Look What I'm Learning To Do!

Rambling Rosie

We're back from the land down under. No, we didn't go to Australia. Florida is technically under us. But, now that you mention it, we did go to Japan... I came to a conclusion while we were there.

I love camping.

I love it.

I love taking the camper out and making the beds, putting out my pink flamingo decorations and lights, and playing house in the great outdoors.

I love Disney World.

I love it.

I love seeing the characters and sharing things with my kids that were part of my own childhood, and meant something to me, growing up.

But I don't love the camping-Disney World combination.

Camping is work.

Disney World is work.

There is no down time when you do both together.

I think it would have been better if we had a couple of extra days to just enjoy the campground sometime during the week, instead of running and running, just stopping long enough to sleep, but not sleeping long enough.

Each park really needs at least two days to explore properly. Hailey wanted to wait in lines and get autographs, but I didn't let her stand in all those lines. There just wasn't time. Thankfully, she got all the princess autographs at her Cinderella breakfast. Otherwise, we'd still be in line.

We did ride most of the rides we wanted to ride, and the lines were not bad at all. In fact, we only needed fast-passes for one ride, which we ended up not riding. We had no wait at all for the Tower of Terror. Which, come to think of it, should have told me that I wouldn't like it. I have an extreme fear of heights. I don't like ladders, ledges, or even standing on chairs. Now I know why. I really, REALLY hate the sensation of falling. The first time we rode the Tower, I didn't make a peep. I was too scared to scream. I used every ounce of my strength to hold on to the handles beside my chair, to keep my behind in my seat. Yes, there was a seatbelt, but I wasn't taking any chances.

If you noticed, I said, "the first time."

We rode it twice.

Why? you ask. Good question. I don't even know.

Bethany asked if we wanted to go again. I said I didn't know. Hailey wanted to go again, so I asked Chris if she was going again. She said, "Sure, why not?"

Why not?

WHY NOT???

Because I need my heart to slide back down from my throat to my chest!

And I need clean pants!

But it's all good. I'm just glad we got to see a few of the shows while we were there. Finding Nemo and The Beauty and the Beast were exceptional. The 3D shows we saw were fun, and Shawn got to be "That Guy" in the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor show.

They gave Shawn and me each a pin that said Happy Anniversary on it, so everywhere we went, people wished us Happy Anniversary.

Caleb got to go through Jedi training and now has his padawan certification.

Bethany and I got our faces painted.
Hailey and I had breakfast in Cinderella's castle.

We learned what pin trading was all about, and spent WAY too much money on pins to trade. (whoever thought up that idea was a genius!) Pin trading brought my son closer to his Auntie Chris, which brought joy to my heart and tears to my eyes.

The campground was really nice, with the exception of how close each campsite was to the next. There was really no privacy, which wouldn't work for regular camping. Disney World camping was fine, since we didn't spend much time at the campground. and neither did the other campers. The pool was fabulous, complete with a gigantic water slide. The kids loved it. We even roasted marsmallows one night at the outdoor theater, where Highschool Musical 3 was playing.

About That Cliffhanger

I know I left you hanging, and I didn't mean to. I just didn't know the answer to my dilemma until today.

I have been homeschooling for some time now. In fact, this is our fifth year. I have loved it. I have enjoyed it. I have hated it. I have groaned some mornings when the sun rose. It has been a rollercoaster of emotions sometimes.

But there was one thing I was always sure of until now. This was what God wanted me to do. This year I have been struggling with a certain young lady, who shall remain nameless. She has whined, complained, thrown tantrums, begged, pleaded, etc. to get out of doing school. I am worn down by the battle. And since I am easily swayed by all such methods, this year has been very difficult.

But all that changed with a single text. Someone in my sister's office quit. Someone who did a job that I knew I could do. So I hit my knees and sent out prayer requests to my friends, asking God what to do. If it was time to send the kids to private school, I needed a job that would pay for it. I have been a stay-at-home-mom since Hailey was a tiny baby. I don't have many marketable skills. Besides, I didn't want to leave my cushy life as a kept woman. But I needed to do what God wanted me to do, so I prayed and dove into the Word, looking for an answer.

I got one.

It wasn't the one I expected, but since it's even better, I'm okay with that.

Shawn got two job offers in one week. He wasn't even seeking employment from these companies, but they came looking for him. The first offer was good, but the second offer was too good to pass up. He accepted it and will start in a few weeks.

It will pay for Hailey's tuition and I will stay home, continuing to homeschool Caleb.

Isn't God good?!?!

**Lest anyone think I'm banishing my daughter, I think she will flourish in school. She needs interaction with other kids more than she has in the past, and she filters her attitude better with other teachers. I wish she would with me, but I know she will do fabulously.

Meanwhile, Caleb needs to work on building a few good character qualities before I subject a teacher to him. I'm hoping a little one on one will help him learn a little tenderness and compassion, as well as respect for his elders.

Good times

Hailey is getting out the ingredients.

Tonight it begins.

The Great Cookie Bake '09.

Actually, there will be cookies and candies, but who's judging? We're making pineapple cookies, sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies (with peanut butter this time), mounds bars, peppermint patties, orange creams, strawberry creams, coconut creams, fudge, peppermint fudge, and gumdrop fudge.

Two of my nieces will be joining the fun in the morning.

Memories will be made.

Sugar comas will be induced.

Bring it on.

Are we there yet?

What is it these days with the propoganda all over TV? I can barely watch anything anymore without homosexuality being thrown in my face. It seems like I get into a show and then they introduce a lesbian couple.
But I just realized that it isn't any different than any other sexual immorality to God.
This must be what our parents felt like as television was taken over with "free love."
We have been so inundated with sexual images that we aren't shocked anymore. At this rate, my kids will be as used to seeing homosexuality as I am used to seeing every other kind of immorality.
Time to chuck the TV, move to the mountains, and start the llama herd.

Score!

Let me just brag for a minute on my darling daughter, will you?
She's not a great test taker.
There have been many pre-test meltdowns in our classroom.
Today was not any different.
But she wants something from me, so she stifled it, for once.
And she scored a 99%!!!

Now I will brag on myself momentarily.
Caleb's grandmother signed him up in the Lego Brickmaster Club early this year.
He watches the mailbox like a hawk, because he gets packages every other month.
He hasn't received one in quite some time.
I emailed them yesterday to ask what was up, and this morning they apologized, fixed his messed up membership, shipped the mailings he has missed, and extended his membership for
Five extra mailings!!! (That's ten extra months!!)

SCORE!!

Coming out of Going into the closet

After much hard work and preparation, our classroom is finally finished. I would have liked to have painted the room, but money is tight these days, and I needed to get other things.
Like books.
We have an actual school table and chairs. They came from a public school that was being demolished. I also have a few desks and some pull-down maps (that still need to be hung... Oh, ShaaaaaaaaAAAAwwwwn!) that came from the school.
I like having a room to school in, so it is all contained.
Boy, Howdy! Is it contained!
On the end of the room is a wall with three doorless closets, in the middle of which is my computer desk. The other two have been storing two of the student desks, among other things. On a wild hunch, I emptied these closets, turned the desks sideways, hung a few shelves and a light in each, and ta-da! They are cubicles! (complete with curtains so that at the end of the day, the chairs gets pushed in, the rolling drawers slide behind the chairs, the curtains get pulled shut, and I DON'T HAVE TO LOOK AT THEM!!!!)
So tomorrow we begin.

BRING IT.

So, he wanted to know...

Who got in trouble?




That's what Shawn asked me when he came home from work and saw this:

It was Caleb, by the way. ; )

(Dude, I need to go grocery shopping! Oh, wait! I did that last night.)

If-then

I am a yeller. I believe I have said it before, and I will say it again.

I am a yeller.

I come from a long line of yellers, so I come by it honestly.

I do not want to be a yeller.

A couple of months ago, at our homeschool meeting, a very sweet lady spoke about homeschooling with a meek and quiet spirit.

Whatever

One of the tools she spoke about is a chart created by Doorposts. It's called an If-Then chart. It lists specific offenses, gives a Bible reference for why it is offensive, and leaves space for parents to fill in the consequences of the actions.

I looked for it online today, and decided I could make one for our family. Hailey has alread declared her hatred for it. But I had just had to impose a 'then' on her.

This takes the guesswork out of discipline. It sounds like a no-brainer, but many times, in the heat of the moment, and colored by a surge of anger, I can be a little irrational when meting out discipline. (You are grounded for five years!)

This takes the 'bad guy' out of who they see when they look at me. It helps them see that they have chosen a 'then' when they chose to 'if', if you get what I'm saying. It also helps to see that specific behavior is sin, and where in the Bible God speaks against it.

And I have some very creative additional chores already lined up, mwahaha!

Hailey has already cleaned out the plastic ware cabinet.

This proud momma moment brought to you by...

Last year when the kids took their satandardized (totally a typo, but too funny to delete) standardized testing, Caleb didn't score well on reading comprehension. In fact, he was far enough below average to cause me a little concern. This year he has picked up reading, and has gained a lot of ground.

Tomorrow they are going up to the school for this year's round of tests, so we are doing a little test prep work.

Caleb answered nearly every question correctly on the reading comprehension section I gave him. But halfway through his work I realized I had made a big mistake. I chose to keep it to myself until he was finished, just to see how he did.

I had given him Hailey's pages.

She's in the fifth grade.

He's in the third.

Breakfast at Thomas' **updated**

She's not what I'd call a picky eater. (I have one of those, so I know what that looks like)

But she's not much of a breakfast eater...

unless it's eggs, or pancakes, or waffles, or muffins... anything that requires cooking.

Small wonder that I taught her to cook breakfast-type things.

I dare not tell her to eat cereal. She will have a fit worthy of a two-year-old, and then insist she wants oatmeal.

I dare not tell her to eat oatmeal. She will have a fit worthy of a two-year-old, and insist that she HATES oatmeal.

But when I am tired of looking at my almost-eleven-year-old having a two-year-old fit, I just grab the paddle, and tell her to bend.

Did you know that when Momma is holding a paddle, that it is a bad idea to refuse to bend?

Bad idea.

Very bad idea, indeed.

**edited to add**
My kids pretty much fix their own breakfast, since cereal and oatmeal are simple. I keep easy things on hand, like toaster pastries, french toast sticks, nutri-grain bars, and fruit, but she has to get all complicated sometimes.
Hailey only cooks with permission, and she doesn't cook every day. She just forgets occasionally that I'm the Mom, and her job is to obey.

Disobedience = slavery

Why is it that when I send the kids to bed, they always find some reason to get up again?
I was having this conversation just the other day with a friend. When my kids were younger, I had this one all figured out, but now that they're older, it isn't so easy.
Last night I had a epiphany. Every time one of them got out of bed, they had to do something for me in addition to the drink of water they 'had' to have. If they decided they 'needed' a band-aid, they had to serve me in some way.
I know it sounds like I'm a crazy mother or something, but stick with me, there's a lesson here.
Although Shawn and I were giggling over my new idea, it has a great measure of truth behind it.
When we choose to disobey, we fall into slavery to our choices. Sometimes the bondage in unexpected.
Meanwhile, I had a nice fresh glass of ice water brought to me, and I didn't even have to get up to turn the light out.
Heehee!

And that's my 200th post!

Revelation

Well, I'm ready to tell you all what I saw when I finished clearing out Hailey's closet.

Kelli and Tina noticed the itty-bitty hangers that we no longer need in our big-kid house. That's what struck me and left me teary.

Hailey isn't my baby girl anymore. She is getting to be quite grown up.

And what I saw hanging in the almost empty closet was a visual reminder that baby hanger days are slipping past, and we are moving on to big-kid/adult hangers.

So I had to take a picture.

Hold your babies a little tighter this Christmas for me, will you?

Said The Little Lamb... Do You See What I See?

While finishing up some of the cleanup that invariably follows a move, I saw something I thought blog-worthy.

I took a picture.

My sister didn't see it at first.

Do you?

Tell me what you see, and next week I'll tell you what I saw.

Conversations with Santa

Yesterday at the mall, we came to the Santa booth where you can sit on a strange man's knee and tell him what you want for Christmas and get your picture taken. Preferring to focus on the birth of Christ at Christmas, we have never 'done' the Santa thing. So imagine my surprise when Hailey said she wanted to go see him and have her picture made. Sometimes you have to listen to what is on their little minds and not jump to the 'no' that wants to burst out. A very interesting conversation followed.

Me: Do you think that is really Santa Claus?

Hailey: No, he doesn't really exist.

Me: So, who do you think that man up there is?

Hailey: Just a man in a costume.

Me: What would you say to him?

Hailey: I'd tell him what I want for Christmas.

Me: And what do you think he's going to do about it?

Hailey: (hesitates)

Me: Do you just want to be able to say it out loud?

Hailey nods.

{Picture lady tells her that since Santa isn't busy right now, she can go talk to him for no charge}

Hailey: Please, Mom? This is just one of those once-in-a-lifetime things. I've never done it before, and I'm getting too big.

So I let her do it. And you know what? While she was talking to him, I had the woman snap a picture. It wasn't one of those cheesy grin ones, just her having a conversation with a complete stranger about the desires of her little heart. And it was so precious, I bought it.

Ketchup

So much has happened since last we spoke. We are currently residing in our new home, with a brand new heater, thanks to the swift action of USAA bank and Lemmon Heating and Air. And I didn’t have to be in the state for it to happen. Turns out that with nothing more than a phone call, and the correct answer to some very personal questions, you too can be the recipient of a loan, whose disbursement check is being sent to a neighbor near you! Thankfully, the whole transaction was on the up and up. The check was FedEx-ed to the wonderful neighbors two doors down, properly deposited in the appropriate account, and the heating and air guy accepted PayPal payments. Couldn’t get more convenient, if it tried.
But, alas, Paypal was looking out for the interest of its valued customer, and thought that my account had been accessed by a third party, and held the payment for a few days, until I got savvy and checked on the payment. It seems that after spending less than a hundred bucks per transaction over the course of the years, and suddenly making a payment of thousands of dollars from another state and a different ISP address sends up red flags. Who knew? But I was able to convince the nice lady that although I had made a transaction that big from another state, and I wasn’t the actual person on the account, and, by the way, you can’t call the confirmed telephone number on the account, because it’s changed, and, while I’m at it, let’s change the address on the account, too, that it was a legitimate payment, and please release the funds so the nice man who did me a huge favor can get paid, thankyouverymuch! She actually believed me, so I didn’t have to tell poor Mr. Lemmon that the mean, mean people at PayPal were withholding payment, not me. [Sigh of relief]

After spending the past two weeks moving the rest of our belongings to our new place, the kids and I finally got around to putting up the tree. I have a method of doing it that works for me. I put on rows of branches, winding white lights as we go, (no pre-lit tree for me) and then we decorate, leaving the angel for Shawn to put on when he gets home from work. Before I put on a string of lights, I test it, and periodically throughout the building of the tree, I test them all again. This way I don’t get finished and find that I have to do the lights again. I did the same thing this time, but after we came back from eating dinner, the whole top strand was out. At this point, I’m not sure if I’ll get around to re-stringing it. Okay, my Dad’s coming down the weekend after Christmas, so I probably will, but not today.
**Update** Shawn reached into the tree and jiggled the cord where the top string of lights connected to the one below it, found it loose, and secured it, turning them on, and saving me a hassle.
My hero!
[sigh]

I spent some quality time today at the mall with my niece, which was nice. We had a ball. She is crazy, and one of the only two teen-agers I enjoy spending time with. She’s a lot like her mother, which means I get her. Other kids, like my own, notsomuch. We did some shopping, some cracking jokes, she’s kick-butt at narrating for people in situations. Of course, it’s all for our entertainment. Nothing mean or ugly, and they can’t hear her. Like when I graciously let someone have my parking spot, and the lady left in a snit after she thought I was trying to steal her my space, B. thanked me kindly that I was so thoughtful and generous. Or in a store when someone’s shopping basket filled the entire aisle, and I had to ask her to excuse me, so I could pass, B. said, ‘I’ll be happy to move out of the way and let you by’ when the lady rolled her eyes at me and snatched her cart out of the way so fast the kid in the seat got whiplash.

Roxy had to go to a new home last week. Ever since she helped foster Zaccheus, she has been vying for the alpha female position, which belongs to Cricket. This resulted in several 'to the death' type fights. Fearing for her safety, or Cricket's, and worrying that one of the kids would be hurt, we did the painful, but best thing in the situation. She went to an older couple who have been family friends since I was very young. They have no small children, and their own dog passed away last year. They were ready to open up their home to another pet, so it worked out for all involved. Hailey was very grown up about losing 'her' dog. There were some tears, but she understood.

It is so good to be back online. I missed everyone, and it'll take me a few days to catch up with you all, but I will, I promise.

Grilling Goodness #3

1. What is your least favorite aspect of Election Year?

Having to vote for someone I don't really like, just so the other guy, who I can't imagine anyone being stupid enough to pick, won't win.

2. What is something your spouse could do to make you feel special?

Send me away on a 'girls only weekend' to be pampered. Oh, wait, he did that once. Maybe he'll do it again.

3. Do you complain at restaurants or do you just tip less?

If the problem is the food, I let my server know, and don't hold it against them. They don't cook the food. I still tip them generously. But if the service stinks, I reflect it in the tip. I have only left without tipping once or twice in my life. Shawn used to be a really bad tipper, and it was so embarrassing. But I educated him on the art, and now he does a good job of it.

4. If you had it to do over again, would you choose the same wedding date you had?

Yes, the only holiday around my anniversary is Valentine's Day, and I kind of boycott it anyway. I do encourage my husband to do something for his daughter, however. He always buys her a rose.

5. What kind of car do you drive?

I drive a Dodge Grand Caravan, and I love it. It is not without its problems, and it costs a lot to fill the gas tank, but I love the room, the stereo, the DVD player, the little computer that tells me how many miles I can go before I run out of gas, and how it tells me what the temperature is outside.

6. If you have siblings, are you close to them?

I am very close with my older sister, but not with my half-brother, my twin half-sisters, my two step brothers, and my two step sisters.

7. Do you spend the same amount of money on each child at Christmas or just buy a certain number of gifts?

I try to keep it pretty close on both accounts. We don't spend much on gifts at all, because they get so many presents from their grandparents, that I don't want them to lose focus on what's really important about Christmas.

8. What phrase do you find yourself saying all the time?

Zaccheus, NO! NO, ZACCHEUS! ZACCHEUS, YOU COME HERE! OOOOOO, ZACCHIE, YOU BETTER NOT MAKE ME CHASE YOU! And other related exclamations.

Too much?

How do I say the words and not sound like a heartless Mom?
"You have no idea what trauma is. You don't know what real loss feels like. You don't have a clue what it means to be afraid of your mom, and flinch or brace yourself when she comes near enough to tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear."
Hailey is lamenting the loss of her beloved sticky candy. She has undergone a baby root canal and now sports a flashy stainless steel crown in her mouth. She is worth more now than ever with all that bling.
This morning we were having a heart to heart in which I was telling her that she was not grown up enough to sit in the front seat of the car. She has been sitting up there with me periodically because she is nearly the size of a small adult, and it is easy to think she is becoming a young lady. But this morning she made a decision that was decidedly childish. Not childish in a bad way, but a reality check for me that she really is still a child. When I told her that children sit in the back seat for their safety, and that is where she will be henceforth, she told me that it is just "too much."
Too much? Are you kidding me???
Child, you have no idea what too much is.
Until you have lived a life of ducking when your Mom walks by,
Until you have felt so sick from the chemotherapy that is keeping you alive,
Until you have held your tiny son for the first time while the breath of life slips away in him,
Until you have felt the floor under you rumble and your nostrils fill with burning jet fuel,
Until you have seen the building your father works in crumble to the ground,
Until you have heard the wail of a mother who has lost her only child,
Until you have seen the desperate faces of those holding pictures of missing family members,
You have no idea what "too much" is.

I'll take a brownie, hold the poo, please.

The same conversation comes up every now and again. I still feel as strongly as I did before, but the explanations always get a little more detailed.
Hailey wants to know why she isn't allowed to participate in sleepovers. I have already explained why to my readers, but have not given her the full details. I don't want to give her more than she can handle, and sometimes it is good to ask your kids to trust you. That the decisions you make are not arbitrary, but rationally thought out, and with their best interest at heart. We make the tough ones because we love them. It's what we do. It's what God expects of us. And we don't want to let them down if we can help it.
So I started off with this example: (this is a variation of another example I have heard before.)
Imagine I brought out a pan of brownies and offered them to you. They are still warm from the oven, and cut into huge pieces, six in all. They have chocolate chips and chocolate chunks in them. They smell delicious, and they are oozing chocolatey yumminess. You reach for one, but just before you grasp it, you hear my warning.
"One of these brownies has a piece of Zacchie's poo in it. I didn't put a big piece in there, and I'm not sure which one it's in."
What would you do? Would you eat one because there's five chances you won't get the poopy brownie? Or would you pass?
Her answer, "I'd walk away."
Well, this is a little like that. I know the chances of her being hurt at someone's house are slim, but I also know that the statistics are that she might. Why would I be willing to risk her innocence? So I told Hailey that I believed Mr. Tom* wouldn't hurt her, and Mr. Dick* wouldn't hurt her, and that Mr. Harry* wouldn't hurt her, either, but I also believed my friend's daddy wouldn't hurt my friend, and I was wrong.
So I'd rather she missed out on five perfectly good brownies because I wouldn't want to feed her poo.

*names have been changed to protect the innocent.

A new adventure

I am a brave woman. I am a strong, confident (sometimes), fun-to-hang-with Mom. I was reading an article in a parenting magazine about fun activities for families. I like to look for new stuff to do because I have a wacky sense of adventure.
That's how I roll.
So I found the new craze is this thing called geocaching. Basically, you sign up online with any number of websites dedicated to the sport, and log in the zip code where you want to hunt. There are many, many "caches" hidden in various and sundry places in your area. Using a GPS receiver, you enter the latitude and longitude coordinates and head out to find it. Part of the fun is doing it secretly. One of the objectives is to find the cache without anyone knowing you are up to something. You retrieve it, sign in the log which is enclosed, and put it back as well, or better hidden than you found it. Then you go back to the website and log your find.
There are other variations of the sport, but being new to it, we are starting with the basic cache hunt.
It was really fun with six kids on the adventure, but it was a sad moment for my ten-year-old when she realized there was no "cash" involved.

**After we found another cache today, we realized this is a great way to witness to people in a non-confrontational way. And people come from all over the place to find these things! We'll simply leave a tract in the ones big enough to hold one, and put a scripture sticker on the log we sign.