Taggin' & Bottom Draggin'

It's official, I've been tagged! No, not by some animal rights group, but by my dear friend at http://southernsassiness.blogspot.com , JL. A week ago, I wouldn't have known what "tagging" was, but my friend has opened my eyes to the real world of blogging, and I am so excited. I have had entries for a while, but really didn't get what blogging was all about. Now, I am totally hooked! Well, here are some random facts. Mind you, I am not a very exciting person, so try not to fall asleep (I have a great story later on that you won't want to miss).

1. I am obsessed with decorating magazines. Seriously, like with candy corns, it is an addiction.


2. I had a job offer working for the Cowboys when I was trying desperately to get out of college. I decided to become a teacher and accept a lucrative contract there instead.


3. I can do the Moonwalk and the Worm (although NO ONE will ever see me do it). I am dying to lose weight so that I can force my husband to take dance lessons with me. No, not tap or ballet, but salsa, ballroom and/or swing. There is just too much to jiggle around as of this moment.


4. I LOVE to bake, but don't really like to cook.


5. I can wiggle my ears.


6. I use to work in a mental health hospital. I got a mean uppercut in the chin my very first week by a senior citizen when I was trying to empty his catheter.


7. At one time, I worked 2 jobs and went to school full time. It took me 7 1/2 years to get my degree. Let me clarify. 7 1/2 years to get my Bachelor's degree, not a PhD!

Now, here are the 7 people I have tagged. Their websites are amazing and I am sure that they have all been tagged at least 764 times, but I don't personally know many bloggers (yet). Please check out their websites and leave them a little note that you were there. Thanks!

1. http://thebigmamablog.com/ (This gal is freakin' hilarious!)


2. http://susieharris.blogspot.com/ (One of my decorating heroes!)


3. http://mindyourmanorsplease.blogspot.com/ (Great decorating ideas!)


4. http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/ (Again, decor galore!!!)


5. http://theinspiredroom.net/ (Amazing! Be sure to look at "Porches on Parade")
   
6. http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ (Great Tablescapes!)


7. and last but certainly not least... http://gracioussouthernliving.blogspot.com/ (One of my favorite Southern gals with great taste!)

Okay, now back to my favorite thing...decorating! Actually, sleeping is my favorite thing, but I can't do that and type at the same time and talk about boring! Anywho, in my picture of my pumpkin topiary on the front porch that I did a week ago, I realized that my pumpkins looked naked in the picture. I then realized that the berries had fallen.

Here is what it REALLY looks like.

Okay y'all, look at this pitiful thing. Yes, Big Ma' here broke the porch swing yesterday. Talk about embarrassing! In my defense, we really don't know the age of the chain, and we had been swinging on in all weekend (my littlest baby was really sick and the only thing that would soothe him was swinging, therefore, we swung for HOURS each day).

I do have to say that in the midst of this mess, the Lord protected us. My little one was actually sitting on my left side (the side that broke) only minutes before "the swing incident". Right before it happened, I really felt like I needed to put him on my lap. Now, mind you, he was perfectly content and not screaming at the moment, and I was almost afraid to move him for fear that we would begin the blood-curdling screamfest all over again, but I just had to. Well, thank you Jesus, is all I have to say, because if I hadn't moved him, he would have not only fallen to the cement, but Big Ma' would have flattened him like a pancake with her big ol' ba-donk-a-donk!

Okay y'all, here is history in the making!!! Yes, it is a hairband, and it is in C's hair. Wait, better yet, she kept it in the whole time at church! I had to get it on film. It is about as miraculous as the parting of the Red Sea. Oh, by the way, this is C's newest smile. Lovely isn't it. Notice the squint of the eyes. Perfect for photos, right? Oh well she is still darn cute. Between E's big cheesy grin & C's little squinty-eyed thingy that she is doing, won't the Christmas cards be wonderful!
Happy blogging!

Ode to a Candy Corn & 20 Fall Treasures

Ode to a Candy Corn

original prose by me

Oh, glorious candy corn

You are a delectible treat,

I am in pure ecstacy

Everytime we meet.

Your tricolored splendor

Knows no end

And I get carried away

And the nausea begins.

Oh candy corn, 'tis worth it all the suffering

For your utmost sweetness,

I long for you to fill my mouth with sweet,

And my knees with weakness.

Until we have our next encounter, my love,

I anticipate our meeting

For as sure as the sun sets in the west,

I will be yearning for your eating.

Okay folks, seriously, I have an addiction. I can't even keep them in my house. There is something about fall and candy corns that just makes me giddy! Speaking of fall, my "Sassy" friend had a list on her blog that had 20 Autumn Treasures (she took it from The Inspired Room - I have to give props) and I thought to myself, "Self, that is a great idea!" I need a little time to reflect on my blessings. I am not one of those people that throws a pity party when I get down in the dumps, but I do tend to forget how much the Lord has blessed me with and forget what I DO have. So...here is my "thankful list".

1. My wonderful husband who loves me despite my penchant for sweets and the few (well...a little more than a few) pounds that I have developed because of it.
2. My precious babies. They are the light of my life and they are perfectly healthy. My cup runneth over!
3. My wonderful country. I can praise and worship my Lord without fear and have the freedoms that many will, and do, die for.
4. My family. Father, mother, sister, and all others. I am so grateful that they give me unconditional love.
5. My church.
6. Our beautiful earth. What a glorious and thoughtful creation in perfect order!
7. The fall leaves on our red oak tree (and all others). Just breathtaking!
8. Football games. I know, I am crazy, but there is something about fall and football games.
9. Cozy blankets to curl up in on the couch.
10. No more reruns!
11. The crisp cool air (well, it will get here to Texas in about November..hurry!!!).
12. Honeybaked Ham. No Thanksgiving is complete without it. (Sorry Butterball!)
13. Christmas decorations going up (ohhhh, I can't wait!!! Get ready to go back up to the attic, honey!)
14. Swinging on the front porch. I love the way it creaks back and forth.
15. Playing outside at any time of the day
16. Layering. Seriously, I need to cover up this body as much as possible. Yeah fleece!
17. Rosy cheeks on my babies
18. Baking. Fall baking is the best!
19. The smell of spices (when baking)
20. Pumpkin ice cream!

Happy Fall Y'all

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL

My front door. I keep the door hanging year round. It is a mix of ferns, curly willow and some deep red flowers. It goes with everything (except my spring decor) and I just add a few sprays of berries, pumpkins, a few ornaments, etc. and it really looks cute!

I precariously have these just sitting on top of each other. I had a little shindig last night and I wanted to have it up, but didn't have a lot of time. Thank goodness no one touched it or they may have ended up with a big ol' boo boo. Yes, big ol' boo boo is a medical term.

This is the best picture I could take of my spare bathroom. The floral arrangement isn't my fave & I need to swap out the pink flowers for something more neutral, but I didn't have time. Any suggestions? I am going a little country/country-French-Pottery Barn/chic. Okay y'all...this is in the same spare bath in the water closet (A.K.A. the room with the pot...water closet is just a tad more sophisticated, so we will run with that one). The little picture above the "Wash your hands..Mom said so." sign is a Norman Rockwell picture entitiled "Day in the Life of a Girl". They also have one that is "Day in the Life of a Boy". Mine is M.I.A., so until it reveals itself, this little treasure is all by herself. I am also planning on putting a little shelf above the toilet to set the horse on and am on the lookout for some other little vintage toys. This bath doubles as a guest bathroom and my kid's bath, so it has to be cute enough for company, yet fun enough for kids. I just can't pull myself to do the cutesy rubber ducks for anything.

Lovely fan in the reflection, isn't it? Well, unfortunately, one MUST have a ceiling fan in every room here in Texas. Air circulation in my house is key. So, although not pretty, it keeps Big Ma' here from having that 18-year-old-boy-after-athletics look with full on pit stains.
Nevertheless, I kinda like this little vignette. I LOVE the ribbon on the little wreath, the precious little grinning pumpkin, and the fun letters that I printed on scrapbook paper and slipped in my candleholders. GO ME!!!

Okay, I love this little area, but I am not "in love" with it. I just couldn't quite get it tweaked during my candy corn induced fall decorating frenzy yesterday. Maybe it was the lack of nutrition but I just couldn't get it to work. I think it is okay. I will go browsing some other unsuspecting blogs and see if I can get some inspiration. By the way, I just have to put this out there...this piano is the thorn in my side. A dear friend of ours gave it to us, but (a) no one in our home knows how to play more that an annoying set of Chopsticks, and (2) it is just a very large dust collector. I have tried to give it away, but much to my dismay, my husband thinks it makes our home look "homey". Whatever...someone just learn how to play the cotton-pickin' (oh yeah, I said cotton-pickin') thing and make mama happy.

This is a precious little glass "thingy" (yes, another technical designing term...I know you are impressed). I have developed a small obsession with these, as well as apothecary jars. They are soooo incredibly versatile for every season and event. Oh yeah, I am loving the stacked pumpkins. They are kind of like a little miniature topiary. Now, I have to say that this little nugget of decor in my kitchen won't look that way for long. You see, candy corns and I have this little understanding...if you are a candy corn, I will eat you. I will eat all of your friends and relatives too. Hee hee.

This little guy is the cutest thing ever. I typically don't decorate with any Halloween themed decor because it gives me the heeby-jeebys (hey, that is the way I spell it, okay!). I don't do witches or scary jack-o-lanterns or skeletons. Soooo, I struggled with this one, but his charm won me over (much like my husband did). Anywho, I think he is just precious. I got him at a place in OK with my dear transplanted Texas friend (miss ya' girl!). By the way, she has a great blog (see my link to Southern Sassyness on the side).

I just threw this in here because I need help. Any suggestions on what to do with this thing. Within the next couple of months I plan on having three canvas pictures made with each of my kids and have them lined up underneath the saying (where the wrought iron is now). I am going to have them hanging by some pretty ribbon from decorative hooks. Until then, I need something. I tried a wreath over the top, but I couldn't make it work. Anything???

I feel as though I need to apologize for the quality, or lack thereof, of my photography. I was blessed with my first digital camera a couple of years ago from my sweet mother-in-law, but it just doesn't take that great of a picture. I am thrilled to have a digital after retiring the ol' dinosaur of a camera that I did have. Well, it was 8 years old at the time of it's death. That's like what, 287 is camera years. Anywho, until the day that I can splurge on the $800, sleek, sexy piece of equipment that I know will make me the next Ansel Adams, please bear with me and my slightly out of focus and poorly lit pictures.

Blessings from the Sticks!

It's soccer time!

My big "E" is playing soccer this season, and I have to say that I am quite a proud little mother hen. He has found his calling as a defensive player. He doesn't have blazing fast speed, and has recently found some aggression (a little too much every-now-and-then), so playing defense is definitely his bag. He is just as proud rejecting a shot out of the goal as he would be with a hat trick. Yeah, big ma' knows what a hat trick is. Here are some action shots. I know that all you big shot agents will want to go ahead and sign him, but I have to protect me precious little Beckham-to-be, so we'll talk in a few years. Enjoy!

Getting ready...

Jump back dude, it's MY ball!

Rejection!!!

Doesn't he look like as mean as a snake with those dimples? GRRRRRR. Get 'em tiger!

Fall faves

Okay Mother Nature, you heifer, I thought that you should know that I didn't appreciate the summerlike weather this morning! My eldest spawn had a soccer game and it was H-O-T, HOT! I wore my ever-so-stylish knit 3/4 sleeved knit hoodie (to cover my flabby upper arms and lovely mom-of-three tummy) and my hair down to airdry (no, not a fashion statement, but I had 3 kids to get ready and out the door...I do what I can) and I just about sweated (is that a word? Sweat didn't sound right.) to death. That takes a LOT of sweat, but I almost met the challenge. How dare you, I say, HOW DARE YOU! Anywho, I will give you another chance to redeem yourself. You may cool us off now and "thank you" in advance.

Now, to other more exciting things, like FALL! I love fall. I love fall. I love fall. Do you know what else I love? Fall. Yes, it is true. The cooler temps, the football games (don't anyone dare tell my football-obsessed husband that), the sweaters (actually sweats, but us southern gals can't really fess up to this less-than-lady-like fashion faux pas), the decorations, the food, the leftovers, the leftover leftovers. Oh, my little ol' mouth is just watering thinking about it. I love Thanksgiving and then the annual trek up to my overflowing attic to bring down the mountains of Christmas decor that will transform my home into a Winter Wonderland, even though we might be lucky to get only one little snowfall a year. Actually, it is more like a slushy, wet, icy messfall, but I digress.

Here are a few things that I came across that I would love to have the time to do (or purchase for) my home, if I had a bazillion dollars or I didn't have a kid, or 2, or 3 attached to me every single millisecond of the day. Ah, let me sit and ponder that little vision for a while........................okay, I am back.

Is this amazing? I LOVE it. I know that silk flowers are a huge decorating faux pas, but I don't think I could throw this out after all of the time it took to make. Also, how long would it last? I want that baby to last a good 2 months! What do you think? Are fake flowers a no no?

I love the cleanness of this one. Simple and elegant. I think that a beautiful piece of my Memom's silver would be perfect as a "vase" for the pumpkin & greenery. I might try this one. Looks easy enough and I think I have everything for it already. That is always a plus!

I think this one would be perfect on the front porch, in a big planter. You could even stack a few pumpkins with some fall leaves and berries between each layer and have this as the "topper".

Couldn't you just see yourself curled up underneath one of these chunky cable-knit throws in front of a fire? Too bad our entire family is allergic to the "fireplace". Every type of wood that we try to burn set us all into sinus infection mania.

Isn't this fun and organic. Oh, check me out & my oh-so-hip lingo... Anywho, I think I could possibly figure out this. Are these mandrin oranges or what? Anyone, anyone, Beuller?

Okay, love the candles, but could you possibly burn them? I mean, seriously...

Click here to visit the "Sticks"

Chicks in the Sticks Designs...where you can feather your nest

Yes, I finally got my little side project up and running again. I love to do anything that involves being creative. I have custom picture frames and napmat covers. I haven't had time to whip up many covers yet, but I have plenty of frames. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE doing it and have lots more ideas for other things to add to the website. Here is just an example of what I have on my website. I will be adding things as frequently as I can. Let me know what you think & by all means, pass it on!

Blessings,
Jenn (The Head "Chick")

Go Longhorns!

(My Red Raider husband would freak out if he heard me say that...SSHHHHH!! Don't tell!)

Yee haw!

Any good Texan MUST sell a cowboy frame!

Funky Christmas frame

...isn't this one FUN!

Polka Dot Madness

...my first napmat cover. I am thinking about adding a matching pillow cover.

I have several more that I am going to start working on such as: western (2 different colors - one with a blue backgroung and one that is black and red) and a fun green/pink/white girly one.

It is finally cooling off...for now anyway

It is almost fall! That or Mother Nature is punking us.

Yeah! It feels as though fall is finally upon us! I know better than to get out my oh-so-stylish velour sweatsuit (those are soooo 2007) and the footie pjs (for my kids of course), because I do live in Texas. It could be snowing on the front porch while we jump in the pool in the back. You never do know about it here!

Speaking of footie pjs up there in my last thought, don't you just love them? I can think of nothing better than snuggling up with my little ones with their sleepy eyes, messy hair that smells like baby shampoo with their little footie pjs on. That is just heaven. It is only supposed to get down to the upper 50s tonight, but don't you think that I didn't throw those little tootsies of theirs into those little pjs. YUMMY!!! I could just eat them up!

Went to my first physical therapy session today and the therapist basically told me that I am "jacked up". That is a medical term you know. Anyway, I am about to endure 4 weeks of therapy, but we are praying that it does the trick, otherwise, it looks as though I will be fileted like a salmon.
Still working on the napmats. I have decided to do a pillow cover as well and got my first 2 mat covers completed last night. I am trying to juggle that with planning my eldest son's birthday party and being curled up in the fetal position with my extra strength Vicoden.

Ethan's first lapbook

In our homeschooling, we are doing lapbooks. Lapbooks are a lot like scrapbooks. Don't worry, I am not passing on my obsession with my son. Lapbooks are legit. "Google them"- that is what Ethan would say. He is so hip. Anyway, we collect data, research our topic and record it in his lapbook. You have complete freedom to design it and record your information as you wish. It is wonderful! You can make tabs, or notecards, or graphs, or pictures, etc. Here, we are studying the 50 states of the U.S. and we have broken them down into 5 regions. Each region is a different color and he has included a key. Each state will get a little space on the lapbook and he can fill it with whatever data that he thinks is the most important. We will look at books, an atlas, the internet (with the teacher's/mom's permission and guidance), maps, and wherever else we can find information and record it. We will do vocabulary, spelling, color state flags, etc. At the end, he will have a hands-on, color, 3-D, interactive record of what he learned and can look back at it anytime he wants to. Of course, it is the perfect keepsake for me as well. Everyone wins!

The colored tabs will include facts about each of the southeast region's states. The 4 other regions will have information on the 4 flaps of the lapbook.

My visit to the quack shop, continued...

Okay, so here goes. My visit to the "neurologist" (I use quotes because that is what he called himself, but I seriously doubt anyone actually gave this guy a medical degree) went something like this:

Wait 1 hour for his office goons to verify insurance (something that should have been done before I even got there, but whatever...). Wait 1 more hour for the head goon, um, I mean Dr. Quack to grace us (Tyler was with me) with his presence. He then gives us this heartfelt apology (yes, there was meant to be a tone of sarcasm inflicted here) for taking so long and tells us that it is because, "a lot of patients had morning appointments and they just decided to show up this afternoon". HELLO!!!! Isn't that what an APPOINTMENT is for? ARG!!! Anywho, he then tells me that I have 2 herniated discs (isn't that what 93-year-old great-great-great grandmothers and professional atheletes have?) between the C5, C6 and C7 vertebraes. He then proceeds to tell me all about the glorious surgery that will "fix it". This is how he begin his conversation? Sure, that is some awesome bedside manner there partner. Let me give you the lowdown on this "quick-fix" of his. You enter from the front (by the way, front means through either your throat or chest, I never got the details), remove, I mean SCRAPE out the remaining discs, replace them with new "parts", fuse, yes, I said fuse, the vertebrae together, and I will be good to go. Sounds simple enough... NOT!!! Then Dr. Evil tells me, "Well, I hate to disappoint you, but you being so young (not a day over 27, of course), we will try some physical therapy first. Heat, cold, traction, etc.". At this point I am sure that I had a look of sheer amazement/confusion/horror/dumbfoundedness/disgust/disbelief/"fill-in-your-own-adjective" on my face. Is this my medication again? Am I in the Twilight Zone? "Why would I be disappointed with not doing surgery?" I asked. Seemed to be a pretty logical question, don't you think? "Oh, some older people come in and want to do surgery to just "fix it", and it does completely fix the problem. We can do surgery if you want to." Yes, I am not kidding. These are the college-educated words coming out of this man's mouth. Oh sure, and why don't you just do a labotomy, hysterectomy and appendectomy while you're at it, you know, for good measure. At this point I figure that he owes a butt-load of child support, or the wifey wants a new Jaguar. Either way, he ain't gettin' either.

After this very brief conversation, he is pretty much done with me. He has no desire to give me any more information, and it is like pulling teeth to get him to give me any direction as to what I should do. I ask about whether I put heat or cold on it, and he says "It doesn't matter...whatever you want". I ask about medication & whether I should stay on my brain-numbing painkillers, and he says "If you need it". After a few more questions, I realize that this man just plain doesn't care. "Go to your therapy and come back in 6 weeks and we'll see what we can do next." In other words, go to therapy, and then come back, we will filet you, scrape you out, weld you together and Mama gets her a new pair of Chrisitan Louboutins. Sure thing doc! Can you imagine how fast I ran out of that office? Needless to say, I will be going to therapy 3 times a week for the next 4 weeks then going to a TOTALLY DIFFERENT DOCTOR to follow up.

By the way, if you know of any good neurologists, let me know.

My visit to the quack shop and other daily activities here in the sticks

This is a nap mat cover that I made for Caroline. The floral/bird pattern looks almost exactly like a Pottery Barn bedding set that is out now. I just bought some new fabrics and am going to add them to my etsy website when I get it all together. What do ya' think? This particular one is way cuter in person. This one has been rolled around, stomped & slobbered on, thrown around in "Marge" (my Suburban..A.K.A. Large Marge) and basically any other form of abuse that a 2-year-old can inflict on such an object. It has held up surprisingly well. I think that with each napmat I sell, I can give it the "Caroline seal": strong enough to hold up to the thrashing, gnawing and deep-sleep drooling of any toddler, yet soft and gentle enough to have peaceful sweet dreams on. HA!
Here are my precious boys. I have to say, I think they are quite cute.
Wyatt has started gnawing on the spoon at dinner. It just bobs around until he giggles and it falls out. It is much more enjoyable than it sounds. Ah, the simply joys of motherhood!
Cookies...me love cookies!!!

Okay, I will have to tell you about my visit to the Neurologist later. I typed it all out, and I erased it. Of course it was filled with witty comments and insight, but you will just have to wait with breathless anticipation until I can retype it. I have Subway waiting on me downstairs. Food always trumps blogging. Sorry my peeps!

YES, I THINK I AM DYING...NO, IT IS JUST MY MEDS...

Yes, that's me up there. Frazzled Mom is the name, cell phone, sticky note and baby juggling is the game. Well, maybe not juggling...for a while anyway. Here's the downlow - I have a protruding disk. Sounds like a malfunction of the CD player, but my dear little friends, it is much more painful. In fact, let me tell you how painful.

IT FEELS LIKE A FLIPPIN' MACHETE IS SHOVED IN MY SHOULDER 24/7!!!!!!

I still don't know if that is quite an accurate description, but it is close. So, I get to go to the ol' neurosurgeon tomorrow and figure out how we are going to shimmy this bad boy back in place so that I don't go and throw myself in front of a truck (although it might be less painful). I am on some mega honkin' pain killers that, I would say are wonderful, but they really aren't. Where is the good stuff, I ask? Rather than feeling all dippy trippy, I feel a little like my normal self but with arms that tingle and absolutely NO grasp on what is going on. Where am I? What am I doing at this machine? Who am I? Oh yeah, I am back again. Seriously folks, what in the world do they put in that stuff? Happy pills, I think not, more like crazy pills (no offense to those with true mental illness, I use to work at the local state hospital and I truly feel your pain...).
Well folks, I have to go and toss and turn all night while my hand falls asleep and my arm feels like I am having a stroke. Good times!

I sure miss this room!

My little girl's room has had a big overhaul in recent months. We had to move in our little man and the pink room was giving him a complex. I will post updated pics of the new "gender neutral" room soon, but I am feeling a bit melancholy on this dreary-almost-fall-but-still-feels-like-summer day in Texas.

This was my favorite room in the house (sniff, sniff, tear).


By the way...

I officially have the most horrible pain, aside from labor, ever in my life. It has been going on for over a week and I have been to the chiropractor twice, the doctor, am on a pain-killer, muscle relaxer and steroid (in other words, I am a beefed up, mellowed out, high-as-a-kite version of my normal self). Actually, I only wished I felt that good. Had an x-ray and going for MRI today. What in the world is going on?

All of that being said, I am chomping at the bit to get my fall decor down and get it up! Considering that I can hardly move, and when I do, I feel like I am about to break in apart at the seams, I don't think that it will be happening anytime soon. I don't know why, but my husband doesn't think that pulling down all 1,235 boxes of fall decor from the attic is all that important right now. WHAT?! Where are his priorities?

Daddy's big, uh hum, helper...yeah, that's it!

"Anything you can do, I can do better...."

So, my poor husband can't go outside without his little helper anymore. As soon as Caroline hears the roar of the Husqvarna (yeah, I do know how to spell it...anyone impressed?), she shrieks, "I help Daddy mow!!!" and proceeds to dart out the back door. She rides on the "loud" mower for as long as Daddy can feel his legs, and then we whip out the ol' standby pushmower to get the last wee bits that need special TLC. This time, Caroline pulled out her "mower" and went everywhere he went. You go girl!

If only child labor laws weren't so darn strict...

Cute random picture

Ethan's first day of homeschool. Doesn't he look smarter already? I think his exact words after I took this picture were, "I'm bored". Seriously, I couldn't tell...

Let the games begin...

Okay, drumroll please, our first official day of homeschool was today. How was it, you ask? Well, thanks for asking and I will say, it was not as I thought it would be. I thought it would be, well, let me just paint you a picture....

Scene 1: (Harps playing in the background)

Mother, er um, teacher seemingly glides in like Mary Poppins, only in her Sunday best, and her pearls. Her son, eagerly awaits her instruction, and is full of bliss as he happily works on the perfectly planned lessons that his mother, um, I mean teacher has so thoughtfully prepared. They share wonderful times together as they work as a team. He is ever so grateful for all of the time and thought his teacher has put into his lessons, and thanks her over and over again. What a wonderful, fulfilling, fun-filled day of learning! The son thanks his mother/teacher endlessly and says that he can't wait for tomorrow's lessons. He gives his teacher a hug, a kiss on the cheek, and hops on his Schwinn to play a game of marbles down the street with Charles and Catherine.

Okay, REALITY CHECK...here is the real scoop.

Scene 1: (Middle child screeching in the background. Youngest child has crawled under the table and is eating Lord-knows-what. Son of teacher is still in pajamas and teacher is exhausted already)

Mother, er um teacher aims to get "class" started by 9:00. Begins at 10:00 after 30 minutes of yelling at son to "get yourself in here, NOW!". Teacher realizes at 10:01 that this is not what she had bargained for. By 11:00, we have one assignment half-finished because middle child won't leave eldest child alone, youngest child can't be found because he has learned to hide "Navy Seals" style, and eldest child is already bored out of his mind. By the end of first day mom is frazzled, discouraged, has lost an earring, needs Valium and a vacation, son/student is totally bored and is ready to "do some fun stuff", middle child/daughter is about to be put on Craigslist under "free stuff", and youngest child is delighting in the fact that he can now open all of the kitchen cabinets, make a symphony with the pots and spoons, unprogram anything that has a remote, and has eaten half his weight in day-old cheerios from under middle child's booster.

Mother re-evaluates the lesson plans and decides that she thinks this might be a bigger challenge than she thought...Mother then takes her Vicoden and blogs for therapy.

HELP ME!!!

Big changes in the Moore household...

or should I say, in Moore Elementary. Yes, you heard it right. We have decided to homeschool Ethan. After one glorious, and event-filled week in the public school system, we have brought him home to be "learned". Uh oh, is he in trouble! I jest...no, Ethan and I are both unbelieveably excited on our new adventure. For those of you who are shaking your head wondering why we would pull him out of a perfectly good school system, knowing that you went to public school and you turned out okay (well, are you sure about that...HA!), are reeling about the affects on his social skills or lack thereof, and think that he will be placed in this little bubble to never be seen, nor heard from again, let me say:

1. We have prayed long and hard about this decision and it wasn't just a whim. We have actually been considering it for several years.
2. We want to incorporate Christian values and Biblical knowledge into his curriculum and simply can't afford Christian private school tuition.
3. We feel as though a 1:1 teacher student ratio is just a tad better than the 1:18 ratio he was receving in his elementary school.
4. Who knows his learning style & personality better than his parents? We can pinpoint which curriculum will be best suited for him, and work at our own pace.
5. If you haven't researched homeschooling resources lately, you will be astonished at how far it has come. We will be taking many field trips, classes at the local co-op, and lots of hands-on projects.

These are just a few reasons that I had time to post. I know that homeschooling isn't the "norm", but it is right for us. I have always felt as though the Lord led me to get my teaching degree for something other than teaching at a public school. I never could reason why I would spend 7 1/2 years struggling to get through college only to teach for 2 years. I belive wholeheartedly that this is the reason. I can teach my own children what I want, and in the manner that the Lord sees fit. I don't want my children to learn how to put on a condom in the 6th grade, or that evolution is a fact and "intelligent design" is a theory. I want my children to see the beauty that God has put all around us as His.

I am not opposed to public school and I don't think that children are doomed in the public school system. I think that the teachers are in a terrible position having to teach all levels in their classroom. They try the "integration" approach and it is wonderful for the lower level students because it forces them to push harder. That is all well and good, but what about the other students? I'll tell you what happens, the upper level students get left to fend for themselves. The teachers simply don't have the time to spend with them to help them reach their full academic potential. They are either given busywork, or get bored and in trouble.

I feel as though God has blessed me with the ability, the tools, the support, and the desire to do this for our children, and I am going to take the full opportunity to do it until we are led to do otherwise. I want to pour as much truth into my kids for as long as I can. They are bombarded enough with negative influences even with us being very mindful of what they do, what they watch and listen to, and who they are around that I want to shield them from as much of it as I can and introduce thing when and how we deem is appropriate. I don't want my kids to be naive, but I don't want them to be too wordly too soon. My children don't need the 'birds and the bees' talk when they are 7. Yes, a friend of ours has had to have that discussion with her 7-year-old because of some things she was coming home with that she heard on the playground. 7-YEARS-OLD!!! I want their innocence to stay with them for as long as I can, and I make no apologies about it.

Okay, off of my soapbox, it is time to get to work, I mean school. I'll let you know more about it later. Wish me luck!