The Many Hats I Wear

I've read those emails that try to make moms feel better about staying home with their kids - like they need some reassurance that there's value in "just" being a mom.

I know.

That's silly.

But, it's true we wear many hats as moms.
Chef, chauffeur, nurse, teacher, maid, referee {grin}...
I can't even list them all.

As you can see lately, it appears "Blogger" has just about fallen off that list for me. There is so much around here that is just not getting done that I feel guilty getting online and writing a blog post.

I like having my blog though. I like feeling connected to my long distance friends. And, I like having a record of our lives we can look back on. (there's another thing that's not getting done - scrapbooks. ugh!)

So...here's what we've been up to lately.

We celebrated our very first Gotcha Day on August 24th. Yummy Ethiopian food!


Tate started tackle football. (hmm. that's was about when I stopped having time to update the blog. I'm starting to see a connection.) {wink}


Bear just turned 7 on September 10th.

Car Turned 9 on September 11th (yes, the very next day)

And, Gid fell in love with the tractor

Pucker up...Look at that pucker!


SMACK!

It's Outta Hand

Last year I remember saying, "I hate Christmas - I just want to get it over with as soon as possible!"

That was the first sign our family needed to do something different.

Funny thing is... I think we were pretty tame comparatively speaking. We talked a little about Santa and a lot about Jesus, limited how many gifts we gave the kids (which always looks crazy when multiplied by four), we got up every Christmas morning and sang and visited with the nursing home residents while they ate breakfast. Not too bad, really.

I think the part of Christmas I don't enjoy has more to do with the atmosphere in general. The stores drive me crazy. They are salivating over our money. And, I can just feel the tension in the air as the shoppers around me are trying to find the perfect gift and stressing about how much money they are spending. They decide to just not think about it until January - but that doesn't really work.

I can't blame it all on others though. Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Christ. I have bought into the idea of using this time to show how much we care about our loved ones with a great gift. There was some kind of explanation about Jesus being a gift and we show our love by giving gifts to others. It was something like that - I don't remember. All I remember is that I bought it.

I do agree we need to express how much we care about our loved ones.

Every single day of the year.

We have chosen to put more thought into our gifts. Tony and I are working on some projects with the kids to give this year. I have to admit - it would be a lot easier to go buy something in the store. But, even though it is taking more thought, more time, (and maybe even more money by the time we get all of the supplies), I am less stressed out and am enjoying the the time we are spending working together on this.

The kids are having fun, too. Bonus!

They are excited about using some of our Christmas budget this year to put toward drilling a well for those who don't have access to clean water. I was amazed at this video when it compared how much money we spend at Christmas to how much it would take to offer clean water to everyone.

It reminds me of when Moses threw me off guard in this post. I still don't thank God for my water. Well, I did just now because I was just thinking about it. But, not on a daily (or weekly) basis.

I think I will be watching this video regularly throughout the Christmas season just to keep myself in the right mindset. I hope I don't cave and run to Walmart December 23rd and get into a fight over the last Tickle Me Elmo! (am I dating myself?)

Football Season

I love football season! Not really the football part, but I love all the things that mean Fall is here. And, football season is one of those things.

My favorite team has to be - hmm... the Texans? (no)... the Aggies (I do like them)... oh yes! the YMCA!

But only when my boys are playing!

This is the first year both Tate and Car are playing flag football.

Tony is coaching Car's team of 6-7 year olds. I think God is sanctifying him through the process.

I'm not sure if Car's mouthpiece fits inside his mouth. It looks like he has a big black moustache. He does act like Groucho Marx, so I guess it works for him.

Tate is doing good on his team. I really like his coach. His main objective is to teach these boys good character. What's not to like about that? Oh, and he's got some pretty good plays up his sleeves, so they have won all of their games. Bonus.

Yes - he caught the ball.

Go, Tate, Go!

Fall is Here

Fall is not officially here for our family until we take a trip to the Oil Ranch. That place is so much fun! They have pony rides, train rides, putt putt golf, indian swings, hay rides... I could go on and on. We went with our homeschool friends. There were over 60 of us! And, only 5 moms because we all have so many kids - kidding! There were at least 8 moms.

My favorite feature is that it is wide open fields. The kids can run all around and I don't have to keep them right by my side the entire time, fearing I will lose one.

One of my least favorite features is the petting zoo. The idea of willingly offering my children's hands up for farm animals to slobber on is pretty gross. But - they love it. That's why we own stock in Purell. (Actually - Tony is the Purell addict, but that would be another post.)

This goat was posing nicely with Car, but then noticed the food on the ground behind him. After I took the picture, Car said - Hey, you just took a picture of me with the goat's rear!

Now, the milking station just makes me sad. I do like teaching my kids about animals, and I think hands on is great. But, that poor cow! She gets trapped in the stall and has multitudes of random, untrained hands grabbing her to squeeze out the milk. The untrained hands part has to be the worst. She seemed to be pretty content with her hay, though.

This picture of Car pretty much sums up our day. Look how dirty he is! And, how tired his eyes look.

That also explains this picture:

Everyone was so tired, this was the closest I got to a pumpkin patch photo of the kids. And, I was so tired I didn't even care to keep trying.

The BEST part of the whole day was...

Our Kickapoo Indian lady officially made it educational - so it was a FIELD TRIP!

Housekeeping Personality Quiz

I would like to say my house is always clean and orderly. If I had it my way, it would be.

Apparently, I only get it my way at Burger King.

And, they don't clean houses.

With four young kids, homeschooling, and activities I just get as much done as I can and try not to stress about the rest. The "rest" is the stuff above and beyond the vacuuming and dusting - oh, and scrubbing toilets! The rest usually happens when there is an accident.

Accidents like -

The garbage can gets scrubbed out when one of the bags gets a hole and leaks.

My bathroom cabinets get cleaned out when I leave my sink running while I hop in the shower and it floods my entire bathroom, leaking into the drawers and cabinets on the way to the floor.

And, my refrigerator gets cleaned out when a major hurricane comes and knocks out our power for 2 1/2 days.

Is that bad that I only get to the "rest" when I have to pull something out to clean a leak?

I have to say - there seem to be plenty of events around here that cause me to get to the rest. Fortunately, these events are not all hurricane related. Somehow, they do seem to all come at inopportune times - like as we are expecting company, or just walking out the door. How does that happen? Kind of like how the smoke detector batteries always decide to chirp at 3 am. Always!

Here's another Ike related to-do -



I've been meaning to chop 3,000 cords of wood (even though we have gas logs in our fireplace)and just haven't gotten around to it. Now I have to if I want to get out of my garage.

Thanks, Ike!

{What's your housekeeping personality?}

Hunkerin' Down

I'm not sure I have heard the word "hunkering" before Ike started our way, but I guess that describes what we are doing.



Our family just got back from our camping trip and immediately had to start preparing for Ike. It's not too bad since we are already in camping mode.



Who needs electricity and running water?



Wait a minute! I DO!



Hopefully, the effects of Ike won't last too long.



We are praying for all of the people in the path. Especially, the people who are not taking this storm seriously and heeding warnings to leave.



The rain and winds have not started here yet, but are expected in the next hour or so. I think we are as ready as we can be.



We love all of our sweet family and friends that have been calling to check on us. Mimi is staying with us tonight since her house has several trees hanging over it. I'm confident we will lose electricity at some point and am not sure when we will get our electricity back.



I'll give an update when I can.

What a Day!

I can't believe it!!! We went from this:



To this:



What are the odds?

Pretty good when we add a couple of experienced (lucky) guys!

First, my dad came over. All the way from next door. He brought his very humane animal trap (the one that doesn't work on armadillos) and we headed out to the woods. What luck! We found Bella right away, hopping happily out in the open. Until she saw us. We did a little climbing through the briars, but she eventually evaded us.

Then, Mom noticed Dot lounging in the stump of a tree. I walked by that stump all day. I'm sure she was in there watching me every time I passed by. stinker!

The stump was hiding in the middle of a bunch of brush (of course). I climbed in and tried to be sneaky and grab her. It's hard to be sneaky while breaking through a bunch of dead tree limbs and leaves. So, she ran deeper into the brush. Fortunately, Dad and I had a plan. It went something like this:

Dad: I'll chase her out and you catch her on the other side. Ouch! Ow! Oh! Ouch! Okay! Here she comes!

Me: Oh! She got away! She's coming back your way!

Dad (just climbing back out of the brush): Okay - I'll chase her out and you catch her on the other side. Ouch! Ow! Oh! Ouch! Here she comes!

Me: I see her! Wait! She's coming back your way!

Repeat about 1,142 times.

Finally, on the 1,143rd try, she ran all the way to our house and found her cage. Mom, Dad, Tate, and I were able to surround her as she hid under her cage and I grabbed her.

1/2 Success!!!

Kids are thrilled! And, that was the purpose of their grandparents and mom climbing through snake infested thorns all afternoon. That would be major points for us. But, we don't keep score. I have to say my parents are the best! There was no way they were leaving without two, fluffy bunnies safely nestled in their cage for the night. No way!

So - on to finding Bella.

We looked and couldn't find her anywhere. I decided for the gazzillionth time to just give up, convinced we had her completely terrified after she just witnessed what went on with Dot. (I know she was watching us the entire time).

At this point, Tony comes home from work. He changes clothes and asks me to show him where we saw Bella last. I showed him and walked to the house. Two minutes later, I see him and Dad walking back to the house also. I'm thinking he gave up pretty darn fast.

Wait!

What's in his arms?

It's brown and furry!

How did he do that?!

His story is quite compelling.

Are you ready?

He saw her and picked her up with his hat.

I told you - compelling!

Why didn't I think of that?

Bella, Bella

What am I going to do with that rabbit?

Not the one in the picture, that's one of the many other rabbits that live around here. Bella and Dot will have lots of company in their new home in the woods.



The good news is we found Bella hopping through the woods.

The bad news is she is hopping through the woods.

She's a rabbit.

I'm a human. A slow human at that.

That means I have spent the past 14 hours (that's what it felt like, anyway) sweating and climbing through the woods trying to catch Bella to no avail.

Here is a picture of the woods I've been crawling through:



Yes, Bella is in there. She hasn't been staying on that nice, open, path part either. Apparently, rabbits feel more secure in between all the brush. She's right in the part of the woods that is solid thorns and branches.

Coincidentally, rabbits like the same part of the woods that the copperheads and coral snakes like. How funny is that? I'm cracking up right now!

Long story short – Bella is a stinker. I know what she is thinking - she thinks she's Bugs Bunny and I'm Elmer Fudd. She may be right – I have called her a wascally wabbit multiple times now. And, I have turned to the kids with my fingers to my lips telling them, "Shhhhh". I'm certainly acting like Elmer Fudd. As long as I don't start looking like him, it's all good.

My kids got their hopes up, but Bella got away.

I have my limits, so I have to stop now.

We will set a trap for her later.

A humane trap. We want her in one piece if we can catch her.

I’m going to do a tick check now and take a shower.

I wonder where Dot is?

Lost - Pet Rabbit

Make that TWO pet rabbits.

Apparently, taking care of animals is not our family's forte. Neither is growing gardens.

Hmmm...

We haven't found our forte (I hope I'm using that word correctly), yet. But, we will keep looking.

This morning we had two, beautiful pet rabbits. They were living happily in their cage in the backyard and were quite spoiled when they were brought in to get out of the heat.

We came home from running errands later this morning and found the bottom of the cage had been knocked out. If it was our dog, I know it was an accident because she just wants to lick them. And, she's kind of oafey like that, so I could totally see her messing it up. I'm not sure what knocked it out, but the bunnies were gone.

Yes, this is when I was trying to get a late start on our school day.

There was no starting school right then.

That's the benefit of sending kids to school. If this happened when they were in school, I could have had some time to either replace them with their bunny doubles, or at least make up a really good story about where they were.

That's not how it happens for homeschoolers. The kids are the ones that always find the dead pets. It just comes with the territory.

On top of all of this, Bear and I are both feeling sick.

God has given us 24 hours each day. Some days I feel like I need a little more time, but on days like this it's comforting there will be an end and I can just go to bed.

Where are those bunnies???

A is for Apple

Apple Pie, that is.

I thought it would be fun to do an alphabet book for Bear as she started Kindergarten this week. She knows her alphabet already, but I have not really spent the time with her doing the fun activities the other kids did. The fourth child can really get ripped off if we're not careful. I am going to try to be purposeful in not skipping activities with her just because I have already done it with three other kids, or I am just plain tired.

The other kids are excited about these fun activities, too. This week, we have written our letters in shaving cream, learned about Adam and Eve and Abraham in our Pray and Play Bible, read stories about ants (Magic School Bus ROCKS!), and today we made an apple pie from scratch. Fun times!!!

Hard at Work

It's been a great first day of school. The kids all had positive attitudes and we finished everything on our list.

What more could I ask?

I'll share a few pictures of the kids working diligently. We did not have any experiments or exciting assignments today. It takes a while for all of us to get back on a schedule. It's been pretty free around here for a while now, but we are all welcoming the routine. I think it's just natural to like boundaries and knowing what is coming next. I can definitely see that in my kids.

Tate and Ellie do really well with seatwork -

Car tends to do better in any position that is not at his desk. I'm not sure why I even put a desk in here for him. How would he do in a traditional school setting? I'm sure it would depend on how understanding his teacher would be.

And - a girl can only handle so much excitement in one day.

(Notice she was studying her Presidents - kidding!)

Overall, I give this day two thumbs up!

I am looking forward to sharing some of the fun stuff we will be doing this year. I love homeschooling my kids - even though it is a lot of work - pfew!

First Day of School 2008-2009

We are ready to tackle another school year at home. The kids have been begging me to get started. I love the enthusiasm that comes at the beginning of the year.

Can we bottle some of it up and save for April?


Tate's starting his 5th grade year. I guess it's always hardest watching your first born get bigger. But, it's also exciting watching him grow and do new things. I am very proud of the young man he is becoming. No more elementary school for him!






Ellie is growing up fast, too. She's ready for 3rd grade. She is a huge help around the house and with the others. I am very impressed with how responsible she is and how well organized she likes to be.

Car is heading into 2nd grade. One of the benefits of homeschooling for Car is that he can wear his favorite jersey on the first day of school, even when it has a mark from a sticker that got washed on it. (Free tip of the day: remove all stickers from clothing before washing.)

Judging from this picture of Bear - I think she is excited about the idea of starting her first day of Kindergarten. She did calm down and worked very hard today. One thing we have to work on is her telling me what she already knows how to do and why she doesn't want to do what I give her.

Where did she get that?

Finally - Proof I've Gone Insane

The start of school is nearing. Time to plan a year's worth of studies for 4 children. What does that mean?

Paint the school room and completely re-arrange everything!

Yes, we had all summer to tackle projects like this, but - that's just how I work.

Fortunately, I was smart and hired some helpers.

Wait.

I think the paint fumes are affecting my brain.

Those aren't hired help.

They're my kids!!!

By the way - that's not the paint color. It's the super-primer I needed to try and cover the Aggie maroon.

Happy Fourth of July!

We hope you all have a safe and fun 4th of July! We'll be having lots of fun swimming and going to see fireworks, but I will also be making sure the kids remember why we are celebrating our independence. This is a fun site to go to for some Independence Day games and information.

A "Berry" Good Day

I can't believe we are still having such beautiful weather. The temperature was in the sixties this morning.


We started our day going on a walk and enjoying the cool weather before breakfast. The weather was still nice, so we headed back outside after breakfast. Papaw came over and the boys had a serious basketball game going on.



Papaw and the boys.



Then, we headed to pick blackberries and figs.

The goal was to find the "monster" berries.

Papaw and Ellie made a good team.

5,000 blackberry plants and I think we checked each one.




We saw a lot of red berries. We'll have to come back soon.





Time to head home.

But, not before a quick ride on the tire swing.

Bear doesn't see what's wrong with buying our berries at the store.

After a full day outside, the kids enjoyed the air conditioned goodness of our living room and built forts. I'm sure we will be back outside soon.

On the Road to Recovery

I haven't been good about updating the progress with Moses. Sorry. He had a very successful surgery on June 11th. They did six surgeries on his arm that day. The doctor was very pleased with how it turned out, so that is encouraging. Moses was in a lot of pain the next few days, but he was tough. He did not complain, and after a few days he rarely asked for any pain medication.

He went yesterday and they took the stitches out and put a hard cast on. That has been pretty uncomfortable, but again, he is not complaining.

Today, he was in a great mood and we had a lot of fun with him. We played outside and he was running around with us. He's also back to giving Bear a hard time. He loves to pick at her for some reason. It started because she was so shy with him and he was determined to win her over. He was persistent and today - she spoke to him for the first time! He was shocked, but pleased. So, he stole her tricycle. :) That's just the relationship they have.



Notice the straight wrist!