Shaking my finger at myself

Have you ever had a really evil thought about someone? Have you ever come up with the perfect zinger in your head and then just been appalled at yourself?

I'm mean the perfect comeback for that one person that secretly gets on your very last caffeine deprived nerve. The kind of comeback that makes you giggle until you start snorting.

Of course, you can't actually say it. You'd be seen as an awful person.
You can't even share it with a friend...Because it is just that bad...but still such an ideal zinger. You don't want anyone to know just how secretly horrible you actually are.

sigh

Such a waste.

I hate when that happens. I always feel so bad about myself for even thinking it.

I'll have to punish myself. I'm a bad homeschool mom.

Boys and Birthday cakes

I made the cakes below. I always joke that I am setting four women up for future failure by making these outlandish cake for the boys. Someday, one boy will say to his wife, "A round, vanilla cake! I've never had a round vanilla cake in my life. Where are the streamers? Where's all the food? This is supposed to be a birthday party."

Or course, one of my boys better not say that. When presented with a round, vanilla, crooked, and slight burned cake, they'd better say, "Oh Honey, it wonderful. I'll bet it's delicious.

Birthdays are a huge deal around here. I go overboard with the celebration.
We decide on a theme and I set out to bake the cake they ask for. My toughest one was M's alligator cake. (I'll have to find a picture of it. It was pretty cool.) I love seeing the boys' happy faces and hearing their exuberance over this edible art made just for them.
I make a ton of food and invite what seems like the free world over to my house. It's really just family and a couple of close friends. Then the kids, cousins, and friends all run around like crazy and the adults laugh at them, eat, and just enjoy the company.

Party days are always satisfying even though I stay busy.

But I got to thinking, why does celebrating these birthdays mean so much to me?
I grew up thinking my own birthday was a special day, but I never had the big parties that I throw for my sons. I sure didn't get "cake art" or mountains of presents. I don't expect anything for myself at all other than an acknowledgement from my family. And actually, anything lavish kind of embarrasses me.
So why do I lavish all these birthday wishes on the boys? Oh,and ZooDad too. He won't let me throw him a party. But we do buy presents, cook a cake, make him a special dinner and even decorate the house.

So I've spent the last couple of days wondering why these birthday celebrations are so important. The truth slowly creeped into my mind into like fog and then finally formed some concrete idea that I found to be true.

I don't celebrate the day for the person. I celebrate that day for me.

I met ZooDad shortly before his 30th birthday. We actually had one our first dates on his birthday. So that was not only the day he came into this world. His birthday is just a time for me to celebrate to arrival of this wonderful man in my life.

As for the boys, well, that part is obvious. I celebrate the four most wonderful days of my life every year. I can not imagine my life without these four little souls.
ZooDad and I often joke about the mountain of boys in the floor or all the little boy heads seating around our table and filling up my van.
I look at these future husbands and fathers and I feel a sense of pride because I grew these children. I often wonder if this is how God feels when he looks down on our world. "Look what I made! Grow! Learn! Be Happy!"
These over-the-top parties are my own selfish celebrations. "Look, what I made! Aren't they wonderful! See how blessed I am!"

So it seems only right that on my own birthday, I'm thinking about the births of the lives that means so much to me. I don't need cakes and streamers. I get to do that often enough. I don't need presents because I've received a lifetime full.

Happy birthday to me.

Ashley people called...

they have ordered the replacement couch and will deliver it when it arrives.

I guess they have a better service model than Sears.

Nothing else has broken today.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Broken, busted, all torn up.

You remember the story of my new furniture. Well, we also bought a new dishwasher. The old dishwasher, which did work, did not clean very well and was leaking around the door. It was also old and the detergent door would not open.
It was a pain in the rear.

On the 1st of July, I bought a new dishwasher from Sears. Of course I wanted it in a color other than white (it only came in black, white, and bisque.) so that meant that it had to be ordered.

It arrived on the 7th and my darling, but mechanically inept hubby installed it.
Ooooooohh..The language in that kitchen would have made Eddie Murphy blush.

So I loaded up my brand new dishwasher and pressed the button. It made some dishwasher noises and then the green "clean" button started flashing.

According to the manual and the Sears Service people... The flashing green light is a very bad thing. They said they would send a service person out on Thursday the 14th.

Uh....ok. It was a brand new dishwasher. I didn't even get to use it and it was broken.

Guy came on the 14th and couldn't fix it. It needed to have the whole electrical board replaced.

Guy came back on the 21st to replace the electrical board. (Same day as MIL trip to the ICU) the stupid dishwasher still wouldn't work. It seems that it needed to have the pump replaced also. $300 billed to my warranty for the first service....$380 billed for the new pump which could be installed on the 26th.

The dishwasher, didn't cost that much to begin with.

So I called Sears. They agreed to bring me a new dishwasher, install it and take back the old one...for an additional $53. Yes, either that or I could disconnect it, haul it back to Sears, wait the week until the new one arrived....Leaving a gaping hole with the water and power turned off on that wall of my kitchen, pick up the new machine and then install that one and pray it worked.

They'll deliver it next week.

Despite the fact that I have a mower, edger, blower, oven, refrigerator, freezer, hood, and dishwasher from Sears........I will never buy anything from them again.

Then they had the audacity to try to sell me the extended warranty plan.

Then...Just to add insult to my already dishpan hands.
My new couch broke.

The frame broke.

The guy came out to see if it could be fixed and said it was a manufacturers defect. We all took pictures and he is sending the info to Ashley so they can replace it.

We'll see if they follow the Sears business model of customer service.

At least I can still sit on the couch. (snicker....hee, hee, hee.)

Cakes

I'll rewrite my post after I make sure these silly pictures load.

MIL update

MIL is in a regular room and doing better. She might even be home today. I've instructed ZooDad to stay with her until at least tomorrow night. Most likely through Sunday. The boys and I are heading down there tomorrow afternoon to visit.

Prayers Needed for Mary Lee

My MIL was supposed to come up tomorrow to pick up the oldest 3 boys so they could spend 3 days down on the farm with her.

Instead, the hospital called to say that she was admitted to ICU with a fast and irregular heartbeat. ZooDad has taken off to be with her. He has about a 2 hour drive. They called at 9 pm. We last spoke to her at 6 pm.

Shortly after he Zoodad left, he called to make sure the boys were in bed and assured me that he would be home as soon as he could.

I took the time to explain what "being in ICU" meant and told him that he was going there to act as his Mom's advocate. I warned him about what to expect. I told him the questions to ask and to write down everything. I also told him that I would bring him anything he needed because he was going to be there for the whole night and maybe longer.

"You only have one mom, Honey. If I was widowed and in the hospital, I'd want my boys there to hold my hands."

He thanked me for reminding him of his priorities. He has work deadlines and there is a project due for his Masters class.
Work and school are way down the list when Moms, wives, and children need you.

So please pray for my MIL.

Got my mind on my math, my math on my mind

Apologies to Sean Paul for butchering his lyrics. (Which are far from brilliant but do tend to stick with you.)
I've been thinking about math lately.
obsessed actually.

Not that I'm thinking about doing math. I more consumed with math programs.

You see, we are the rare homeschoolers that use MCP math. It's inexpensive and schoolish. It's also self teaching and the TE has cool stuff in it. That's two bonuses in my book. MCP is the same company that makes Plaid Phonics and Spelling workout. So we aren't talking junk math here. It just doesn't have the SWB seal of Well Trained Mindness. ;)

So welcome to my thought process. I'll warn you. It's hurried, busy, sometime illogical and when it is logical...it makes big leaps. As ZooDad has said, "Your thought processes are scary."

I got to thinking. MCP math ends at 6th grade. So eventually, I am going to have to switch companies. Standard homeschool protocol dictates that Saxon is the program of choice, so the oldest ZooChild will have to start Algebra 1/2 in 7th grade.
(I fully understand that there is a chance that a zoochild will not be ready to start pre-algebra in 7th grade. If/when that happens, I won't make any kind of big deal at all and will just do what is best for that particular kid. So don't think I'm going to sacrifice any of the z-boys to the gods of mathematics. But taking higher math is a non-negotiable item in this household.)

Back in my head...I thought it would be a poor decision to change math programs at pre-algebra. I have repressed memories from my own experiences in pre-algebra. It was the beginnings of my long hatred of all things numerical. I'd like to avoid that issue with any of my brood.
So I came to this conclusion that I should switch for 6th grade to get one year of Saxon under his belt before doing algebra 1/2. Well, if one year is good preparation...then maybe two years would be better. (see how my mind works.)

J will be starting 4th grade soon. Two years of Saxon before pre-algebra would mean starting Saxon for 5th grade and...(the gears just spinning in my head.) our homeschool support group was having a used curriculum sale. If they had a used copy of Math 65, I could go ahead and get it for next school year.

Wow...I was so proud of myself. This was some serious planning. I was getting all the final details nailed down.

Then I had this idea to let J take that Saxon placement test. Afterall, we've all heard about how demanding Saxon is. And I know my goofball child will incorrectly answer 3x4 regularly. I really just wanted to make sure the boy could tread water in Saxon. But I also wanted to make sure that I was buying the right year at the used book sale.

Apparently, he could do more than tread water.
On the Math 54 through Algebra 1 test, he got all 10 of the first questions right. I was tickled pink. According to the Saon people, that meant that he could start math 65 now! (I need a big eyed smiley.)
He went on to get 5 out of the next 10 correct...which translated into starting math 76...now! A fourth grade child taking math 76!

Well, I knew that wasn't going to happen. So I started looking into the programs. Checking out websites. Would Singapore be better? What about Right Start? A friend recommended math-U-see. Another said that the boys needed Singapore.

Then my darling ZooDad...who is a pure genius of the obvious...said, "Why not just keep in in what he's been using? Obviously, it got him where he is."

Clunk. Skreeeeeeeeech
That was my running mind getting hit and slamming on brakes.
Obvious answer.
If his current math has him ready for Math 76 now. I'm sure he'll be ready for pre-algebra in 3 more years. So that eliminates any need to switch boats early.

See this is why I need my hubby around and not traveling. He needs to put the brakes on my brain more often and help me track down escaped hamsters.* So now, I'm right back where I was originally. With my 4th grade MCp book. I will try to be content. try.

*Don't worry Jacqui. The renegade rodent has been rounded-up and is not safely ensconced in his plastic home. You can safely come over. I still want you to bring the math-u-see...just in case. (hee, hee, hee)

Phone call with ZooDad

ZooDad has two favorite restaurants. Both are all-you-can-eat. These are not your normal style of AYCE places. Not these are upscale. One is a beef place. The other is a seafood place.

He ate at the seafood place last night. He said he had 3 lobsters. 3 whole lobsters.

Later on in the course of the conversation:

ZooDad: "You wouldn't like this place. It was seafood only. No freshwater fish at all. In fact the only fish on the menu was some fish I couldn't pronounce."

Me: "Tilapia?"

ZD: "yes...that's it. How did you know? That's what everyone at the table said when I told them the same thing."

Me: "Just a guess."

ZD: "So how does everyone know about this fish and how do they know that I can't pronounce it. What is it? The fish that morons can't say."


Silly man.
I can't believe he ate 3 lobsters. And no, he didn't eat any tilapia

Who came up with Meme?

Here's one from Quiet Life

5 snacks I enjoy ...
Nestles' Treasures
Boiled peanuts
Hot fries
cold cereal...from the box
Cheesy bread

5 songs I know all the words to...
hmmmm....I know a lot of songs. Here's 5 that me make me think about ZooDad, who is away from home again.
Come away with me
Here without you
Love of a Lifetime
Every day
The Reason

5 things I would do with $100,000,000...
Build a no-kill animal shelter dedicated to my Daddy.
Build a house big enough for my mom to move in and have her own "place."
Dump a bunch of money in the boys' college plans
Set up a scholarship at my high school.
Take my family to Europe and Disney World. (How's that for a dichotomy!)

5 locations I would love to run away to...
England
Hawaii
Yellowstone
Grand Canyon
my own house... for a week with no obligations, cleaning, or errands.

5 things I like doing...
Going places with ZooDad and the boys.
Scrapbooking
Playing games (both board and video)
teaching my children
working with children

5 things I would never wear...
a thong bikini (you should be thankful)
a 10 Ft long scarf ala Dr Who
leg warmers
Anything worn by Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, or any other half dressed starlet.
platform shoes

5 recently seen movies I like...
National Treasure
Troy
Enemy of the State
Second Hand Lions
The Village

5 famous people I'd like to meet...
the President
Dr. Phil
JK Rowling
Rafi
David Letterman

5 biggest joys of the moment...
Freshly painted walls
4 sleeping heads
a clean house
empty laundry hampers
hydrangea blooms

5 favorite toys...
Game Cube
Cranium Caraboo
ZooDad
Sims 2
Clue (the boys crack me up with their guessing)

My Left Foot

It looks like I won't be the next Christy Brown. I am glad I have two good hands because my left foot is not healed.
I went to the bone doc today. Apparently, I have reached the outer time line for normal recuperation. My ankle should be just fine.

Well I can walk on it. I can even hop a little. I can not jump, walk quickly down stairs, run, jog, or kick.
Soccer season is starting soon. I kind of need to be able to do those things if I am going to coach A's team.

Hmmm.... the x-rays show no bone damage but that doesn't rule out cartilage damage yet.

I go back in 4 weeks. I also start PT again to try to get things worked out. If I am not 100% by that time, the doctor wants to talk about orthoscopic surgery

I will approach my renewed physical therapy with the utmost determination.
oh, yes.

The world's shortest personality test

You are dependable, popular, and observant. Deep and thoughtful, you are prone to moodiness. In fact, your emotions tend to influence everything you do. You are unique, creative, and expressive. You don't mind waving your freak flag every once and a while. And lucky for you, most people find your weird ways charming!

The World's Shortest Personality Test

You know...I keep my "freak flag" in the closet most of the time. It has frogs on it. Sometimes I hang it on the house as a landmark. As in, "Turn left and then my house is the one with the frog flag."
"The what.....?"
"Frog flag. And a green mailbox. You can't miss it

By the way

I'm very surprised that none of these homeschoolers got my literary reference on the Tweetsie post. Apparently, you have not read that classical tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff to your children.

You must be neglecting their little minds. LOL

Even my "I read nothing in high school. I played football." Husband quickly figured out why the kids wanted him to stand under the bridge while the goat walked over.

Shame, shame, shame.

So what should homeschoolers read?

I often read on the various homeschool boards about the "fine literature" that these homeschoolers' children are reading. And that they would never let their children read "twaddle" or at the very least, they would severely restrict it. That TV and video games are out. That these inappropriate TV and games that are available to others...Shouldn't be. And that the kids do school year round with minimal breaks because every moment should be a teaching moment.

Hmmmmmm........
Wow.

We've been off for the summer. I'm probably one of the few homeschoolers I know who just lets her kids veg like mushrooms all summer long. Heck, I don't even wait until summer. We started this in May. LOL
The boys play video games (including the Sims...but only the Pet shop version), drag out toys (non-educational ones), play outside, and lay around. My only rules are: you have to do your chores, you have to bathe and get dressed, and no Gamecube before breakfast. You can read if you want, but I'm not going to make you.

By the end of July, the boys are begging to start their new books and to visit the bookstore and library. They get bored with veging and want to get back to work.

I caved and took then to B&N on Tuesday. M picked up a Magic Tree House book. (He's 6.) and J (age 9) picked out the first of a series about Owls. I read it. It's like Redwall but shorter and with owls instead of mice. Both children have finished their books.
It's Thursday morning.

This is why I hate buying books. They go through books like water. (Says the woman who read the last paperback she picked up, in three days.) It's like a waste of money. But I'm forced to since our library doesn't have many of these titles.

Books are actually my guilty pleasure. I wish I could say that I regularly pick up out the classics or works of fine literature.

I don't.

I love Anne Rice, both her vampire chronicles and the Witches of Mayfair.
I've read and re-read all of them. Right now I'm into Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mystery Series.
Alabama and Louisiana vampires. Too funny.

In this series, a vampire was the morgue attendant when Elvis died. You guess where this is going. The transformation was not that successful and "the King" is now known as "Bubba." Southern life, mystery writing, and vampires...it's a great mix.

I read what I like to read. I read twaddle. Yes, I have read many of the classics. Yes, I have read some of the great educational books. But that stuff can be pretty boring sometimes.
I'm looking forward to Mary Janice Davidson's book arriving this week so I can enjoy Undead and Unappreciated while ZooDad is gone next week.

Given my tastes in literature, why should I be surprised that my son is reading Charlie Bone and dragon books and books about Owls planning to overthrow a cruel tyrant. (That owl series is pretty good. I need to buy the next book so I can pre-read it. Oh yeah.)

So we aren't reading Homer and Don Quiote. We're reading. And we are choosing to read over all other types of entertainment. We're reading for the pure love of hearing the tale. And just because we're reading owl twaddle right now, doesn't mean we can't enjoy the great literature next month or next year.

What matters most to me right now is having boys that chose to read a book. And raising them to understand that reading and fun are not mutually exclusive.