MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Merry Christmas everyone! Happy Birthday Jesus!!!

4 years ago today....

I gave birth to the most amazing child. Happy birthday to my beautiful, smart, funny, sweet--totally intoxicating with her enthusiasm-child. I love you more than you will ever be able to imagine and I am so unbelievably blessed to be your mother!

You can read more about the miracle of her amazing birth here.

Christmas Books, Days 2-4!

Check out my homeschooling blog for some great book recommendations for this time of year!

Day 1: 25 Days of Christmas Books

The first of many posts to come featuring some of our favorite Christmas books. The full post can be found on my homeschooling blog.

What I'm Thankful For!

I'm most thankful for my wonderful Saviour that came to earth in human form and sacrificed Himself for me. I'm more thankful than I could ever possibly say for my amazing family--my husband and daughter, my parents, grandparents, in-laws, extended family and friends than I could ever tell them.

But what else am I thankful for? After reading a blog post over at 50s Housewife, I decided to list the top ten non-tangible things I'm most thankful for!

(In no particular order)
1. The Internet! (this is a love/hate relationship for me, but without it, I wouldn't know so many amazing people and have access to so many fun things for my family and I to do!)
2. Indoor plumbing! Can you imagine using a porta-potty style outhouse? EWWW!
3. Cell phones--they keep me from pacing the floors when Josh is commuting in a snow/ice storm.
4. Modern Medicine-that saved my daughter's life and my life and that continually keeps her healthy (most of the time!)
5. Cameras-I love being able to snap a shot of my daughter's face and look back at them any time I wish.
6. Printing Presses-that pop out book after book after book for me to enjoy.
7. Libraries-access to thousands of books I don't have to pay for!!!!
8. Cars-I live so far away from my family..if there weren't cars, I can imagine how few times I would get to see them over the course of a lifetime.
9. Refrigerators--I shudder to think of the germs caused by not refrigerating food!!
10. Glasses/Contacts-that enable me to see!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

Christmas-Free Nativity Downloads

I love these downloads I found for the retelling of the Christmas story!
http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/cll/story/xmas.html

2010 Version of All You Ever Wanted to Know

...about how we celebrate Christmas (but didn't care enough to ask ;) )

I saw this as a post over at It's Almost Naptime! and I couldn't resist sharing here too!

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Neither! Coffee with a TON of holiday creamers--Peppermint Mocha, Pumpkin Pecan Spice, Eggnog.....I love them all! I swear I pour in half the bottle into my coffee cup. Is there a Creamers Anonymous anywhere???

2. Does Santa wrap presents or sit them under the tree? Santa is a smart man and after the first year of delivering presents to our house, realized that many fits could be avoided if he simply left the wrapping paper off and the gifts assembled ;)

3. Colored lights or white? I put up SEVERAL trees. Some of them have white, some have colored. It depends on the theme of the tree and which room it's in. I prefer white. It lets the ornaments shine through without distracting from them. Can you tell I'm a *little* obsessive about Christmas???

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yes...although it rarely works in this house!

5. When do your decorations go up? Personally I would put them up in the middle of November, but Josh is obsessive about Thanksgiving....so Christmas decor Friday after Thanksgiving. It takes about three days to decorate!!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? It's a tie between cornbread dressing and lemon pie!

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Waking up Christmas morning to see dozens of leather bound vintage Children's books arranged in a design around the Christmas tree. I can still smell them :)

8. When did you learn the truth about Santa? What truth??????

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? OF COURSE!!!!!!

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Um,......I have to make sure the colors aren't grouped together and everything has to be spaced perfectly so you can see something from all sides!

11. Snow-love it or dread it? I love the THOUGHT of snow. Frankly, I can do without it...Let it snow on Christmas Eve all day and all through Christmas Day and melt on the 26th!!

12. Can you ice skate? I grew up in a state with ONE rink.....two hours away from me!! You can guess the answer!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? The leather bound Children's collection and my microscope!

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Knowing and celebrating that my Lord and Savior came to earth as a precious child :)

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? LEMON PIE!!!! (Granny's recipe of course!)

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Um, lemon pie??? :) No really, driving around with hot cocoa and listening to Christmas music while looking at the lights!

17. What tops your tree? A star, but Reagan has requested an angel on at least one tree this year!

18. Which do you prefer-giving or receiving? GIVING!! I love finding the perfect gift for Reagan and Josh!!! I LOOOOOVE seeing their eyes light up. (But don't get me wrong--I love getting gifts too!)

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Angels We Have Heard on High, Christmas Canon by Transiberian Orchestra, Good King Wenceslas--really I love all the Christmas hymns!

20. Candy Canes-yuck or yum? In peppermint bark--YUM!!!!!

21. Favorite Christmas show? Holiday Inn!!!!

22. Saddest Christmas Song? ???????????????? I don't know!!!

My "new" cleaning system

This cleaning system is really helping me keep things under control. I just wish there were LESS cleaning to actually do. At least I don't have to worry about forgetting something this way and my house has stayed much cleaner!

Another bonus to this system is that I'm not angry at my husband nearly as much! Let me explain: I'm at stay at home, homeschooling mom. I feel like it's my job to do all the housework (at least the inside stuff!) But the truth is, there are hardly enough hours in the day to get everything done and when my husband would come home, sigh and start to pick up, it would infuriate me and I'd yell at him to leave it alone. Which would in turn, make him angry at me for yelling, being frustrated and not accepting his help..leaving the house still in a mess! With this system he knows exactly what still needs to be done that day and if there is something I really don't want him to touch, I take it off the hook before he gets here.

Hook you ask? Yes, hook. Here's how hooks play into the system.




Set up:

1. I typed up a list of the chores that I need to do daily and weekly. I printed, laminated and cut them, punching a hole on one end of the strip.

2. I divided the chores into three piles: Daily Morning Chores, Daily Evening Chores and Weekly Chores.

3. I embellished! Daily Morning Chores have a bright yellow star sticker on the end. Daily evening chores have a subdued blue star sticker on the end and the weekly chores don't have anything (except for "take out the trash" which is a Tuesday-MUST chore and "pick out Reagan's clothing for the week" which is a Sunday chore--I simply wrote those days on the ends of those cards).

Using the system:

1. I hung up two hooks in the kitchen (on the fridge) with the labels "To Do" and "Finished". All the items were hung up on the "To Do" hook and as I do them, they (obviously) get hung up on the finished side.

2. At the end of every day the blue and yellow tags get rehung on the "To Do" side. And on Sunday evening, all the evening chores get hung back on the "To Do" side as well.

That's it! So easy. Every day I do my daily chores and a couple of weekly chores. And it's keeping me saner and the house looking ten times better.

***A couple of things I wanted to mention that I do-the playroom/school room does NOT get cleaned everyday. That's a separate entity. I'm working on addressing that issue for us (maybe like a straighten at the end of the school day?). And the quarterly chores (washing windows, cleaning pantries, cycling toys out, etc) are still something I'm working on as well!

If you want a list of what I do, here are my chores!

Daily Morning Chores
-Complete a load of laundry
-Sweep kitchen and laundry rooms
-Vacuum (I look over the house daily. If it needs it, I do it, if not, I move it over to the finished pile and move on!)
-Run a load of dirty dishes and put away (reload any that need to be loaded)
-Pick up and straighten the house (this includes wiping sinks, emptying trash bins, picking up and returning items, hanging up towels, straightening pillow and slipcovers)
-Scoop litter box
-Make beds

Daily Evening Chores
-prep coffee pot
-bedtime routine for me
-pick up/straighten house again
-pack Josh's lunch
-fill work boxes for school

Weekly Chores
-clean fridge
-grocery shop
-meal plans and coupons
-wash bath toys, loofahs, bath mats in/out of tub and shower curtains as needed
-wash bed linens and towels
-clean toilet
-dust hall and bath
-dust family room
-scrub bathtub
-wash cats' bedding and bowls
-refill soap dispensers
-refill cleaners
-charge phone (yes, I consider this a chore!)
-garbage to curb
-clothes out for the week for Reagan
-clean out van
-change out Church bag
-clean coffee pot
-dust kitchen and laundry rooms (includes wiping down cabinets)
-mop laundry, bath, kitchen and entry areas
-wash slipcovers
-dust bedrooms (includes fans, sills in the summer!)

Stay tuned in the next few days for Reagan's chore and getting ready chart! This little thing has made our lives run a lot smoother in the mornings before getting ready to start school!

What Women (and MOMS) Do All Day

Recently I was searing the Internet trying to find a good way of keeping track of all the housecleaning things I needed to do during the day. In the middle of my search I decided it might be interesting to find out exactly how many hours per day the average woman spends cleaning. I didn't find a good estimate..but I did find a rather sarcastic reply from a man who said his wife spent 8 hours a day on facebook and then complained about not having enough time to do everything she had to do. Another man then responded about how his stay at home wife/mom shouldn't have had that much to do...I mean, she's home--all.day.long.

Hmmm. Needless to say I was infuriated, but I brushed it aside and continued the search for a good housecleaning schedule. But the thought was still there in the back of my mind, nagging at me, that maybe someone should tell the world exactly what it is that stay at home moms DO every day. I can assure you we don't sit around watching daytime soaps and eating out way through every piece of chocolate in the house.

So, here's a quick peak into my schedule.

Wake up
Breakfast
Get myself together
Get Reagan together
Start straightening house--ie: make beds, return all the little items scattered throughout the house to their proper places, vacuum, straighten slipcovers and pillows, open curtains, unload dishwasher, reload dishwasher, unload dishwasher, start the reload cycle again, put a load of clothes in the washer, wipe down the bathroom sink, wipe down the toilet, empty the trash, sweep the kitchen, laundry and bathrooms, make sure the bathroom rugs and hand towels and everyones towels are hung up so they'll actually dry instead of mildew, throw the clothes in the dryer and/or hang up on the line (trying to conserve energy), swill a cup of coffee, ensure that Reagan has finished her breakfast, make sure she has her vitamins and medication, take my vitamins (IF i remember), scoop the litter box, clean up a few messes that have managed to appear while I'm doing all of the other stuff, pay bills as the mailman delivers them, spend some time on the net (yes, I waste too much time here).

Ok at that point I *might* be through with my normal cleaning. But probably not..after all, those dried clothes are going to fold and put themselves away! Notice I haven't even mentioned spending time with Reagan yet because I NEVER play with her anymore..I know..I'm a horrible mom. I'm just not one of those playful moms...and I feel guilt over it constantly!!!

Some where after all of this, we sit down for school and do our schoolwork, play games, do puzzles. Then we break for lunch. I prepare lunch, we eat, watch a cartoon or two (I should say that unfortunately I would let the tv babysit Reagan quite a bit while I did all of that cleaning and I'm trying not to now...I'm having her help more and follow a schedule of her own to get herself ready..which I still have to supervise and discipline as necessary).

After lunch, weekly work comes in. Here are the other things that need to get done during the course of a week: wash bed linens, towels, loofahs, bath mats, shower curtains, bath toys, dust every room in the house, clean the toilet, wash the cat's bowls and bedding, scrub the bathtub, refill soap and cleaning dispensers, clean the fridge and freezer, garbage taken out and to the curb, clothes out for the week for Reagan, charge the phone (we don't use land lines anymore), mop the kitchen, laundry, bath and entry areas, clean van, wash slipcovers, change out church bag, clean the coffee pot, grocery shop, meal planning and coupons! Oh, and we can't forget play dates, park time, story times and all the other activities we do for our children that get thrown in here somewhere!

Then there's preparing dinner and snacks.

THEN, I have a nighttime routine after Reagan goes to bed: straighten up the house, fill her work boxes for the next day in school, prep coffee pot, put reminder notes on the door for Josh, fix Josh's lunch, straighten and pick up house again and do my own bedtime routine.

I'm not even going to talk about lesson plans, time for devotionals, exercise or me time or time to read all the books I need and want to read...but I do make time for those..because if I didn't, frankly, I'd go crazy.

Should I go on to mention the other stuff that needs to get done but not on a weekly basis? Like cycling out clothing for the kids based on season, repairing their clothes, buying new clothes, cleaning and cycling out toys, windows, cleaning out the pantry,...etc, etc, etc...I'm not even going to list all of those things!

So....there you have it. A (SMALL) glimpse into what women do all day. After reading this, I want to collapse..but I can't. I've done most of my morning work, but I still have clothes to dry/put away, dishes to put away and school to teach..and that's just the rest of the morning before lunch :)

I feel like blogging today...

So our furnace went out this morning (the exact same problem we had last year) and rather than pay double for an emergency repair, we decided I would cook like crazy and warm up the house. It definitely worked! I made several batches of banana bread, boiled chicken for casseroles (to come later) and made banana snack cake and banana snack cake cup-cakes. (Can you tell I got a great deal on bananas?)

I'm actually feeling well rested for once and (fingers crossed) Reagan is going to take a nap while Josh does the dishes!! YAH! Which means I get about 30 minutes to do nothing until I have to finish cleaning the kitchen, straightening the school room and some various other projects that need to be finished.

Speaking of homeschooling, I am feeling much more relaxed now than I was in September. I STILL have not got it all together but it's flowing a lot more easily than it was. Yesterday we put together a model of the solar system--with balloons. And all was fine (except for the fact that Jupiter popped twice)...until we heard a loud pop a couple of hours later. Our sun had exploded. Thank the Creator of the Universe that He made everything so perfect that it will really happen..until HE decrees that it should.

I am dealing with my own feelings of guilt however. Am I putting too much on Reagan at such an early age? Shouldn't she be playing more? Shouldn't I be playing with her (I NEVER play with her anymore..now she prefers to do it on her own...although I think I should at least play with her for 30 minutes day....have I put it into practice? No.....) And the yelling....I yell about regular life, I yell at her to put stuff up, I yell at her to go to bed....and to top it all off, some days I yell at her during homeschooling. I HATE THAT! Yelling to me is so much worse than spanking could ever be. And yet, I do it daily to my child :( Guilt. GUILT. GUILT!!!!!!!!So should I put away the things that make me yell at my child? I think I should..and I have been.

We were using a phonics/reading program that incorporated way too much writing for a Kindergartener, much less a 3.5 year old. So out it went. Our math program uses a ton of handwriting, and while the math portion itself is going well....again the handwriting is a huge problem for us. So I'm thinking about slowing down the handwriting.

And I think that's all the time I get for today..Reagan is screaming about not being able to sleep..sigh.......

Oh where Oh where is NICU Bear?

NICU bear is missing. And Reagan is beside herself. I've never seen her sob so much over a single toy..not even when I threw away one of her puppies for hitting. NICU bear is missing and I'm currently tearing apart the toy room looking for him.

Ennunciation please!

Commercial: blah blah blah ....you too can turn your house into a house of horrors!
Reagan: Look mom! You can turn our house into a little house of whores!!!

Words fail me.......

My Mom, by Reagan

This is a cute idea. Copy this note, ask your child the questions and write them down exactly how they respond. Tag me back if you haven't done this, I'd love to hear the answers.

1. What is something mom always says to you? "put on your pull ups!"
2. What makes mom happy? kisses!
3. What makes mom sad? no kisses
4. How does your mom make you laugh? by telling jokes
5. What was your mom like as a child? funny, but i don't know for sure because i didn't see what you did as a little kid because i wasn't out yet. don't you know that?
6. How old is your mom? 4
7. How tall is your mom? i can't tell!!!! 4 school buses tall!
8. What is her favorite thing to do? go out for treats together
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? cook dinner!
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? i don't know mommy.
11. What is your mom good at? laundry
12. What is your mom not very good at? roasting marshallows!
13. What does your mom do for her job? she works
14. What is your mom's favorite food? asparagus (um, no??)
15. What makes you proud of your mom? for making homemade applesauce
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? i don't know...what is coming on next??
17. What do you and your mom do together? go out for treats (I'm sensing a pattern here....)
18. How are you and your mom the same? We have the same color hair.
19. How are you and your mom different? I don't do the laundry and she does.
20. How do you know your mom loves you? Kisses!
21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? To the mall (um, no??? This is HER favorite place to go!)
22. Where is your favorite place to go? The mall!

My poor neglected blog

I am on the computer all the time. So you would think I have time to blog. I don't. Usually I'm looking for homeschooling items for Reagan, or lately for her birthday party ideas.....we're having her birthday party on Friday. And....I'm slightly spazzing!

She's having a camping themed party, and I need to get the house cleaned, the yard cleaned, the goody bags put together, the fish cut out, the scavenger hunt completed....so what the heck am I doing sitting on the computer? Good question!!! Argh!!! Off to work on more birthday party stuff!!!

I love fall!!! That's pretty much all I wanted to say! I'm sure I'll be blogging away this winter, but right now it's infrequent posts and lots of things to do!

Toys For Sick Days

Do you keep a stash? No, not that thing that grows on your upper lip (if you're a man, baby!) More as in, a stash of toys. I do. I keep an upper closet filled with games, stickers, books and toys that I've picked up on clearance or that grandparents have sent Reagan or that I've gotten through some free program (a few days ago I even received a car from Trio!!)

These are PERFECT for those days when your little one is sick and feeling like the whole world is crashing down around them. I pull out one every once in a while and it really brightens Reagan's day...even if the toy only provides an hour of entertainment, I consider it well worth the cost.

Right now in my stash, I have a few books, the Trio car, some stickers, some plastic trinket style rings, some lip gloss, a few nice wooden toys for her kitchen (that might end up under the Christmas tree) and enough material to make her a twirly dress.

As the year continues to wear on, I know I'll be pulling items out and replenishing as necessary. I try to stock up on trinkets after every holiday and when a big box of goodies arrives from my mom, I always hold a few things back. I'm telling you moms, this is a GOOD practice! If you don't have a stash...stock up now! After Halloween sales are perfect to pick up cheap goodies!

Back Home!

We had an exhausting weekend at the Country Living Fair in Columbus, Ohio, and although Reagan, Mommy and Grandma had tons of fun, we are SOO happy to be back home! This means we can finally get back on a schedule and I can start blogging regularly! After today of course...today we slept in and I have to run to the office for a few hours--today is a 'get over the vacation' day!

Stay tuned tomorrow for a sneak peak at my new dough bowl....I LOVE this thing!

Reaganism!

We had a great trip but we're happy to be home! Completely exhausted and ready for lots of sleep tonight..in the meantime I leave you with a Reaganism.

Mommy: Reagan, you have to wear socks with your shoes or you'll get a blister.
Reagan: Mommy, did you know there's an ice cream called a blister?
Mommy: A blister ice cream????? No, there isn't!
Reagan: Yes, there is.
Mommy: Oh! You mean a blizzard!!!!

Never Forget.

Updates!

Homeschooling is TOUGH!!!! Reagan insists she already knows everything I'm trying to teach her (and most of it she does) and her attention span is that of a, well, a three year old. She's so intelligent, but definitely right on her age development with maturity! ARGH! I'm having to switch some things around--do less review and more fun stuff to capture her attention!

We're also headed to Alabama to visit family this weekend. Josh has to stay home :( and we'll miss him, but it'll be nice to see my family and have Reagan spend some time with her grandparents! Enjoy the beginning of fall!

Backyard Camping!

We have been so busy lately. Most nights I stay up until 1 or 2 am printing, cutting, laminating..you name it, just to get ready for the big day--tomorrow!!! I'm so excited for Reagan. And she's so excited and ready for school to start. We'll see how excited she is after she finally gets involved in the lessons! Right now I have pumpkin buns rising on the stove to cook for a special First Day School Breakfast! And this weekend she had a blast camping in the backyard with Daddy (Mommy wasn't allowed..except for the smores part!)

Capital Tour

This is very enlightening. I am so proud of my country's heritage...not so proud of it's present. Can we return to this place once again?

Doing Better...

Reagan is doing much better! We're still working on clearing those lungs out, but every day shows a little improvement. She's getting lots of rest, eating a little and today she was able to have a play date after a two week period of not being able to see anyone! She even gets to go to her first dance class today! Yah! I absolutely will be posting a picture of her in her cute little outfit!

In case you were wondering...

where I am, Reagan has been VERY sick this past week. In fact she was almost hospitalized and we're working on getting her healthy. She was FINALLY able to get some sleep on Thursday night, after not being able to really sleep since Saturday. So when I'm not shoving medicine down her throat between 10-14 times a day, I'm trying to get her to sleep, or drink to stay hydrated or eat, to make up the 3 lbs she lost just this week.

She really is about 100 times better than she was this time last week, we just have to focus on getting her lungs clear at this point. It's VERY difficult to tell a 3 year old she can't run and jump around and act silly.

So that's where we are. Hopefully she'll be 100% by next week and I'll be back to posting.

Breaking my heart..

Today Reagan and I were talking about going to the doctor (she's sick..again.) And she said she knew why she was sick..because I hadn't been giving her her Singulair. Smart kid. She's actually right on the money. But there are reasons I haven't been giving her the Singulair.

I didn't want her suffering from the side effects anymore, and I don't want her being on medication for the rest of her life. I tried to explain that to her, but I think she misunderstands why she needs medication (and who can blame her? She's been on medication her entire life!!) She said, "but Mommy, I need it to live!"

I don't think my heart will ever be fully normal after that statement. So what to do? Josh and I agree we don't want her on medication for the rest of her life unless it's absolutely necessary, but we don't want her sick all the time either. Changes must be made.

I've been lax about not allowing chemicals in the house. That has to stop. Dust catchers, ie knick knacks, have to go. Slip covered furniture....we have but I want to get better slipcovers/furniture so it stays on. Better filtration system, no more candles and axe the perfume again.

I've decided we're going to have to go minimalist. No more photos hanging on the walls, no more tons of bookcases that never get dusted....everything is going to have to go in enclosed shelving unit/bookcases or closed door closets...natural fibers...anything that can collect dust..it needs to go. Which means my prized floral arrangements that I made and absolutely adore..gone. Knick-knacks mostly gone..only keeping a few that can fit in enclosed glassed in cases.

It's going to take a while but her health is worth it.

A post--can you believe it???

A quick post from me--we're gearing up to start Kindergarten soon and I'm spending most of my time with my playdates or getting things ready! As soon as we actually start school I'll have more time to post--umm, I think!

In the meantime, Reagan and I are dreaming of fall...we're both fall people and can't wait for it to get here! And Reagan has changed her mind about her birthday party for this year---it was space themed, but now she wants a camping theme! I'm so excited! Feel free to leave any ideas!

A Tree

Last weekend Reagan and I went to Kid City--a big event for..guess who? Kids! While there I saw this awesome display with a tree and I knew I had to get one for Reagan's school room. Today, I went out and purchased it (only $11!!!!) and Reagan has been obsessed with it all evening! I need to laminate the leaves and then we can do all sorts of fun manipulative learning fun with it.

Who knew a paper tree could bring such joy? Oh and here's a Reaganism for you! (As a side note, she refused to let me put any of the animals on the tree because apparently birds and squirrels will damage the poor defenseless thing!)
"Reagan, did you know that trees are home to over 400 different plants and animals? That tree is probably wondering where all his friends are. He's probably crying "Come back friends!"

Reagan--in complete exasperation--HE IS NOT, MOM. He's saying SHOOO!

Oh brother.

Goals for Myself

I started thinking about all the things I really wanted to make happen in my daily life--getting up early (I've never been an early riser), exercising regularly, having a daily devotional...none of those things were getting done. And it's all because I don't really have a plan. So I decided to make a goal sheet for myself. A basic list of things that I want to get done every single day. Here's my daily goal list. What's on yours?

Get up by 6:30 am
Have devotional time for myself
Exercise
Take prenatal vitamins!!
Get house straightened up before starting rest of day
Have breakfast at the table
PLAY with Reagan at least 1 hour each day
Don’t let Reagan watch more than 2 hours of tv per day (those coupons help!)
Don’t do computer time unless Reagan is having tv time
Don’t have lunch in front of the tv
During nap, spend less than 30 mins on comp.
Have dinner at the table as a family
Have a devotional as a family (5-10 minutes?!)
Keep tv off in the evenings until Reagan goes to bed
Spend one hour a night WITH Josh--not in front of comp
Spend at least 15 minutes a night pampering ME

Benjamin Franklin once said "Beer--proof that God loves us." But Leah says "Coffee--proof that God loves us." Frankly, Ben, I think I'm right on this one!

Reaganism!

The Bible is a really important book, mommy. It's not like swamp monkeys or something.

Hmm.

The title of this post was going to be "Oooh...look at me, posting two days in a row!" But um, yeah, this is Friday. NOT Thursday. This summer has been so erratic, so different from our normal lives, that I feel completely off course. I can't wait to get back on a schedule and enjoy the next few months with Reagan. AND start school!

I *think* Reagan is excited to be homeschooling this year. I know I'm excited. I've purchased almost all her curriculum--I have a few more things to order, and now I'm in the process of organizing it. I am usually one of those people that needs things planned out for me in advance so I can see the big picture--otherwise I tend to get overwhelmed. But in getting everything together, I think I'm only going to plan a month in advance...which may be more work in the long run, but it'll allow us more flexibility--which I do enjoy!

I know I printed out our curriculum choices for this year in an earlier post, but things have changed slightly since then. I've found some curriculum that I like a little bit more than those I previously posted....and I realized that I can't be quite as aggressive as I wanted to be. She IS only 3 1/2! So with that in mind, we're holding off on studying history for another year or two and we're going to be doing a lot more unit studies. I'm also utilizing the Horizon's program through Alpha-Omega Publications--I'm very impressed with their company. I love that Horizon's is an advanced program, great for gifted students, BUT, I can go as slow as we need to--or as fast as we need to!

LOL! As you can see, I'm really in the mood for school to start. Who knows, maybe I'll even buy a pack of pencils..freshly sharpened, and arrange a bouquet on my kitchen table today? ;) (You've Got Mail fans should know what I'm talking about!)

Been quiet around here...

I haven't felt much like blogging lately. In fact, to be honest, I haven't felt much like doing anything lately..but this week I've been getting back into the swing of things...having play dates, trying not to be quite so cranky with Reagan, cleaning...you know..just living.

Yesterday I even forced myself out into the rain in my new (bright red, mind you) rain boots and splashed in puddles with Reagan. I love the sound that our feet making, sucking up the mud and water and then the force of the water spraying out as our feet slap back into the mud.

While we were out playing in the rain, we watched a squirrel burying an acorn.
Let me tell you, this little guy was diligent about his task. It took him a good 10 minutes to bury it. Reagan and I decided to venture over and see if we could discover his loot. He'd hidden it well. Even though we'd watched him intently, we still couldn't find the hole. After poking around for a few minutes, I looked up and saw him scampering back down the tree, watching us. He stopped..hesitated, the scampered closer....closer...and sat up on his haunches, whiskers twitching, little hands held together....as though he was saying "please, oh please don't take my food!" He.was.adorable!

Reagan and I left his treasure alone and went inside for hot chocolate..which apparently triggered the "I'm ready for Christmas to be here NOW" gene, because later she went to the library with Daddy and returned with Barney's Christmas Special. (Yes--that Barney--as in giant purple dino.) Today she even held an impromptu concert with her friends, singing Christmas carols and asking for more hot chocolate and having a 'snowball' fight with hair ribbons.

If she's this anxious for Christmas it's going to be a long, long fall.

Great decor blog giveaway....and an update on me

First, before I tell you about an amazing giveaway on one of my favorite (if not my absolute favorite blogs), I want to say thank you to all of those that prayed for me and my family this past week.

I wasn't sure if I was going to talk about what had happened on my blog or not, but I post about my family regularly and this *is* part of my family. Josh and I had been trying to have another baby and I did get pregnant..and lost the baby. It was a very emotional time for both of us--ups and downs of waiting several days to have blood work come back and trying not to get our hopes up. In one way we were very lucky--we didn't even know I was pregnant until I started having intense pain. If you've read my blog any length of time, you know my body does NOT like being pregnant, so please keep us in your prayers in the future, as we really do want to add onto our family. I think I'll leave my update at that.


*****
Ok, even if you don't enter this giveaway, you must checkout the Miss Mustard Seed blog! I absolutely adore her decor...she's so creative, she's down to earth, a youth minister's wife and very sweet! I seriously would love to fly her up here to decorate our dream home when/if that ever happens! She's giving away a 2000 follower prize pack and it is loaded with things I love..ironstone, grain sacks and...an OLD SCALE!!! I want an old scale so bad I can taste it people....seriously..my favorite one that she has is in her bathroom..go look through her photos. I DROOL over that thing....I love the one in the kitchen too!!

Go HERE to check out Miss Mustard Seed!

Still waiting...

Still waiting for more results. Please keep sending prayers this way!

Asking for prayers..

First, Reagan has been sick, but she's on the mend---just a chest cold now we think. And second, please keep me in your prayers as I'm going through a very difficult time right now.

I love....

watching a flower bloom
hanging sheets out to dry in the breeze
spontaneous "I love you"s from Reagan
unexpected love notes from Josh
finding a ready-to-pick vegetable in the garden
the smell of water from the hose
candlelight and jazz music
the smell of coffee waking me up..or bacon!
a new recipe that the whole family loves!
laying my head in Granny's lap and letting her tell me everything is ok
a phone call with my best friend
reading with Reagan
my best friend doing my hair just as she's done for goodness knows how many years
Granny's chicken pot pie
lightening bugs
cotton candy clouds at daybreak
cotton tail bunnies
chives with purple flowers
fat firm red ripe tomatoes, with just a hint of salt...on white bread with mayo
grand-daddy long legs, ladybugs and rolly pollies
swings
falling asleep with Josh's arms around me
watching Reagan sleep with her mouth open and her bangs plastered to her forehead with that sweet sleepy sweat babies tend to have
being barefoot
dandelions
the cool of sunset after the breathless heat of the day
falling asleep in sun-dried linens
listening to Reagan pretend-play
a cold drink and a new magazine
a clean, fresh house
finding a book so good everything else fades into the background
"getting it" when God is trying to tell me something

Reaganism!

The other night we were trying to entice Reagan to play in our room because we were so tired (and ahem, her play room was a D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R!!) She kept saying there was nothing to play with and we said, sure there is, this is a great room..she looked around, threw her arm out and said....No there isn't! Look at all this--this---JUNK!

Great Husband :)

Last night, after teaching VBS and having several 2-4 year old rambunctious kids that DID not listen AND getting home late...about 8:30, Reagan and I pulled up into the driveway to a sign posted on our door:

Welcome to Dinner for 2 at Casa de ******. We opened the door to soft jazz, candlelight, the table set, fresh lemonade, a homecooked meal and dessert! WOW! Hmm, maybe Josh should be the stay at home parent!!

Company Girls!

I thought I'd link up today....it's hot, Reagan is napping and I'm off to visit some blogs! My actual post for today is below! (And no, I'm not really arguing with her about the teddy bear..but, ok, maybe I am! LOL!)

Argh!

Reagan informed me today that MY teddy bear...which *I* have had since I was 16 was furthermore known as "Flower" and not "Cornelius"! I beg her pardon! First off, he's a BOY teddy bear as evidenced by his cable-knit brown sweater and dour expression. Second, he's MY teddy bear and has had the same name for 16 years!......She simply informed me that I was grown up now and so he wasn't mine anymore and his name WAS FLOWER. Hmpf...I don't know what to make of this child!

Taming the TV Beast...

We started a new system for watching television this week. Basically, Reagan gets 4 coupons a day. Each coupon is for 30 minutes of tv time. They sit in a bowl on a shelf on the entertainment center and when she wants to watch a television show (or movie) she gets one out and brings it to me. I use this time as my Internet time (as well as her quiet time!...I'm TRYING to cut down..I spend like 5 hours a day on the Internet..I'm very ashamed!!).

In addition, for every coupon she doesn't use, she gets a star on a wall chart. When she's collected 5 stars, we get a new book from the bookstore!

Note: I printed out 4 of the coupons (setting the print setting at 50%) and then glued all four onto a regular sheet of paper. I then laminated it so we can continue to use the same coupons over again. Every morning I just set the four coupons back out in her bowl. For the wall chart, look under Star Charts and then click on Free Star Charts. There are several to choose from. I printed out the fairy chart with 10 stars on it to fill in.

Ladies and Gentlemen....

WE HAVE ZUCCHINI!!!!! WOohooooo!! I'm so excited! A few months back, Reagan, Josh and I planted a garden. Josh worked really hard slogging through water logged ground to til it, and then Reagan and I spread potting soil..yes potting soil, I was determined! And then we planted tiny little seeds in the ground. Those seeds have come a long way baby!!

We planted zucchini, peas, green beans, cucumbers, spaghetti squash and pumpkins. We were able to harvest 3 green beans..they were fantastic! But...the rest have been taken over by the zucchini..half of our yard and our neighbor's yard have been taken over by the zucchini! We have little baby cucumbers growing, a couple of harvest-able zucchini, a few squash growing and TONS of beautiful yellow flowers waiting to turn into ripe vegetables! I can't wait to harvest cucumbers, pumpkins and squash!

A side note: big fail on the container growing this year..oh well.

Reaganism!!

About having strawberry shortcakes for dessert:

"My legs are too long to have shortcakes for dessert!!" *GROAN* ;)

New Favorite Soup!

You would THINK 90 degree weather would be too hot for a nice steaming bowl of soup...BUT....I fly in the face of convention! No, seriously..soup is easy, filling and delicious...and we found a new favorite recipe that all three of us adore!

Here it is!

Collins' Best Lentil Soup
(from Gooseberry Patch)

1 cup dried lentils
14 oz package turkey Kielbasa, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup redskin potato, diced
2 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
6 cup beef broth
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg (I omitted this!)

Sort and wash lentils. Combine lentils, sausage and remaining ingredients in 3-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high setting for one hour. Reduce heat to low setting and cook three hours. Stir before serving. Makes 10.5 cups.

Writing a book....

I think I'm going to write a book. Seriously. It's going to be slim-line, spiral bound (so it can be laid out easily), laminated, with photos and step by step instructions. And it's going to be targeted to men. "Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Housekeeping"....step by step instructions for properly loading the dishwasher, washing out baby puke stains, how much detergent to use. And of course, little gems like "don't wash whites and darks together...especially not in hot water."....Think of how much frustration this would save us wives!

Random Reaganism

Momma, do you think dinsoaurs have collar bones?

Happy Birthday America!!!!! GOD BLESS THE USA!

My country, 'tis of Thee,
Sweet Land of Liberty
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let Freedom ring.

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet Freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
To thee we sing,
Long may our land be bright
With Freedom's holy light,
Protect us by thy might
Great God, our King.

Our glorious Land to-day,
'Neath Education's sway,
Soars upward still.
Its hills of learning fair,
Whose bounties all may share,
behold them everywhere
On vale and hill!

Thy safeguard, Liberty,
The school shall ever be,
Our Nation's pride!
No tyrant hand shall smite,
While with encircling might
All here are taught the Right
With Truth allied.

Beneath Heaven's gracious will
The stars of progress still
Our course do sway;
In unity sublime
To broader heights we climb,
Triumphant over Time,
God speeds our way!

Grand birthright of our sires,
Our altars and our fires
Keep we still pure!
Our starry flag unfurled,
The hope of all the world,
In peace and light impearled,
God hold secure!

Finding Contentment

The lazy days of summer are here...and hopefully the dog days have passed....for us at least. After a cold winter and then being shocked into summer with extremely high humidity and 90 degree temperatures, the last week has been a welcome blessing--one that I'm trying to remember to thank God every day for.

The weather has been perfect...little to no humidity, mid-70 temps, blue skies, no storms and a perfect breeze. The kind of days that kids love playing outside in, that make you picture magazines, swings and a cool frosted glass of lemonade at your side.

In reality it's been a lot of playing, working in the garden, quick gulping of whatever's available, hanging clothes out on the line, watering the garden, planting more flowers and just enjoying the sunshine....it doesn't quite match up with that magazine/swing/lemonade picture in my head, but in some ways it's even better. In most ways in fact.

I've found contentment. The older I get the more I realize that I'm a homebody...and the older I get the more I realize I am craving the simple things in life. The smell of fresh sheets dried on the line, the ACT of hanging out those sheets to dry, the excitement I get when Reagan and I check on the garden, worrying over what we are going to do with all those zucchini when they start arriving--and thanking God for the blessing that I'm worried about too much food. The shock of steaming hot water emptying out of my hose, the smell of the cool chlorine when the cold water finally rushes out. The sun-kissed streak across Reagan's nose...watching her run with her sun-streaked hair streaming out behind her. Watching her dance in the water and hearing her shriek. Noticing the way she crouches down to watch an ant scutter around the patio.

This is contentment for me.

Catching up!

This week has been amazing--the weather is absolutely perfect (much better than the extremely hot high humidity we had been having!) Reagan and I have been out of doors most of the time--going to the park, having kite flying play dates with friends, working in the backyard--you name it! We even both splashed in the Elmo splash pad this morning!

We also had a chance to go to Walmart yesterday (yes, I gave up Walmart for a time to cut down on our expenses...and now I only go on average about once a month when we really need something and I do NOT want to drive 30 minutes to Target--this arrangement has been working really well for the whole family!) Specifically we were looking for a new kite for Reagan and clearance flowers for the backyard...and we found tons! They had lots of ground cover and a good bit of flowers on clearance for .50 to $1. If my mother in law is reading this, they have Joseph's Coat on clearance for $1 per container!!!

Today Reagan and I spent the morning figuring out where everything needs to go. Unfortunately it's going to require a second trip to Walmart because I ran out of potting soil (argh!!!)

Reagan and I also found flowers on our cucumber plants, little tiny flowers (GORGEOUS deep bluish-purple) on our green bean (or maybe they were peas??) plants and beginning buds on our zucchini plants...we should have a nice crop..IF the zucchinis don't take over EVERYTHING in sight! (They're already almost as tall as Reagan and about 4 times as wide as she is!)

On other notes, Reagan got to "climb" a tree yesterday--mostly I pushed her up on the branch. She LOVED sitting up there, enjoying the breeze and exploring the bugs, birds and leaves all around here. That's what being a kid is truly about :)

I think that's it for today...will post pictures tomorrow!!!

Silhouette Craft Cutter Giveaway

HURRY. DON'T WALK. RUN. NOW. GO!

HERE!

Thrifty Decor Chick is giving away a Silhouette Craft Cutter! There are so many amazing applications for this tool....vinyl cutting, scrap booking, making cards..you name it! And even if you don't win (although there are five chances for you to win!) she has some great package deals!

GO NOW!

Menu Plan Monday

Here is our menu for the week, and, as a bonus, I found an awesome site I wanted to share with everyone: Freeprintablegrocerylist.com! Click on THIS link to get a great downloadable menu planner with room to write your grocery needs! LOVE IT!

Monday:
Cereal
Wraps and refrigerator clean out items!
Grilled chili chicken with pasta, corn and tomatoes

Tuesday:
Eggs and Sausage
Tuna sandwiches and fruit
Senate Bean Soup and Farmhouse Honey Wheat Bread

Wednesday:
Sausage and Cereal
Leftovers
Italian Delight and vegetable

Thursday:
Toast and Eggs
Leftovers
Red Beans and Rice with Sausage, Salad

Friday:
Eggs, Toast, Sausage, Fruit--some combination (whatever needs to be eaten up)
Leftovers
Pizza or Pizza Rolls

Saturday:
Pancakes and Sausage
Leftovers from the week or sandwiches
Grill-steaks, potatoes, salad

Sunday:
Cereal
Roast, potatoes, carrots, green bean casserole; Dessert: Lemon Pie
Leftovers

Ten on Tuesday

My IRL friend, Jana, participates in Ten on Tuesday hosted by Roots and Rings. I've been reading her responses for a while now, so I thought I would give it a go!

1. If you could trade lives with another blogger for a day, who would it be and why?
Serena from the Farm Chicks. I LOVE her home, the area she lives in, and I would love to just hang around her family and friends all day getting ideas!

2. Do you prefer receiving handmade or store bought gifts? Be honest!
This is a toughie. I love homemade things but I also love vintage things (that are bought..but not at stores, usually), SO, I have to say I really like items that AREN'T store-bought. Like old pails, handmade topiaries, etc.


3. Would you rather camp or stay in a hotel?
Ok, it really depends on the bathroom situation. I need a NICE, CLEAN bathroom. If I have to take a shower with spiders or use a darkened toilet area, I'm NOT going to be happy. Then again, most hotel rooms are just covered with gross germs (hotel maids do NOT clean the rooms that well!). UGH. Ok, ok...so if I had to have a choice...I would choose camping.....WITH a camper.

4. What’s your favorite comfort food?
Anything my Granny cooks. Seriously. But especially Lemon Pie, fried chicken, HER mashed potatoes....AND her chicken pot pie. Oh gosh, my mouth is watering....

5. You’re having a really bad day at work. How do you unwind when you come home?
I stay at home all day so I really enjoy getting out and perusing the aisles at Target with a cup of coffee!

6. What’s your favorite chore?
Cooking :)

7. What got you interested in blogging?
My friend Jana's blog started my interest and I thought, how great...I get to share stories about Reagan, my thoughts..why not?

8. Are you currently reading a book? What is it?
The Well Trained Mind by Jessi Wise and Susan Wise Bauer--highly recommend!

9. Do you have a favorite artist?
As in painting? No. Music? Vivaldi!

10. Have you ever met someone famous?
Yes. Enough said.

Happy Father's Day

To a wonderful husband and father!

(And my Dad, Dad-in-Law and Paw-Paw too!)

Of Cakes and Men.....

Josh was sweet enough to order a birthday cake for my birthday last week. When he called and the baker asked if he wanted a half or full, he ordered the full--thinking it was the size of a regular birthday cake that you'd bake at home. No other information was forth-coming from the baker..like how many the cake fed or how much the cake cost. So Josh went to pick it up...and this ($44 later) is what I ended up with!

(And in case you're wondering why he chose a cake in blue and orange..they're Auburn University's colors--go Tigers!)

Blah,blah,blah,blah,blah...

This week has been less than exciting. Well, ok, it started out pretty exciting. Sunday we ended up at the hospital for labs and x-rays after Reagan scared us and her doctor half to death by refusing to get out of bed for the entire day (not her personality, or a three year old's personality, AT ALL). She also had a fever and was throwing up and sobbing over stomach pains.

The labs and x-rays came back ok..blood work was a little off, but she was sick...to be expected. By Monday she was feeling much better--just a little stomach pain, but now completely stuffed up, coughing and running a fever. The rest of the week continued in that vein with lots of sleepless nights, breathing treatments and the like. And finally, today, she was well enough to head to playgroup with her friends.

We broke our fast food rule this week week and had fast food--twice. We won't be having it again any time soon. But desperate times call for desperate measures...and I consider getting a little less than three hours of sleep desperate times.

In other important news, Reagan caught the world's largest beetle and we kept it for a day and a half. I'm telling you, this thing was huge. I'll post pictures as soon as I figure out how to get them off of my phone and onto here! We found him in our backyard (which makes me rethink spending time out there!) and I'm convinced a bird must have dropped him as we found him on his back. (When I told my friend that story, she said "Dropped him from where???? The Amazon!??!?!?")

At any rate, I'm happy to report that Daddy and Reagan let him go tonight while I was at the office. Daddy finally convinced Reagan that Mommy Beetle was looking for her baby. Reagan allowed him to be released upon the conditions that Daddy 1-waited for the rain to stop and 2-he was released in a nice patch of grass. Beetle bug apparently didn't care where he was released as he made a beeline for anywhere in the opposite direction of our home!

Quick Update

Reagan has been sick. I'm exhausted. Will blog more hopefully tomorrow!

Company Girl Friday

I haven't participated in Company Girl Friday, mainly because I've really been neglecting my blog in favor of Facebook....I miss blogging, so I'm back.

We've had such a busy week--celebrating my birthday on Wednesday and trying to get numerous projects done around the house (in between much complaining over the large amounts of rain--apparently we (in general) can never be satisfied with the weather.)
We've finally managed to plant all of our vegetables and flowers. They've already started popping up and I can't wait to taste the first produce from our garden. Better yet, I can't wait until we purchase our dream home and plant apple trees and blackberry bushes too!

This year we planted zucchini, sugar pumpkins, cucumbers, spaghetti squash, peas, green beans, lettuce, bell peppers, scallions and tomatoes. For flowers we planted a cutting garden mix of zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers and Ireland bells--such pretty little green flowers!

All in all, we've enjoyed a great week with lots of hard work thrown in, but that's part of what made it such a great week. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

And, I'll leave you with this picture:

Evenings...

For the last few weeks our bedtime routine has included the following:

Mommy: Ok Reagan, it's time to go to sleep now.
Reagan: ONE MORE MINUTE! (She always asks for one more minute of cuddle time no matter how long we cuddle.)
Mommy: No. How about we sing a song instead?
Reagan: TWO SONGS, MOMMY!
Mommy: No. I said one. You choose.
Reagan: NO, Mommy! TWOOOOOOO!
Mommy: (sighing) OK, fine. Which two?
Reagan: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Jesus Loves the Little Children!
And we sing.

Tonight I embraced it as the tradition it is turning into, instead of one more thing that has to be done before she falls asleep.

Mommy: Ok Reagan, it's time to sleep now.
Reagan: ONE MORE MINUTE!
Mommy: How about we sing one song instead?
Reagan: NO! TWO, MOMMY!
Mommy: Ok, which two? (As though I don't know....)
Reagan: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Jesus Loves the Little Children!
And we sing.

I hope I get a million more nights like this.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me.......I'm super-duper 29 now. ;)

Menu Plan Monday

Josh was sweet enough to take Reagan and head to the grocery store this weekend for me so I have our menu done and all the ingredients to make it!

Dinners:
Rump Roast with Pecan Cornbread Stuffing, vegetable
Chili Chicken Pasta with a cucumber salad
Senate Bean Soup and Bread
BBQ Chicken and Cornbread Salad
Grilled Chicken and Creamy Corn
Leftover Night

Lunches:
Leftovers or the following
Sandwiches with tuna or peanut butter
Ants on a log with fruit
Fish sticks and vegetables

Breakfasts:
Cheesy eggs and toast
Fruit and eggs
Pancakes and sausage
Breakfast hot pockets (if I get around to making them!)

Baby Fever Sucks!

There's just no nicer way to put it. We just started trying for number 2 this month. And it didn't happen. Which is fine, no big deal. I know some people have to try for years and years and I'm thankful we didn't have to do that for Reagan (and I pray we don't have to do that with #2). And I thought I would be ok with waiting, but now I'm realizing we should have started months ago because I'm looking at ultrasounds and really feeling some serious baby envy.

And it's not as though we're really ready to deal with the whole pregnancy fiasco (because a fiasco is exactly what it turns into with us), but we're ready to have another one. If that makes sense. ARGH! I think there's going to be a whole lot of "I'm so ready!" and "I'm SO NOT ready..what am I THINKING?!?!?" posts around here for the next few months. In the meantime I'll just keep reminding myself that at least I'm not throwing up blood and dealing with intense bouts of nausea at the moment!
--------------------
Oh and one more thing..I swear to you I AM SO SICK of all this natural childbirth talk. Let your body do what it needs to do. Your body knows what needs to happen. Have your baby at home. Doctors cause more problems. Embrace your femininity and orgasmic organic side by giving birth and letting your inner woman glisten with the dew of your labor.

GAG. ROLL EYES. THROW UP.

If I hear one more woman waxing poetically about the glory of childbirth I may go on a postal rampage. Sure women can give birth without hospitals. Sure our bodies are designed to give birth. But let's get serious. Doctors do NOT do more harm than good. The reason there are more maternal deaths and more complications and interventions at hospitals are because...say it with me people...HIGHER RISK PREGNANCIES AND DELIVERIES TAKE PLACE AT (where???) HOSPITALS!!!

Really, people? Really?

Are you honestly going to tell me that the reason there are less incidents of maternal and fetal death at home is because it's safer? It isn't. Healthy women opt to give birth at home. People who are dealing with complicated pregnancies and deliveries are going to give birth at a hospital with access to every life saving device possible.

So if you're one of those mamas who gave birth at home and reveled in your femininity and glory and the orgasmic experience of a contraction....great! Congratulations! But don't you DARE act like you're superior to me or my baby is in any way less perfect than your child is; because given the choice again, I'd still take every single life saving measure and medical intervention available...AGAIN. Because it saved my baby's life.

AND FORMULA IS NOT RAT POISON! ugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Reaganisms!!

Last night I moved Reagan to our bed because she had thrown up earlier and I wanted to keep an eye on her. In the process of moving her, I woke her up..just barely. Still half asleep, she heard a train in the night and mumbled: Sometimes I hear a train and it wakes me up and then I say please, please, oh pretty please with a cherry on top, let me get some more rest!

************************************

We spent Memorial Day weekend with Josh's parents. One morning Reagan was in the kitchen with Grandma and Grandma was explaining how she doesn't really cook much. After the two of them prattled on for a while in this vein, Reagan looked up and said "So, Grandma, your kitchen is just for decoration then?"!!!

Really?????

To understand what I'm going to post, you really need to check out THIS article. Basically, a 25 year old college graduate has accumulated $97,000.00 in education debt with her mother as her co-signer on some of the loans. The article goes into detail and begs the question of whether it was the university's fault or the student's fault.

To be honest with you, I felt little sympathy for the mother and daughter. I mean, come on...$97,000.00 in debt? As the article goes on (and go on it does, for quite a while) I began to feel like perhaps the university SHOULD have taken on a more direct role in advising the student that perhaps she should reconsider taking on such a large debt.

Then I read this: She recently received a raise and now makes $22 an hour working for a photographer. It's the highest salary she's earned since graduating with an interdisciplinary degree in religious and women's studies.

Can you see where I'm having the problem??? An INTERDISCIPLINARY DEGREE IN RELIGIOUS AND WOMEN'S STUDIES?!?!??! Did she REALLY truly absolutely believe with a fluff degree like that, that she was going to get a job making enough to pay back a $97,000.00 loan without it being a huge burden?????

The world is full of very stupid people. This was not the fault of the university. It was 100% the fault of the student and her mother.

Hmm..

Why is it I'm having such trouble keeping up with blogging lately? Have I finally run out of things to ramble about, endlessly...? I'm sure that can't be the case.

So, today I'm going to ramble about the hardships of being a mother. Sometimes you feel like you're coasting along great (those times are rare indeed) and others you feel like you're slipping and sliding on ice and you have no idea what you're doing or even if what you ARE doing is working. Such is the case today.

Reagan, who should have been put down for a nap much earlier than she was, threw toys at and then scratched one of her friends in the face. This from my girl who has never been a hitter, biter, scratcher or any of the like. I was mortified. Clearly she was exhausted. But I couldn't just let it go...no, she had to get the full gamut of punishments...toys gone, time-outs endured and apologies administered. Princess castle? Gone. Rose Petal Cottage store? Gone. Ok. Let's be frank--my lovely tom-boy of a girl could have cared less about the princess castle being taken away. She was a little more hurt with her store getting taken away. But still...to just take her things away from her? Instead of feeling like I'm upholding the sword of justice and instilling in her the ideas and behavior that I KNOW she needs to be taught, I feel more like a bully ripping her toys away from her, resulting in sending her to future therapy sessions lamenting over the fact that she has attachment problems.

Somehow I think parenting in the 1950s might have been a tad bit easier. *Sigh*

I Think I Might Be In Love....

with this guy.....



What? You don't see his appeal? I do..check THIS out!

Time for my annual "I HATE COTTONWOODS" post...

Have I mentioned I hate cottonwoods? I HATE cottonwoods! It's 4 am and I'm wide awake because my head is filled with fluff and stuff, my nose is swollen to twice it's size, my eyes are red and itchy and I'm just miserable. To top it off, the weather is awesome so we're spending a lot of time outside..especially with Memorial Day coming up!

So......Benadryl is my new best friend. Thank you Oh Wise and Wonderful Makers of Benadryl. You have no idea how much I want to kiss each and every one of you.

On a side note..remind me never to live in Kansas. The state tree is the Cottonwood tree. I'd probably be arrested for taking a chain saw to one.


Kind of innocuous looking isn't it? IT ISN'T!!!


Yes, I took this from istock. I just don't care at the moment. But it has their name plastered on it. Free advertising? Anyway, this is what the air looks like around my home. It's like snow. I wish it were snow!! Argh!!!!

A Funny For All of You!

I received this in an email today and knew I had to share it!!

Political Science 101


A Short Spelling Lesson
The last four letters in American........I Can
The last four letters in Republican......I Can
The last four letters in Democrats.....Rats
End of Lesson
Test to follow in November

Golf According to Reagan....

Reagan to her Grandma: I can golf with Daddy. All you have to do is whack the ball!

Yep, pretty much!

For the record....

As I was cutting Reagan's hair yesterday, some of her hair fell onto her baby, Ming-Ming. She looked down at him, back at me and said "OH YUCK!" And then she looked down at him and said "For the record, I don't think any of this is your fault!"

Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum!

Yah! After MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH hard work, soul searching, praying and researching, I have finally completed Reagan's Kindergarten curriculum for home school for the 2010-2011 school year. She'll be a few months away from 4 when she starts Kindergarten but that works just fine for us because we plan to take it very slow and do a two year Kindergarten course with her. We also plan to school year round. She wants to learn, we just have to focus on the discipline of learning--the hard part you know!

So, without further ado, here are our choices!

Art-Come Look With Me Animals in Art and Draw Write Now Bible-Positive Action Bible Curriculum; supplement with The Big Book of Questions and Answers-Sinclair Ferguson, Read Aloud Bible Stories OT
Math-Horizon’s K
Phonics/Reading-Starfall and Confessions of a Homeschooler Letter of the Week Program; Literature Pockets: Nursery Rhymes
Science-Real books, Backyard Scientist Exploring Earthworms With Me, Astronomy book, note booking and labs
Music-Use coloring pages (see website) while she listens to music from a classical composer and then read a story (all gathered from the local library) http://www.makingmusicfun.net/htm/mmf_great_composer_worksheets_index.htm Activities and listening resources at this site:
http://www.dsokids.com/default.aspx
Etiquette-The Etiquette Factory
Physical Education-enroll Reagan in beginning dance class
History/Geography-A Mystery of History Volume 1, History Through the Ages Timeline CD (Creation-Present), Record of Time empty binder and placement guide, Biblical and Historical Atlas
Latin-Song School Music Latin CD

If you have questions about why I selected a program, please let me know, as I have researched these options extensively and can give additional information if you require any.

Signs your child has eaten at McDonald's one too many times...

Putting Reagan down for her nap the other day, she was pretending to see the stars on her ceiling. "Mommy, look, I can see the stars! I can even see the apple dipper!"
LOL! The funny thing is she knows the Big and Little Dipper constellations!

On a side note, we haven't had fast food since May 2nd! We're trying to give it up for good!

Cheap Easy Kid's Decor

The Dollar Store has tons of kids puzzles. Not only are these great for hand-eye coordination, logic and just plain fun, but they're great to decorate with. And it doesn't cost anything more than the puzzle itself and a material most of you have at home!

Simply put together the puzzle (with your child's help of course!) Carefully lift and flip it over, pressing any pieces back together that slipped. Use masking tape to in strips across all of the seams, horizontally and vertically. Carefully lift it up and check to see if any pieces are slipping. If they are, secure with more masking tape.

Make masking tape loops to secure and press onto the wall. (I like to use masking tape to hang very light weight items because it doesn't leave holes all over your walls and it doesn't tear through paint and drywall.)

Cost for a cute decor item for your child's room? $1! Of course, you could always frame it or add embellishments, but really..you can't beat $1 for children's decor!

Reaganisms!

As we were leaving to go on a weekend trip the other day, Reagan KEPT whining and KEPT whining. Josh and I had had it! I said "Reagan if you don't stop whining this instant, we'll leave you here with the cats and Daddy and I will head out on vacation!" She immediately sobered up and her lip started wavering..."But MOMMY!!! The cat's won't feed me!!!"
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Half-asleep, half-awake in the middle of the night one night, Reagan smiled at me and said "I was dreaming about mowing over poisonous mushrooms. Huh! Funny!" LOL!
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How I Woke Up

..a few mornings ago.

Reagan: Mommy, I'm wet.
Mommy: (deep sigh) Ok, let's get up and get panties on.
Reagan: No, I'm still sleeping.
Mommy: Fine (we'd been up quite a bit the night before and I was in her bed with her)
Reagan: (after several minutes, asleep at this point)...571.......572.......573.............................long pause........577.

Huh?????

Tonight...

Reagan falling asleep in her bedroom tonight, singing: "Seven walls...seven walls. I want seven walls in my bedroooooooooooooooom. Seven walls, seven walls. I want seven walls in my bedroooom."

Strange, strange child.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Here's a little laugh for you!

This morning I threw a napkin over Reagan's head and she clamped it down over her ears and said "Look, Mommy! I have ear muffins on! I'm ready to go outside!"

:)

Have a good laugh courtesy of

my IRL friend Jana.

HILARIOUS!!!!!
(NOTE: You may want to pop this out and watch on YouTube so my site doesn't cut off half the screen and you'll also want to turn my music player off...scroll down to the bottom of the page)

Another week gone by..

I've been so bad about blogging this past month. Normally I love it and try to blog every day, but we've been ultra-busy. As I'm sure everyone has!

Mother's Day is this weekend and we're looking forward to planting flowers and digging up and planting a vegetable garden. I can't wait til I can run outside and grab a few juicy tomatoes and some lettuce to make a salad for dinner....ahem, excuse me. So REAGAN can make a salad for dinner. She's decided that she will now be the designated salad maker in our house..because, as she says, she makes the BEST salads.

And speaking of growing things, Josh was outside mowing the grass the other evening and Reagan asked "Is Daddy cutting the grass with scissors?" LOL! No idea where this came from, other than she was nearly dead on her feet with exhaustion...this child says such funny things when she's tired. (Once she told me that her hiccups had stopped and she needed to go catch them!)

Homeschooling has been at a standstill this week. Every single day we've been out and about. Monday involved a program at the library (so much fun and Reagan had a blast!), Tuesday was a zoo day and then a trip to a used bookstore (which had an awesome play area), Wednesday was playgroup and then a play date with a new friend and this morning we were out early to watch a couple of Reagan's friends while their mommy went to a dental appointment...then home and then back out to a couple of garage sales (can you say YAH! I'm so happy garage sales are back in full swing!)

And what did I get you ask? (At least, I'm going to pretend you did!)

*A great smaller domed cheese serving dish that I'm going to spray paint and use as a cloche (FOR $1!!!!)
*A teddy bear for Reagan (officially the new (tiny) teddy bear is Pooh's baby) .50
*Pale pink snowsuit (perfect since I wanted one just to keep at grandma's house) $2.00
*Santa Claus 2 DVD $3.00 (I've been looking for this everywhere! We love the Santa Claus movies in our house..normally I wouldn't pay over $1 for a used DVD!)
*A cute long sleeve cotton tee for Reagan when she's older .50
*A GIANT (I'm talking over 2 feet) space exploration book .50 (and it doesn't mention the Big Bang theory..score!)
*3 great puzzles that I can use for manipulatives in school--one transportation, one for spatial concepts and one for the seven wonders of the world .50 each
*Hardcover book: Guns, Crime and Freedom by Wayne LaPierre $1.00 I think Josh and I will both enjoy this one!
*Several children's books ranging in cost from .25-.50, including the Story of Ping, which I ABSOLUTELY adored as a child



Can you tell I'm happy about my scouting?!

Gift Lists and Gift Cards

Back in the day (in other words, pre-Reagan) I was NOT a huge fan of gift lists or gift cards. But lately, I have changed my tune.

First, I think everyone needs to make a gift list. For yourselves...and for your children if you have them.

And I think you need to post the gift list somewhere where your significant other and children can see them.

AND I think you need to make the list available to others when they ask. No more "Oh, you don't need to get me anything." Simply say "That's very sweet. While you don't have to give me anything, I really appreciate the thought. I do have a few things on my list I would really love to have such as....."

Why such a breech of etiquette?

Because as a mom, I have to tell you, my brain cells are fried. Listen. I KNOW I don't have to get you a gift..but I WANT to..otherwise I wouldn't have asked and I would have simply sent you a card. And since I'm asking, I really do want some ideas of what you'd like. And frankly, if my birthday is the one coming up, I really don't need another whatever-it-is that I have too many of lying around the house. There are things I genuinely need and want. So I'm going to tell you.

I love that my mother in law embraced this idea. Her birthday is on Mother's Day and this year she put up a list of several things that she wanted. Love it. I'm going to select two and then give her the receipts so that if someone else gets the same thing, she can always exchange it for something else on the list.

Brilliant!

So what's on my list? Well, I'm glad you asked!

An offset spatula for frosting cakes
The entire Golden Girls DVD set (LOVE THAT SHOW!)
A gift certificate for more printer ink and/or a better printer (LOTS OF HOMESCHOOLING PRINTING GOING ON HERE!)
Some really great foot cream and pumice stones
Vacuum sealer
Wheat Grinder
Pressure Cooker

What's on your list?

Egads!

Ok, I let an entire week go by without posting..not to mention I haven't yet sent out the giveaway package to the winner! (I promise I have NOT forgotten that!) See, the beginning of spring and summer are the busiest times in northern Indiana. Why? Because we're finally able to get outside and do all those things that need to get done and enjoy some fresh air..FINALLY.

Today I actually turned the AC on. I can't believe it. I turned the AC on. In April. But after months and months of sub-zero and slowly inching up weather, well, 70 degrees is pretty hot. (Yes, I know I'm a shame to all my southern family members and friends now and I do promise I'm really still a southerner...it's just, well I now have thick northern blood running through my veins!)

That is about all the time I have to post since I desperately need to do dishes and get going on some other projects. Have a great weekend everyone!

This has been a super busy week for us! I've neglected blogging because Reagan and I have had tons to do..picking out flowers and vegetables for the garden, getting a new patio set, making our first pass through the house to completely declutter it, school, cleaning out the garage..etc., etc., etc.

I've also been spending all of my free time revewing curriculum choices for next year so I can be prepared for the local homeschooling fair and get my order in. I want time to review it to make sure that I'm picking the best program before we start it.

Oh...and I'm finally reading the entire Chronicles of Narnia series. Can you believe I never read it as a child? I absolutely love it and am just in awe of how C.S. Lewis encouraged children to explore God's love in a way that they can easily understand.

I really hope I can find a unit study on the series...I would love to delve deeper into it with Reagan one day!

Hope everyone has a good weekend! Oh, the giveaway--we had ONE entry!! So the winner is Lu of Hyperactive Lu! Email me with your address and I'll send your package out! If I don't hear from you in the next few days I'll get it from Jana and send it to you!! :)

Reagan's Big Weekend at Purdue!

A tradition in the making

--For the past three years we've made plans to attend Purdue's Spring Game (which is really a scrimmage) and the Bug Bowl and all the other fun events they host, for Josh's birthday. Reagan loves it...and we've actually made it twice now (the first year, when Reagan had just turned one, we ALL came down with the stomach flu!)

This year Reagan was so excited to see (and hold) the tarantulas...they are all she's been talking about for months. There were tons of other fun things to do...milking cows (which we passed on this time!), holding farm animals, making rockets, participating in contests, learning about local ecology, entomology and all the species of plants and tree growth that live in this area. Not to mention tons of great food, horses to ride and craft projects galore for the kids--that introduced them to chemistry, biology and more! Purdue does an EXCELLENT job with this family event. Really...if you live ANYWHERE near there...GO to next year's event!

Here are some photos of us at this year's Spring Fest!

Reagan riding a pony at the Cowboys for Cancer Booth!


Reagan holding a millipede!


Reagan holding a hissing cockroach! (We went back the next day and the roaches were VERY stressed out about being held a couple of thousand times so he really did hiss at her...she wasn't daunted in the least!)


I forget what this little guy is called..."horn" comes to mind, but we do know that he eventually turns into a moth! He reminds me of chewed up gum!


Purdue has a GORGEOUS campus...all brick and impeccable landscaping!


Josh and Reagan after the game, with her autographed football. (They were both a little awe-struck!)


I love this face Reagan is making!


Ok is he not adorable!?? This poor baby calf was soooo exhausted from the people oohing and awwing over him, that he needed help just to get up and reposition! He looks like swiss mocha!


Reagan showing off her coyote footprint cast--she thought it was so neat to actually get to see bones and stuffed (as in REAL stuffed) animals as well as make casts of their footprints.


Reagan hanging out with one of the many fun creatures roaming around this weekend (a huge KUDOS to Purdue students and faculty AGAIN!)
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This little guy was in love with Reagan. He kept cheeping at her and even gave her a peck on her mouth (YUCK!) and tried to run away when the students tried to take him back. He eventually nuzzled right up on her neck and kept closing his eyes, trying to sleep on her shoulder! SOO SWEET!



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And finally, here are two days worth of photos of Reagan and her beloved tarantula. There are actually TWO tarantulas here...the last photo is of a "baby" tarantula (only five years old) who had rarely been handled before the first day of the event (Reagan held this one on the second day of the event). The poor student that was handling the "baby" (Rosie is the spider's name) was shaking like a leaf and very nervous about Reagan holding Rosie...little he did realize Reagan is a pro at this type of thing now!