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Homeschooling and Homework

I love homeschooling. Really, I do! I also love the fact that my older children who are now in public school still don't mind coming to me for help with their homework. However, sometimes, I just want the day to end sooner rather than later, you know? After homeschooling all morning, then hitting the books with the older ones, sometimes I feel like that is all I do!

But then there are days like yesterday. We go so much done during the day and I was just itching to be done. I knew B-Boo wanted some help with her English. I also knew her Health teacher had given them an assignment that they were supposed to do together with their parents. In addition, the high school boy had a book that needed to be read and so I agree to read it to so that we could discuss it and he'd actually remember what he read and pass the test on it next week!

We finally all settled down on our California King Size bed…the boy on the right, me on the left and B-Boo at the end…and dad at the desk in the corner.

The health project was on figures of speech that have to do with anger. We could only think of a few and needed more, so the four of us were racking our brains. Finally, mom and dad ended up on Google. This of course, led to so many hysterical figures of speech that we spent the next 30 minutes laughing at who comes up with these!

Once we calmed down, we moved onto the book (a biography of Beethoven) and the English assignment. Once B-Boo came up with a topic, "The Apprentice," we had some fun conversation between "Did you know…" about either Donald Trump, The Apprentice or Beethoven!

Before we knew it, we'd made it through the homework and had fun while doing it. (Not to mention some great family time!)

I went to bed last night feeling privileged instead of punished and am actually looking forward to what tonight might bring!

Whew! What a week!

It's been a crazy week, that's for sure! I'd say it really started to take a turn by Thursday morning. Thursday started off with B-Boo's school being in complete lock down. There were police cars and FBI everywhere. The nice FBI man with the sharpshooter explained to me that I shouldn't worry, the students were safe, they were just being cautious because the man was in the neighborhood. Ok, well that made me feel much safer, especially given the fact that I live in the neighborhood! That prompted an immediate phone call to my husband to lock the doors as there was a gunman on the loose in our neighborhood. I then quickly drove home with the youngest in the van with me. We made it safely home, ran inside and turned on the news. NOTHING.

By this time, B-Boo was texting me to let me know that a teacher had been shot in the hand and that were in lock down and it wasn't a drill. (I think I knew that from the amount of police outside the school). She stayed in touch while we got nothing on the news. Finally, she said that they were out of lock down and allowed to go to their classes. And the culprit? Well, apparently it was an older man shooting pigeons in his yard with a pellet gun! A neighbor had called 911 to report someone shooting and it went downhill from there! There wasn't a teacher shot, but she had hurt her hand and needed stitches from an unrelated incident.

Shortly after we found out B-Boo was safe, I received a phone call from the vet. Joey, our little pup that has been losing his hair was determined to have ringworm. He has no lesions, but the culture came back positive. The vet determined it is a mild case, but we still have to bathe him in special shampoo and disinfect everything. Oh hurray. So, off to the vet first thing on Friday morning we were to go.

Meanwhile, that evening B-Boo had an hair appointment with the fabulous cut and color man for her birthday gift. By the time we got home, I was pooped and headed straight to bed…well, after helping B-Boo finish her homework anyway.

Friday was B-Boo's 14th Birthday! I can't believe she's 14! I remember when she was born. Boy, these kids grow up so fast, don't they? Anyway, after taking her to school, I got the kids ready for their day…by helping me take the dogs to the vet. Dr. Ceballos gave Joey a good lookover, gave them their shots, handed us the shampoo and away we went. After I dropped the kids off I went to get the food for the slumber party that night…10 teenage girls..woo hoo!

I made it back from everything just in time to grab a quick bite and head out to pick up B-Boo! We had planned a picture scavenger hunt at the mall for a couple of hours after school. That's when we discovered B-Boo's camera was broken! Oh man! We headed out early to grab some of her friends, then ran by Costco to see if we could replace the camera.  No such luck, but hey, we tried. Luckily, one of her friends had grabbed their camera, so we were able to do the scavenger hunt.

IMG_2403

S for Sunglasses

We headed home to some amazing pasta and Alfredo sauce that dear hubby had made, as well as lasagna, Caesar salad, and a chocolate fountain. YUM!

After gifts and card games, we grabbed the crew and headed out to the park for a late night game of flashlight tag! Ok, it took us three parks before we could find a dark enough place, but it was fun! Well, it was cold…but it was fun! Hubby and I supervised the madness in the middle of the night while they ran around. I know some people would think we were nuts, but you know…I think God gave us so many children so that we can remember moments like this! I pray that my children will remember them, too! We headed home about midnight, went through the pictures from the scavenger hunt, passed out the fuzzy posters for the girls to color and then headed to bed!

Saturday morning I got up and made 3 batches of pancakes while the girls helped cook them and make sausage to go with it. Also made some great gluten free blueberry muffins for Jonathan!

We knew we had to get the garage cleaned so that we could move the furniture into the garage and other living room. The carpet cleaning guy is arriving bright and early Monday morning to get rid of those ringworm spores! Anyway, B-Boo's remaining friends came out and joined us in the garage and we kicked it out in no time at all! It didn't even feel like work!

Today we finally finished moving all the furniture and vacuuming the entire house! Whew! I can finally go to bed and spend some quality time with my computer!

You know, it was a crazy week, but I learned a few things, too!

One: I have a pretty cool husband! That man will do just about anything to make his family happy, even if it includes baking the birthday girl dinner, moving furniture so we can clean up after the dogs, and going to the park with 14 teenagers to play flashlight tag in the middle of the night! Really, I couldn't ask for much more than that!

Two: I have a pretty good life! I don't have fancy furniture or a fancy house, but I do have plenty of room to run around and I don't have to worry about anything being broken. I have a warm, inviting home that my children know their friends are welcome in anytime they ask.

Three: My children have some pretty great friends! While at the mall, a couple of my older sons friends saw me…and instead of pretending they didn't see me, they came over gave me a hug.  B-Boo's friends weren't asked to help clean out the garage; they just saw the need and volunteered.

And four…well, I'm not sure what more I could add! Great home, great hubby, great kids…what more could I ask for?

The Blessings of Friendship

The other night three of my best friends and I went out for dinner and a show (Phantom of the Opera) in a late celebration of my big 40.  While we were there, one of them commented on how different each of my friends are. I’ve been pondering this over the past couple of days, reflecting on friendship.

Several years ago, I remember praying and asking God to bring me a really close friend. You know, the kind that is always there. The one that you have everything in common with and do everything with. Not long after, God brought a wonderful woman in my life. Our husbands got along great; our children were the same age and gender! We spent some wonderful times together over the next couple of years. We never fought, we were together all the time and we were there for one another. Then, something changed. I’m not really sure what happened, but things changed. All of a sudden, everything was so different. I remember the two of us having a tear filled *goodbye* of sorts as we realized our friendship had become a thing of the past.  I was heartbroken. I had thought that she was the friend that I had prayed for and I was apparently wrong.  We still talked, but not every morning. We saw each other now and then, but we weren’t together all the time. Things just…changed…and we grew apart.  It wasn’t until her husband became seriously ill that our friendship took a serious turn for the better and grew into something more…and then she moved away. 🙂

But, in the time between the struggle and the illness, God showed me that He had other plans for the women in my life; one to fill each area of my needs in friendship. He brought forth friendship in a way that I’d have never dreamed and only He could fulfill.

The first was a sweet, sweet person who was already there. I was just so busy looking for that perfect friend from God that I couldn’t see what He’d already blessed me with.  We really don’t have a lot in common and we’re about as opposite as you can get. We grew up in two totally different lifestyles. She grew up in a strong, Christian background with what seemed to be the picture perfect life. All planned out and according to plan; college, career and then children. One of the sweetest women you’ll ever know; the kind that always puts a smile on your face and can make you laugh at anything.

I grew up camping almost every weekend and never went to church. I didn’t graduate from college, didn’t have a career,didn’t find my Savior until I was 22, had a ton of kids, and was a stay at home mom who home schooled.

And yet, from the moment we met, we’ve never stopped talking. She’ll pray for me, lift me up, hold me accountable, and make me laugh. I think for those few years when she was working and I was at home and our lives were so different that I thought maybe I needed more. I was wrong.  Our friendship has lasted 16 years now and is such a blessing to me.

Then there’s my short little Jewish friend. She’s so vastly different than anyone I know. She’s a teacher in a small charter school, but has her masters and is so smart and educated I’d never be able to comprehend all that she knows. She sports a short, spiked hair cut that always has some shade of purple or pink to it. She’s got spunk and isn’t afraid to show it! Our friendship spans 10+ years now. We met when our daughter’s were in gymnastics together. I’d probably have to say that our friendship made a turning point when my husband and I went through a time of great trial while battling to keep my niece from a drug infested home. Throughout those few years she was a constant source of strength for me. When I didn’t think I could go on, she was there to physically lend a hand, even if it meant taking one of my children to work with her!  Our’s is a spontaneous friendship. We don’t generally have a lot of time to plan, but we work well to just jump in and have at it! We can look at each other and know what the other is thinking and make a strong force when we stand together. Our faiths are so different, yet we’ve managed to have amazing discussions on our differences and pray for and hold each other up despite them. We’ve spent nearly every holiday together for several years now and she is so much more than just a friend.

Last year, I had the pleasure of working with her for nine months as her Teacher’s Assistant. This was, by far, one of the hardest, most exhausting, yet funnest times of my life. It definitely gave me a whole new sense of just what my friend was about and I will treasure it for years to come!

My Always friend, ME, My little Jewish friend

And then there’s my other friend. We’ve known each other for about seven years now.  I’d say out of the three of them, this is the one I have the most in common with. We both have five kids and a madhouse most days! I’ll admit I didn’t like her much the first time I met her, but she kind of grows on you! She’s another one that is just there for you through thick and thin. Our daughter’s competed together in gymnastics. She’s the one that would take my allergic daughter with her whenever I needed…and she wasn’t afraid to do it! My youngest daughter has severe food allergies; fatal allergies to peanuts. Most of my friends are afraid to take her on and I can’t say that I blame them. She’s also high strung and fearless, which doesn’t help. When my friend above was helping me with my niece (who was a challenge enough in those days!), this friend would just grab my daughter and take her with her wherever she went. I can’t express how thankful I am for that. She understands my drama queen and relishes her rather than trying to escape from her!

Unfortunately she moved a couple of years ago. That was hard, but even then, God had bigger plans that we couldn’t have begun to see! We mostly stay in touch through text messaging, but we stay together. Last fall, when our older daughter was very sick, we had to take her out of state to a specialist for surgery. I found a surgeon who agreed to take her on and guess what? God had moved my friend to a place within an hour of the hospital. He knew what we’d need years before we needed it and provided it for us! We were able to stay with her for the couple of weeks of surgery and recovery instead of staying in a hotel or Ronald McDonald house.

And so as I think about my friend’s comment the other night, I have to laugh at the four of us! We are quite the team of misfits, and yet, they are so special to me. I think about the prayer of so long ago. The one where I asked God to bring me that one great friend, and how disappointed I was when He didn’t. Now I can say “thank you” to Him, because He knew what I needed and He provided it to me not in one, but three wonderful women who would become more than I could have ever asked for!

The things we do in the name of friendship!

I've been blessed with some great friends in life. There are four in my life right now that have been with me through thick and thin; literally! When God blesses you with friends like these, somehow life becomes so much more easy to get through. Other times we're just blessed with the craziness and laughter of what is. Monday evening was one of those times.

One of my dear friends used to live here, but she moved away a couple of years ago. We still get to see each other as she comes back a couple of times each year. They (meaning her and her hubs) own a houseboat and keep it out at the lake. It's Superbowl time, which means her husband will be having his yearly Super Bowl weekend with his friends out at the boat. Monday evening she called and asked if I'd head out to the boat with her to put some type of shine on the floor. This really meant that she was going to be mopping and putting in hard labor. Of course, she just wanted company, but honest, I had every intention of working by her side.

Anyway, we headed out to the lake, which is a about a 45 minute drive, laughing and talking all the while. We finally get the the lake and hop out of the truck. It's about 8:30 pm by now and it's not real warm. We only had sweatshirts on, so, well, it was a bit chilly. Anyway, we grab the mops, drinks, and buckets and look for a cart to take the stuff down to the boat. She finds a cart, we load it up and away we go!

There isn't a soul in site as we laugh our way down. We finally get there and attempt to get in. No such luck; the key that her husband gave her before he left town won't even fit in the hole! We stood there trying, in the dark, for a few moments with no such luck, so she calls her husband. He tells her where to find a flashlight (think very small, batteries almost completely dead, minimal yellow lighted flashlight!). While I shine the dead flashlight, the conversation goes something like this:

Her: "The key doesn't work."
Him: "I know it works, I just used it.""
Her: "I doesn't fit."
Him: "Turn it over and it will work. It's the right key."

(I'm thinking at this point that really, we are not idiots, we know how to use a key, but hey, ok!"

Him: "Are you using the silver, square key?"
Her: "There is no silver square key, it's a silver triangle key."
Him: "No, it's a silver square key."
Her: "The only square key is the main, gold gate key that we just used to get in."
Him: "You need to push it in."
Her: "The key won't go in! It's a house key, it's too big. It will not even go in!"

(Being the great friend that I am, I wait silently through this conversation. OK, well I tried, but it was just so comical! I mean, we're freezing, we've tried all four keys on the key ring several times, we KNOW it's not going to work, but he's insisting we're just doing it wrong. Humor is definitely needed at this time!")

So the conversation continues like this for a bit longer until dear hubby finally realizes that we are not going to get in the door with the key. So what's a guy to do? He thinks we should try using it on the back door! Ok….so we head to the back door with the minimal flashlight and proceed to try and use the magically wrong key on the wrong door. Nope…doesn't work there either.

Her dear husband comes up with a great idea at this point. Just break in! Now, please understand, he's an ex-cop, they've already had a break-in so he's put screws in all the windows so that no one can break in again, but ok…we'll try! He patiently waits on the phone as we go from window to window trying to slide them open even though they are locked and have screws preventing them from budging. Then we try the credit card thing…nope, it's doesn't work either. By now, I'm freezing, dying of laughter, and generally having another great moment with my friend.

After about an hour of this, we finally convince him that we are not getting into the houseboat to mop that floor after all. He's decided to call security by now to have them get the spare key to the boat, so we head back up the long trek to the truck to wait for security. We're laughing at the silliness of this whole thing as we're walking back across the pier when a giant fish jumps out of the lake and attempts to eat me! I jump into said friend while she laughs at me. We laugh that this would make a great blog…us landing in a cold lake in the middle of the night as a fish attempts to eat me all because we couldn't break into a houseboat because we don't know how to use a key properly!

We make it back up to the truck, have a few more laughs and climb in to wait for the security guard that her husband has contacted. About that time, we notice the security truck drive down to the dock, so we drive down to meet him thinking he may be looking for us. I mean, why else would he be there except to rescue us, right? I'm sure he had nothing better to do!

So we drive up and roll down the window and you can tell by the look on his face that he was NOT enjoying his job at the moment! (He's on the phone with her husband trying to explain that someone else has to come down to open the guard office to look for the key and he has to go on his rounds.) Then her husband hangs up and calls her while the guard stands there ever so patiently smoking his cigar.

The other guard shows up so they go off to have a private chat about what we can only imagine is how much they really want to spend their night searching for a key for the two silly women in the truck who only want to mop a floor. The second guard comes over to the truck to ask what the key looks like while the other guard goes off to make his rounds. My friend offers to go with him to find it, but we're not allowed, so she describes the key and he goes off to find it. (We see two other guards join the first two at the guard office and have a chat about which we are just so sure having nothing to do with the two of us sitting in the van or the husband that won't leave them alone!

A bit later the first guard comes back to the truck, still working on that cigar, and asks us to go down with him to find the key because they can't find it. Really, it is rather funny, don't you think? So we walk down the pier making sure not to be attacked by any giant fish on the way. The other guard is sitting there with the drawer open going through all of the keys. Nope, not that one. No, that isn't it. This goes on as he makes it through several keys. My friend patiently tells him once again that it is a key on a black tie thing. He shows her the only key like that with the name of Kevin so and so. Hmmm…didn't her husband say that it was Kevin who had the key last? But no, their key seems to be missing and if this Kevin had it then he probably locked it away in his toolbox and no one has the key except for him. All this to say, we were out of luck! By now it was almost ten at night and it seemed that those floors were not going to get mopped after all! But we tried, we really did!

We laughed our way back up to the truck once again and headed for home, all the while laughing about the things we do in the name of friendship!

And the end of the story? Turns out the security guard did have the key after all and we really did have the wrong key. I'd be willing to bet it was the key with Kevin's name on it!

Bad Day Anyone?

Traveling is always fun…especially when you travel with the us! Each summer, I try to visit my parents in Colorado for a couple of weeks. So this particular trip I headed off with my usual crew consisting of my four youngest children, plus one of B-Boo’s friends. The van was packed full with a ton of suitcases, snacks, etc. We left behind hubby, who agreed to take care of the pets while we were gone. This included two snakes, 2 love birds, a rat and a hamster. The night before we left, we made sure to feed the snakes so that they’d be ok until we got back.

My parents live 12 hours from us. We head out very early in the morning and go as far as we can as fast as we can; which can take a while with small bladders and all of that. On this particular trip, we decided to stop in Farmington, New Mexico and pick up groceries at Sam’s Club. We called mom to find out what she wanted, finished shopping and headed outside; into the rain and to a very flat tire!

Luckily, we were in the same parking lot as Big O Tires…or not. They were closing in 10 minutes and it didn’t matter that I had purchased the tire from my local Big O, they refused to help. Frustrated and wondering how in the world I was going to get the tire off, fixed, back on and make it another two hours to mom’s…well, you get the picture! I was going to have to drag everything out of the van and try and figure it out! About that time, a gentleman came up to me and stated that all members of Sam’s Club get their tires fixed as a membership courtesy. I headed inside to talk to the tire people, who were busy at the moment. I waited and then spilled my story to the tire man who said that he wasn’t sure when he’d be able to help but to bring the tire in and he’d get someone to fix it. At this point, I lost it. Now, I don’t do that very often, but the thought of my groceries getting soaked, my kids sitting in the Sam’s parking lot, a flat tire and a long drive ahead finally did me in! On top of that, I’d tried to call dear hubby who was pretty short with me stating he couldn’t talk and hung up on me. Well!

Apparently my hysteria won the poor young man over, because he grabbed his tire stuff and followed me outside to the van. He took off the tire and told me to give him a few minutes and took the tire inside. By now, the kids were having fun coloring outside in the rain (ok, it was down to a sprinkle now) and so we waited.

See, now up to this point, you probably thought this story was about me, right? Nope! While we waited, I tried calling my hubby again. He answered the phone and listened patiently as I griped to him about what was going on and his ignoring me in my time of need. Then I let him talk. 🙂

Did I mention hubby was in a boot recovering from a torn Achilles tendon?  And that God has granted him enormous patience when it comes to putting up with his family and their pets?

Apparently he’d been standing at the back sliding door looking out in the yard when he felt something slither across his foot. He looked down to find the ball python had escaped from his cage and had made it’s way through the house, across his foot and into the backyard. Now I understand that most men would probably have said “Good Riddance” at this point, especially with a serious injury to their ankle; but not my man! He bravely spent the next 45 minutes chasing the python around our almost quarter acre back yard and even managed to capture her!  Then he had the patience to listen to me gripe about my problems and only when I was done did he ask how to lock the cage so the snake wouldn’t escape again! Now that’s what I call marriage!

About this time the tire guy came out with a fixed tire and even put it back on my van for me…and wouldn’t take a penny! I had the girls grab the groceries and help me get them loaded into the already overloaded van, at which point, B-Boo promptly dropped the berries on the ground, spilling them everywhere!

Did I mention I was having a bad day?