Ok, time to fess up.

I am a planning junkie.

Yes, it is true. I love to plan. I don't love the follow through so much. But I love to organize, and schedule, and lay out the most grandiose plans.
I've been this way all my life.
Even as a little girl, I organized my Crayolas in the box. Sometimes alphabetically. Sometimes by spectrum.
I organize the laundry. ZD gets tickled when he sees a pile of underwear and shirts sorted by color: white, brown, and tan.
The calendar on the fridge is set up by person. My email inbox is color coded and automatically sorts into different folders. The pantry is organized by type of food and who eats it. The main cooking stuff is at my eye level. The snack foods are at kid height. ZD's odd stuff is above my head since I won't touch it anyway.

So right now I am in my "most wonderful time." It's time to plan for school. And boy am I planning. I have spread sheets and book lists. I have notebooks and dividers and more office supplies than I can possibly use. I am one busy chick, overwhelmed and craving more at the same time.

But part of me is starting to doubt my "planning" ways. I'm starting to think I should put the energy into the "doing" instead of the planning. I know, I know, it's blasphemy. But I'm just entertaining the idea.

Maybe this year.....I'll just figure out the very bare bones what what needs to happen and by when. Then I'll just wing it. (I heard that snort from someone who knows me IRL. I can wing it. I can.)

So what do you do to get ready for the school year....even if you don't home school. How do you prepare? Do you plan out each week? Do you have a monthly goal? Do you just do whatever comes next? Do you decide over morning coffee?

And does planning cause you stress or does it alleviate it? (Or does it do both?)

Well Trained Men

It was my Happy Birthday today.

I went to eat at our favorite family place.
The boys made me brownies....by themselves.
And I got this because I have always wanted one.

ZD laughed because after we purchased it, the bag was first put into a cloth drawstring bag and then in a shopping bag. It was a bag in a bag in a bag. I'm kind of scared to use it. It may stay inside the bag in a bag.

And I now have M&M's, skittles, Fudge Stripe Cookies, chocolate truffles, and chocolate covered caramels here in the house. Very good.

The incedent....as the boys are calling it.

thump,thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.
That's the sound of Sam running up the stairs. I hear that sound 20 or more times each day.

Today it was followed by a house shaking "Boooooooom!" and then various crashing sounds and a faster thump,thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump of Sam running back down the stairs.

WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?!
The tiniest little Zoo dude says rather unemotionally, "Something fell."

Yeah..."something" did. I walked upstairs to find the older boys' room completely destroyed. A four foot tall dresser lay knocked over in the middle of the room and laying flat on it's front. A 6 foot tall bookcase lay leaning against it. All the contents of both pieces of furniture were strewn everywhere and covered with pine bedding to add further insult.

And then....a very scared hamster crawled out of the rubble.

Sam is fine, thankfully. Either piece could have hurt him terrible. The story so far is that he was climbing up the dresser drawers to get a Nerf gun. The dresser started tipping so he grabbed the bookcase. The dresser is one of those 6 drawer jobs so it weighs a lot. If he had gotten pinned under it, he would have ended up in the hospital. Rooms can be cleaned up but little boys (and tiny hamsters) are a little harder to fix.

As it stands he gets to spend the day on the couch watching the new and is banned from his brothers' room. The hamster is waiting patiently in a bucket while his owner cleans up the disaster left by Hurricane Sam.

I would like to share with you....

the unconscionable crimes that my husband has committed this week.
Just to get you up to speed, the boys have been down on the farm for the past week.

The first day they were gone, a lady hit my van. She just didn't see me and decided that she needed to be in the left-turn lane. Unfortunately, I was in left-turn lane.
$975 worth of damage. No one hurt though.
So the week was got off to a grand start. Then the PMS began.

Night 1: dealing with the wreck.
Night 2: I discover that ZD has eaten the last of the chocolate pudding.
Night 3: I discover that ZD has eaten all of my Fudge Stripe Cookies.
Night 4: I discover that ZD has eaten all of the chocolate ice cream and left the counter, blender, and cabinets all chocolately.
Night 5: I find an empty box of fudgecicles in the freezer. (Hmmm...it was not empty when the boys left.)
Night 6: I discover that there is absolutely no chocolate in the entire house but there are plenty of healthy fruit strips and fat free snacks.

I haven't killed him yet. But I am considering a padlocked cabinet for my chocolate.

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Party edition

That's a cake of two monkeys on a surfboard.
Soggy boys.
Superman!
The other Superman!

Seven and five. I don't know how that is possible

Tour de Kitchen

Recently, there was a thread about kitchen on WTM. I wanted to share our little spot here with y'all.
So grab a mug of coffee and settle in for the tour. Lunch will be ready soon and then we'll have some fresh bread.

First of all, our house was built in 1984. So it's got some dated issues but we've done some things to try to drag the house into at least the 90's without breaking our budget.

Here's the green thing, formerly known as the yellow thing. I painted it to match our green cabinets. But it just didn't look right. So I painted the top of the buffet and the hinges black then replaced the white knobs with black ones. I really like the effect and it was cheap. Those curtains are also low budget. I bought the rods on sale and then spray painted them black. I bought the ring clips to match. I made the curtains myself with fabric I got on an end of bolt discount and then 40 % off that price. I think I paid about 5 dollars per yard for the heavy canvas fabric. The whole look took no time and I can easily change it out if I want to.

Here's my buffet. On top: the baskets that ZD sent me from Bosnia. Top shelf: My green glass that I adore so much, plates that my MIL painted just for me, and a few of my favorite frogs. My goal is to hang these plates on the back of the hutch instead of having them lean on the plate rail. Second shelf: More baskets, my tart warmer of the day, an aluminum bowl I bought at an auction, my cake plate (sans cake at the moment) and a set of nesting bowls that are the most used dishware in the whole house.
Back door and the first glimpse of the cabinets that we painted. These used to be baaaaaaad 80's brown. You know the brown I'm talking about. A a few coats of paint and new hardware and they look a lot better. In fact, the new paint makes my ugly laminate fake butcher block counter tops look almost good. Our future plans include adding new moulding on the cabinets, adding bead board to the ends of the cabinets, and putting in under cabinet lights. I'd love to also cover the back splash with inexpensive tile or the metal sheets. And maybe one day....maybe...replace the counter tops. I don't see that happening any time soon. But look how good my new floor looks with everything else! I love my floor. I could not have picked a better material for our life.

That door way leads to a wide hallway that is our utility/laundry space. There is also another closet right around that corner where my baking supplies are kept. And you can see my other homeschool mom accoutrement's: a bread machine (in the process of making bread) and my Kitchen Aid mixer.

Ok, standing at the back door and you can see that lunch is almost ready. We're having burgers today. I wish I had more counter space in this kitchen. I have so much that has to stay out. Everything gets used almost daily. You can also see the one cabinet that makes no sense. See the bottom one on the right side of the stove? Notice how it opens.....I have no idea why it opens that way. Oh...that glass on the counter holds some flowers that Sam picked for me. I have a little bid vase that my MIL painted just for little boy flowers, but Sam thought these needed something bigger.
Ok, facing out the way you came in. Here's the fridge, the cabinet that I cannot access without a step stool, my calendar, the Leap Frog letters and a couple of doors. The door to the right is our pantry and that hall leads to our dining room/school room. (Which is painted the same color as our kitchen cabinets.) The other door is the infamous under-the-stairs-closet that holds school supplies and doubles as our tornado hidey-hole.

So that's it. That's the place. I hope you've enjoyed the tour.

Another good reason to homeschool

When oldest boy got his mouth full of brackets and wire, the desk person at the orthodontist office scheduled his next check-up.

"That will be August 11th, it's the first day of school," she asked hesitantly. I told her sure since we homeschooled, it really didn't matter.

She looked up at me quite happily, "Oh, we love homeschoolers. It is so easy to work them into the schedule. Everybody wants a late afternoon appointment but homeschoolers will come in any time."

Glad to be of help in balancing out the appointment book.

Metal Mouth

Jacob got his braces yesterday. Well, he got part of the final system that he will wear for the next two years. He now has brackets, wires, and some metal bands on his molars.
Tomorrow he has to have two baby teeth pulled... I'm sorry "extracted." Then he goes back in August for heavy duty wires and more brackets before getting the big spring things attached in September.

He chose orange bands (his favorite color) on his brackets and for about 2 hours he was thrilled with getting braces.
Until it was lunch time. Then he discovered that eating with braces really hurts. For the past two days he's eaten, pudding, spaghetti-o's, soup, and a lot of applesauce.
He's also brushed his teeth 5 times and flossed twice. And....I'm proud of this one...he remembered to not chew the ice from Sonic.
I feel for him since I love some Sonic ice. (When I win the lottery, I am buying a restaurant grade ice machine that makes the ice like Sonic's.)

But he hasn't complained much. This morning he asked for Tylenol. And he did grump around after spending half a hour flossing this morning.
His orthodontist would be quite proud of him. I wish I could say that I would be as well behaved.

More Cakes

I haven't posted cakes in a long time. Here's a couple.

First up, Jacob's 12th birthday cake. He turned 12 right before the Chinese New Year so we rang in the Year of the Rat a little early.

Those are very bad representations of the Chinese characters for 'rat' along with Chinese keys and a yin-yang symbol. Along with 12 little fondant rats.
ZD thought that they looked a little too realistic. I made them all by hand. 12 little rats that the party guests fought over. I had to split them. Each kid got half a rat and the birthday boy got a whole one.

Ugh!

But the inappropriate cake-ness doesn't stop there. (Or it didn't start there.) Way back in October, Matthew had a Halloween Costume party complete with an

EYE CAKE! See my little Harry Potter look-alike and the flaming eye.
And then we cut that eye open and it bloomed like on of those onions at Outbacks. That's some yummy goodness right there.

a pricing question

Let's say you signed your kids up for a science class taught by a former public school teacher who was now a homeschool mom. This particular homeschool mom has a degree in biology and organic chemistry and a secondary education degree.
She also taught at well-known (in the area) science education center, developed activities for the US Forest service, and was a trained Star Lab, Project Wild, and AIMS instructor.
Let's just say that she can teach some science.

Also say that said homeschool mom was offering science classes out of her home for small groups. (6 students per class) And she planned to teach three different groups K-2, 3-5, and 6-8th. These classes would be 3 times a month and 12 classes per semester. Classes would last 1 hour and 15 minutes and the price would include materials and handouts. The 6-8th grade classes would follow an actual textbook but the homeschool mom is not the biggest believer in science textbooks even when she was a PS teacher.

Bottom line...how much would you pay for these classes?

Patrick Henry

March 23, 1775

No man, Mr. President, thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.
Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.
I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House. Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled that force must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us: they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging.
And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves. Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne! In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free — if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending — if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained — we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!
They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable — and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.
It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace — but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

If Patrick Henry were here today, almost 7 years after September 11...he would be horrified by most of the politicians today.

If you ask the soldiers who are fighting this war if they want the "peace" that most of our politicians want....they would answer no.

They want others to know freedom...not peace. Peace is easy. Peace is cheap. Peace is attained by selling out. Freedom is more complicated. Freedom is worth life.