Overheard in our house lately

Mommy: We're going to Starbucks to pick up a snack really quickly.
Reagan: Can I get a bumpy road cake pop?!
-----------------------------
Reagan (while crafting): Now I get to glue baby Jesus's head on!! (?!)

Christmas Gifts

Since I put Reagan in preschool two days a week this year (yes, we still homeschool--three days a week!), I needed to make teacher's gifts and classmate goody bags. After scouring pinterest for some ideas, I settled on these two--Hats and Cupcake Socks.

I put my own twist on both and wa-lah! The results are below! I have to say I had a blast and the gifts were simple and inexpensive to make. Breakdown is below:

2 pack of socks (each teacher gets a two pack!):$3.17 (60% off clearance sale at JoAnn's)
1 pail: $1.19 (60% off clearance at JoAnn's)
Cellophane paper, red pompom on hand (I picked up the cute checkered ribbon at JoAnn's as well for 60% off--but it's the same pattern they've had for years..I stock up every year after Christmas usually!)

Total cost for each teacher's gift: UNDER $5!

Hats: $1 each at the Target Dollar spot
Cocoa: $1.00 for 10/packs
Marshmallows: $2.50/bag (I only used half the bag that I had purchased for our own use at home!)

Cost per classmate: approx $1.21 (made 12 goody bags)

LOVED MAKING THESE!!

Thankfulness Challenge Day 6

Thankful for the wisdom of others and that they can pass on that wisdom to us freely.

Thankfulness Challenge Day 5

Thankful for books :) I just love books! And thankful for a country where they are soooo plentiful! More than I could ever hope to read....

Thankfulness Challenge Day 4

Thankful that we're able to provide for our family...there are so many who can't :(

Thankfulness Challenge Day 3

Today I'm thankful for the continued nice weather we've had throughout the fall and the fact that we've stayed safe throughout all of the storms and 'freak' weather that we've had throughout the US this year.

Thankfulness Challenge Day 2

I'm thankful for amazing foilage and small towns where I can feel safe raising our family and happy knowing at any moment I'll run into a friend.

Thankfulness Challenge Day 1

I'm thankful for my husband, who loves to do dishes and loves me even when I'm not loveable. I'm thankful for my daughter who is my special gift from God and whom I love more than anything.

Daddy-ism!

I ran to the office for a few hours today and when I came home, Josh had just finished giving Reagan a bath and was making dinner for her. He was, of course, a proud devoted daddy taking care of his sick little girl.

A sick little girl who not only has a nasty respiratory virus, but also has a bit of red, irritated chapped skin--for which we'd been giving her baking soda baths (tip! it works wonders!) Josh was so proud of himself for remembering to put baking soda in the bath and since we had just run out of the box I keep in the bathroom, I asked off-hand "Oh, you found another box?"

Josh: "Yep, there was one up on the shelf next to the laundry detergent."
At this point I stopped. "Where???"
Josh: "Up on the shelf next to the laundry detergent..you know, you had a big box up there."
Me: Um, no, honey, that wasn't baking soda.
Josh: Yes it was. It had the Arm & Hammer label on it.
Me: (slightly panicking at this point) Um, no, it was washing soda. CLEANING soda--you're not supposed to put it on skin.
Josh: I'm sure it was baking soda.
Me: No. Stop. Just show me what you used.
Josh: See? This.

At this point, I I'm alternating between panic-because Washing Soda is different from baking soda..and is in fact more caustic and can IRRITATE skin and oh yeah, you're not supposed to swallow it and Reagan has a bad habit of blowing bubbles and swallowing some of her bath water (gross I know, but she picked it up in swim class!)--and hysterical laughter.

Josh picked her up and rinsed her in the shower quickly and she came out no worse for the wear...perhaps a little cleaner than usual, but without any ill effects.

I got a good laugh because..well really...Reagan was fine and...aren't our guys just really cute when they're clueless? :)

Reaganism!

Yesterday Reagan was completing one of her workbook pages. This particular page was matching rhyming words. One of the pictures showed a little man wearing extremely tight pants (the word to rhyme was "tight").

Reagan looked at the picture thoughtfully and said "I wonder why he's wearing such tight pants?" Then she shrugged and said "Oh, he must be a drummer!"....WHAT?!?!?! lol!

??

Has it really been a month since I posted??? Argh. For a while I was so good at posting several times a week...now, life just seems to run away from me. News here is that we are STILL waiting to find a child to adopt--infant, older child..whatever! We just want to add to our family!

And we're starting back to 'home'school on August 22nd...eek! I'm excited! I'm a nervous wreck! Check out our homeschool blog to see how things are progressing by clicking the button on the left!

Boys

Today Reagan had several friends over to play. One of them happened to be a little boy, I'll call "J". J is a little boy that she had a crush on when she was 18 months old (he is a little over a year and half older than she is.) She would follow him around and do everything he was doing. They haven't spent much time together in the past two years--J has been attending preschool and then Kindergarten this year so Reagan spent more time playing with his younger sister.

But today they were all together. And J drew her a picture and hung it up in her bedroom. A picture of Reagan and J together. A picture that included a "R" at the top...a heart....and then a "J".

I happened to notice the heart while Josh and Reagan where playing camping tonight. I brought it out to show him and ask Reagan about it.

Mommy: Reagan, is this the picture J made for you?
Reagan: (shyly, ducking her head) Yes.
Mommy: Is that you and J in the picture?
Reagan: Yes.
Mommy: Is that a heart between the R and J?
Reagan: (again, shy, nodding)

Daddy is sitting stone-faced through all of this and says "You need to watch that boy." I walked out of the room to hang the picture back up and heard Josh saying to Reagan "Remember, Reagan, no boys til after college." She shook her head emphatically NO and said "Oh, Daddy, you're so crazy!"

OY. VEY.

Bagels

Dear Someone/Anyone,
Please start making blueberry bagels in the "mini" size. This would make breakfast so much easier.

What do you use when your child is sick?

Reagan's asthma is acting up again. I will say we've had a good run of her not getting sick for a while...which has been awesome. But I think combined with the horrible heat and humidity we've had, along with our extremely busy schedule--it just all caught up with her.

So I decided I would post my list of things I send Josh to the store for (and that I really should keep in the house no matter what!) when Reagan comes down with something. It really is a great list and helps keep both of us sane!

--Several boxes of tissues--both lotion and non-lotion (mostly because I hate using lotion AFTER your nose is already chapped, because then it just feels greasy..so I always want to have both!)
--Up to date prescriptions for your child (including those they use only when sick--make sure those haven't expired!!!)
--Lots of Gatorade and juice (Welch's grape has TONS of antioxidants)(this time Josh purchased powder Gatorade, which is a GREAT idea!)
--Straws!
--Humidifier
--Popsicles
--A can of chicken noodle soup (even though homemade is really best sometimes you just don't have "time" to make it from scratch!)
--Children's Tylenol and Ibuprofen (must have because you can alternate them to get a high fever down quickly!)
--A good quality thermometer--we like a temporal scanner thermometer (and always have a backup thermometer in case one quits working)
--Favorite or new movie, lots of good books and even a small inexpensive new toy stashed away (helps alleviate boredom!)
--And of course, a good working relationship with your child's doctor(s) and nurses and their emergency number so you can call and ask questions or get your child in quickly if necessary.

Some other tips that I've found helpful:
--A good book/quiet movie for mom (If you have one child or a child that is sick frequently, you'll find you spend lots of hours at their bedside/next to the couch watching them sleep, checking their temp and basically trying to be quiet. This will do wonders to alleviate YOUR boredom! My personal recommendation is any Jane Austen movie or frankly, any book!)
--Baths. Baths are soothing and even more wonderful if you can put some Johnson's eucalyptus bubble bath in the water or lavender bubble bath to help relax your child. (Note: Moms should be wary of using Vicks type medication with children who have asthma..it may exacerbate their breathing issues).
--Rubbing your child with lotion. When your child has the flu, you can do a ton to relieve body aches by simply heating some lotion for a few seconds in the microwave and then rubbing them down.
--If your child is suffering from stomach flu, rotavirus or any other tummy/bottom ailment, invest in a small trash can, double lined with plastic grocery sacks-easy to dispose of; disposable underpants/pull-ups (great for when there are uncontrollable spasms); and diaper cream for those same issues, even if your child is potty trained.
--Half of a strong onion, cut in half, next to your child's bed makes a great all-natural decongestant and allows your child to sleep much better!

Hoping this list helps someone else out!

Words I Never Thought I'd Hear.....

When I woke Reagan up after a very busy and late weekend (although we tried to put her to bed early last night), she rolled over and groaned: Can't I sleep just a little more? When I said, no, she had to get up because she had camp today, she groaned again and said "I wish they didn't make it so early!"

LOL!

Even better was when I told her to go say bye to Daddy (he is spending today at home!) and he groaned about being woken up; Reagan collapsed on the pillow and said "yeah, I feel that way too."

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz................................

My heart hurts today. I miss you, Pritsha.

So thankful to be American.

Food stuff!

Just tried a delicious new "recipe"! Reagan and I loved it! So simple:

Whole wheat tortilla
Peanut butter
Granola
Apple slices

Spread the peanut butter on the tortilla. Sprinkle with granola and apple slices. Roll up! DELISH!

Oh, and for those that love lemon as much as I do (because seriously, lemon is the.best.flavor.out.there.--you have to try Kroger's new Lemon Wafers--vanilla wafers, with LEMON. *DROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL*

It's the First Day of Summer!!

WOOHOOO! And although it's only the afternoon, Reagan and I are WHIPPED! We spent the morning washing the car (and getting soaked), playing on her water slide, making and playing with chalk paint, having a picnic and eating rootbeer floats while watching the clouds float by.

Great summer day! (And now let's hope she takes that nap!!!)

Official Breaking Dawn Trailer

OH WOW!!!!!!!! I can barely wait for this to be released!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't miss!

My three book reviews coming this week over at my homeschooling blog! CHECK IT OUT! :)

Early Mornings

Reagan has been awake since 6 am. My child has never enjoyed sleeping. Who wants to sleep when there is so much to do?! Ugh. But this mom needs some serious make up sleep time, especially after Sunday night when Reagan ended up in our bed, terrified of monsters---and then proceeded to spend the rest of the night clinging to me (and me pushing her off of me..it was so hot!!) and grinding her teeth!! Can I say how glad I am that we don't co-sleep anymore?!

Methinks today will be a nap day. Oh yes. NAP DAY.

For Josh

My dear husband says I haven't posted anything in a while, so here you go Josh. The reason I haven't posted anything lately is because I've been super busy (and yes, reading a great many amazing books-more on those later) and dieting and super tired. That's our life in a nutshell right now. I've lost 14 pounds! Yah!!

And by the way, as I'm writing this, Reagan is discussing with Josh how old 20 years is. When he said she was only 16 years from that, she revised her position and said 41 was old. Gee, thanks.

I have decided

that I can do this:
(from Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons-an amazing blog chock full of goodies like this!)

or this:
(from The Inspired Room, yet another amazing decorating blog that I'm obsessed with..)

or this:
(homeschooling Reagan)

But I CANNOT do all three. And I don't think God expects me to. What I do think God expects me to do is stop growling and frowning at my child all the time, stop berating her, START letting her be a kid, let go of the expectations that I have for myself and the failures that those expectations bring and just simply do what it is God is leading me to do.

Playtime

I walked into Reagan's playroom today to order her to clean it up and discovered this:


The manger and the three wise men...(can you see Mary and Joseph's feet sticking out?)


Here's Jesus in the manger.


Here's Jesus' birth announcement.


And here's Reagan with baby Jesus (who by the way, is wearing a baby alive diaper under that blanket and has been subjected to a rigorous feeding schedule consisting of bottles upon bottles of milk.)

Neurotic Cat

Porthos has anxiety issues. BIG anxiety issues. He's always been a fraidy cat and when I leave him for any length of time, he tends to get destructive. Several years ago, I went home to Alabama for a week and he ate holes in my vellux blanket.

I know he's been upset about Pritsha. He's been cuddling in our room (never does that), he's been eating less (he's a pig) and he's been sleeping on Pritsha's chair and not moving for an entire day at a time.

I thought he was getting along better. Apparently not. THIS is what I found today when I went back to my bedroom. I understand what he's going through so I'm trying to refrain from screaming at him and throwing him out the door.

Allergies

*groan* For once, I'm not talking about Reagan's allergies...I mean mine. Normally I only have to deal with them once a year when the dreaded Cottonwoods bloom. However this year, I am miserable. Wishing I were living in Alaska.

The Simple Secret To Making Mashed Potatoes

For years after I married Josh I struggled to make mashed potatoes like my Granny does. I added seasonings, used chicken broth, milk, ranch dressing, sour cream---EVERYTHING. Reagan came along--she HATED my mashed potatoes (Josh had barely tolerated them before). And then....Granny told me her secret...which to be honest with you wasn't really a secret. I just needed to pay attention to what she was doing in the kitchen (and you know, help some too!)

The secret? Boiling the potatoes in salted water. A good bit of salt..don't worry, you'll drain most of it off..but the salt brings out the taste in the potatoes and enhances it. Seriously. After that, you just need a bit of butter, maybe a bit of milk and you have the best, creamiest mashed potatoes ever.


....And to think of all those years as a teenager I didn't pay attention. I probably would have been an award winning chef by now....

Easter

Thank You Jesus. We are so unworthy and still You came to die for us.

Stretching a Whole Chicken

We've been trying to save up uber money..which isn't that easy when you're a single income family and you have a certain someone in your family that likes to spend money on lots of new homeschooling curriculum..um, er, yes that would be me. UGH.

However, we definitely need to save up. We want to be able to pay for the adoption of course, but we also want to put our house on the market and buy our dream home next year...and there is also the need that should come up in the next two years--a newer vehicle for Josh.

SO...I'm trying to find creative ways to save cash. One of the biggest areas to cut is the grocery budget. I decided to see how far I could stretch a whole 4 lb chicken. I made it to four meals (and that was with spilling another meals worth on the floor.....*groan*). I started out with a whole chicken which I roasted in the oven (I rubbed it with Josh's special seasoning..mouthwatering..and oil). It was so great. Afterwards, these are the meals I made.

-Served the legs and wing for dinner with lots of veggie sides (Josh took the second wing for lunch the next day with veggies too!)
-Made chicken soup with carrots, parsnips, celery and chicken
-Spilled a meal's worth on the floor. Decided to scoop it up and save it for Pritsha if she would eat it :(
-Made Granny's Chicken Pot Pie (which fed us dinner and lunch for all of us the next day)
-Chicken Noodle Soup with veggies and loaf bread
-Quite a bit of rich stock!!!

I think I did pretty well, however I'm anxious to see how far I can stretch a couple of chicken breasts now!

Enfamil Lipil

Interesting. If you purchased Enfamil LIPIL from 2005-2010, you could be entitled to two free cans or $12 in cash. Apparently, Enfamil claimed to be the only formula containing DHA and ARA (exactly why I bought it!) They are now having to make settlements with purchasers. See here for more information.

My thoughts?
Normally I won't file a claim against a company unless they've done something really wrong that effected me and my family. For instance, the Baby Einstein video rebates? UGH!! I completely didn't agree with that. If you really think that showing your baby a video is going to make them a genius, well...I seriously doubt your intelligence. I bought the Baby Einstein videos and Reagan loved them. That didn't mean that I thought it'd turn her into a genius. And I certainly didn't turn them in for a rebate, because that's simply taking advantage of the company. I kept them for our next child.

However, this rebate I have requested. I *DID* buy Enfamil Lipil because I thought it was the only formula with DHA and ARA. And after spending $300 a month in formula and diapers for two years, I definitely feel $12 is the least Enfamil could do. $26 for a can of formula that lasts two weeks is not cheap, but I bought it believing I was giving my baby the best (and I swear if someone leaves a comment telling me breast is best I will absolutely let lose a rain of wrath on you the earth has yet to see).

So, if you bought Enfamil LIPIL, check this claim out and see if you qualify for a rebate.

Today

would have been Pritsha's 12th birthday. I want to write about her..but I still can't without sobbing. She was amazing. I miss her so much. And for my friends that have said so many wonderful things and thought about me in the last two weeks, thank you so much--it's amazing to have such good friends that understand the pain and loss that I'm going through.

Chicago School Bans Bringing Lunch From Home

I'm not surprised this is coming out of Chicago. Check out the story here.

Happy Birthday Josh

We love you so much!

The Great Divorce

Over the course of this morning and last night, I read The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. I'm not here to tell you it was an awesome book and that I enjoyed it immensely...because well, I didn't. I *do* enjoy the works of C.S. Lewis, I just wasn't overly fond of this particular piece, although it now holds a special place in my heart.

So why did I read it? It wasn't that I had any great desire to see his thoughts on Heaven or Hell...years of being a Christian have lent their own ideas of Heaven and Hell to my imagination. No, it was the fact that our preacher had mentioned it a few Sundays ago in one of his sermons. I thought it might be interesting to check out. And God was obviously leading me in this direction. I'll get to why I believe that in a few minutes.

If you're a friend or a reader of my blog, you know this hasn't been the easiest of weeks for me. I lost one of my dearest friends, my first baby--my cat, Pritsha. I've cried myself to sleep every night. My heart aches. Every night Pritsha would sleep with me, nuzzle my hair, spend a few minutes loving on each other. This was our time, since most of my days are devoted to doing all the things being a mom and wife requires. Pritsha understood--her days were devoted to all the things that being a cat requires--sleeping and searching for that ever elusive patch of warmth and sunlight :)

The hardest thing I've had to face this week is that I'll never get to hold her again. I miss her so much. And regardless of the fact that we told Reagan that Pritsha is Heaven with God, I wasn't really sure that I believed it. The Bible mentions nothing about our pets going to Heaven--and why should it? The Bible is written for our Salvation..not theirs-animals don't need saving, we do.

I spent a lot of time this week researching to see if there was any tangible Biblical evidence that would show me that Pritsha was in Heaven with God. But the Bible was silent. God Himself felt silent. I know I've been blocking Him, which I think is common for those in pain. But obviously, although I've *felt* only silence from God, He was still there, leading me in my pain.

I read somewhere online this week, that there is a reason God gives us these animals to love and cherish--He is obviously trying to teach us about unconditional love, because they are true examples of it. And would a God who loves us and created such an amazing creation on earth, and an even more miraculous one in Heaven really leave us feeling so desolate for the love we gave our pets, and the love they gave back? I think not.

How many of you, when picturing Heaven have pictured streets paved with gold, mansions, wispy clouds and ethereal beings bathed in light? A God who created such an amazingly lush landscape as we have on earth is not going to leave animals and vegetation out of Heaven. The Bible mentions again and again that creatures of the earth will have their place in Heaven--we just know not whether they are new or old creations. But again, would God let us grow to love something with such unconditional love and accept theirs back, that He would leave us without them? I choose to believe God wouldn't.

And here is what leads me to The Great Divorce. Almost near the end of the book, when I was nearly ready to throw in the towel because it was simply dragging on and on, there is a scene with a woman--an angel? a saved person?-who is walking, led by a procession through the Valley of the Shadow of Life. The woman is surrounded by bright Spirits, those that loved her-rows of girls and boys, bathed in light and love, musicians singing in her honor. ...And then, her beasts. Rows upon rows of cats, dogs, horses, birds.....

The Ghost in whose shoes we are walking, asks "What are all these animals?" And the Angel who accompanies him replies, "Every beast and bird that came near her had its place in her love. In her they became themselves. And now the abundance of life she has in Christ from the Father flows over into them."

Beautiful? Yes. And it just happens to correspond with this thought from Dr. Moira Allen: "My own personal view on this question is that, just as humans are redeemed through the love of God, pets may possibly be "redeemed" through our love. 1 Cor. 7:12-14 speaks of the sanctification of a household through an individual; while it may be stretching a point to suppose that this household might include pets, it's not a completely illogical stretch."

I'm not saying that our pets do or do not go to Heaven. The Bible again, is silent. But I do know that God obviously was leading me somewhere this week--something He set in motion several weeks ago that came to fruition today--and yes, I firmly believe God was leading me along this path. So is Pritsha in Heaven? Only God knows the answer, but in my heart I believe she is there with Him, resting in a a perfect patch of sunshine and knowing love much more incredible than any I could possibly have shared.

I believe one day my family will be united with God in Heaven and Pritsha will be there, eager to share with us all that she has enjoyed with her and our Creator.

More Guilt Than I Can Stand

Pritsha is like my child. No matter that she's gone..I love her and I always will. I can barely comprehend how I'm going to get through..or how I've gotten through the last two days. I miss her so much.

And I can't stand the guilt. You see, Pritsha started getting sick with a cold back in the winter. I didn't take her in to the vet..she had had the cold so many times before. So I gave her some left over antibiotics and left her to get over the cold on her own. It lingered a long time and she lost weight.

Josh and I had both agreed we would not do any life saving measures for the cats because of their age, the cost and the fact that our daughter is allergic to them. But the least I could have done was taken her to the vet and gotten her some more antibiotics to get over the cold.

She did eventually get over the cold, but she had lost so much weight by that point...I figured she'd eat and gain some back..but I wasn't that worried. She needed to lose some anyway (she wasn't overweight then, but I still wanted her to have less weight on her leg-she had torn her ACL some time ago and the vet had replaced it and said that weight and age would cause arthritis). She was still eating, albeit mostly people food. I'd give her a SMIDGE and then tell her to go eat her food. Bad mom.

I noticed she was getting slimmer and I told Josh that I didn't think she would live a lot longer..she was getting old (she would have been 12 this year, which I've recently discovered isn't that old). But I still didn't take her in. I just thought she was getting old.

But when a friend came to visit and so how bad she was looking, I realized she was skinnier than I had realized..and I took her in. Too late. Even after the doctor told me to get food down her, I force fed her for a few days and then left her to eat on her own..but she didn't....when I took her in again, she was losing more weight and then at the second vet's urging, began the force feeding 6-8 times a day, but it didn't help.

I don't know what she died of..if it was the infection that caused the weight loss that caused the shutting down of her body..or if it was a chronic condition (kidney disease could have still been the culprit) that caused the weight loss and shutting down.

All I know is that I SHOULD have done something..and now I've lost someone I love so much...so furmoms and dads..pay attention. If your cat gets a cold or starts losing weight, don't think that it will resolve itself on it's own. It won't. Take her. Get her help. And don't think it's just old age and accept it..fight for your pet.

So it's my fault she's gone. I hate myself for that. I should have disregarded everything and taken her in. She'd probably still be alive.

Pritsha

died this morning. I want to write about her later. But I can't right now...I just feel so empty.

Update II on Pritsha

Pritsha has spent the last several days not eating at all--and I had stopped force feeding her in the hopes that she would eat on her own. Not so. I called the vet office and one of the vets suggested we try an IV of Valium. Apparently it makes cats ravenously hungry after receiving it.

After she was weighed....at 5 lbs 15 oz (still loosing), they gave her the IV and the Valium worked! She ate almost a tablespoon of food!! I got her home, gave her some more food later on...was feeling so ecstatic...and then everything she ate came up. I spent the evening crying while she flailed around (affects of sedation and from being too weak) and rasped for air. I attempted to give her water. She threw it up. She hid from us for a while, then I found her laying in her litter box in the wee hours of the morning and I took her to bed with me. I was convinced she wouldn't make it through the night.

But she did and thank God for being so merciful...she has been able to keep down a little food and water today (force feeding). Her prognosis is not good. Her body is metabolizing itself and causing her liver to shut down. Her ears are showing some jaundice. The best I can do is keep feeding her and hope that it reverses the liver damage and we can put the weight back on her.

I know many people are not animal people, but I certainly am, and she is my first (fur)baby so if you pray, please say a prayer for her.

Reaganisms

As we were reading The House in the Night, Reagan looked at the skeleton key (seen in this image) and loudly declared "This MUST be from the 80s, we don't use keys like that NOW!" *GROAN* I have never felt so old in my life......

*******
And, on the way to karate.....Reagan asked "How do mama cats get their baby kitties?" Needless to say, I nearly wrecked the van. After a quick thought through the parenting database in my brain, I remembered that usually kids just want a simple answer. So I tried "from their tummies, Reagan." Yep, that satisfied her..now I'm just wondering when that answer is going to stop working!!!

Did you know?

That you can substitute plain yogurt or pureed cottage cheese for cream cheese? WOW! Check out some other substitution ideas here.

There was snow on the ground this morning when I woke up....and yes, I did a double take. SNOW? REALLY? Ugh. However, I'm happy to say that it had all melted by the time we broke for lunch. Reagan is outside playing in the frosty air and gorgeous sunshine and I'm catching up on blog reading. In a little while we're heading to Goodwill to look for a new white sugar bowl (I love Goodwill for finding ironstone!!!) and then off to the dollar store in hopes of finding some foam board to make a "REAGAN" central station to display the day's work for Daddy.

Days like today are make me glad I'm homeschooling. Everything went perfectly--no fighting to get her to finish. No frustrated screaming because she wasn't getting something right--I was patient and she was sweet. Why can't every day be like this? Oh, because we're not perfect..that's right :)

We had a GREAT lesson on words today, studying several verses from Proverbs and I have to say I think hiding God's Word in our hearts is definitely making a difference in attitudes around her--specifically mine.

My favorite part of the day? Singing a praise hymn with Reagan. AWESOME. I love days like these.

*And for my friends who don't homeschool, please don't even think that most days are like this...I *DO* get frustrated easily and scream and so does she..so if you're thinking of homeschooling and think that you could never be patient enough to do it, you're right--you won't be--no one is. But with God's help you can make it through!*

Update on Pritsha

No kidney disease..but we're not sure what IS wrong with her. Her bloodwork came back that she was low in protein, VERY low in potassium, anemic, very high red and white blood cell counts and several other numbers were off. The vet believes there might be a problem in her intestines that isn't allowing her to absorb nutrients.

Right now our plan of action is giving her potassium gel twice a day and force feeding her 'critical care' food (very soft pate style food that I can squeeze into her mouth) when she doesn't eat (which is often). Today however, we've been lucky-we gave her some catfish and she devoured it! YAH! I'll be making a trip to Kroger again soon to buy more for her!

For my homeschooling friends.....

For my friends that homeschool, I hope you get as big a laugh out of this as I did!!

(you'll have to click the link to really see the tee and read it..sorry this pic is tiny!)

Pritsha

Pritsha has been sick all winter with a bad cold..which made her lose a good deal of weight. I took her in today finally (all winter I've been preoccupied with Reagan who was sick a great deal). Apparently our scale is very off. I thought she had gone from 12 to 8-9 lbs. At her last appointment she was 14 pounds however, and she has dropped to 6 lbs 6 oz. We're waiting on blood work to come back tomorrow but our vet seems to think it's probably kidney disease.

Today is not a good day in our house. This has been my baby for 12 years and I'm very worried about her. Please keep her in your thoughts if you can spare a few.

Southern Hummingbird Cake

I haven't had Hummingbird Cake in years, but I see one in our future soon! Sigh...seriously, if you didn't grow up as a southern child, you have no idea what you're missing!

And it's not just food that brings those waves of nostalgia washing over me---but memories of pure and simple innocent childhood that remind me of why I was so lucky to grow up southern--sipping honeysuckle juice straight out of the honeysuckle vine, catching lightening bugs on warm summer evenings, letting them light up your room long afterwards, catching rolly pollies (I never knew there was another name for them til just this year!), heaping up huge piles of pine straw to make pretend homes, spending all day outside running around like wild heathens terrorizing the neighborhood--stopping only for a sticky Popsicle at home..the juice dripping down your chin and leaving little splotches all over dirty white eyelet shirts, hearing the screen door slam behind you as you ran quickly in and out..no time to let it close slowly.

Sweet southern memories.....

Heart wrenching...

One dog's loyalty to his friend..... (Click to read article with translation or watch video below).

Here's the video clip:



UPDATE: CNN and the UK Telegraph have both reported that the dogs have been rescued since the footage aired, and are both receiving veterinary care; the more seriously wounded dog is at a clinic in the city of Mito, while the protective spaniel-type dog is receiving care at a shelter in the same town.

Giveaway!!

on my homeschooling blog...come register to win!!

Happy Anniversary

8 years! I love you Josh!

A huge favor from my followers!

Hi everyone! If you follow my blog, I need a huge favor! Please click the link to your right to head on over to my homeschooling blog. I'm applying to be a member of the Old Schoolhouse Crew for the 2011-2012 school year (so I can earn free curriculum while I review them-yah!!!!) and I need at least 25 subscribers...so pretty please? And if you're not a follower here, please link over and follow there anyway (that is, if you're so inclined!)

Just click the link on the right or click HERE to head over to the homeschooling blog. Scroll down just a bit and click on the "follow with google friend connect" button!

THANKS!

No where else to vent

Well...since I gave up Facebook for Lent and my membership with FF is finally done (and I am not going to renew...I am NOT going to renew-or so I keep telling myself), the only place I have left to vent is here.

Why...ON EARTH...did they schedule our mandatory adoptive parent training seminar for the weekend of MOTHER'S DAY!?! That is a very special weekend in our home..a Girls's Gardening Weekend with Grandma (also her birthday weekend), Mommy and Reagan. I'm VERY frustrated. I know we have to go and get it out of the way (they only hold them every six months) but GRRRR..I'm really not pleased about the timing!!!

Obama makes ME sick...

Really? It'd be so much easier to be "president" of China??? (The fact that China has a "president" is a laugh in and of itself.) Because you know, MR. Obama, I'd be more than happy if you'd take your pathetic low life morals and views of my country off to China. And yes, I know that's not nice to say but really...this is the United States--we don't bow down and believe something just because YOU say it's true and we are NOT, you get this "MR PRESIDENT" ..we are NOT going to let you destroy this country.

Days like this...

are hard to be a mom. When your child is so sick, you can barely keep on top of anything. When your child is screaming in pain and she has vomit shooting out one end and poop shooting out the other and you can barely stem the flow long enough to think straight, much less clean it all up..and it's been going on for days. When you're gagging yourself but you still have to get her clean and calm and TRY to get some fluid down her stomach, even when she's screaming and fighting you. When there is little you can do to alleviate the illness. When you accidentally give her a second dose of Tylenol too close to the first because you have had so little sleep that you can't remember the time you gave her the dose before..even though you TRIED to force your tired brain to write it down. When your child screams at you that you're a bad mommy because you lost your temper and snapped and screamed at her to give you just ONE MINUTE because you can't do everything at once. When your nerves are frayed from worry and whining and lack of good sleep.

These are days that it's hard to be a mom.

But I know there will be days in the future where we'll have a Mommy and Reagan day and I'll get to take her to lunch and listen to her ramble on about whatever is in that pretty head of hers and watch her splash in the fountain at the zoo...and the thought that THOSE days are just down the road--those days help me get through days like this.

Time 4 Learning Review

Over the past 30 days, I've had the privilege of using the Time 4 Learning program in our homeschool. This has been such a blessing to us, as I was having a very hard time getting Reagan excited about the reading and math aspects of school (she is very much a strictly science oriented girl!).

In fact, Reagan enjoyed the program so much that she begged to do it every day and completed almost all two levels of preschool in the 30 days we were given to review it! Some days she would spend an hour or two just playing and redoing lessons she had already done FOR FUN! I can't tell you how excited and happy I was to find something that engaged her and that she enjoyed doing. In fact, I've just now bumped her up to Kindergarten level math, in the hopes that Time 4 Learning has given her the incentive and confidence to tackle a non-science subject!

What is Time 4 Learning exactly?

According to the Time 4 Learning website, they are a technology based program that teaches preschool through 8th grade using a combination of animated lessons, interactive activities and reinforcing worksheets.

Not only is the Time 4 Learning program great for homeschoolers, but students needing a little extra reinforcement outside of school can use it as well.

For a low monthly fee, you have access to Language Arts, Phonics, Grammar, Science, Social Studies and Math. (Science and Social Studies are available in 1st and 2nd grades respectively).

A typical lesson on the preschool side included a short story or video to introduce the lesson and then several activities to reinforce the lesson-ranging from sequencing, to playing the syllable drum, putting together puzzles or Reagan's favorite, playing a game with Brainy Bot. Some lessons even include an idea notebook filled with activities to reinforce the lesson outside of the computer.

I was impressed not only with the fact that Reagan was learning, but she was amassing amazing computer skills. In 30 days she moved from barely being able to use the computer at all, to spending an hour or two on her own manipulating the program. And how many preschoolers are introduced to the concept of syllables? Not many I'll wager..but Reagan got it!

Some great items to note about this program:
-There is no contact, you use it on a monthly basis and cancel at any time.
-There's a two week money back guarantee.
-For all levels (except preschool) there are parent progress reports that you can log in and check at any time to see your student's progress.
-You can review lesson plans ahead of time to mesh with what you're currently learning.

For more information, please visit Time 4 Learning. You can click here to check out a free lesson demo or here to check out a preschool demo, and here to check out Time 4 Learning's Lesson Plans and Scope and Sequence.

Disclosure: Please note that I received a free 30 day Trial for review on my blog. However, the opinions expressed therein are mine alone and were not written by Time 4 Learning.

HI-YA!

I took Reagan in for her first Karate "lesson" today (it was really a consult). She was so adorably shy and whisphered all of her responses to the teacher. (Funny, she's loud, talkative and obnoxious at home ;) love that kid!) After we completed some paperwork and the teacher spoke with Reagan, he had her practice some basic movies..one of which included using a heel slap to break a board.

She was so proud of that broken board! She showed it to everyone-her best friend, her best friend's mommy, and, of course, Daddy! Yes, the board was very lightweight and fribrous, and he probably helped it just it bit to break when she hit it, but she was so proud of herself nonetheless!

He even put her name on it and gave it to her to take home! My little girl is so excited about learning Karate! I'm excited too! I think I may join up for myself!

Hmm.....now I really *CAN* put Reagan in that bubble to protect her.....

Growth Spurts

I get a kick out of watching Reagan's eating habits when she's going through a growth spurt. She goes from picking at her food to gobbling adult sized meals!

A few weeks back she the following for breakfast:
A whole bowl of chocolate cream of wheat
2 sausage links
Milk
2 Scrambled eggs with ham

Today for lunch (and this is not the healthiest lunch ever, but it worked for today!):
2 whole hot dogs
Salad with carrots and sunflower seeds
A container of strawberry applesauce
Chips
Milk
and an Oreo Cakester

WOWZA!

*UPDATE 1:49 pm: Reagan: "Mommy? I'm still kinda hungry....." EGADS! (we made blueberry banana smoothies!)

Conversation

Reagan: Mom, this glue stick keeps sticking everywhere but right here!
Mommy: (fixing the glue stick) Reagan, you're so cute!
Reagan: MOMMY! I'm serious!

This is from the Gravy Pages! I love it!!! Click over to her site to see some more awesome homeschool stuff!

The Homeschool Moms who Can't Do Everything Sung to the tune of Veggie Tales "The Pirates who Don't Do Anything." By Joelle White and Maura Light, who wrote the chorus and started the whole thing.

All 3 Moms:
We are the home school moms who can't do everything
We just stay at home and plan a lot
And if you ask us to do everything
We'll just tell you
We can't do everything

Mom2:
Well, I've never been to Boston and I've never shot a musket,
and I've never built a cabin using nothing but an axe,
and I've never skinned a possum, and I've never staged a battle,
and I've never started home school before fall!

All:
We are the home school moms who can't do everything
We just stay at home and plan a lot
And if you ask us to do everything
We'll just tell you...

Mom3:
We can't do everything!

And I've never distilled water, and I've never banded birdies,
and I've never built an ant farm 'cuz I can't stand things that crawl,
and I've never dug a fossil, and I've never owned a test tube,
and I've never started home school before fall!

All:
We are the home school moms who can't do everything
We just stay at home and plan a lot
And if you ask us to do everything
We'll just tell you
We can't do everything

Mom1:
And I've never slaughtered chickens, and I've never milked a go-oat,
and I've never gone to 4-H or the local county fair,
and I've never sewn a jumper, and I don't look good in denim,
and I've never started home school before fall!

Mom2: Huh? What are you talking about? What's a milk goat and denim jumpers got to do with being a home school mom?

Mom3: Hey, that's right! We're supposed to sing about academic-y things!

Mom1: Oh...

Mom2: And who ever sews school uniforms? That's impossible! Why even bring it up? Am I right? What do you think?

Mom3: I think you should do your laundry.

Mom2: Huh? Why do you think that?

Mom3: You should...

Mom2: Don't wanna!

Mom3: You wore that shirt yesterday!

Mom2: That's it, you're going to help me!

Mom3: Says who?

Mom2: Says ME, that's who!

Mom3: Oh yeah? Well I'm not picking up your socks! (pinches her own nose)

Mom2: Argh!

Mom3: Yike!

Mom1:
And I've never done gymnastics, and I've never danced the polka,
and I've never painted daisies 'cause I cannot paint at all,
and I've never made a schedule, and my house is never perfect...

Mom2: It'll never happen!

All: And we've never started home school before fall!

We are the home school moms who can't do everything
We just stay at home and plan a lot
And if you ask us to do everything
We'll just tell you
We can't do everything

Mom2: Pass the pencils! Who's got the teacher's guide?

Mom1: Here it is! (holds up shredded paper)

Mom3: (groans, then smiles with sudden inspiration) Time for recess!

Mom2: It's definitely time for Scotch tape.

Mom3: Oh, I don't like that stuff...

Mom1: Hey, look! I found a crayon!

(That was funny, take me back to the top)

Monday's Tips and Tricks

I'm participating in Monday's Tips and Tricks over at Homebody today. Head over to check out some wonderful ideas from other women around the blogosphere!

Ok-here's my tip: I keep a Tupperware container in the back of the van filled with disposable cups, plates, utensils, napkins, bowls, paper towels, hand sanitizer, plastic baggies and (currently frozen) wipes. I also include juice boxes and several bags of snacks--goldfish, raisins, rice cakes, etc., and of course, a blanket (and for those of you with younger kids--I also keep a travel potty!) This way, whenever we decide to have an impromptu picnic at a park, or take a road trip to the larger city near us, or Reagan just gets hungry--we have something right with us! Definitely makes my life easier!

Valentine's......

It ALWAYS sneaks up on me! What to do!?!?? Guess Reagan and I should pull out some heart activities for this week. I'll share a list as soon as I make one!

Time 4 Learning!

I'm so excited! I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience! Time4Learning is an online educational program that can be used in many ways including as a homeschooling curriculum or afterschool tutorial.

Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning by clicking this link!

Little Leaps Love Challenge

Jolanthe, who is the genius behind Homeschool Creations, is hosting a Little Leaps of Love Challenge on her blog, No Ordinary Moments. I love this because it reminds to me to do something special for my loved ones every day! Check it out!

Reaganisms!

Overheard at our house today....

"Mommy, I think I have a pickle (pimple!) on my face!"

To Daddy, after I had suited her up to go play in the snow with Josh:"Daddy, you can fit out the door, but I'm not sure I can!!"

Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!

Next year we're utilizing Sonlight (with a combination of Timberdoodle's Core Curriculum for K) for Reagan. Tonight we decided to stop by Half Price Books armed with a list of books we needed for Reagan. We found 3 (Reagan was tired and hungry) before we had to leave. Books that would have cost a total of $69 at Sonlight...we found for $12!!!! I'm sooooo relieved!!!

And amazing---right as we were about to leave, in fact as soon as I said, 'we're leaving now' to Reagan, I looked up and there, right smack in front of me was one of the books I needed. $20 at Sonlight.......wait for it.....$1!!!! on clearance at Half Price Books. WTG GOD!! He was definitely looking out for us! I take this as proof positive that we are on the right track!!