Super Cool Moms

Last night was our second Moms Night Out for our homeschool group... and boy did I need it. Things have been, well, busy around here lately. It seems that every time I turn around there is another event, party, or errand that needs to be done... and while I enjoy being busy, I also like breathing... and I feel that lately I have done more gasping than actual breathing.

Anyway back the moms group last night... what an amazing thing, sitting in this great little non-chain coffee bar, sipping a fozen mocha thingy of wonderfulness, and chatting about everything under the sun with some really delightful women. There is really something cool about not having to worry about talking about homeschooling (that is why we are all there for cryin' out loud), your faith, being a young person with more than one child, having three kids (and still wanting more), keeping house, NFP and NFP friendly dr.'s... the list goes on and on. Gosh, it was just what I needed to recharge my batteries.

And the icing on the tasty cake... the sweetest little 4 month old baby girl that had one of the most beautiful baby smiles I have ever seen!!!!

Gladiolas

The gladiolas are beginning to bloom! You wouldn't believe how super easy and low maintenance these are. And the colors are just so vivid. They seem even brighter this year, since we've added bone meal to the soil. The yard looks great too (although it needs to be mowed in the below photo - if it would just stop raining for 15 minutes that would help...) Needless to say, we are totally winning the unofficial best-yard-on-the-block rivalry!

Mr. Pres.

Is he not the coolest! I'm sitting here watching his press conference, which is my favorite way to watch him. You get a glimpse of his real, TEXAN personality coming out on his answers to press questions. He is usually right on the edge of really letting them have it for asking stupid or repeated questions. And when he cracks a joke (like the BH configuration) no one is laughing... I think it is because no one there is actually listening to what he is saying, they are just trying to come up with the next 'most important question' to ask him.

I think it would be so cool to have dinner with he and Laura... to really hear him!

You go President BUSH!

The Pill

Ackha (that would be me clearing my throat)
Bang (that would be dropping my soap box on the floor)
Squeak (that would be me stepping up on to the soap box)

Continue at your own risk!

FDA approves period suppression pill

If you know me, then you know that I think The Pill is EVIL and stupid! Well, thanks to the drug companies and the FDA, they've taken stupid to a whole new level.

The pill [Lybrel], manufactured by Wyeth, is the first designed to put off periods altogether when taken without break.

The pill isn't for everyone, an FDA official said. About half the women enrolled in studies of Lybrel dropped out, said Dr. Daniel Shames, a deputy director in the FDA's drugs office. Many did so because of the irregular and unscheduled bleeding and spotting that can replace scheduled menstruation.

Okay... so if I'm following this right, at least before you knew when you would have menstruation... now it is a surprise? And this is better?

"Women who use Lybrel would not have a scheduled menstrual period, but will most likely have unplanned, breakthrough, unscheduled bleeding or spotting," Shames said. The bleeding can last four to five days and may persist for a year, he later added.

And what about those accidental pregnancies while on The Pill:

However, since Lybrel users will eliminate their regular periods, it may be difficult for them to recognize if they have become pregnant, Shames said.

Oh, and then there is this:

"Over time she will experience markedly less bleeding episodes or no bleeding episodes," said Dr. Vanessa Cullins, vice president for medical affairs at Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc.

And we all know that Planned Parenthood is only looking out for the best interest of women (huge amounts of sarcasm rolling off the keyboard). Oh, and has any body done any research to find out why a woman menstrates and if stopping that process is considered healthy for her body. Oh wait a minute... you don't really need to do any more research when you have people like me whose body doesn't function and all my doctors telling me that I have to get my body menstrating to be healthy... damn, I get so confused!

"For women in that situation, I certainly can understand the benefits of taking these kinds of medications, but for most women menstruation is a normal life event — not a medical condition," said Elson, who researches the sociology of gender and medical sociology. "Why medicate away a normal life event if we're not sure of the long-term effects?"

THANK YOU!

In recent years, as the hormone content of birth-control pills has dipped, failure rates have climbed. The FDA is considering whether to establish an acceptable failure rate for the pills. In January, a panel of agency advisers said less-effective birth-control pills should still merit federal approval if they promise other benefits, including improved safety.

Wow... they just admitted that in print... not that I've heard any drug company own up to that. But isn't it said that the general public looks at pregnancy as a failure, I guess this is the world we live in!

Backwards

My sweet and special little Snookie just can't seem to figure out right from left or front to back... he knows the words and he can point to them, but when he puts on his clothes his shorts are always on backwards and his shoes are on the wrong feet.

And like any mother, I have my highs and lows on this... I mean I work with him constantly to get these things right and yet when the time comes he simply does his own thing. Bobcat and Bubba nevered seemed to have this much trouble, so I'm not sure what the deal is other than he really just doesn't care that it feels all wrong...

My sweet SNOOKIE!

My favorite color

What Your Favorite Color Pink Says About You:

Blissful --- Content --- Romantic Idealistic --- Expressive --- Artistic Funny --- Quirky --- Individualistic

What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You?

Catechesis

We have made it a family tradition to read the daily gospel and recite the creed with the boys for 15 minutes of catechesis before bed time. As you know, in a three-year cycle of daily mass reading, we cover nearly all of the bible, so it's a logical and simple way to get them familiar with scripture, and honestly we are learning and re-learning an awful lot ourselves. They've got the basic prayers down pat (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, St. Michael), so we alternate between those and the Nicene creed. We want all of the boys to begin commiting it to memory so they can participate more fully in mass. And also, how time flies, Bobcat will be seven and approaching his fist holy communion in less than a year. So we discuss the meaning of the gospel reading, and discuss one or two lines of the creed, explaining what all those big words mean.

Tonight, of course, the gospel reading was about the Ascension (happy feast day to you all). After the reading, we do a quick quiz. One of tonight's questions was, "When will Jesus come back down from heaven, to the earth?" The answer we were looking for was, at the end of the world. Here are some of the answers we got first:

Bubba's guess: on Easter Sunday. Good guess, son, but that was when he rose from the dead.
Bobcat's guess: On Christmas. Another good guess, as the creed states, "...He came down from heaven, and was born of the virgin Mary." But, that was when he first came, not when he will return again.

It seems that all of our Lord's comings and goings from earth are easy to get mixed up. Both of the above answers were good enough and said with such enthusiams that we did promise a penny as a reward (with which to buy some skittles from the candy machine in the kitchen). So, at this point, Snookie is all excited about the prospect of earning his own penny, and when he gets that way, he'll throw out just about any answer in hopes of getting lucky. A lot of his guesses are entertaining, but this one was completely unexpected. His guess:

Jesus will return on Mothers Day!

Um... no, that doesn't even appear in the creed... but it was the first thing that came to his mind. He did earn a penny for a good effort, though!

How they grow!

August 2004 (our first week as a family)

April 2007

High-Falootin'

One benefit to traveling for work these last couple of years is that eventually you earn enough airline points and miles to get an upgrade to first class once in a while. I'm not in the Platinum Irridium Diamond Executive Club or anything, but if nobody more important than me has checked in first, they'll throw me a bone. I feel like an elitist snob typing away while the commoners trudge by on the way to the back. But I'm telling you, the extra leg room is fantastic. Have the seats gotten narrower and closer together over the years? Plus free drinks. And even dinner since it's an evening flight. And as an extra bonus, it doesn't look like anyone is going to sit next to me this time. I'm always ready for a lively discussion when someone notices me reading a Catholic book or magazine about culture/politics/homeschooling/whatever. And I'll whip out a photo of the boys if the converstaion leads to that. But sometimes you're not in the mood to talk, you know.

Interesting story: one time Bishop Grahmann (former bishop of Dallas) was on my flight to Los Angeles. We were in coach, I guess he keeps it simple and affordable, which was nice to see. Anyway, I gathered up the courage to go over and shake his hand and thank him for his local support of pro-life causes, and I showed him a picture of the boys. That was pretty cool. Later I felt like a wimp for not kissing his ring right there in the aisle. It would have drawn attention, but he deserves the honor. Oh well.

Anyway, time to shut down the electronic devices. The flight attendant is bringing over a free beer now. Score!

Listening In

Daddio overheard a conversation between the boys...

Bobcat talking to Bubba: "Jesus puts the baby in the tummy. And when Jesus puts baby Hannah in Mommy's tummy, wouldn't it be cool if we could see Him do that."

Okay, so now let me do some explaining... Bobcat is referencing the Annunciation, except he figures (I guess) that since Jesus is now in heaven that the Holy Spirit doesn't need to do that part, the way He did with Mother Mary. Second he's six, and we have not (and won't anytime soon) explained how we normal people conceive. Third, over the camping weekend one of his prayers during the evening rosary was to have a baby sister named Hannah. I'm not sure where he picked up this name... but it is kind of odd in the sense that this was a serious contender when we were coming up with girl names back in the day.

Knowing how much the boys want more siblings brings so many emotions to the surface. It could be really easy for them to not want anyone else in our family... there are three of them and why would they want to share Mommy and Daddy with anyone else, not to mention the background they come from... not that they fully connect with it, but it is there. But that just isn't them... it never has been. From very early on they were asking when they could have more brothers and sisters, I remember the first time Bobcat was serious and '7 more' was his answer... he likes nice round numbers. It warms my heart that they are open to that, but it breaks my heart too knowing that wanting more kids isn't enough to make it happen. It involves homestudies, paperwork, classes, and waiting... at the mercy of others.

So what do you tell that six year old who is looking up at you and asking when can they have a baby sister/brother (the same six year old who forgets on a regular basis that he and his brothers were not born of your womb - even though it has only been 2 1/2 years since they came home to us)... for us, just remind them that they need to pray for it. The same thing I remind myself.

Lest you forgot

My washing machine finally arrived today... 10 days post purchase... and none too soon!

What was the first load you might ask youself, having 10 days of laundry waiting (mostly camping, smokey, red dirt covered laundry)... that would the pee sheets from last week, and the puke sheets from this morning! Bubba was the cause on both counts! He just wanted Mommy's new machines to have a real doozey for the first cycle!

AHHHHHHHHHHH...

They have lights!!!! SWEET.

Oh, and the first load due to the nature of it was washed on SANITARY mode, which is a 2 hour cycle... and yes, I sat there basically the whole time watching it! I am that easily amused (and Daddio joined me for quite some time too).

Caprock Canyons Weekend Adventure!

So here it is, the much anticipated (not) post on our Mother's Day camping trip.

Friday Morning:
After a quick stop at Cabela's for a new lantern (due to breakage of our old one), we were off to West Texas... namely the Red River Valley. A 4 hour car ride and we reached Caprock Canyons State Park.

Caprock Canyons State Park, 100 miles southeast of Amarillo in Briscoe County, was opened in 1982. It consists of 15,313.6 acres (including the Trailway, a 64.25 mile Rail-to-Trail conversion, acquired by donation in 1992 from a Railroad entrepreneur). This acquisition added recreational adventure, stretching from the western terminus at South Plains up on top of the caprock escarpment to the eastern terminus of Estelline in the Red River Valley. This multi-use trail (hike, bike, and equestrian), opened in 1993, stretches the park through Floyd, Briscoe, and Hall counties crossing 46 bridges and running through Clarity tunnel, one of the last active railroad tunnel in Texas. The 64.25 miles of the Trailway are open to the public from Estelline to South Plains.

This shot is from inside the park. Everywhere you looked there was a breathtaking view.

Once in the park we spent time driving around checking out the amazing vistas!

We set up our site in the Little Red River Tent Camping section, fixed lunch, and then headed off for fire wood and more sight seeing. Then it was back again to camp for dinner preparations and building a fire. While dinner was being prepared the kids took some time to enjoy the fire (while playing guitars and entertaining us with songs).

Oh, and don't for get the S'mores! Always a camping tradition.

Saturday:
Our new tradition (our third time now) is on the first morning we (Daddio) make breakfast burritos... we fry the eggs, the bacon, and toast the tortillas with cheese... throw a little salsa on there and you have the tastiest breakfast this side of the Pecos (I've always wanted to say that :-).

Then it was off for our hike! On the hike we passed over a natural bridge formation where we saw a large flock of birds flying in and out of a cave. The boys found ancient cameras (rectangular rocks), so there was lots of stopping for the boys to stop take shots of landscapes and each other just like Daddio. Oh, and while Daddio and I were taking a picture we heard the boys behind us laughing hysterically... upon arriving back at the bench where they were waiting for us, we found Bubba with his arm out laughing about the bird poo that was on it and his shirt... NICE! The only problem we seemed to have the whole time (or I should say the only problem I seemed to have) were these dang biting flies. They LOVED to attack my legs... especially my knee region... holy smokes they were annoying and the bites are super itchy (and yes, I did have bug spray on... but Daddio likes to remind me that I didn't let him help me put it on so clearly I did it wrong)! Most of the pictures in this slide show chronicle the hike and the day!

After the hike it was back to camp for lunch and naps. Once we all had a chance to relax and cool off we donned our swimsuits and headed over to Lake Theo where the kids splashed around in the water. Sorry no pictures of that ;-). Followed by a much enjoyed and needed SHOWER! By the way, they have a great facility! Clean at last, clean at last... and then back to smelling smokey because it was time to cook dinner. If you camp with us... it is steaks and potatoes, baby (and a beer for the grown ups)! Ending with the most amazing dutch oven peach cobbler... TASTY!!!!!

Sunday (Mother's Day):
After we ate breakfast bars, and torn down our campsite we went on one more short walk before loading up. This is when the boys delivered flowers to me... via picking wild flowers and adorning my camping hat with them. Awe, they were so sweet.

Then it was home again, home again!

IT WAS AWESOME!!!

MamaLlama can post more details tomorrow. Who knew Texas had such amazing scenery. Well worth the drive. I'm gonna upload the photos now and see how they turned out.

Mishaps

While camping this weekend, I'll try not to screw up my hitch haul again. Two weeks ago, on its maiden voyage, I backed into one of those low wooden post things and bent the main bar. Ordered a replacement part which came in yesterday, so we're ready to roll again. I'll just avoid the reverse gear as much as possible this time. In retrospect, that was probably a huge blessing. If I'd backed the car up onto that thing, it could have jacked up all kinds of suspension components. Better that it only cost me $20 and a wounded ego...

Speaking of wounded egos, check this out... Maybe MamaLlama's written about it before. I almost had to pay a crooked redneck tow truck driver $100 to pull my dork-mobile out of the sand at Port Aransas two years ago. Fortunately, the friendly guy in the Chevy 4x4 saved me first, for free.

You do have to hand it to us, we keep our positive energy alive and continue to seek out adventures with the kids, despite some dumb mishaps.

Caprock Canyons

Well, we're off to try a new state park and campground this weekend, Caprock Canyons State Park, in beautiful Quitequa, Texas. (Pronounced "kitty-kway" by the locals, but I'm guessing that ain't how the Injun's used to say it.) We leave bright and early tomorrow morning. It's nearly a 4-hour drive, but I always beat those mapquest estimates by quite a bit. Anyway, the weather looked more favorable in that part of the state (lows in the 50's, highs just above 80), and I've never been to this area. Texas really is huge and has many different geological features. I'm told one of the hiking trails has a natural bridge, sandstone I presume. The main trail is wide and flat. It used to be a railroad track. The rails are gone, and the trail is open for walking and biking. I read that one section is actually a tunnel that goes through a mountain. Also a small lake with swimming. And real restrooms with showers, since we don't want to go totally primitve with the kids so young.

Camping does involve some work, but we're well organized. Our tub o' gear sits in the garage, stocked and ready to go at a moment's notice. We've gotten pretty quick at setting up and folding away our tent. We know what foods to buy and prepare with very little effort. And we suspend the healthy eating rules and indulge in snacks a'plenty, because you burn extra calories outdoors, that is a scientifically proven fact! That is Bubba's favorite. We have Little Debbie zebra cakes, woohoo! And there is NOTHING better than a steak cooked over a real wood fire. (Hot dogs for the kids, but they are the yummy Wrangler dogs, not the 50-cent WalMart dogs). Plus, once you own the gear, it's dirt cheap entertainment for a family of five.

All the boys just love it. They seem to enjoy the "work" - helping me pack and set up camp, gathering kindling. I've been told that for kids, love is a four-letter word spelled T-I-M-E. So that's what it's all about. Just being together. And celebrating MamaLlama, this is one of her Mothers Day gifts.

We just went camping two weeks ago, but we want to get in as much as we can while the weather is nice. Also, that last trip was with a large group. It was a group that we love, friends from church, but we really go camping to get away from it all, not to bring it all with us, you know? This one will be much lazier and all at our own speed and agenda. We'll do as much or as little as we feel inspired to, and not worry about keeping up with group activities.

So, pray for good weather. But even if it rains, a bad day camping beats a good day working!

The saga continues

They delivered the machines... and when they opened the box for the washer there was significant damage, and was not able to be installed. The dryer was fine.

ETA on a new washer... NEXT TUESDAY! I could just spit nails right now.

Thinking about getting one

Saw this story on channel 4 last night:
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=3161894&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1

(Yes, the 9:00 news. We're old and tired and go to bed early.)

Interesting lesson about the stolen garage door opener and keeping your address in your car. (I guess you should put your insurance card in your wallet/purse, and throw away all your receipts with identifying information?)

Anyway, the most interesting part to me was at the end of the story - the thief ran away because the homeowner had a gun. If that homeowner had been able to do nothing but call the police, he could have been dead and the thief long gone before help arrived.

I respect and and am grateful for the police, but I've been thinking about self defense for a while now, and more and more stories like this catch my attention. We've considered the pros and cons of having a gun in the home with children. Would we hide it from them? Are they old enough to know about it and be trusted not to play with it? Is that a real concern, since they're never left home alone anyway? Does the potential for something to go wrong outweigh the benefit of being able to protect ourselves? I do travel quite a bit, and MamaLlama would feel secure if she was packin' heat. If someone broke in, would it be enough to hit the panic button on the alarm system and shout out, "I have a gun!"? They say a barking dog is the best deterrent, and we have two of those. And a machete (I have ninja skillz). Would we keep it loaded?Dangerous if it is, useless if it isn't... Our neighborhood has very little crime, and an active citizen patrol. We live very near an elementary school - is that a deterrent, or does it actually attract vandals and punks? Do vandals and trespassers deserve to be shot? What if you think someone is going to break in and kill you, and they were just TP'ing your house? If you shoot an intruder, will the circumstances look fishy despite your best intentions, and you end up in jail, or the intruder sues you? Should we get a concealed carry permit, so we can bring it in the car? Isn't a cell phone and OnStar enough protection on the road?

MamaLlama was raised in a family of gun owners. Not in her own home, except for some non-loaded, non-working hunting rifles inherited from her grandfather. But all the uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents kept them in their homes. I'm sure there were some on my side too, and I think my brother-in-law has one. I don't know that any of them have ever needed to use them on an intruder, or that there were ever any accidents.

Is this all just paranoia, or a healthy desire to protect ourselves? Are we just feeling like bad-ass Texans since we've been to San Jacinto? Are we feeling like bad-ass Republicans, and want one just because it's our consitutional right to have one?

We keep arriving at the conclusion that it only takes a minute for someone to cause harm. Better to have it and never need it, than the alternative. We'd take the classes, practice at a shooting range, etc. Learn from the experts. Safe, responsible gun owners, that would be us.

We don't know the first thing about which type to buy, where to buy it, where to take classes, how to register it, etc. Research is in order. As you can imagine, MamaLlama's only criteria is that it be cute...

I ask you, reader(s), do you have a gun at home? Why or why not?

Is pepper spray enough?

9:00am-1:00pm

This is my four hour window for Thursday! YIPPEE... granted it annoys me somewhat that it is such a long window... but even if delivered at the end of the window it still gives me plenty of time to wash and actually have clean laundry in time for us to attend the party we are going to! YEAH the children will not smell funny (I mean, funnier than normal for a clean BOY in clean clothes)!!!!

And my world will return to NORMAL!

As far as the comments in regards of getting appliances for Mother's Day versus jewelry... I'm totally cool with it and don't feel bad for me (oh and he if our flowers aren't in bloom it is not umcommon for him to come home with flowers just because)! A few years ago I begged for a Dyson (the purple Animal to be exact) for Mother's Day, but alas I received an amazing diamond necklace (three large diamonds to be exact - props to Daddio and the boys for a great gift) in honor of my first Mother's Day with our three sons! (I did get the Dyson later that year, actually it was our first time out looking for a new washer/dryer but decided that it wasn't time to throw in the towel on the ones we had ... on the way out I mentioned again that our vacuum cleaner wasn't cutting it so we picked up the Dyson.) I enjoy cleaning... I enjoy life when the house is clean, and I don't mind waiting for an anniversary of something to ask for a big ticket item! I know I want it, he knows I will use it... so it works out. Kind of like every year for Daddio's birthday he gets some sort of electronics or camping thing... he wants it, it will benefit the whole family, but is something usually more expensive than a usual picked up weekend item!

Anyway... yay for tomorrow... yay for clean laundry... and yay for energy savings!!!

Is it Thursday yet???

MamaLlama has to take the kids to a birthday party on Thursday afternoon... the day of the big delivery of the LG machines of happiness and wonderfulness. The question is, will they deliver them in the AM, or will I (Daddio) have to come home from work and receive them myself while mom and boys are at the party? That would be sheer agony for MamaLlama. You see, she wants to be the first one to use the new machines. The first to see them, touch them, plug them in, open the doors, experiment with the settings, and take that first wonderful load of of super soft, fluffy, fresh, warm sheets out of the new dryer. (We even have a load of wet peepee sheets waiting in the garage, courtesy of Bubba. Mom wasn't even bothered that he wet the bed, because it gave her something to WASH! What fun!)

And you just know I would not be able to resist all those buttons and blinking lights if I was left alone with them. She's afraid I'll pop the cherry on those bad boys and she'd come home to "used" appliances. How devastating...

Well, fear not my dear. I promise not to play with the new machines until you get home. I figure it's only fair, since I got to drive the new car home from the dealer for the first time. I know I get to play with everything first - camera, camcorder, DVD player, computer, DSL modem, stereo speakers, universal remote, lawn mower, cell phones, etc... I'm a dad, we love gadgets. But I understand this is your domain, so I'll keep my filthy paws off your virgin machines until you get home.

Plus it's a Mothers Day gift, so I have to give it to her in new condition. Sidebar: Reader(s), do you think that's lame, appliances for Mothers Day? I guess it's kind of a joke, don't buy your wife a vacuum for her birthday. But can I help it if that's what she actually wants? And she wants top quality, too, so there's not exactly room in the budget for diamonds this year. The way I see it, I could have gotten another el cheapo set from the scratch-n-dent outlet store, $400 total. But we got the bad-ass LGs of her dreams (okay not the very top of the line, but close to it), so that counts as a gift, right? Lest you form a bad opinion of me, she actually did get diamonds for her first Mothers Day, and well over half of the gifts I give her are frivolous girly trinkets. But the woman loves her some cleaning supplies. And kitchen tools. I know, I'm lucky.

Anyway, come Friday, all bets are off. I'm going to get my hands on those beautiful new machines, and I've already read the manual on the internet, so I know exactly what to do. I'm washing comforters and sleeping bags, ohhhh yieauh!

-Daddio

===
PS - It occurs to me that if I tease her too much, we'll have a chance to see how well that sanitary cycle works on blood stains...

Just not right...

Okay, I'm getting slightly frustrated. Why?, you might ask... well, that would be because we bought the new washer/dryer on Saturday because mine are broken... and they won't arrive till Thursday.

I knew when the guy said that the next delivery date was Thursday, that it would make for a long wait... but one that I was confident we could manage... even with 5 people needing laundry to be cleaned on a regular basis!

Well, the stress is starting to set in!!! So any further posts on here leading up to Thursday may contain more than normal typo's, garble-D-goop, and any number of non-sensical musings as the dirty laundry piles higher and higher.

New Study

Last week we finished our Texas History study, and I've trying to come up with a new unit type study for the time being.

After a short trip over to the library, we decided on animals and their habitats. Now we aren't doing anything fancy... just reading our book on a particular animal then working on spelling words that go along with it (just ones that I pick out of the book that I feel like they can handle) and then some sort of art project to go along with it.

Today we started with African elephants. Bobcat and Bubba had spelling / handwriting words to work on, then all three drew pictures depicting different scenes from the book... or they could make up something that would fit with the nature of an elephant. For our first day, I would say it was a success!

Everyday Mommy

I just saw this, and decided to let everyone who reads here know about it:

Have you been itching for a new look for your blog? Need a fresh design to inspire you? In honor of Mother’s Day Everyday Design is giving away a free Typepad or Blogger design! You may enter your own blog or the blog of a friend. Just grab the button above, write a brief post and link back to this post. The winner will be chosen at random on May 13th. Entrants must have either a Typepad Plus Level or New Blogger account. Please be sure to leave a comment with the URL of your entry.

Go check it out!!!!

Another one bites the dust...

Well, after 8 1/2 years of service my dryer kicked the bucket late Friday night. It was a long time coming, and honestly the washer has been on it's last leg for over a year now.

So for Mother's Day (early) Daddio bought me a new washer and dryer, and they are so cool! We spent all day dragging the kids all over creation yesterday, but we were able to finally pick the best ones for our lifestyle!

They are the new LG's and they are cool! Now I just have to wait till Thursday for them to arrive and be able to wash clothes again!

bummer

Well, it was fun while it lasted.




That's the most civil thing I can possibly say at this point. I ran out of cuss words last night.
-Daddio

Contest

I don't usually do contests... but seriously... An Apple iPod Nano - just waiting for YOU to Win! How could I resist such a thing?

Okay – an Apple iPod Nano that comes inside a pretty box of chocolates – how
great is that?

Best Buy knows what us modern moms want for Mother’s Day…
an Apple iPod Nano AND chocolate! That sounds just about perfect to me. (Oh and
of course they know we love all things cute, so they made sure to wrap it up
just right!)

Here are the facts (cause you know you will need to give
some detailed hints to your husbands!)

The Apple iPod Nano and Chocolate
Gift Set:
-Features a pink or silver 4GB Apple iPod nano, slim enough to fit in mom’s pocket, purse or palm
-Includes a variety of pink-foiled milk chocolate meltaways
-Packaged in a mod polka-dot-patterned box inspired by the prism of iPod nano colors and this spring’s hottest accessory: dots!
-Price: $214.99
-Available in Best Buy stores beginning May 6,2007

What a cool kid

Check out this story: 7 year old boy who loves the Church!

Isn't this what we want for all of our children?

Roadblocks

I saw this article on roadblocks to successful homeschooling, and thought I would share it!

Success means different things to different people. Success takes time, planning and a strong desire. Success is taking action. Success is setting goals and accomplishing them. Success means reaching your goals even when the going gets tough.

There will be challenges along the way. Here are ten potential roadblocks to look out for:

1. No clear vision
The clearer your vision is of your definition for success, the faster you will achieve it.

2. Fear of failure
Don't let worry, fear and uncertainty hold you back from reaching your full potential. Eliminate the Bummer Words - no, never, can't, won't, maybe and if.

3. Lack of determination
Turn challenges into a problems that need to be overcome. Don't let a challenge become a stopping point on your path to success.

4. No action plan
Write a detailed, step-by-step plan of how you will achieve your success. Include a timetable for completion, and place the written strategy where you can read it, every day.

5. Change
You will have to make adjustments in your life to focus on reaching the success you want. For example: What current priorities on your time will have to be changed? Are you surrounded by people who can help you succeed?

6. Negative thinking
Everyone has some self-doubt. However, these two questions will help you. Ask yourself everyday: 1. Did I give my best effort to today's activities? 2. Did I move closer to reaching my goals?

7. Lack of enthusiasm
Be the day's cheerleader. All days are good; some are better than others. You will find enthusiasm is contagious; give some to others.

8. Procrastination
You can have the best plan in the world, but if you don't take action on it you simply have a dream. Are self-motivated, or do you need external motivation from someone else? Determine which method of motivation works for you. Take action.

9. Making excuses
Take personal responsibility for your success by eliminating excuses. Avoid blaming others for your lack of effort.

10. Learn from your mistakes
Everyone makes them. Successful people learn extremely valuable life lessons from their mistakes.

These roadblocks can actually become stepping stones to your success. How? By identifying which ones are holding you back from reaching your goals, and diligently working to eliminate them.

This is Your Life! Your Goals! Your Success!

YOU ARE A WINNER!

Ideas for Implementation:

Highlight one potential roadblock and work for one week to turn in into a positive.
Continue the process through the entire list, each week highlighting a new potential roadblock.
Repeat as needed. Please visit www.TeachingMoments.com for more life skills ideas to help children succeed.
©2007 Teaching Moments

Check out the entire newsletter for more great articles: The Homeschool Mom

Need a laugh?

1. If you are choking on an ice cube, don't panic. Simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat and presto, the blockage will bealmost instantly removed.

2. Clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

3. You can avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seatjust by using the sink.

4. For high blood pressure sufferers: Simply cut yourself and bleedfor a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember touse an egg timer.

5. A mouse trap placed on top of your alarm clock will prevent youfrom rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snoozebutton.

6. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives. Then you will be afraid to cough.

7. Have a bad toothache? Smash your thumb with a hammer and you will forget all about the tooth ache.

8. Sometimes, we just need to remember what the rules of life reallyare:
In life, you only need two tools - WD-40 and Duct Tape.
If it doesn't move but should, use the WD-40.
If it should not move and does, use the duct tape.

9. Remember: Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

10. Never pass up an opportunity to go to the bathroom.