Jim Weiss

A couple of people have asked me about Jim Weiss since I mentioned him in my homeschooling meme.

As I said before, I absolutely love his recordings. His voice is just simply enchanting. Sitting in my living room, I can actually feel as if I'm sitting in a great hall, listening to someone weave a story for a court. We listen them in the car, but my children are also perfectly happy to listen to them while we're putting puzzles together or coloring or baking cookies.

I've just realized that the clips featured in the brochure on his website are quite long, about four minutes, and it gives a good idea of what the recordings are like. We have several of the CDs (and I'm always coveting more), but the ones that my children seem to like best are Fairytale Favorites (they like Puss in Boots in particular) and Greek Myths.

Another of the great things about his selections is just that there is such a variety. Mythology, classic fairy tales, tall tales, history, the sciences . . . they're all available, and it's just so easy to get my children interested about learning with his tales.

I ordered three more CDs from Overstock.com about two weeks ago. The tracking number showed them to be less than 20 miles from my house for three days before I got them. Three days! For those three very long days, I felt like I was stalking the mail lady.

Wander on over to his website, browse through the online catalog, and give him a listen. It's worth it!

Homeschool meme

Shamelessly lifted from Mary at Owlhaven

1) One homeschooling book you have enjoyed.

The Unschooling Handbook. It was one of the first that I read cover-to-cover. It was a good one to start with because it made me think, "I can do this!"

2) One resource you wouldn’t be without.
If I have to name only one, it would be the internet. But really, the internet and the library are tied for first place. The internet one-ups the library because I research what I want/need then head to the library to get it!

3) One resource you wish you had never bought.
Loads of things, but the biggest disappointment was the Abeka Kindergarten curriculum. It was an utter waste. We abandoned it after, oh, two weeks, and we've never looked back.

4) One resource you enjoyed last year.

Jim Weiss. Love him, love him, love him! I can't recommend his recordings highly enough. Both of my children are absolutely mesmerized when listening to him.

5) One resource you will be using next year.

Learning Through History Magazine. I had a subscription last year, and I let it lapse because . . . well, just because. I didn't have a reason. I ran across the magazines when I was cleaning the bookshelves this week, and I remembered how much we enjoyed it. I have it on my calendar to renew it next month.

6) One resource you would like to buy.

Rosetta Stone German. We downloaded the trial version, and Spyder and I have both enjoyed it. I'm saving to buy it for next year since it's kinda pricey.

7) One homeschooling catalog you enjoy reading.

Sonlight. I've always been very pleased with their reading recommendations, and I get load of great ideas.

8.) One homeschooling (educational) website you use regularly.
Does Google count? It's probably the one site that I use every single day, whether I'm looking up "preschool cutting activities" for Sass or "weapons in World War I" for Spyder.

9) Tag other home schoolers.

Well, Tara is tagged since she's the only homeschooling blogger I know!

Dad-isms

My dad is quite a character, particularly when it comes to his speech. He's truly part of the old South, and his language is as colorful as any you can imagine.

He has quite a few phrases that I consider "his." Here are a few of them, along with a translation for those who haven't had the pleasure of hearing them in person.

Phrase: You ain't done it.
Meaning: I know you're fibbing, so 'fess up. (Doesn't have to refer to a particular activity; can also refer to thoughts or ideas.)

Phrase: What does that have to do with the price of eggs in China?
Meaning: You've brought in excess drivel. Get back to the topic at hand.

Phrase: Six of one, half a dozen of another.
Meaning: Whatever. It's all semantics. Also, it doesn't matter.

Phrase: What about it?
Meaning: Hey, how's it going?

Phrase: I said if this weather continues there's going to be a whole lot of it.
Meaning: I didn't want you to hear what I said. (He always says this if you ask him to repeat something.)

Phrase: Me neither too also.
Meaning: Yeah; I agree with that.

Phrase: I don't know. My brother went to school that day.
Meaning: I don't know the answer.

Phrase: You stepped in what?
Meaning: I didn't hear what you said.

No vampires here

My personal cooking philosophy: If it doesn't have garlic, it must be dessert.

I always joke about this, but I'm beginning to think it must be true. I'm having a Southern Living at Home party tomorrow night, and I've been doing the cooking for it.

I'm serving the following:

Crab & Artichoke dip
Deviled eggs
Sweet & Sour meatballs
Crudite platter with two or three different dips

Every single recipe has garlic. My mom's deviled egg recipe didn't call for the garlic, but I've started adding it anyway, along with a little bit of Emeril's original seasoning mix to give it a little bit of kick.

The cooking is my favorite part of hosting. I always try out something new or make something that I don't take time for very often. The new recipe for this time is the Sweet & Sour meatballs. Deviled eggs take so much time that I don't bother with them usually. Skeeter is always pleased when we host something since he gets to nibble beforehand and feast on the leftovers afterward.

I wish I had a self-cleaning house. I'd host just about every day!

Another kind of sneaking around

Tonight Skeeter and I had a rare completely child-free moment. We had dropped both children at their respective classes at church, and neither one of us were required to be anywhere.

Skeeter suggested that we take advantage of this rare hour alone and head to Starbucks, our favorite grown-up treat spot for our usual, a decaf non-fat toffee nut latte. It sounds pretentious even to us, but it's what we like.

While we were sitting at the traffic light, I said, "You know what I really want? I want Peanut Butter & Chocolate ice cream from Baskin Robbins."

Skeeter turned and looked at me with wide eyes. "Am I allowed to change my mind? 'Cause if I can, I'm in with you for the good stuff. And I won't even have to share!"

I have a goal

And here it is: the Dyson Animal Vacuum. I haven't decided if I prefer the DC07 or the DC14 though.

I've been racking up the points at My Points lately (Land's End and Overstock.com love me), so I figured I'll save up my points to get the vacuum! I'd never be able to spend $500 on a vacuum otherwise. And I seriously doubt that Skeeter would even let me.

I was using them to get Barnes & Noble gift certificates for me, and Starbucks gift certificates to give as Christmas gifts to friends. No more!

For the moment, I'm 1/5 of the way to earning my new vacuum. Friends, I predict that you will receive loads of gifts via Overstock.com. They give 10 points per dollar! :o)

Happy Valentine's Day!

When I was little, my mom always had a small gift waiting for me on Valentine's Day, so I do the same with my children.

As you can see, we don't go all out, either with gifts or packaging, but I think they like them. :) And it's really more the thought than anything else.

Spooks

Skeeter and I have been hooked on a British spy series called Spooks. Here in the US, I'm told that it's broadcast on A&E as MI-5. We've been renting the series through Netflix though, since television watching at our house is spotty at best.

We just finished the last disc of season 4 last night, and even four seasons in it's still the best spy drama that I've seen!

If spy drama is your thing, definitely check out MI-5. Oh yes, and if at all possible, watch them in order! :)

Just when you need it

Saturday I had a horrible headache. It was probably a migraine, but since I've never officially been diagnosed with migraines, I'll just say it was a really bad headache. I got up at my usual time, but I let the children sleep in. They had gone to a birthday party Friday night, and they got to bed very late, so I figured that they deserved it.

I was feeling pretty good when I got up, and I got loads of things done. By the time they got up at 10ish, I wasn't feeling so good. By 1 pm, I was in the bed (nap position), a cloth over my eyes to block out the light, praying that I wouldn't throw up.

Skeeter had to work, so it was just the children and me. And as any mom knows, children are notoriously needy exactly when you don't need them to be. Just think . . . when you're on the phone, aren't your children drawn to you like magnets? Yeah. Mine are too.

This particular day though, my children really and truly were the angels I needed them to be. Just before I went to lie down, I told them how I was feeling and how very, very important it was for me to rest a bit. I don't know if it was the thought of a bit of Mommy-produced regurgitation or if I looked as bad as I felt, but their behavior was exactly what I needed it to be.

I had crawled onto the bed without my throw. Sass got it for me. She also got the cloth to cover my eyes because it hurt that bad. After I was settled and trying to regulate my breathing so that it would hurt less, Spyder asked Sass if she wanted to go into the living room and watch Scooby Doo with him. As they were walking away I heard her say, "We need to make sure it's turned down really low since Mama's head hurts bad."

sniff

Of course, today it was back to the usual, "Moooooommm! Sass is in my room!" and "Mama! Spyder took my ______!" But it was nice to have them so thoughtful and cooperative when I really needed it.

Friday Fact

Something about me that you probably don't know:

I was in Germany in November 1989 when the Berlin Wall crumbled.

My grandmother is German, and we were there visiting her family. Until a few years ago, she would visit every two or three years. She'd leave in September, just in time for her hometown's Wine Festival, and she'd return just before Thanksgiving. I had saved and saved for a year to be able to afford the trip. Plus I had to get permission for a leave from my college so that I could keep my scholarship. It was so incredibly, absolutely worth it.

We had visited the East German/West German border only a few weeks before that November event, and I will never forget how intimidating it was to be in that place with the cleared ground, barbed wire, and armed guards in the tower. When the Fall came just a few weeks later, I had a better understanding of the relief that the East Germans felt.

The Michael

The children and I spent the day with Michael, one of my dearest and oldest friends. Michael is just like family, so much so that we tend to refer to each other as brother and sister. Our history is so long and inclusive that most of the time it's just easier to refer to each other that way rather than explaining our relationship.

When Spyder was little, Michael half-heartedly attempted to get Spyder to call him "Uncle Michael." That never took for Spyder, but he did take to calling him The Michael. Neither one of us knows how that came about, but it's stuck. Even now, Spyder and Sass both refer to him as The Michael. I can't explain how, but it's even capitalized in their voices. Michael signs all of his cards and postcards to them as "The Michael."

Michael has had work issues recently, and his schedule has been very erratic. I don't think we'd seen him since Christmas, so when he emailed on Wednesday, we all jumped at the chance to hang out today. Spyder must have even dreamed about it because when I woke him up this morning, I could hear him (still asleep) muttering, ". . . pizza with The Michael . . . ."

It was quite an excellent day. We met at the Pizza Cafe for an early lunch, then zipped over to the bargain theatre to see Flushed Away. After the movie, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the children's museum. Nothing overly exciting, or even unusual, other than we normally don't do all of those in one day, but it was incredibly nice to have a day to hang out with The Michael.

Bookin' on . . .

Southern Girl has posted another meme that I absolutely couldn't pass up -- books.

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? Any and all, but for feel, I prefer trade paperbacks or hardcovers. Trade paperbacks are my favorite because they're the easiest to hold one-handed.

Amazon or brick and mortar? Brick and mortar, but I buy online often. I just find so much great stuff while browsing at the store.

Barnes & Noble or Borders? Barnes & Noble. I've never been impressed with our Borders store (the only one I've ever visited).

Bookmark or dogear? Neither. I just remember the page number.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? I used to have the organized by genre, then alphabetically by author within each genre. Children have cured me of that, although our DVDs are still arranged alphabetically.

Keep, throw away, or sell? Entirely depends on the book. Some I keep, some I sell, and some I donate to the library. I'd rather cut out my tongue than throw one away.

Keep dustjacket or toss it? Keep, definitely.

Read with dustjacket or remove it? I read hardcovers with the dustjacket on. It bothers me when it's not on.

Short story or novel? Novel, hands down.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)? Generally, I prefer a collection to an anthology. Anthologies seem disjointed to me.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Harry Potter. I've never really cared for the Lemony Snicket series.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? I seldom stop at chapter breaks. I generally read until I get to a point that seems to be a natural break, and that almost never happens at the end of the chapter.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? Either one, really, but it all depends on my mood.

Buy or Borrow? Depends on what kind of book it is. Some I want to keep, but if it's one that I'm probably never going to read again, I'd rather borrow it.

New or used? I usually buy new, but used is fine as long as it doesn't smell.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? Browsing or recommendations.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Neat and tidy ending, thank you. A cliffhanger within a series is fine, but I am not okay with a series that has no definite ending.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? Nighttime, simply because that's when I have the most "me" time.

Standalone or series? My favorite books are standalone, but I read series books as well.

Favorite series? Harry Potter comes to mind first. It's been the one long series that I haven't gotten tired of reading. I did have a bit of a hiccup with the fifth book, but all was redeemed with the sixth. I'm both anticipating and dreading the seventh.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith. It's my favorite book in the whole wide world.

Favorite books read last year? A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel; Montmorency by Eleanor Updale; Queen of the Oddballs by Hilary Carlip; Bloody Jack by LA Meyer

Favorite books of all time? Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith; A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman

The Devil in the Junior League

The Devil in the Junior League shows us the life of Fredericka Mercedes Hildebrand Ware (Frede to her friends), a pampered and privileged Texas socialite. Her picture-perfect world falls apart the day that she comes home to find another woman in her house who claims to be pregnant -- by Frede's husband.

This book falls firmly into the "Chick Lit" category, and I picked it up on a whim. It's not my usual book fare.

Despite her privileged status, Frede is a good person at heart. She does have some class prejudices, but she recognizes them for what they are. She isn't cruel with those prejudices, unlike many of her peers. She is flawed (who isn't?), but Frede is a likable character, which is what I really liked about the novel. Even though I quickly realized that this book really wasn't my style, Frede herself was the reason I continued to read it.

Recommended only for those who enjoy the "Chick Lit" genre.

Unplanned haitus

Since it's been almost a week since my last post, I offer the following bullet points.

• Spyder was in a bible quiz competition on Saturday. OH MY GOSH. It lasted for five hours. Five hours! Sass was with me, and she did very well for the first four hours of it. By the last hour though, she had had enough. I confess: I let her watch Strawberry Shortcake on the portable DVD player. I am not a person who encourages that sort of thing, but we had colored, written, drawn, and played finger games for the previous four hours. We were tired of being there (and getting a bit tired of each other, to be honest). Spyder did well in his competition though, and our church placed second! Spyder had worked very hard on it, and I was really proud of him.
  
• Skeeter worked at a math competition on Saturday so he didn't get to go to the bible quiz. He was the data entry person for the competition, and he was the one who entered all of the scores and printed out the certificates. He was just as tired as the rest of us when it was over.
• Our internet was out from Saturday night to Monday night, and it was both frustrating and liberating.
  
• I am hooked on a new game, JewelQuest.
  
• Sunday's sermon was absolutely wonderful, on being an encouraging person. I didn't have a big epiphany during it, but it certainly was a good sermon for me to hear.
  
• Spyder and I cleaned out his closet yesterday, and it looks good! Next is Sass's closet, but that's a much bigger job. I'm dreading it.
• We spent the afternoon at a homeschool swim/play time, and everyone is still and quiet. Loving it! :o)
  

You know you're a parent when

. . . you give out a business card with additional information written in crayon.

. . . you are the recipient of said business card, and you didn't even think anything was out of the ordinary.

Well said

Sarah at In the Midst of It has an absolutely beautiful post on motherhood. I'm still astounded at how accurately it reflects my life.

I don't regularly read her blog, but I ran across the address in the bookmarks on my old computer. I truly, wholeheartedly believe that that supposedly random act was God-inspired.

I needed it today. Do yourself a great service and read it.

Meme: Six of one, half a dozen of another

That's one of my Dad's favorite phrases, so I figured I had to do this meme that I saw at Southern Girl. :o)

1. Name six things in your refrigerator:

• Milk (only 1/2 of a gallon left -- need to buy more!)
• Fruit (apples, grapes, pears, oranges)
• Spinach dip
• Leftover Chinese food from when we went out Monday night (veggie lo mein and kung pao chicken)
  
• Sunny D
• Cheddar cheese
  

2. Name six things in your freezer:

• Rice (I buy the 25# bags, and it keeps it from getting buggy)
• Flour (white, oat, soy, and whole wheat -- I have a thing for flour)
• Barley (specifically for Beef & Barley Stew -- YUM!)
  
• Broccoli
  
• Apple Pie
  
• Ice cream bars
  

3. Name six things under your kitchen sink:

• Automatic dishwasher detergent
• A bottle of dish detergent for hand washing the pots & pans
  
• The extra rack for the microwave
• Soft Scrub
• Extra sponges
• Dust
  

4. Name six things around my computer:

• The pen and pencil cup (really it's an ice cream sundae glass)
• My handheld organizer and docking station
• My camera and docking station
• The external hard drive
• Sass's book -- Bear Loves Water!
• Spyder's Nancy Drew game -- The Creature of Kapu Cave
  

5. Name six things in your medicine cabinet: (don't have one, so these are in the linen closet)

• A basket of sample size toiletries
• Extra toothbrushes
• Various cold medicines
• Extra toilet paper
• BeautiControl bath minerals -- LOVE them!
• An extra candle (citrus and cilantro from Pier 1)
  

6. Name six things on or around your nightstand: (don't have one, so these are on/around the dresser)

• Trash can
• Box of tissues
• Sass's book/CD sets from the library
• A huge pickle jar for change (don't laugh -- that change is paying for the boys to go to Space Camp!)
  
• Lamp
• A Magic School Bus video

Now that you've read one, do one! And let me know about it! :o)

The final birthday celebration

Today was Sass's bounce party. It was the culmination of all of her birthday celebrations over the past five days, and definitely the biggest of them all.

We ended up having 21 children, and everyone had a fantastic time. Some of the parents even got in the inflatables. Brenda and William (Michael Ann's husband) had a jousting match in the ring, and Brenda came out the victor. I wish I had gotten a picture of that, but I only saw it as she delivered the final blow. :o)

The children spent an hour and a half running, climbing, sliding, and jousting before heading into the party room for cake and ice cream. No one wanted to admit it, but I think everyone was ready to sit down and rest. I am absolutely certain that everyone who partied with us is sleeping well tonight! I know that when we got home after the party, my children went straight to their rooms for quiet time.

The party was a huge success, and it was one of the easiest we've ever had. Isn't it interesting that the ones that are easy for the parents and some of the best for the children? That's usually the case with my children anyway.

Spyder even made a new friend too, James, the older brother of Sass's friend Rose. They knew each other before, but they'd never played together since James is four years older than Spyder.

The celebrations are over, and tomorrow should get us back on schedule with our days. I know I'm ready for it!

Maisie Dobbs

Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs is my first adult read for the year, and it was well worth it!

There are so many good things that I could say about this book that I'm not sure where to start. The book opens with Maisie opening her detective office, but her investigations are much more than just facts. They are also a journey into the spirit -- hers and her client's.

The setting is the mid 1900s to the late 1920s. We follow Maisie (although not chronologically) from her beginning in service to Lady Rowan to her studies at Cambridge to serving in the Great War to beginning her agency.

This is not a typical fluffy detective/murder mystery that are so popular today. There are no cats or coffeehouses or embroidery circles. The reader finds out that Maisie isn't as calm and collected as we believe at first. She has had experiences that she hasn't reconciled, and by the end of the novel, the reader has done a bit of soul-searching along with her.

I didn't realize it when I picked it up, but this book is often compared to Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I'm still undecided whether I like the comparison, although I can see similarities.

Maisie Dobbs is very highly recommended.

Obviously, being 5 requires an entirely new wardrobe

ME: Oh, let's put this on today. You love this!

SASS: I can't wear that.

ME: Why on earth not?

SASS: That was a 4-year-old dress. I need 5-year-old clothes now.

On turning 5

My beautiful little Sass was 5 years old yesterday. The celebrations started on Friday night, and she had quite a whirlwind weekend.

On Friday, Sass and Skeeter went to see My Little Pony Live as a special father/daughter date. Judging from the photos and the absolute pink girly-ness of it, Sass had a wonderful time. Skeeter did too, although he did come out saying he needed to go home and watch some John Wayne movies.

On Saturday, we had a family party at my parents' house. They always like to be in on the birthday celebrations, and my dad's been sick, so I didn't want them to have to drive to see us. Skeeter was working the whole day, so he didn't get to come.

On Sunday (her real birthday) is was All About Sass. We went to McDonald's for breakfast, Taco Bell for lunch, and spaghetti for dinner. She got to pick everything, and she was overjoyed, since I don't like McDonald's or Taco Bell, and we very seldom go to either. She also got to work in the nursery with me for a bit at church that night. It always makes her feel like a big girl when she gets to help take care of the babies.

As usual on birthdays, we told her birth story at bedtime. I think that tradition makes them each feel special. She also watched the video that Skeeter had made showing her first few hours, and she talked about that for quite a while.

Her bounce party is tomorrow, so she still has one more day for celebrating!

Birds of a feather

I laughed out loud when I read this review of The DaVinci Code at Multitasking Mama. What was my short-and-sweet review when Skeeter asked me what I thought of it?

These people are really full of themselves.

Friday Fact

Something about me that you probably don't know:

I tried to join the Peace Corps after college graduation. I spent my entire senior year filling out the applications, having interviews, and seeing doctors for them. Three months before graduation, I still didn't have approval, so I sent out a other applications, specifically to several Catholic charities.

Just before graduation, I still hadn't received approvals from any organizations. I finally decided that I had to have a job and a place to live. I told my part-time employer that I would work full time after graduation, and I put a deposit down on housing. The week that I moved in, I got approvals from four of the places I'd applied.

At that point I'd spent most of my ready-cash on my deposit and moving in, so I turned them all down. Instead, I volunteered at a restored Victorian home, a homeless shelter, and a church, all in my community.

I'd like to think I helped make a difference anyway.

A big ole YAY ME!

I did all four miles of my walking program tonight! It felt so good!

After having done the entire program, I can say with certainty that the second mile is by far the most challenging. The pace is most brisk at the end of the second mile. The third mile moves down to a more moderate pace, and the fourth mile is the "cool down" portion.

The whole DVD takes an hour, but I found that it was well worth it.

The Legend of Holly Claus

Book #3 for the year!

The Legend of Holly Claus is such a wonderful story! The novel is very much a larger-than-life story of a young woman who intends to earn her place in the Land of the Immortals.

Everyone in the Land of the Immortals has earned his or her place there -- everyone except Holly. Holly was born because a boy asked in his letter to Santa what Santa would wish for at Christmas. Santa wished for Holly, and she was born -- the first child ever born in the Land of the Immortals.

Told as part fantasy, part historical fiction, the story is set in the Land of the Immortals (near the North Pole) and in Victorian era New York City.

Overall, I loved the gentle delivery and the characters who were truly good people (and animals) who cared for one another. There is a large portion of the plot that deals with an evil sorcerer and his desire to rule the Land of the Immortals. Sadly, I felt that the resolution on that plot point was very hurried and brusque, and not at all in keeping with the pace of the rest of the book.

The pen and ink drawings scattered throughout the book truly made me feel as if I was reading a Victorian era novel. They added that "something extra" that many books lack to make them special.

Even with the one trouble spot, I would recommend the book, particularly to teen girls who enjoy the fantasy or historical fiction genre.

Is that with syrup? Or without?

ME: Hey, it's time to get up. I'll go ahead and make your breakfast. What would you like?

SPYDER: no response

ME: How about oatmeal? Or would you rather have cereal?

SPYDER: no response

ME: Which one? Cereal or oatmeal.

SPYDER: Pinocchio

My Big Fat Mistake

The film My Big Fat Greek Wedding always reminds me of my friend Christie.

Christie was an author, and she wrote a wonderful series of books with Dr. William Sears and his wife Martha that are part of the Sears Children's Library series. The last time that we spent any significant amount of time together, we had a fun morning making smoothies to experiment with the recipe that was eventually included in her book, Eat Healthy, Feel Great. We had a fantastic time puttering around in the kitchen trying out different smoothie combinations with various fruits and juices.

She also taught me the proper way to peel and pit an avocado that day, since we had turkey and avocado sandwiches when we stopped for lunch.

She and her husband were planning to see My Big Fat Greek Wedding that night, and she was incredibly excited about being able to have a date night with him. When I talked to her a few days later, she raved and raved over the movie. Skeeter and I never got to see it when it was at the theatre though, and Christie had said, "It was so fantastic! I'll buy the movie for you when it comes out!"

We ran into each other a few times, and we saw each other at a few playdates. But, as happens all too often, that day in her kitchen was the last time that we really spent time together as friends.

A few months after that day in her kitchen, Christie died in a car accident while driving her children home from school. The school is less than a mile from her house, and she was rear-ended while in the turn lane. Her two children in the back seat were able to come away with minor injuries, but Christie died from her injuries. She was also about 6 months pregnant, and the baby died as well.

Too many times I forget to make time to spend with my friends, for no other reason than to simply be with them -- not a playdate, not an organized activity -- just enjoying one another's company. I find that happens with most of the women that I know. We are so caught up in caring for our families that we don't take time to do something that we want to do (and enjoy) just because.

A few months after Christie's death, I saw the DVD for My Big Fat Greek Wedding in Target. I stopped in the aisle and sobbed, those horribly unpretty, attention-grabbing sobs. I cried for her death, her family's loss, and my own failure to spend time with her when I could have.

It was weeks before I could watch the movie, but now it's part of my permanent collection. I don't watch it very often, but every time I pull it out, I'm reminded that life is fleeting, and letting someone know that you care isn't necessarily something that can wait.

Send an email. Make a phone call. Write a letter.

Do it while you can.

Friday Fact

Something about me that you probably don't know:

I love to play backgammon. Skeeter and I played almost every night for the first three years of our marriage. We don't play as much any more because it's only a two-player game, and I don't want the urchins to feel left out. We usually play Parcheesi at night now, but backgammon is my first love.

Mama, I'm excited about my bounce party

Sass's birthday is coming, and we've decided to have her birthday party at one of those indoor jump places. We went to a party there in the fall, and everyone had a blast. My children weren't even feeling so great -- allergies, in case you might think that I take sick children to birthday parties :o) -- and even they had a fantastic time.

With Sass's birthday in January, the weather is always fickle. She's a run around type of party girl. She'd want her party to be outside if we had it at home, and January isn't exactly good for outside parties. This year I decided that we'd have it elsewhere, where we could invite more people and "play big." I asked her if she wanted that, and she was indifferent, but when we went to pay for our reservation, she was thrilled. Beyond thrilled. Ecstatic!

That was three days ago, and she hadn't mentioned anything about her party. She requires a birthday countdown on the calendar though, and she's talked about being 5 almost nonstop.

Last night she was just drifting off to sleep, and she said in her sleepy little voice, "Mama. I'm excited about my bounce party."

Those gentle little moments are what makes mommyhood so precious to me.

Idiocracy, updated

I finally rated Idiocracy on Netflix. I decided to rate it 4 stars. I know I wrote that I was undecided on how I felt, but I really did like the message. Also, the more I think about it, the more I think it's entirely possible that the annoyances were intentional to exacerbate the viewer's feelings.

Reality squashes idealism, at least for now

I can't believe it myself, but I've realized that I'm becoming more and more mainstream. The frugal and slightly crunchy version of myself doesn't like things like individual packaging and boxed meals. But the truth is that some of those things make my life easier. They've been inching their way into my cupboards and refrigerator without my recognizing it.

I was making a store list of things that we need, and I was shocked to realize how many convenience things were on it.

Individual bottles of Sunny D. The children LOVE that yucky Sunny D. It's the only juice that they really like. If we have a big jug of it, they won't bother to drink it and we waste it, but they'll each drink at least one of the little bottles a day.

Individual cups of applesauce. Same thing. No one eats it out of the big jar, but the individual cups are always a hit.

Clorox wipes. I have children, 'nuff said. :o) Actually, for my "big cleaning" I use old cloth diapers because I always feel like they clean better, but the wipes are great for spur-of-the-moment cleaning. And, trust me, that spur-of-the-moment cleaning comes several times a day when you have a boy.

Microwave macaroni and cheese. Spyder doesn't like it, and it isn't Sass's favorite, but it's just about all that Olivia will eat. If I make a regular box of mac & cheese, most of it goes to the trash. Surprisingly, this makes the individual ones are more cost effective.

Individual bottles of soda. We don't drink enough soda any more to justify buying the big bottles -- or the cans! I open one of the individual bottles, and I'll drink out of it for two or three days. The last six pack I bought (Diet Pepsi, 16 oz bottles) has lasted for three weeks, and there is still one bottle in the fridge.

Individual cups of yogurt. Or worse, Gogurt. Again, no one will eat the yogurt if it's in the big container. That includes me though. I like the blueberry yogurt, and it's just not as good coming from the large container.

Mix and bake packages of peanut butter cookies and chocolate chip cookies. Sometimes Sass just gets the urge to make cookies, and I hate to disappoint her. I really prefer making cookies completely from scratch, but that takes longer, and she (of course) doesn't always choose the most convenient time for cookie-making. With the packages, I can just add oil and an egg and we're ready to go. I haven't moved to the frozen cookie dough, so I suppose that's something.

Swiffer dust cloths. These things are the best for getting up the dog hair that is always on the floor. I'm told that microfiber cloths can be used in the same manner, but I just keep thinking that I'd simply be sending the dog hair through the wash. I'd rather just send it packing.

I'm sure that there are some things that I've missed, but these were all on that particular grocery list. And these probably aren't a big deal to most people, but I feel rather hypocritical in buying them. I was, after all, a breastfeeding, cloth diapering, moderately crunchy one when my children were younger. As they've gotten older I'm turning from my old crunchy ways. Now I feel like I'm more mushy than crunchy. Perhaps as the children get older, the pendulum will swing back in the crunchy direction once more.

Friendship

I am more and more grateful for my friends every single day. I make friends pretty easily, but only the superficial sort. Julie laughs at me because I can (and will) start conversations with anyone, just about anywhere. But that's all they are really, just superficial conversations.

My true friends, the ones that I really share with, are much fewer, and they're very precious. I tend to guard those friendships quite jealously. But in the past year Carla and Brenda have taught me how to have more openness between friends, and I'm thankful for that.

I can count my true friends on one hand, excepting Skeeter, since he's in a class by himself.

Brenda makes me laugh more than just about anyone. Sometimes she can make the most simple thing seem roaringly funny. She's so down-to-earth, and I love that about her.

Carla is probably the sweetest person I know. That sounds so banal, but it's true. She's so genuinely caring, and I love spending time with her because I always feel that her gentle nature rubs off on me just a bit.

Julie is the one that I always call "the sister of my heart." On the surface, we're a study in opposites, but I'm always slightly surprised to find that at heart we're quite similar. I look up to her as well, since she so Together and Unruffled. That's so not me, but I wish it was.

Michael is my second-oldest friend. We've been friends since we were 11 or 12, and we've been "best friends" since we were about 15. Michael and I call each other brother and sister, and that's really how it feels -- as if we've known each other forever and we belong. Our lives don't mesh at all -- I'm married with little ones, and he's living the bachelor life -- but it doesn't really matter.

Michael Ann is my oldest friend. We grew up in church together, and we've been friends since we were about 6. We have so much history together that we can go without really, truly talking for months and then pick up where we are with no effort at all.

So that's it. My one hand of true friends. I did the list as alphabetical since that seemed most logical, but I'm slightly amused to discover that the alphabetical list is also in order from newest to oldest in my life.

The art of napping

I was able to take a nap today! Yes, really! Skeeter and the urchins were in the computer room playing games and studying verses for church tonight, so I took advantage of having another adult be in charge for a while. :o)

Once I was settled into my napping position and I was able to think without hearing, "Mama!" every few moments, I had a small epiphany.

I have rules for napping.

I've already mentioned how particular I am about my bed, but I never realized that I had developed rules for napping too. (Quite possibly since I don't get to nap very often!) Here are The Napping Rules, in no particular order:

• The bed must be made.
• I must use Skeeter's pillow.
• I must nap crossways on the bed, not in the usual "sleeping" position.
• I must nap on my right side.
  
• I use my cross throw as a cover, covering from my waist to my neck.
  
• As mentioned before I don't take off my shoes during the day (even including napping) since my feet are kind of dangling off the side of the bed.
• I always wake up groggy, and I have to have about 15 minutes to acclimate myself to the waking world.
  

So there you have it, The Napping Rules as I remember them at the moment. :o)

Friday Fact

Something about me that you probably don't know:

I absolutely hate dill in anything other than pickles. I've no idea why, but I just can't stand it. And I can always taste it if it's in there. My grandmother used to make dilled green beans and the smell would send me running out of the house.

Idiocracy

I'm very seldom confused about how I feel when I see a movie. I usually have very definite feelings one way or another. But Idiocracy definitely gives me one of those confusion moments.

Essentially, Average Joe and Average Rita are put in stasis chambers to be reawoken in a year. Not long after they are put into the hibernation mode, the project is shut down. They don't wake until 500 years later, only to find that the America has dumbed itself to the point that they are the smartest people alive.

I absolutely love the premise of the movie! Skeeter and I have discussions about this very idea quite a lot. Sometimes I'm shocked and horrified at some of the things that I see on television or read in the newspaper, or even things that I see when we're out and about. Sometimes it seems that we Americans expect to be told what to do at every turn, leaving us without any real need to make our own decisions. This movie points out all of that and more.

But as much as I liked the overall premise, the movie was a little too "over the top" for me to really like it as a whole. The "stupid" characters just got on my nerves! Maybe they were supposed to, but I found myself actually cringing when I saw certain characters come onto the screen.

Recommended only for people who can look past the stupid humor and mourn the death of Common Sense.

Two miles!

Woohoo! I've officially moved up to 2 miles for my walking video!

Tonight I actually did 2.5 miles, and I really could have gone further, but it was 9:30, and I had to finish up a few things before we could get settled for the night. I did the two miles on Sunday as well, but I completely skipped yesterday. Bad me! It wasn't intentional, but just due to bad scheduling.

I never would have believed it possible, but I actually enjoy -- and look forward to -- my walking. Now that the first mile has gotten easy, it's even more enjoyable.

The bad thing about working out? I'm not a person who sweats a lot, but my face gets extremely red when I get hot. And it stays flushed for about two hours afterward, so I have to do it at a time when I don't have to go out anywhere when I'm finished!

Overheard

Spyder (age 8): In 30 years when I have no teeth . . .

I had no idea I was so ancient.

Operation Red Jericho

Book #2 for the year. I finished Joshua Mowll's Operation Red Jericho last night! This was a book that Spyder found at the bookstore, but he's been interested in something else, so I read it. :o)

Set in the 1920s, the book centers around Becca and Doug, two young teens whose parents disappeared a few months before while on an expedition in China. Since then, the two have been shuttled between relatives. The siblings aren't all that good at following rules, and Doug in particular is quite mischevious, which usually leads to trouble.

This book is the first in a trilogy, and while the writing is sometimes flat, the book design is absolutely fantastic. The design alone will appeal to reluctant readers. It is presented as a set of papers that were inherited by the author. The book filled with schematics, newspaper clippings, photos, maps, Doug's sketches, and Becca's diary entries.

Recommended to readers who love the adventure genre, as well as to those who like books that are more "interactive."

My church

I absolutely love going to church. Not just going to church to see everyone, but going to sit and listen to the sermons and spend uninterrupted, focused time in prayer.

If time travel was actually possible and my younger self could see that paragraph, she would faint from shock.

When I was younger, I enjoyed going to church for the activities (and occasionally for the sermon). Now, as an adult, I'm eager to get to Sunday morning service every week just so that I can hear the sermon. I always come away with a deeper knowledge and a passion for the Lord's Word. There could be any number of reasons why I like church so much more as an adult, but I'm sure the main reason is because I'm more mature in my faith.

Unlike my younger self, I spend time reading my Bible every day. I spend time in prayer every day, and I seek out Christian writers, even if it's just for fun (like Dave Meurer). Tonight when I left the church, I put in a CD of a sermon from our last revival. The old me would never have considered doing that!

I am so grateful to attend such a loving church where the pastor and the people encourage me to grow in my faith.

Oh woe is my car!

Again with the car troubles!

The urchins and I had finished our errands and had run back home for a moment. It was on the way, and Sass wanted more chocolate milk, so I ran in to make some. When I got back to the car (less than 2 minutes), nothing. Not even the "rrr . . . rrr . . . rrr" from before. Just a little "click" then nothing.

*sigh*

Well, we're skipping homeschool playgroup today. What are we doing instead?

• I'm cleaning out my plastic containers. My container of containers is overflowing, and I'm organizing sets and tossing the rest.
• Sass is cleaning the fridge. (Yes, she really is -- and it was her idea!)
• Spyder is drawing. Art class yesterday inspired him.

I suppose it's a good day anyway.

Up for a challenge?

Nancy at The Ultimate Creator has issued a walking challenge! Come on and walk with us! I just emailed with my miles for the week (8.5 miles since last Friday, thankyouverymuch).

Now that the weather is getting a little better, methinks that I can convince Skeeter to wander over to the little walking trail at the park around the corner. The city only just built it this fall, and we've only been there once. The urchins will love it!

Friday Fact

Something about me that you probably don't know:

Eating plain bread makes me have hiccups, usually all day. White bread is the worst, but it happens with wheat as well. Eating bread with something else is fine, but plain bread gives me hiccups every time.

Sometimes I can get rid of them with some breathing exercises, but they're usually back within an hour or so. The reoccurrances only stop after I've gone to sleep for the night.

Those pesky resolutions

Okay, here it is.

I am going to be more active this year.

There. I said it. I've never made a real New Year's Resolution before, not one that I had any actual intention of keeping.

This actually started in November 2006 when I decided that enough was enough. I borrowed a Leslie Sansone walking video from Brenda, and I found that it was really easy to do. That's exactly what I needed -- easy. Walking? HEY, I can walk! Well, there's a little more to it than just walking, but basically, that's it. It's fast paced, and the movements are varied enough that it's not really boring.

I used Brenda's video for about a week -- long enough to figure out if I was really going to do it. I bought the DVD in December, and I've been doing one mile a day faithfully for about the past three weeks. Ironically enough, I got the DVD in the mail the same day that my car died, and the urchins and I walked 3.5 miles home. Uh, no. I didn't do the program that day.

The first mile takes exactly 16 minutes. At first I was really tired at the end of that first mile, and I had to make myself do it. Now, it's not that difficult to get to the end. Skeeter has been doing it with me since December 30. I had planned to move on to the second mile on January 15, but I may wait until February 1 to give him the time to catch up, so to speak.

So now it's out there. You and the tic marks on my calendar can hold me accountable.

Boy of the Painted Cave

My first read for the new year!

I started and finished Boy of the Painted Cave this morning. I'm still undecided whether I would recommend this book to another adult. For a child, I would, definitely. The pre-historic setting shows a life far outside the modern child's imagination. I can only imagine what Spyder will say about eating mice!

It's a very easy read, and there is enough excitement to capture most young boys. The main character, Tao, is an outcast in many ways. He wants to be a Chosen One to paint on the cave walls, but he cannot. Because of a lame foot, he should have been left to die at birth, but his mother (an outsider herself) chose to keep him. Upon her death, he was raised by an older woman in the clan. He is already an outsider because of his differences, but even more so because he challenges the traditions of the clan in wanting to create the cave pictures. Ultimately though, he is cast out from the clan because of befriending a young wolf.

The book has several elements of conflict: man vs. nature, man vs. society, man vs. man. One idea that I hope would resonate with readers is that Tao is steadfast in his desire to learn his art. He is respectful to his leaders, but he takes his separation from his clan as an opportunity rather than the punishment that is intended.

Beginning the new year

If how you spend New Year's Day is indicative of how your year will be spent, then I'll be a happy woman this year.

In fact, the whole New Year's weekend was good.

Saturday was spent around the house -- cleaning, laundry, playing with the dogs. It was pleasant, and relatively typical of a Saturday when we don't have outside commitments. It was very rainy, so we were all perfectly happy to stay inside.

We went on Sunday to retrieve my car, and so far all seems to be in working order! We didn't stay at my parents house very long. My sister and her boyfriend had just left to go home. They had been there for over a week, and Mom and Dad were pleased to have the house to themselves again. Dad gets tired very easily these days, and I wanted him to be able to rest well.

We got back home around 5 pm, and we spent the evening playing card games and board games. That was generally how we rang in the new year when I was growing up, and I was perfectly happy to start that tradition in my own home.

On New Year's Day we decided to see a movie at a little local theatre, and I left for work not long after we got back home from the movie. I haven't worked in three weeks, so I was even happy to go in. Even the manager commented that I looked "refreshed." :o)

All in all, a very satisfactory way to start the new year!

Clean as mud?

My friend Joan gave Sass a container of Crayola's Sudsy Mudsy for Christmas this year.

Oh. My. Gosh. She loves it! This is, after all, my girl who would rather play outside in the mud than just about anything.

And truly, as far as bath time fun stuff goes, this is one of the best ones we've used. The mud is really soap, and it actually smells really good, kind of fruity. It does turn the water an icky brown color, but that's the only drawback for me. Sass thinks it's cool though. LOL!

It even comes with its own little shovel to scoop out the mud. Too cute!

Clean-up is actually a lot easier than with most of these types of bath toys. It does leave a pink residue once the water is gone, but it only takes wiping out the bathtub with a wet washcloth to get rid of it. No scrubbing like with the bathtub crayons. YAY!

We'll be getting more of this stuff!

Friday Fact

Something about me that you probably don't know:

I cannot read books that are written in present tense. I think it's because I can't believe that what is happening in the story is happening at that moment. I see the story as more of a record of what has already occurred.

Recent reads

I realized last night that I've really gotten away from mentioning my lastest reads, so here are a few of the more memorable ones from the last few months.

• The Frog Princess. Cute, cute, cute! I love books that retell a traditional fairy tale. This particular one . . . well, I'll let you read it. This is one that Sass and I read aloud. Spyder joined us too, but he decided that I read too slow for him, so he finished it before we did. We have two of the sequels, but we haven't started the next one yet.
• Eragon. Very traditional epic fantasy, and occasionally wordy, but overall quite good.
• The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume 1. Nice, easy fantasy. Complex enough to be interesting, but still on the fluffy side.
• The Moorchild. Lovely, lovely story with wonderful characters. I was entranced.
• Montmorency and the Assassins. The third book in Eleanor Updale's Montmorency series. I didn't like it as well as the first book, but better than the second.
• 84 Charing Cross Road. Absolutely charming, and a must-read for book lovers. 84 Charing Cross Road isn't about the books though. They're more supporting characters. The main characters are Helene and the staff of the bookshop, and the story is the relationship that develops. Since I'd first read this book a few years ago, this was a skimming sort of reread, like looking through a familiar photo album. You know what to expect, and part of the fun is remembering.

In reading this list, it's blatantly obvious that I've been spending most of my time on children's and young adult books. It started out as a way to stay ahead of Spyder, but I've been enjoying this retreat.

The 12 Days of Christmas?

I've been thinking lately that I'd like to begin a few new traditions to end our Christmas celebrations. Everything seems to abruptly climax and end on Christmas Day, and it seems as if everyone is at a loss for what to do next.

We watched The History of Christmas recently, and I was reminded about some of the older celebrations, including the Feast of the Epiphany. We attend a Protestant church, so we don't celebrate Epiphany, at least as a church. I've been thinking though, if it might be a good idea to celebrate it as a family. It would be a better way to ease us out of the holidays and into the new year. Plus, with all of the commercial Christmas distrations over, it would be easier to focus on celebrating Jesus' birth.

I didn't think of it until after Christmas this year, so I haven't put anything into practice except for continuing to discuss the Christmas story. I am gathering ideas for next year though.

Poor little Sass

She's sick. She's had the sniffles since last week. On Christmas Eve it turned into a cough that only got worse, and it's been going ever since.

Strangely, she seems to feel fine. She's playing as usual; she's eating normally; she's generally the same old Sass, just with a horrible cough (including chest congestion).

Tomorrow would be 5 days for the cough, and that's my limit, so we took her over to the little minor medical center. The doctor checked her ears and her lungs, and they were fine. It's just the cough and congestion. He prescribed a strong decongestant for her, so perhaps that will do the trick.

I sure hope so. The Triaminic and Robitussin just weren't cutting it.

Kathy's quotes 12/26

We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

- Archbishop Oscar Romero

*******

I needed this today.

Our time has been so hectic lately that it seems like I can't keep up. Today was spent at home, reconnecting with my children. Sass and I played dollies. Spyder and I snuggled on the couch and talked.

Spyder took a three hour nap. Sass took two little naps. And they both really needed it.

As for me, I did four loads of laundry, changed the sheets on the beds, and cleaned the kitchen a bit. Even doing that little bit, I was wiped out.

Tomorrow I'll begin again.

Merry Christmas!

Please forgive the bullet points. I'm too tired to write coherent paragraphs!

• The weather was awful. Rain, rain, and more rain. Cold rain. The temperature hovered around 38 degrees all day.
• I ended up not getting to bed until about 2:30 am -- cleaning up from the party and all -- and I overslept. We started the present opening party at Mom and Dad's an hour later than we should have.
• My mom loved the gift that my dad gave her. In fact, she loved it so much that she started crying! My poor daddy didn't know what to think. He gave her a Past-Present-Future necklace. I am very glad that she liked it so much. It was sort of a family effort. My sister told us that she wanted it; I found one on sale at a fantastic price -- and went to buy it on Black Friday (which is a huge deal in itself!); Dad paid for it. LOL!
• Christmas dinner at my cousin's house was very nice. She has MS, and because of the MS she has good days and bad days. For the last several years, the family get-togethers have been on bad days. This year was a very good day though, and I could see the person that I remember from years ago. That was a gift in itself.
• The movie tickets that we gave my cousin-in-law were a huge hit. In fact, when he came to say thank you, he told Skeeter, "When I found out you had my name, I was hoping you'd give me movie gift certificates again!" We draw names, and Skeeter had his name two years ago. I felt bad that we gave him a repeat present, but just couldn't think of anything else! I suppose it all worked out! :o)
• Sass got a Dora scooter today, and she's been riding it all over the house since she opened it.
• Spyder got a metal detector, and I can tell he's going to be treasure hunting everywhere. I hope that most of it is outside though!
• Skeeter spent the afternoon trying to repair my sister's computer, which would be tedious and horrifyingly annoying for me, but he loved it.
• Thankfully the weather never got cold enough for the rain to change to sleet or snow. The wind was really strong though, and I was glad to make it home. The poor dogs were very glad to see us. We brought them in immediately, and I heated some chicken broth to pour over their dog food. I like to think that they appreciate the warm food in their tummies on a cold evening.

It was a wonderfully satisfying day with family!

What a day!

WHEW! I'm exhausted!

We had our 8th annual Christmas Eve Fiesta tonight! It seems so strange that it's been 8 years since we started the fiesta tradition.

Our family opens gifts on Christmas Eve morning. It seems early to most people, but it really works out best for us. We always have the fiesta that night, and Christmas Day is spent with other family. Opening them on the morn of Christmas Eve gives the urchins a chance to actually enjoy their gifts.

Actually, Christmas Eve day is probably my favorite part of Christmas, with everyone at home doing little projects or playing with their new toys. I spent the day cooking -- beef enchiladas and chicken tortilla soup. Skeeter spent the day playing around with the computers. He gave me a fantastic handheld computery thing, and he had to learn how to use it so he could teach me!

The urchins got a GameCube for Christmas this year, and Spyder spent the day moving between the GameCube (a Scooby Doo game) and a new Nancy Drew game that our friend Julie gave him.

Sass was in a little bit of gift overload, so she tried a little of everything. Her Diego playset, her Mary Poppins doll, her books and book/CD sets.

Guests started arriving around 6:15, and we had a house full of people by 7. We ate yummy Mexican food, played board games, and watched Spyder and a friend do experiments and magic tricks.

The last of our guests left just a few minutes ago, and now it's time to clean up and get the stockings ready for tomorrow morning!

It was a really wonderful day!

Friday Fact

Something about me that you probably don't know:

I wear shoes all the time, even when I'm just around the house. When I get dressed for the day, I get completely dressed, all the way down to my socks and shoes. And I stay that way until time for bed. I just feel like I'm not fully dressed without my shoes.

Oh yes, and my toes are almost always painted -- usually bright red. :o)

Racing toward the end

Spyder has set a goal to finish his first Awana Truth & Training book before the end of the year. He's really taken it upon himself to memorize his verses.

The book is supposed to last the entire year. It's divided into 8 "Discovery" chapters, with about 7 sections per chapter. Spyder just finished Discovery 7 last night, so he only has one more chapter to go and he'll be completely done. He won't have any trouble making his goal.

After that, we'll start reviewing and practicing for the Awana Bible Quiz that's coming up in February.

I'm so proud!

Oh dear!

My car is still unwell. The urchins and I drove it to my parents' house today (about 70 miles away) for my dad to have a look.

He did the easy stuff first -- changing the oil and brakes. Just as he was finishing with the oil, he got sick. That's how the flu comes on him, with no warning. One moment he was fine, tinkering with the car with Spyder "helping" him. The next moment, he was freezing and had to go inside. He didn't even clean up the mess, and he never leaves a mess in the shop. He may leave his socks on the floor, but he's fastidiously clean with his shop and tools.

He didn't get a chance to look at whatever engine problem there is, and I certainly wasn't going to ask. For some reason, he's very susceptible to pneumonia, and his cold/flu troubles usually lean that way.

I decided to drive it home and hope for the best. I had gotten about 20 miles into the trip, and it quit on me. Totally quit in the middle of the highway. I recognized it early enough to coast onto the shoulder. I sat for a moment and tried again. It started, and I began to get back onto the highway when it died again. I tried this several times, each with the same result, then I called my dad. And I hated to do that. Ultimately we decided that I'd just leave the car and have Skeeter come to get me.

Being the stubborn, er, tenacious person that I am, I finally got it moving and back onto the road. I immediately turned it around and started back to my parents' house. I figured that the closer I got it to the house, the less time it would take when my dad could finally come and tow it.

I ended up making it to the house, praying the whole way. Most of the drive is on roads with no shoulder, and I had to go over a huge bridge. The bridge was where I was most worried, and it's definitely where I prayed the hardest. :o)

Skeeter did come to my parents' house to get me, and we just left the car there. So now I'm completely carless, with my last minute Christmas Eve party shopping to finish! YIKES! At least I'm mostly done with gifts.

Kathy's quotes

My friend Kathy has been doing a "quote of the day" service to friends for several years. Here are some that have touched me this year.

*******

A leader does not conform; you can't be part of the crowd when you're out in
front.
- Anonymous

*******

You do the world no favors when you hold yourself back.
- Mike Bishop

*******

Even in our darkest times, God is right beside us.... God gives us exactly
what we need at the moment we need it, ignoring our impatience and pleas for
the wrong things.
- from "Living Faith" July/August/September 2003 issue

*******

There is no greater loan than a sympathetic ear.
- Frank Tyger

*******

If you're serious about something, you have a plan.
- Fr. David Knight, from a "Twilight Retreat" 8-13-02

*******

God has the right to first place in our life, because He bought it, and at what a price: His precious Blood.- Fr. Larry Richards

*******

What might look like heroism could just be a stubborn streak.
- Fr. David Knight, from a "Twilight Retreat" 8-13-02

Book frenzy

I went to the Scholastic Warehouse Sale this weekend.

Oh. My. Goodness.

It was, quite literally, held in the local Scholastic warehouse. Part of the warehouse was open to the public, and anyone could go in and shop. All books were half off of list price. Half off! Plus, I had a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $50 or more.

I could almost hear the angels singing when I walked inside and saw all of the fantastic stuff they had. Not old no-one-wants-to-read books either. One of the things I bought was Peter Pan in Scarlet ($9), which just came out this fall! I found so much great stuff. Christmas presents, homeschool supplies, the works!

I found 5 Usborne Internet-linked books, which I love to use as homeschool reference books. Those are well worth the $8 regular price, so I was overjoyed to find them at $3 to $4 each.

A few other things that I found:

• Lab in a Bag kit
• Princess Academy
• Wizardology
• The Frog Princess boxed set, which includes the first three books in the series.
• Secrets, Lies, Gizmos and Spies
• Dog Train
• Can You See What I See: Once Upon a Time

Those are just the ones that I can remember offhand. My urchins are both getting loads of books this Christmas!

A bit about me, Christmas quiz edition

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial

3. When do you put up the tree? The weekend after Thanksgiving

4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's

5. Do you like eggnog? Sort of. I like boiled custard a lot better.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? A BB gun (oh yes, a Red Ryder BB Gun when I was about 8)

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes

8. Hardest person to buy for? My dad

9. Easiest person to buy for? Inside my family -- my children; outside my family -- Julie (we have basically the same taste, so I just buy something that I would like!)

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Normally I mail Christmas cards, but I've let it slide for the past couple of years.

11. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life

12. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Probably, but nothing comes to mind.

13. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Dressing

14. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored

15. Favorite Christmas song? Secular -- Gloucesterhire Wassail; Religious -- What Child Is This

16. Travel at Christmas or stay home? A mixture of both

17. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes

18. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star until Christmas Eve

19. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve morning. I don't like opening presents as part of Christmas Day.

20. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The mood of the shopping crowds

21. What is the thing you most look forward to doing this year? Christmas Eve morning with the family

22. What do you need the most for Christmas this year? A new car, definitely

23. Whats your favorite Christmas memory? The year before my Nana died.

Friday Fact

Something about me that you probably don't know:

I love to cook -- most everyone knows that -- but I absolutely stink at desserts. Main courses, soups, sides, hors d'ourves . . . no problem! Desserts . . . no way! I can muddle my way through cookies and cakes, but anything more complex is just beyond me. I have a few tried-and-true dessert recipes that I tend to use frequently.

My mom is a dessert queen though. She can whip up some fabulous stuff, and I haven't been able to master most of her favorite recipes.

Ah, a moment of enlightenment

Spyder came running into the kitchen earlier yelling, "Mooooooommm!! The Inconceivable Guy is Rex!"

There's just nothing like that wide-eyed, surprised, pleased-with-yourself look when you've figured something out.

I've no idea why it took him this long to figure it out though. He's seen those two movies a hundred times. :o)

An unplanned adventure

My car died today. I actually had the same problem last night, but this morning it started up just fine. I had (mistakenly) thought all was well. We had a few errands to run, so I decided that we'd take a chance.

In retrospect, this wasn't the smartest decision I've ever made.

We had managed two of the four stops with no problem. The third stop was Wal-Mart, one of my Least Favorite Places. The store itself was relatively painless, which was very surprising since it is the Christmas season. It wasn't terribly busy, and I managed to get everything on my list.

We finished up and went to the car at about 3:30. It wouldn't start. It gave the usual "rrrr. . . rrrrr. . . rrrrr" as if it wanted to get us home, but it wouldn't ever start the engine. I called my dad to see what I could do. Ultimately, the answer was not a thing. I called several friends who live nearby, but no one answered the phone. Skeeter was out of town for the day, so he couldn't help.

The urchins and I ended up leaving everything in the car and walking home. Oh yes we did. We walked 3.5 miles in heavy traffic, then in the dark, with Sass in her Princess shoes. Of course there were no sidewalks, plus we had to cross a 6-lane road, a 4-lane road, and several small business connector roads. WHEW! We started walking around 3:45 and made it home around 5:30, but that did include a rather long bathroom break. Luckily we were almost home by the time it got really dark, but it still wasn't easy. Our neighborhood doesn't have sidewalks (grrrrr!), so we had to walk through the yards. The street is just too busy to walk on it instead though, especially when people are getting home from work.

I am thankful that the weather was nice today. It was warm when we started out, and no one was really chilly until sunset. We had only bought two small items that needed to be refrigerated, so I didn't have to worry about food spoiling in the car.

Spyder thought that it was a grand adventure. He called it the "Treasure Trail" since he found loads of little things for his pockets.

It could have been much worse. One thing is certain though: we were all tired at the end of this adventure!

Today's craft is for the birds!

Really! We made bird feeders today. They were the easy feeders, made with pine cones, peanut butter, and birdseed. The children love making them though.

We usually make them in the spring, but we're supposed to have "unseasonably warm" weather for the next week or so. We were spending the day in the yard anyway, looking at rocks and dirt -- excuse me, SOIL -- so we decided to make the bird feeders as well, just for fun.

We decided to hang them in "Lucy's tree" -- the one that she guards from the squirrels -- so she's had a bigger job than usual since then! :o) We wanted to be able to see the birds using the feeders though, and that's really the only tree that we can see from inside.

Sorry, Lucy!

You know you're a bookaholic when

. . . your daughter comes in to see you reading the gifts you're supposed to be wrapping.

. . . you have to be dragged away from said gift with a "MOOOOOOM! You're supposed to be wrapping, not reading!"

Spyder's creative genius

MOM! I need some paper, quick!

I have some art in me that I've just have to get out!

Friday Fact

Something about me that you probably don't know:

I am very particular about my bed.

I sleep on flannel sheets year-round because they're so much softer. I can't use cheap flannel sheets either. The cheap ones feel hard and bumpy after just a little while. I buy new sheets once a year. I also can't sleep on dark colored sheets. It makes me feel weird.

I make the bed every day, and it has to be made just before I get into bed for the night. If the urchins decide to wallow in the bed during the day, I have to remake it before I turn it down for the night. Wrinkled sheets make me very uncomfortable, and a wrinkled comforter is just as bad.

Bednight story

Sass and Spyder always get bedtime stories, "bednight stories" as they call them.

Skeeter usually tells the stories -- he's better at it than I am -- but I do my fair share as well. The format is that each child gets to pick 5 words that will be used somehow in the context of the story. They LOVE it, especially in giving us words that are completely unrelated to see how we'll use them.

Tonight Sass wanted to tell the story, so I got to pick the words. Mine were cow, horse, dog, cat, and bird.

The story that she told was about a farm where the horse wanted to live in the mud with the pig. The other animals saw this craziness and started doing things that they shouldn't.

I was pretty impressed. Sass really did a good job with it. It's been a while since she tried telling the story, and I could tell that she really thought it out rather than just jumping to use all of the words I gave.

My favorite part?

"Then the dog jumped up in the air to catch the bird! They're juicy, you know."

A day in the life

Lately I've had several people ask, "What do homeschoolers actually DO all day?" so here is a bit about how we organize our schooling activities. This is not necessarily typical of any other family! It seems that the more homeschoolers I know, the more I realize that everyone does things differently.

I tend to categorize our studies into math/science and liberal arts, so that's the way that we study them. We do math and science on the same days. English, history, and geography are also on the same days. We don't have an exact schedule for which studies belong on which days because that can change depending on the week. We do different outside activites several times a month, and the days (and even times of day!) are not always consistent. It would drive me batty trying to set an exact schedule of days and times. Instead, we work it around what is best for our schedule, making sure that math/science days and lib arts days are done at least twice a week.

Today was liberal arts. Our history study right now is Ancient Mesopotamia, so we used the dough that we made at Thanksgiving and made our own cuneiform tablets. Spyder decided that cuneiform was actually much harder than Egyptian heiroglyphics (which we studied last year). Cuneiform used about 600 different symbols, and Spyder and I both had a difficult time remembering any of them. After the cuneiform tablets were made, we took some of the dough and made a model of a ziggurat.

We also read pertinent selections from The Story of the World, Ancient Mesopotamia, and The Mystery of History. I had wanted to read a bit from Gilgamesh the Hero, but the children wanted to move on to geography, so that will wait til next time.

Geography today was pretty easy. The children both played Carmen Sandiego on the computer, working together -- YAY! Spyder also did a crossword puzzle, and Sass did a coloring sheet.

We read part of Gail Carson Levine's Cinderellis and the Glass Hill before Sass fell asleep on the couch. Spyder and I had hoped to get to the end of it today, but poor Sass was exhausted. She'd gotten up at 5:30 am with Skeeter, so by noon she really wanted a nap! (So did I, but I didn't get one!) While Sass was snoozing, Spyder and I talked about parts of speech and did Mad Libs until Brittney and her children stopped by for some serious play in the backyard.

After our friends had gone, Spyder decided that he wanted to learn German (no idea why though). He got out an audio course that we've had for years. He put the first cassette in the player, and he worked on that for almost an hour. I finally had to dig out my old German/English dictionary and my college German texts. He was thrilled! I have a feeling that we'll be scouring the libraries tomorrow afternoon for an course that comes with a book.

That was it for the "official" schooling, but during room time tonight, Sass drew pictures of ziggurats. LOL! I suppose some of the information did sink in. I always wonder if it does.

Spyder spent his room time looking through my German texts, then reading Mystery in Massachusetts. He finished Mystery in Massachusetts, then he moved on to Skinnybones.

Tomorrow, on to new adventures in astronomy, earth science, multiplication, and division!

Party hard?

Oh. My. Gosh.

We went to a family Christmas party for our church's Awana workers. The party lasted from 2 pm to 8 pm. By the time it was over, I was so beyond "ready to go" that I can't honestly remember if I said goodbye. It was quite a lot of fun, but six hours for a party was just a bit too much for me.

It was supposed to be from 2 pm to 6 pm. That's a bit long anyway, but they did have activities planned for everyone. The problem was that most people didn't show up until almost 3 pm! We were late starting with everything.

The host's house is on about 10 acres of land, complete with a stream and a pond. The children had a wonderful time playing in and around the stream, and they even fished for a bit since the pond is stocked with fish. Sass has been sick for the last few days, so I tried to keep her inside most of the time. (I knew that it was a lost cause with Spyder from the beginning.) The hosts have two girls who are a few years older than Sass, so we played with their little animal toys for an hour or so. After that first hour, she got bored with the toys, so she did end up going outside with Skeeter and Spyder for a while.

After a couple hours of play, we all came inside and had a huge barbeque feast. During the feast, Michael Ann remembered that the children had a special choir practice at 6. YIKES! We had at least six of the choir members there! Michael Ann took the children to choir practice while the rest of us cleaned up and played Secret Santa. We were into a mean game of men vs. women Pictionary when the children got back.

As soon as they were back, the hostess had them play a kind of musical chairs with a wrapped gift, which they all thought was just excellent. At the end, they all got to open the gift and pick a toy out of it. I'll have to remember that game for our fiesta.

It was really fun, but with having such a busy week and being sick, it was just a little bit too much party for me.

Friday Fact

Something about me that you probably don't know:

I like to wash dishes. Crazy, isn't it? I do though. I like the way the water feels on my wrists and hands. I like standing at the sink and looking out at the yard during dish time. It gives me time to think in a way that nothing else does. I generally do the dishes when everyone else is busy so that I can take 15 minutes or so and think.

I hate putting the clean dishes away though.

Cough, cough

Not the children. Me.

I've had the cough for several days, but it's gotten worse. This morning it was terrible, and it hurt.

We have our homeschool playday today, and we're going, but I bet we won't stay for long. I'd skip it altogether if I hadn't promised Carla that I'd be there.