found a real castle kids can go and explore, a dairy farm, and just tons of other free things to make memories. It's just a matter of getting there, and do we want to fork over the money to rent a car, so we don't put mileage on ours.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Day 4
A Habit I wish I didn't have. .....Well, I have several. First one that comes to mind is biting my nails. Two weeks ago I had nice long nails from painting them with this Sally Hansen stuff. Then one snagged and ripped and I bit it off...The rest of them were gone within 3 days. I hate it about myself, but not enough to stop, lol.
After some more thinking, my answer would have to be procrastinating though. It is the little nagging problem that seems to always creep up on me. I have procratinated on this Blog, reading my Bible, mopping the kitchen, doin the last 3 loads of laundry, etc. I just feel like I will never be done with my daily tasks and I seem to only make the process drag more by my own laziness. I get so busy with the kids, school for Hannah, semi keeping up the house, or whatever else I'm doing, that I never get to do the things I say I want to. I have about a month of coupons on my shelf that I haven't even cut. They will probably expire before I get a chance to cut them. I also know I need to join a gym again, but I've been procrastinating that too. I could do a list a mile long of things I need to STOP procrastinating and do, but I'm too busy. Bahahaha...does that make sense?
Monday, February 13, 2012
Blogger Challenge Day 3
Yes I know I'm behind....as usual. What else is new, right? Well, I kinda got side tracked. Facebook isn't letting me have the option to "download photo" anymore out of my fb album. The problem is that I put them up there and then can't get them back off (apparently). I am notoriously bad about NOT getting prints of pictures, and really, if I'm being honest, I don't save most of them to my computer. I got in the habit of just doing mobile uploads, from my phone, because it is just so much easier. I have a camera, but I have no clue where it is, because I just don't use it much (at all) anymore.
So, Day 3 is supposed to be a picture of me as a child. I'm sure if I get the old boxes of photos down I could probably find one to scan in, on the scanner I have no idea how to work, because again, I don't use it much anymore... But I'm not going to do that at this minute. Sorry. Yes, I am a slacker, I know. I'll go through and look maybe sometime later today. :) Happy Happy Monday!!
EDITED: I am finally uploading a picture of me as a child!! I had to take a picture of a picture with my phone, so if it's blurry, I'm sorry!!!!
So here is the crazy thing. To me, I have always thought Hannah and Joshua looked like a pretty good mix of Jacob and me. And I've alway thought that Jonah was pretty much Jacob JR. Same face shape, same features, same smile, brown hair, etc. But I look at this, and with the exception of the color of my hair and eyes, to me, this looks ALOT like Jonah. A LOT. What's even funnier is I have a tendency to tilt my head to the left slightly, it's not something I can help, just seems to gravitate that way. I have noticed that Jonah does the same thing only more pronounced. He leans his head all the way to the left, especially if he is watching tv or something, or sitting there "thinking" staring into space, his head will be tilted way to the left. I found a picture tonight of me doing the same thing at his age. CRAZY!!!
So, Day 3 is supposed to be a picture of me as a child. I'm sure if I get the old boxes of photos down I could probably find one to scan in, on the scanner I have no idea how to work, because again, I don't use it much anymore... But I'm not going to do that at this minute. Sorry. Yes, I am a slacker, I know. I'll go through and look maybe sometime later today. :) Happy Happy Monday!!
EDITED: I am finally uploading a picture of me as a child!! I had to take a picture of a picture with my phone, so if it's blurry, I'm sorry!!!!
So here is the crazy thing. To me, I have always thought Hannah and Joshua looked like a pretty good mix of Jacob and me. And I've alway thought that Jonah was pretty much Jacob JR. Same face shape, same features, same smile, brown hair, etc. But I look at this, and with the exception of the color of my hair and eyes, to me, this looks ALOT like Jonah. A LOT. What's even funnier is I have a tendency to tilt my head to the left slightly, it's not something I can help, just seems to gravitate that way. I have noticed that Jonah does the same thing only more pronounced. He leans his head all the way to the left, especially if he is watching tv or something, or sitting there "thinking" staring into space, his head will be tilted way to the left. I found a picture tonight of me doing the same thing at his age. CRAZY!!!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Blogger Challenge: Day 2
Ok, so day 2 is the meaning behind my blog name: All for Him. Basically it is in reference to my faith and how I live my life. I don't always do what I should and I am not a perfect person. But I am trying to do everything I do for God's glory. If I am playing video games, I conduct myself in a way that would not bring shame to him. If I am cleaning the house, I *try* to do it joyfully and not with a bitter heart. If we are doing school, I am sure to teach my children about the Lord and keep him in everything we do. I don't have to deliberately exclude him for the purpose of pleasing a school board or other families--I can do what is right for MY family. If I am taking care of the kids I try my best to be patient with them even if they are acting wild. I *try* to ignore those who are hurtful to me, and if I can, show compassion and forgiveness to them. That last one is hard. But I am trying. In everything I do, I am doing it all for him. I could do a lot more, and it is certainly a journey. I am trying this year to make more time to spend with God, reading his word and in prayer, but I am really struggling with that one. That might just be the biggest one of all, in terms of trying to please him and seeking his will for my life. He's certainly been the friend I've put on the back burner the most and taken advantage of the most. It is easy for me to justify daily household tasks, 3 kids, school, work, errands, etc as taking precendence over him and then after the fact I am ashamed of that. I say I will do better but I don't always do like I should, if I am being honest. I have a really hard time carving out much time of my day just for myself to do anything, even for 5 or 10 minutes. But when I think about it, I could make the time if I really wanted.
But, like I said, it is a journey. I am no where close to holy. But one day, in Heaven, I know when I am standing in front of God being held accountable for all I've done. He will recount for me all my sins and works, and then tell me that none of it matters because my slate has been wiped clean. THAT is my motivator. He doesn't expect me to be perfect. He expects me to love him, and to live that out. And that is why, I do my best in my whole life, to make it ALL FOR HIM. :D
But, like I said, it is a journey. I am no where close to holy. But one day, in Heaven, I know when I am standing in front of God being held accountable for all I've done. He will recount for me all my sins and works, and then tell me that none of it matters because my slate has been wiped clean. THAT is my motivator. He doesn't expect me to be perfect. He expects me to love him, and to live that out. And that is why, I do my best in my whole life, to make it ALL FOR HIM. :D
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Blogger Challenge: Day 1
A photo and 15 interesting facts about myself.
Because I can't seem to get any pictures of my FB anymore, I went ahead and took a new one of me tonight (feb 15). I know I did this blog like a week ago, but better late than never, right.
NUMBER ONE:I have 2 sisters, and 2 step sisters, and I am the oldest of all of us.
NUMBER TWO: I may not be the most hardcore gamer, but video games are a big part of my life. It's been that way ever since I was a little kid. Growing up, I played Mario on my nintendo. Then when I got into college I got into some oldschool SNES rpg's, and when I met my husband he was big into DDR. After we got married, we started playing WoW, and we've played it off and on since 2006.
NUMBER THREE: I am addicted to Grey's Anatomy and Switched at Birth, and when it is on, The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I love love love these shows. I also like Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Whitney, New Girl, and most recently Smash. Let's just say DVR is a lifesaver.
NUMBER FOUR: .I am a Christian. And no, that's not a word I think should be thrown around lightly. It doesn't describe my "religion" but a day to day personal and deep friendship with my Creator and Savior.. It doesn't mean I am holier than you. I don't have some secret to living the perfect trial free life-my life has many challenges, I just don't have to face them alone. This doesn't mean I am perfect or think that I am. I probably screw up more than most. But I know that I am doing my best, and the good thing is, that I have a Savior and only through him do I have redemption from my imperfections and failures, many as they may be.
NUMBER FIVE: I like Twilight. I also like Harry Potter. Don't ask me to choose my favorite because I don't think I could do that.
NUMERO SEIS: I HATE laundry. I seem to constantly be doing it and that and mopping are two of my least favorite "chores". I am never caught up and as soon as I am, it lasts for all of about 30 minutes.
# 6: I am not as up to date on technology as I probably should be. I used to be a huge computer nerd, but somewhere in between graduating High School and having kids, it got lost. I used to be in the "computer career club" in high school, was amazing at photoshop, and dreamed of a career (trust me this was short lived...I don't have the patience) in computer animation. LOL. Now I can barely figure out how to work my Twitter account. Oh well, the trade off was pretty sweet.
Number 7: I am a conservative. I *try* to stay up to date on what's going on with our country. I DO like Glenn Beck. I am an avid pro-lifer and that is probably one of the most important issues to me politically. I don't like debating politics though, because I don't like confrontation. I may say something speaking my mind, but if you don't like it, just ignore it. I have many friends that I dissagree with politically or for lots of other reasons, and I just ignore those things too. If it bothers you that much, you don't have to read it in the first place. /Sorry.
8: I am happily married. It really bothers me when people make jokes about how awful marriage is and how much they hate being married or they hate their spouse. I don't have a perfect marriage, by any means. Sometimes we have to work at it. But I am loved by the man God planned for me from the moment he dreamed me up, and I intend to love him for all eternity. We are totally comfortable around eachother, and I love our life together and our family. He's an amazing Dad to our kids, and I get a kick out of seeing them interact.
Number 9: I HATE the laptop mouse.In fact, right now, I am sitting here with the desktop USB mouse plugged into the laptop. I don't know why it is, but I just can't stand it. I know that's not really interesting, but I'm running out of ideas here.
10: I love music. I love searching youtube for cool singer/songwriters and unsigned bands. I could give you a huge list, most of them are singer songwriters, of my favorite artists but I really do have a wide range of styles I like. It just depends on my mood.
11: I have the 3 cutest kids in the world. Not up for debate, either. Sometimes they drive me totally crazy. Some times they act not so cute. But I just couldn't imagine having kids that were any more beautiful than they are. Now that they are getting older I love the interaction we have. The things they just come up with are often so crazy, silly, or profound that it just makes me stop and stare/laugh/think.
Number 12...We homeschool. For us, it really is a lifestyle. It's not for any one particular reason. I do it for a million and one reason...well maybe not THAT many. But a lot. I can sum it up with this one reason though. When I am explaining a new concept to them, and that lightbulb goes off. Their little face lights up with excitement and I see the joy they have from learning something new, THAT is why I do this. I don't want someone who has 30 other kids to tend to to steal that joy from me. Why should anyone else get that right? I get to be the one who shares those lightbulb moments with my kids-who I love more than anything in the world. Sure it's also to give them a good foundation, to help encourage them in their own interests, to teach them about our faith at home, to be able to work one on one with them at their own pace. Sure, it's all of those things. But the joy we get to share being together for those teaching moments is worth more than any job I could ever have. Think of it like this-remember when your little one said her first word or when he took his first steps, or when she first learned to tie her shoes? I get moments like that all the time. That is why we homeschool.
13. I don't have any relationship with my Biological Father. He walked out on my mom, my sisters and I when I was just a teenager. At the same time, he picked up a new life with someone else, and never bothered to be a part of our lives from then on. He hasn't been made to be held accountable by the government (as they refuse to go out looking for "dead beat dads" around here...) and my mom, for the sake of my sisters and I, continues to refile a warrant for him every so often. He has never paid child support to her and even though we are grown, he needs to still be accountable for those back payments. It frustrates me so much that so many families out there aren't getting what they deserve and these men get off scott free or with barely a slap on the wrist. I feel for any of you out there who are dealing with this from your own parent, or an ex spouse. We are still healing from the wounds he left, and just when we think we are fine, he manages to rub salt in our wounds again.
14: I love my stepdad. I am very blessed to have a man like him and father figure in my life. As a teenager, God showed me that he (God) was the only one who would never abandon me or leave me, and he was my true father and offered me unconditional love. Still I think, in his goodness, he saw a need for a Godly male role model in the lives of my sisters and I, and to help my mom love again. If not for him in our lives, though he isn't perfect, I don't know where I would be. And I think my mom was meant to come into my stepsisters lives, even if they have always known it, to be an encourager and Godly example for them. I am so blessed to have the parents I do have, and I thank God every day. If I didn't have them as an example, there is no way I could have the marriage I do.
15. I am thrifty by necessity. I have chosen to be a stay at home mom and homeschool, and that means I have to make the most of our dollars that my husband and I earn. I work at home, babysitting during the week, so that I don't have to be away from my babies (or pay for Childcare). I make healthy meals at home, rather than eating out. And when we get a craving for something we'd normally go out to eat, I try to recreate it at home for a fraction of the cost too! I also use coupons. EVERY TIME I SHOP. I have a stockpile and I try to rotate the foods I use and plan our meals around those things. I buy smaller packages in larger quantities and use coupons to match with rock bottom sales. It's one of the ways I support my family. Yes it takes time. But I think of it like I would any other job. It may not (always) make me actual cash, but money that I don't have to spend on groceries is money that I don't have to work away from home at a 9-5 job to earn. :)
Tada.....15 things!
Because I can't seem to get any pictures of my FB anymore, I went ahead and took a new one of me tonight (feb 15). I know I did this blog like a week ago, but better late than never, right.
NUMBER ONE:I have 2 sisters, and 2 step sisters, and I am the oldest of all of us.
NUMBER TWO: I may not be the most hardcore gamer, but video games are a big part of my life. It's been that way ever since I was a little kid. Growing up, I played Mario on my nintendo. Then when I got into college I got into some oldschool SNES rpg's, and when I met my husband he was big into DDR. After we got married, we started playing WoW, and we've played it off and on since 2006.
NUMBER THREE: I am addicted to Grey's Anatomy and Switched at Birth, and when it is on, The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I love love love these shows. I also like Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Whitney, New Girl, and most recently Smash. Let's just say DVR is a lifesaver.
NUMBER FOUR: .I am a Christian. And no, that's not a word I think should be thrown around lightly. It doesn't describe my "religion" but a day to day personal and deep friendship with my Creator and Savior.. It doesn't mean I am holier than you. I don't have some secret to living the perfect trial free life-my life has many challenges, I just don't have to face them alone. This doesn't mean I am perfect or think that I am. I probably screw up more than most. But I know that I am doing my best, and the good thing is, that I have a Savior and only through him do I have redemption from my imperfections and failures, many as they may be.
NUMBER FIVE: I like Twilight. I also like Harry Potter. Don't ask me to choose my favorite because I don't think I could do that.
NUMERO SEIS: I HATE laundry. I seem to constantly be doing it and that and mopping are two of my least favorite "chores". I am never caught up and as soon as I am, it lasts for all of about 30 minutes.
# 6: I am not as up to date on technology as I probably should be. I used to be a huge computer nerd, but somewhere in between graduating High School and having kids, it got lost. I used to be in the "computer career club" in high school, was amazing at photoshop, and dreamed of a career (trust me this was short lived...I don't have the patience) in computer animation. LOL. Now I can barely figure out how to work my Twitter account. Oh well, the trade off was pretty sweet.
Number 7: I am a conservative. I *try* to stay up to date on what's going on with our country. I DO like Glenn Beck. I am an avid pro-lifer and that is probably one of the most important issues to me politically. I don't like debating politics though, because I don't like confrontation. I may say something speaking my mind, but if you don't like it, just ignore it. I have many friends that I dissagree with politically or for lots of other reasons, and I just ignore those things too. If it bothers you that much, you don't have to read it in the first place. /Sorry.
8: I am happily married. It really bothers me when people make jokes about how awful marriage is and how much they hate being married or they hate their spouse. I don't have a perfect marriage, by any means. Sometimes we have to work at it. But I am loved by the man God planned for me from the moment he dreamed me up, and I intend to love him for all eternity. We are totally comfortable around eachother, and I love our life together and our family. He's an amazing Dad to our kids, and I get a kick out of seeing them interact.
Number 9: I HATE the laptop mouse.In fact, right now, I am sitting here with the desktop USB mouse plugged into the laptop. I don't know why it is, but I just can't stand it. I know that's not really interesting, but I'm running out of ideas here.
10: I love music. I love searching youtube for cool singer/songwriters and unsigned bands. I could give you a huge list, most of them are singer songwriters, of my favorite artists but I really do have a wide range of styles I like. It just depends on my mood.
11: I have the 3 cutest kids in the world. Not up for debate, either. Sometimes they drive me totally crazy. Some times they act not so cute. But I just couldn't imagine having kids that were any more beautiful than they are. Now that they are getting older I love the interaction we have. The things they just come up with are often so crazy, silly, or profound that it just makes me stop and stare/laugh/think.
Number 12...We homeschool. For us, it really is a lifestyle. It's not for any one particular reason. I do it for a million and one reason...well maybe not THAT many. But a lot. I can sum it up with this one reason though. When I am explaining a new concept to them, and that lightbulb goes off. Their little face lights up with excitement and I see the joy they have from learning something new, THAT is why I do this. I don't want someone who has 30 other kids to tend to to steal that joy from me. Why should anyone else get that right? I get to be the one who shares those lightbulb moments with my kids-who I love more than anything in the world. Sure it's also to give them a good foundation, to help encourage them in their own interests, to teach them about our faith at home, to be able to work one on one with them at their own pace. Sure, it's all of those things. But the joy we get to share being together for those teaching moments is worth more than any job I could ever have. Think of it like this-remember when your little one said her first word or when he took his first steps, or when she first learned to tie her shoes? I get moments like that all the time. That is why we homeschool.
13. I don't have any relationship with my Biological Father. He walked out on my mom, my sisters and I when I was just a teenager. At the same time, he picked up a new life with someone else, and never bothered to be a part of our lives from then on. He hasn't been made to be held accountable by the government (as they refuse to go out looking for "dead beat dads" around here...) and my mom, for the sake of my sisters and I, continues to refile a warrant for him every so often. He has never paid child support to her and even though we are grown, he needs to still be accountable for those back payments. It frustrates me so much that so many families out there aren't getting what they deserve and these men get off scott free or with barely a slap on the wrist. I feel for any of you out there who are dealing with this from your own parent, or an ex spouse. We are still healing from the wounds he left, and just when we think we are fine, he manages to rub salt in our wounds again.
14: I love my stepdad. I am very blessed to have a man like him and father figure in my life. As a teenager, God showed me that he (God) was the only one who would never abandon me or leave me, and he was my true father and offered me unconditional love. Still I think, in his goodness, he saw a need for a Godly male role model in the lives of my sisters and I, and to help my mom love again. If not for him in our lives, though he isn't perfect, I don't know where I would be. And I think my mom was meant to come into my stepsisters lives, even if they have always known it, to be an encourager and Godly example for them. I am so blessed to have the parents I do have, and I thank God every day. If I didn't have them as an example, there is no way I could have the marriage I do.
15. I am thrifty by necessity. I have chosen to be a stay at home mom and homeschool, and that means I have to make the most of our dollars that my husband and I earn. I work at home, babysitting during the week, so that I don't have to be away from my babies (or pay for Childcare). I make healthy meals at home, rather than eating out. And when we get a craving for something we'd normally go out to eat, I try to recreate it at home for a fraction of the cost too! I also use coupons. EVERY TIME I SHOP. I have a stockpile and I try to rotate the foods I use and plan our meals around those things. I buy smaller packages in larger quantities and use coupons to match with rock bottom sales. It's one of the ways I support my family. Yes it takes time. But I think of it like I would any other job. It may not (always) make me actual cash, but money that I don't have to spend on groceries is money that I don't have to work away from home at a 9-5 job to earn. :)
Tada.....15 things!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Blogger Challenge: Dun Dun Dun!!!
So I know I'm several days behind, but what the hey, I figured I might just go ahead and jump on the 30 days of blogging bandwagon...(tomorrow!!) I have already done enough blogging for today, so I'll be starting my 30 days of Blogging challenge tomorrow. This is going to be fun!
The Challenge:
day 1 – recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
day 2- the meaning behind your blog name
day 3- a picture of you as a child
day 4- a habit that you wish you didn’t have
day 5- a picture of somewhere you’ve been
day 6- favorite super hero and why
day 7- a picture of someone/something that has had the biggest impact on you
day 8- short term goals for this month and why
day 9- something you’re proud of in the past few days
day 10- songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad
day 11- write a bucket list of things you want to do before you die
day 12- write a poem to someone you love
day 13- your 5 favorite books and why
day 14- a picture of you and your family
day 15- put your ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play
day 16- a picture of yourself
day 17- someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
day 18- plans/dreams/goals you have
day 19- write about a sweet memory from your past
day 20- write a letter to someone
day 21-a picture of something that makes you happy
day 22- what makes you different from everyone else
day 23- something you crave a lot
day 24- post your favorite quote or verse of scripture and why
day 25- what I would find in your bag
day 26- list 10 things that you are thankful for
day 27- my day job verses my passion
day 28- cruise a thesaurus and pick out 10 words you like the sound of
day 29 – favorite tv shows and why you like them
day 30 – movies you can watch again and again.
The Challenge:
day 1 – recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
day 2- the meaning behind your blog name
day 3- a picture of you as a child
day 4- a habit that you wish you didn’t have
day 5- a picture of somewhere you’ve been
day 6- favorite super hero and why
day 7- a picture of someone/something that has had the biggest impact on you
day 8- short term goals for this month and why
day 9- something you’re proud of in the past few days
day 10- songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad
day 11- write a bucket list of things you want to do before you die
day 12- write a poem to someone you love
day 13- your 5 favorite books and why
day 14- a picture of you and your family
day 15- put your ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play
day 16- a picture of yourself
day 17- someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
day 18- plans/dreams/goals you have
day 19- write about a sweet memory from your past
day 20- write a letter to someone
day 21-a picture of something that makes you happy
day 22- what makes you different from everyone else
day 23- something you crave a lot
day 24- post your favorite quote or verse of scripture and why
day 25- what I would find in your bag
day 26- list 10 things that you are thankful for
day 27- my day job verses my passion
day 28- cruise a thesaurus and pick out 10 words you like the sound of
day 29 – favorite tv shows and why you like them
day 30 – movies you can watch again and again.
Homeschool Convention 101
Disclaimer: I am not claiming that I am a pro at homeschooling, let alone going to homeschool conventions. In fact, this year will only be our second year of homeschooling and our 2nd convention to go to, and last year we didn't really get to stay for much of the guest speakers (but I'm hoping to do more this year). In my defense I had a new baby, so it was difficult for me to balance. There are, however, several tips I wish I would have known beforehand-some of which I had to learn the hard way. That's why I want to share them with you.
I think conventions can be a great way to spend time together as a family. I also think that it can be a great way for other moms to get together-I am actually thinking that this might be a good idea for some of me and my friends this year. I also see some value in having some time just to yourself, if only when shopping at the curriculum expo, to focus. It can be overwhelming at times, since there are SO many vendors and booths. If you don't go in there prepared somewhat, it would be easy to overspend and get sucked in by all the "shinies" as I call them. So, here are my tips to have a successful homeschool convention.
1) Decide if you want to (or will be able to) go as a family or by yourself. Will you be going for all the days or just some of them. Realistically think about the challenges you might have. If you would ideally like to go with your whole family, consider the ages of your children. Do you have a baby that you are going to have to pay constant attention to? Do you have young children who might get easily bored sitting in a seminar? What about teens?
These conferences are used to all types of families, and try to be as accommodating as they can to you. If you are breastfeeding, be sure to find out if there is a nursing mom room (if you want one) ahead of time. I went last year with the expectation that there would be one, but they had not yet set it up when we arrived. I ended up nursing in a corner with my cover, but just because I prefer more private areas. I did get the sense that no one would have been bothered if I had to nurse in a seminar or anywhere else. Jonah ended up very fussy though, and I felt like I needed to leave the seminar (again, my preference) and ultimately the conference for that night because of this.
I also noticed that many of the parents had kids that were playing on cell phones, mobigos, or some other handheld gaming system. I did also see a few kids doing work, and even fewer just sitting there quietly, not saying a word, next to their parents. Maybe I'm a bad mom or something, but my kids aren't just going to sit there quiet and still for several different seminars. I am not a fan of them spending all day on a phone or handheld gaming device, but in this instance, it seems to be a good option. The kids get to play games so they aren't bored, and mom gets to focus on the speaker.
It's also important to note that if you have teens or older kids, sometimes conferences and conventions have special programs JUST for kids. Most have some type of separate group just for teens, and the conference this year that we are going to has a "children's conference" similar to VBS or Sunday school for kids ages 5 and up. Sometimes these programs cost extra money, and sometimes the cost is included in your family convention cost. We did not come prepared last year, but if we had thought ahead, we would have been able to stay longer.
I didn't feel like it was fair to have my husband walk around with the three kids just so I could listen to some speakers. So instead, we ended up heading into the food area, which brings me to my 2nd tip.
2)Food prices are HIGH. We are talking Disneyland high. I don't remember the exact prices but it was something like $5 for a bottle of water, $7 for 3 chicken strips, etc. If you have babies, bring sippy cups and goldfish, for sure. Stuff a bottle of water in your purse if you like, although there are usually water fountains throughout. I highly recommend putting aside some money to eat outside of the convention. Everyone is going to get hungry at some point. If you have traveled to the convention and you are staying at a hotel, try to eat breakfast at the hotel before leaving to save money. Then, if your hotel is close enough to the convention, consider going back for either lunch or dinner in your room, and then eating out one meal a day at a restaurant.
If you are driving to and from the convention each day, it may not be that easy to go back and forth to home for every meal. I would say to eat before you come, and build your day around the speakers you want to hear, and at some point for lunch, plan a nice lunch out(side of the convention) for you and your family, and then eat dinner at home. You will likely spend the same or less money eating out at a nearby restaurant as you would eating overprices chicken tenders and cokes at the convention itself.
Once we saw how overpriced the food was, and had 3 hungry kids, we opted to go ahead and leave the convention early the first night and go out to eat instead.
3)Get a babysitter. If you are the only parent going, you may want to consider getting a sitter for all or part of the conference. Perhaps you and a friend could swap days to go. One friend can keep the kids at home while you shop/hear the guest speakers, and you can return the favor for them. Also, as I mentioned before, consider if your convention lets you attend the conference for one day only, or if a full convention fee for all days must be paid regardless. I would highly recommend having someone (even if it is just your spouse) watching the kids while you are shopping at the Curriculum Fair if nothing else. That is my personal opinion though. I like to have a clear head when shopping and I'm always on a tight budget, so I'm very concerned with saving money and getting the most bang for my buck. Last year, we were able to get my Mom to watch the two older kids while my husband and I shopped, and we just had the baby with us. That made things a lot easier, for sure.
4)Set a budget. For everything from eating out, to curriculum shopping, to any other things you end up buying or activities you may do, figure all this in to your budget at stick to it. If you don't find any speakers you are interested in or won't be able to do anything but shop, consider purchasing a curriculum fair ticket only for yourself, if available. I would say, if possible, plan an extra hundred dollars to have in case of any unexpected deals you find, or activities you want to do, such as a comedy show or kids workshop the convention may have.
5)Do the research. To make the most of your time, find out ahead of time what the convention's schedule looks like and who the speakers are, and if possible, what topics they are speaking on. My conference is in April and they have not yet posted any of this info, so I am actively checking every few days to see if there is any new info. Be sure to bring pen and paper with you to take notes on important sessions to you. I did come prepared with this, and it was very helpful. Any time you hear helpful info you are going to want to write it down. There are going to be so many things thrown at you, it may take some time to really soak in.
Now, here are my tips just on the curriculum fair itself.
1) Plan ahead. Have an idea ahead of time, for at least some subjects of what you may want to use and what you are looking for. If nothing else, at least set a budget and decide on what subjects you want to do. I went with an idea of what subjects I wanted to cover, and knew some of what I was looking for specifically when we went. If at all possible, try and decide what you may want to buy ahead of time, or possibly limit it to two or 3 choices. Research the cost of these ahead of time, and know what the going price is for new and used. If you already know what the price is that you can readily get it for online, you will be able to make a better educated decision when you shop and have everything in front of you. I am a big believer in "hands on" shopping. Although I do see merit in the cost effectiveness of online shopping, there is just something about seeing it right in front of me. I like being able to touch and see the textbooks, and flip through them. It is easier for me to make a decision that way, that just looking at some basic info in a catalog or on a website. I find that if I have an idea of what subjects to teach, and have it narrowed down to two or three solid options, I can easily make a decision once I have them right there in front of me. Find out if you can get this item used in good condition, and talked to others who have used this. Try to get both positive and negative feedback. Remember that what is a negative experience for someone, may very well be a positive experience for you, (or a neutral one). If you don't think you can get it used in good condition, then be prepared to actually buy this item at the convention if you see a good deal.
2)Walk the WHOLE expo first. Bring a notebook (or some type of handheld device you can type notes into). Create a price book ahead of time for each of your options, and know the going rate. Then walk the whole way around the expo before buying ANYTHING. As you go around, any time you see something you like, even if it wasn't a part of your plan or budget, write it down. Trust me. I bought Math U See for Hannah new at the fair, because I knew if I bought it new at the website I would have to pay for shipping and they were offering free shipping through the convention for orders placed that day. I was very excited about saving the $15 in shipping costs, even though I wasn't going to be able to go home with her books that day....Until I walked 3 booths down and a re-seller was selling Math U See stuff at a sizable discount, and if I had only waited, I could have bought the item I wanted for less and left the fair with it.
Fortunately for me, I learned that lesson rather quickly. I continued to write down the price of the items after that, and came across an Art curriculum that I really liked. He even had a tote bag of art supplies that included everything needed for the curriculum. The only problem was that it would be my only splurge item left, as I was running out of money I had budgeted. I decided to think about it some more, and ended up finding the same art book (and several others too) at a booth called "Miller Pads and Paper". There, the book was not only much cheaper, but the workers at the booth were able to find all the supplies we needed at just a fraction of the cost of the other booth. With the money I saved, I was able to get a book about dinosaurs and a dvd from Answers in Genesis for Joshua.
So, I hope some of these tips help you. If you have any other questions, I can't promise I will have the answer but I will sure try!
I think conventions can be a great way to spend time together as a family. I also think that it can be a great way for other moms to get together-I am actually thinking that this might be a good idea for some of me and my friends this year. I also see some value in having some time just to yourself, if only when shopping at the curriculum expo, to focus. It can be overwhelming at times, since there are SO many vendors and booths. If you don't go in there prepared somewhat, it would be easy to overspend and get sucked in by all the "shinies" as I call them. So, here are my tips to have a successful homeschool convention.
1) Decide if you want to (or will be able to) go as a family or by yourself. Will you be going for all the days or just some of them. Realistically think about the challenges you might have. If you would ideally like to go with your whole family, consider the ages of your children. Do you have a baby that you are going to have to pay constant attention to? Do you have young children who might get easily bored sitting in a seminar? What about teens?
These conferences are used to all types of families, and try to be as accommodating as they can to you. If you are breastfeeding, be sure to find out if there is a nursing mom room (if you want one) ahead of time. I went last year with the expectation that there would be one, but they had not yet set it up when we arrived. I ended up nursing in a corner with my cover, but just because I prefer more private areas. I did get the sense that no one would have been bothered if I had to nurse in a seminar or anywhere else. Jonah ended up very fussy though, and I felt like I needed to leave the seminar (again, my preference) and ultimately the conference for that night because of this.
I also noticed that many of the parents had kids that were playing on cell phones, mobigos, or some other handheld gaming system. I did also see a few kids doing work, and even fewer just sitting there quietly, not saying a word, next to their parents. Maybe I'm a bad mom or something, but my kids aren't just going to sit there quiet and still for several different seminars. I am not a fan of them spending all day on a phone or handheld gaming device, but in this instance, it seems to be a good option. The kids get to play games so they aren't bored, and mom gets to focus on the speaker.
It's also important to note that if you have teens or older kids, sometimes conferences and conventions have special programs JUST for kids. Most have some type of separate group just for teens, and the conference this year that we are going to has a "children's conference" similar to VBS or Sunday school for kids ages 5 and up. Sometimes these programs cost extra money, and sometimes the cost is included in your family convention cost. We did not come prepared last year, but if we had thought ahead, we would have been able to stay longer.
I didn't feel like it was fair to have my husband walk around with the three kids just so I could listen to some speakers. So instead, we ended up heading into the food area, which brings me to my 2nd tip.
2)Food prices are HIGH. We are talking Disneyland high. I don't remember the exact prices but it was something like $5 for a bottle of water, $7 for 3 chicken strips, etc. If you have babies, bring sippy cups and goldfish, for sure. Stuff a bottle of water in your purse if you like, although there are usually water fountains throughout. I highly recommend putting aside some money to eat outside of the convention. Everyone is going to get hungry at some point. If you have traveled to the convention and you are staying at a hotel, try to eat breakfast at the hotel before leaving to save money. Then, if your hotel is close enough to the convention, consider going back for either lunch or dinner in your room, and then eating out one meal a day at a restaurant.
If you are driving to and from the convention each day, it may not be that easy to go back and forth to home for every meal. I would say to eat before you come, and build your day around the speakers you want to hear, and at some point for lunch, plan a nice lunch out(side of the convention) for you and your family, and then eat dinner at home. You will likely spend the same or less money eating out at a nearby restaurant as you would eating overprices chicken tenders and cokes at the convention itself.
Once we saw how overpriced the food was, and had 3 hungry kids, we opted to go ahead and leave the convention early the first night and go out to eat instead.
3)Get a babysitter. If you are the only parent going, you may want to consider getting a sitter for all or part of the conference. Perhaps you and a friend could swap days to go. One friend can keep the kids at home while you shop/hear the guest speakers, and you can return the favor for them. Also, as I mentioned before, consider if your convention lets you attend the conference for one day only, or if a full convention fee for all days must be paid regardless. I would highly recommend having someone (even if it is just your spouse) watching the kids while you are shopping at the Curriculum Fair if nothing else. That is my personal opinion though. I like to have a clear head when shopping and I'm always on a tight budget, so I'm very concerned with saving money and getting the most bang for my buck. Last year, we were able to get my Mom to watch the two older kids while my husband and I shopped, and we just had the baby with us. That made things a lot easier, for sure.
4)Set a budget. For everything from eating out, to curriculum shopping, to any other things you end up buying or activities you may do, figure all this in to your budget at stick to it. If you don't find any speakers you are interested in or won't be able to do anything but shop, consider purchasing a curriculum fair ticket only for yourself, if available. I would say, if possible, plan an extra hundred dollars to have in case of any unexpected deals you find, or activities you want to do, such as a comedy show or kids workshop the convention may have.
5)Do the research. To make the most of your time, find out ahead of time what the convention's schedule looks like and who the speakers are, and if possible, what topics they are speaking on. My conference is in April and they have not yet posted any of this info, so I am actively checking every few days to see if there is any new info. Be sure to bring pen and paper with you to take notes on important sessions to you. I did come prepared with this, and it was very helpful. Any time you hear helpful info you are going to want to write it down. There are going to be so many things thrown at you, it may take some time to really soak in.
Now, here are my tips just on the curriculum fair itself.
1) Plan ahead. Have an idea ahead of time, for at least some subjects of what you may want to use and what you are looking for. If nothing else, at least set a budget and decide on what subjects you want to do. I went with an idea of what subjects I wanted to cover, and knew some of what I was looking for specifically when we went. If at all possible, try and decide what you may want to buy ahead of time, or possibly limit it to two or 3 choices. Research the cost of these ahead of time, and know what the going price is for new and used. If you already know what the price is that you can readily get it for online, you will be able to make a better educated decision when you shop and have everything in front of you. I am a big believer in "hands on" shopping. Although I do see merit in the cost effectiveness of online shopping, there is just something about seeing it right in front of me. I like being able to touch and see the textbooks, and flip through them. It is easier for me to make a decision that way, that just looking at some basic info in a catalog or on a website. I find that if I have an idea of what subjects to teach, and have it narrowed down to two or three solid options, I can easily make a decision once I have them right there in front of me. Find out if you can get this item used in good condition, and talked to others who have used this. Try to get both positive and negative feedback. Remember that what is a negative experience for someone, may very well be a positive experience for you, (or a neutral one). If you don't think you can get it used in good condition, then be prepared to actually buy this item at the convention if you see a good deal.
2)Walk the WHOLE expo first. Bring a notebook (or some type of handheld device you can type notes into). Create a price book ahead of time for each of your options, and know the going rate. Then walk the whole way around the expo before buying ANYTHING. As you go around, any time you see something you like, even if it wasn't a part of your plan or budget, write it down. Trust me. I bought Math U See for Hannah new at the fair, because I knew if I bought it new at the website I would have to pay for shipping and they were offering free shipping through the convention for orders placed that day. I was very excited about saving the $15 in shipping costs, even though I wasn't going to be able to go home with her books that day....Until I walked 3 booths down and a re-seller was selling Math U See stuff at a sizable discount, and if I had only waited, I could have bought the item I wanted for less and left the fair with it.
Fortunately for me, I learned that lesson rather quickly. I continued to write down the price of the items after that, and came across an Art curriculum that I really liked. He even had a tote bag of art supplies that included everything needed for the curriculum. The only problem was that it would be my only splurge item left, as I was running out of money I had budgeted. I decided to think about it some more, and ended up finding the same art book (and several others too) at a booth called "Miller Pads and Paper". There, the book was not only much cheaper, but the workers at the booth were able to find all the supplies we needed at just a fraction of the cost of the other booth. With the money I saved, I was able to get a book about dinosaurs and a dvd from Answers in Genesis for Joshua.
So, I hope some of these tips help you. If you have any other questions, I can't promise I will have the answer but I will sure try!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!!!!
So in part of my new year's resolution to de-clutter, I have been getting rid of things we don't need and rearranging those things we do need to work better. In talking to a girlfriend of mine the other day about me needing organization, I had an epiphany of sorts. Why not put the two older kids in the same room (once again). Hannah and Joshua always end up sleeping together in either her room or his room anyways, because they don't want to be alone. Jonah will probably be in our room for at least another year. Getting them to clean their rooms has always been a constant battle, and while after heming and hawing for an extended period of time I can get Hannah to clean her room. Joshua willl lay there and whine that it's either too hard or he doesn't know what to do (even if I tell him), till he wears himself out and falls asleep. So finally we did it. We put the two beds in Joshua's old room, separated by their dressers on either side of the room. They also each have a laundry basket in their room for the dirty clothes-this is nothing new-and a place to put their shoes. The new rule is that NOTHING else should be in their room, with the exception of ONE toy to snuggle with at bedtime.
Hannah's room on the other hand, became the playroom. ALL toys, with the exception of one toybox and Jonah's larger toys (which goes in the living) has to stay in the playroom. This way, it is much easier for them to clean up because the only thing they have to put away in that room is toys. So far, it has worked exceptionally well, and the kids have not complained ONCE about picking stuff up, in any room. It is only Tuesday though.
Then, today, I decided I wanted to switch the two desks in my office. We had a nonworking computer on Jacob's old desk, and my computer and printer/etc on an old kitchen table (that is on it's last legs, no pun intended). I convinced my sweet hubby to unhook all the PC stuff and put the non working one away. Now Hannah can use the table-desk for school work. At least for today, she seems to be a huge fan of it. Now, my next project is getting the extra dresser (aka junk drawers) out of my bedroom, so we can put the dog's crate in our room. THEN, when we get our piano, we can put THAT where the dog crate is now!
All the while I am trying (and failing) to catch up on laundry and getting old clothes sorted out for the church consignment sale next month. The goal is to get a good bit of money saved up in order to buy more spring/summer clothes for the kids, and have a little extra towards the homeschool convention in April I will be blogging about this soon too I hope.
I have also started writing again. After taking a hiatus for several years, I have started working on a new story. I won't give any details right now, and can't promise that I will ever be ready to take that risk and share it with anyone, but in the mean time it has been oddly theraputic for me. In a time when things have been super chaotic lately, it has been a major stress reliever.
Hubs and I have also started playing WoW again. I have really been missing it over the past few months. Nothing major, just little things here or there would remind me of questing in a different zone or a certain instance. Last week, we started talking about playing when we got our tax return, and just paying for the year up front. But then we realized that it's actually free to play now, no credit card required or anything, all the way to level 20. Of course it's a little limited, No trading in the auction house, no grouping with other trial members, etc. But it was enough playing for a couple days to help me decide I wanted to get back in to it. Especially now that Jonah has gotten bigger and can play for a little bit in the room with me without me constantly holding him, but I think we are mostly going to be playing once they go to bed or take naps. All in all though, it's something I really do enjoy, and I think I have gotten over being burnt out and am ready to start getting back in the game!!
Hannah's room on the other hand, became the playroom. ALL toys, with the exception of one toybox and Jonah's larger toys (which goes in the living) has to stay in the playroom. This way, it is much easier for them to clean up because the only thing they have to put away in that room is toys. So far, it has worked exceptionally well, and the kids have not complained ONCE about picking stuff up, in any room. It is only Tuesday though.
Then, today, I decided I wanted to switch the two desks in my office. We had a nonworking computer on Jacob's old desk, and my computer and printer/etc on an old kitchen table (that is on it's last legs, no pun intended). I convinced my sweet hubby to unhook all the PC stuff and put the non working one away. Now Hannah can use the table-desk for school work. At least for today, she seems to be a huge fan of it. Now, my next project is getting the extra dresser (aka junk drawers) out of my bedroom, so we can put the dog's crate in our room. THEN, when we get our piano, we can put THAT where the dog crate is now!
All the while I am trying (and failing) to catch up on laundry and getting old clothes sorted out for the church consignment sale next month. The goal is to get a good bit of money saved up in order to buy more spring/summer clothes for the kids, and have a little extra towards the homeschool convention in April I will be blogging about this soon too I hope.
I have also started writing again. After taking a hiatus for several years, I have started working on a new story. I won't give any details right now, and can't promise that I will ever be ready to take that risk and share it with anyone, but in the mean time it has been oddly theraputic for me. In a time when things have been super chaotic lately, it has been a major stress reliever.
Hubs and I have also started playing WoW again. I have really been missing it over the past few months. Nothing major, just little things here or there would remind me of questing in a different zone or a certain instance. Last week, we started talking about playing when we got our tax return, and just paying for the year up front. But then we realized that it's actually free to play now, no credit card required or anything, all the way to level 20. Of course it's a little limited, No trading in the auction house, no grouping with other trial members, etc. But it was enough playing for a couple days to help me decide I wanted to get back in to it. Especially now that Jonah has gotten bigger and can play for a little bit in the room with me without me constantly holding him, but I think we are mostly going to be playing once they go to bed or take naps. All in all though, it's something I really do enjoy, and I think I have gotten over being burnt out and am ready to start getting back in the game!!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Newsflash.....
So, I have to apologize for the lack of blogs recently. We have had a roller coaster ride these past 3 weeks. Hannah celebrated her 6th birthday party. Jonah and I got sick with sinus junk. Then last week, Jacob had an unexpected allergic reaction. Again, and again. He had 3 reactions that kept getting more and more severe to something-we didn't know what. He kept having to go back to the Emergency Room and get a shot to help his body calm down. Friday night, he even had to get IV fluids. Saturday, the third time, his face got swollen, he was short of breath and I had to drive him to the ER. And they STILL refused to give him an EPI pen rx. Seriously??? How can someone have 3 reactions in a week and you not give him one. We had no idea what he even might have been allergic to at that point, and the reactions kept getting worse. I remember thinking, ok, so if whatever he keeps getting exposed to happens again, we are going to have to call an ambulence. How are we supposed to avoid something if we don't know what it is. Then, someone mentioned his diet, and what had he eaten this past week. It dawned us, that each day he had a reaction, he had eaten this new type of bread I bought. It wasn't anything strange, just a plain white loaf of bread from the bakery at the store. But I had never bought it before. And each time he had eaten the bread he had a reaction within an hour or two. Immediately I checked the label, thinking maybe there was some strange new ingredient setting him off. But no! In fact, it was a much shorter list than the other breads we had and all ingredients that could be pronounced, and ALL ingredients he had hat before. Wheat, barley, rye, etc.
So, since we realized this, Saturday evening, he has had nothing with any type of wheat/grain in it, and he's felt great. No more allergies, and he's even off the steroids from the ER. Last week, he was medicines to curb the allergy and he kept getting worse. Before yesterday we were thinking that this was what it was, but weren't sure. This is unknown territory to us. But after hearing what the doctor had to say, we both started to feel condident that's what it was. Even the doctor said the symptoms were in line with a food allergy. He even brought up things that hadn't even occurred to us. It made no sense to us that an allergy he had never had before that would show up all of the sudden like that. The doctor said that it's actually not unheard of though, to be fine one day and suddenly the next day your body has a brand new allergy. He also said that there is such a thing as cross contamination of sorts, when it comes to allergies, and when Jacob worked out in the yard last Tuesday, it could have aggravated the wheat allergy and made it much worse.Plus, each time he ate the bread, it got progressively worse, and other things he ate like macaroni and cheese and a whole wheat sub didn't help. The symptoms kept compounding and Saturday, he had horrible stomach pains-apparently if you have a food allergy that can be a reaction as well. I had no idea that would have anything to do with it.
The dr. was super nice and gave us an EPI pen rx to protect him against this allergy and his wasp allergy (which we've known about for years). He said we can't do the allergy skin testing, yesterday due to the medicines he's been on, but he did draw blood to test for this and hopefully we will know for sure by the first of next week. This is just an answer to prayers, to know what is causing this. It's going to be a major life change for him and us to. We have been trying to eat much healthier these last few months. We have, for the most part, cut out fast food. Where just a few months ago, we were getting about 2 fast food meals every week. Now, I am trying to cook most of our favorite meals at home from scratch. If we get a craving for burgers and fries, instead of going to McDonalds which is HORRIBLE for you, we buy the stuff to grill hamburgers and bake fries in the oven. It has not only saved us money but empty calories as well. I haven't been able to kick my sweet tea fix yet, but I figure it's better to be drinking sweet tea daily than coke right?
I have been struggling trying to find gluten free foods/meals that he can eat this past week. I'm sure that is going to be a challenge. for us. So far we've had lots of grilled chicken and veggies. We are big bread people though, so it's going to be a big adjustment. As far as we know, it's not bothering him to have the kids and I still eating whole grains etc...and switching to totally gluten free is no doubt going to be expensive, as we try to find healthy alternatives to the foods we love. But in the mean time, I am just going to buy separate for him. If we have sandwiches for lunch, I will use different bread for him than I use for the kids and I. That way I can still make use of the foods I have already bought for my stockpile. I think, as time goes by, we will probably eat more gluten free foods as a family. I am a big fan of brown rice and wild rice, and those foods are ok. But one of the benefits to this is he won't be able to have most processed foods. So no more frozen dinners. No more hamburger helper. That is going to help us all in the long run, as I start to choose mostly lean meats and fresh veggies. It's basically like a forced Atkins diet, lol. So be prepared for some (hopefully) yummy gluten free recipes to come as I continue to experiment with our meals in the future.
So, since we realized this, Saturday evening, he has had nothing with any type of wheat/grain in it, and he's felt great. No more allergies, and he's even off the steroids from the ER. Last week, he was medicines to curb the allergy and he kept getting worse. Before yesterday we were thinking that this was what it was, but weren't sure. This is unknown territory to us. But after hearing what the doctor had to say, we both started to feel condident that's what it was. Even the doctor said the symptoms were in line with a food allergy. He even brought up things that hadn't even occurred to us. It made no sense to us that an allergy he had never had before that would show up all of the sudden like that. The doctor said that it's actually not unheard of though, to be fine one day and suddenly the next day your body has a brand new allergy. He also said that there is such a thing as cross contamination of sorts, when it comes to allergies, and when Jacob worked out in the yard last Tuesday, it could have aggravated the wheat allergy and made it much worse.Plus, each time he ate the bread, it got progressively worse, and other things he ate like macaroni and cheese and a whole wheat sub didn't help. The symptoms kept compounding and Saturday, he had horrible stomach pains-apparently if you have a food allergy that can be a reaction as well. I had no idea that would have anything to do with it.
The dr. was super nice and gave us an EPI pen rx to protect him against this allergy and his wasp allergy (which we've known about for years). He said we can't do the allergy skin testing, yesterday due to the medicines he's been on, but he did draw blood to test for this and hopefully we will know for sure by the first of next week. This is just an answer to prayers, to know what is causing this. It's going to be a major life change for him and us to. We have been trying to eat much healthier these last few months. We have, for the most part, cut out fast food. Where just a few months ago, we were getting about 2 fast food meals every week. Now, I am trying to cook most of our favorite meals at home from scratch. If we get a craving for burgers and fries, instead of going to McDonalds which is HORRIBLE for you, we buy the stuff to grill hamburgers and bake fries in the oven. It has not only saved us money but empty calories as well. I haven't been able to kick my sweet tea fix yet, but I figure it's better to be drinking sweet tea daily than coke right?
I have been struggling trying to find gluten free foods/meals that he can eat this past week. I'm sure that is going to be a challenge. for us. So far we've had lots of grilled chicken and veggies. We are big bread people though, so it's going to be a big adjustment. As far as we know, it's not bothering him to have the kids and I still eating whole grains etc...and switching to totally gluten free is no doubt going to be expensive, as we try to find healthy alternatives to the foods we love. But in the mean time, I am just going to buy separate for him. If we have sandwiches for lunch, I will use different bread for him than I use for the kids and I. That way I can still make use of the foods I have already bought for my stockpile. I think, as time goes by, we will probably eat more gluten free foods as a family. I am a big fan of brown rice and wild rice, and those foods are ok. But one of the benefits to this is he won't be able to have most processed foods. So no more frozen dinners. No more hamburger helper. That is going to help us all in the long run, as I start to choose mostly lean meats and fresh veggies. It's basically like a forced Atkins diet, lol. So be prepared for some (hopefully) yummy gluten free recipes to come as I continue to experiment with our meals in the future.
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