Holiday Relaxed

This holiday season has been the most enjoyable, laid back Christmas experience I've had since being an adult. Why? No presents to shop for (except a few for my parents and sister) and no school. That's right. Our kids are expecting no presents from us this year. We're going to Disney and then to a week at Jon's parents' home in lieu of gifts. Pretty good swap if you ask me.

My parents and sister came down for Thanksgiving and Mom brought all her Christmas gifts along (they were, of course, from Dad too--love you, Pops). Since we are not celebrating Christmas at home, we spent early Thanksgiving afternoon feasting, late afternoon watching Popcorn ride his bike, and early evening tearing through mounds of wrapping paper. Mom and Dad got to spend the next day watching the kids enjoy their presents. It was so nice.

The week before Thanksgiving we had planned to finish our first school semester, but instead decided to opt for taking the week off to prepare for Nana and Grandpa and Emily's visit and just unwind. We would put in our final week after they went home. Those two weeks of break were fantastic and so relaxing. Finishing up wasn't so fun after Mom and Dad went home, but when you only have to tough it out for one more week it's not so bad. Now we are done with all that and don't have to start back to school until January.

With Florida weather on the horizon and Christmas already done, things are looking pretty nice for the remainder of the season. Joy!!!

Worker Man

In an act of desperation to occupy the kid and to separate him from a quarreling sibling I assigned him the task of raking leaves to the curb. I knew that it probably wouldn't get done, but I figured that a couple of swaths toward the street wouldn't hurt.



The boy happily picked up the rake and began. Forty-five minutes later I glanced out the window and saw him still hard at work. Wow! Impressive. I opened the upstairs window and yelled some encouragement. After another 20 minutes I told him to come warm himself up with hot chocolate if he was getting too cold. "I'm okay, Mom!" He worked another 10 minutes before coming in.

In the playroom, the other kids had popped in a movie and were settling in. Shakespeare joined them with his hot chocolate. I went upstairs to finish my task and was shocked to see the leaf raker back at it within ten minutes. The boy worked until sundown and finished the task. I helped him with the final sweep, but my boy did the mother load of the work.

I was so proud. I talked about it for a week and bragged like a grandparent. I also gave him $2--big bucks for a seven year old. Yea! Shakespeare!!! I'm still bragging.

Candy Snatcher

In our family, the kids know better than to snatch an object from the hands of another kid. It's a basic understanding that we've conveyed even to the toddler. Of course, it's not always followed, but the understanding is there. For some reason, this basic understanding never quite got through to some college students whom we would like to see expelled.

During the week leading up to Thanksgiving someone snatched our candy machines right out of the public hallway at the campus grille. Jon had gone early in the week to check on the candy level and noticed that someone had moved the machines to the hallway where they would not be secure after the grille locked up at 11pm. Jon moved them back to our location behind protective doors. We didn't think much of it until the theft. We thought that an employee must have moved them there. Hindsight tells us that this was a calculated little heist.

The sad part is that the kids put their own savings toward the investment and hadn't quite earned back their money. Of course, we're covering their risk, but there is still one ray of hope--a security camera. Unfortunately, in the tape, a chair blocks the view of the candy machine, so in order to catch these creeps we will have to watch up to 6 days of video for the moment that they move the machines out the door. Even then it would be difficult to identify a face. We're having trouble viewing the video online, but are hoping to clear it up so we can nab the criminals. I'm assuming for the moment that it was students, but who knows?

I just hate it for the kids.

Random thought of the day--on a brighter note, I saved $60 on a $130 purchase a few days ago! Yea!!!

Biker Dude

After Thanksgiving dinner the kids and Nana and Grandpa went outside to ride bikes and scooters (grandparents watched). After watching Popcorn peddal around on his training wheels for a while, Dad took the props off and taught him how to ride. He did it in about five minutes! By the end of the day, Popcorn knew how to start by himself and had no trouble navigating turns. Yea!!! I thought we would have to wait until spring to do that. I'm so glad that Dad took the initiative.



I love watching Popcorn enjoy his two wheeler. It's so rewarding when kids reach those childhood milestones. I wonder if he will remember looking back and discovering that grandpa had let him go 40 feet ago. The surprised face was classic.

Gingerbread Construction/Deconstruction

The best part about making a gingerbread house...



is eating it later.

Unfair! unfair!!!

While lying in bed awake this morning, I thought about the first line of yesterday's blog entry. I had written that the jury said "yea" to girl, "neigh" to boy. That's right, I had us all neighing like horses. Maybe it would have been clever if I had used it with parentheses afterward like this: neigh (emphatically, like a horse).

I've also caught homonym mistakes in my writing like "aisle" and "isle" before. It's not the ones that teachers drilled into my head that trip me up (there, their, they're), it's the obscure neigh/nay's that get me. The English language is unfair! I won't whine any further about this subject. Well, maybe just a little bit more. Just know that Shakespeare had it good--no spelling rules back then. It took people like Webster to chisel it into law that sin might increase.

Well, hopefully my blunder gave all you English gurus a good laugh and made all of you who are like my husband roll their eyes and mutter, "What's the big deal?"

And the Verdict Is...

In our house, the jury voted early on: unanimously it voted yea, girl; nay, boy. Sounds a bit harsh, considering that all we really want is a healthy little one no matter what the sex, but I think even the testosterone producers of our family were hoping for a little more estrogen to balance out the hormone levels in our house.

Today was the day of truth, the ultrasound. Good heart, head, arms, legs, (will she ever get to the sex part), 10 fingers, 10 toes, nasal bone, circumference of waist (they even get us in utero), 9oz., due date May 3, 4 spine pictures, (will she ever get to the sex part) nice pelvis bone, yes, yes, . . . oh, let's measure that femur (I begin smiling, but pulling out my hair on the inside. Actually, I'm contemplating giving her the mom stare--hey,it works on the kids), now, "Here's my favorite way to do this," she said. "See, this is a picture of the baby's body as if it were split down the middle from head to foot. By looking at this cross section, it's easy to tell that...now, you wanted to know the sex, right?"

I'll take this moment to tell you that I had prepared myself to hear boy.

"And boy it is!"

At least that is what I expected her to say. I was almost shocked when she didn't. It's a girl! That's right, female! Long hair and braids and princess dresses and pink and maybe a love for the power tool section at Home Depot (hey, just fantasising here). I just sat there with all that goop smeared over my belly, amazed that the bumpy part was flat this time.

No names yet. We'll be working on it. But just know that the jury is happy.

Back Online

I've been without Internet access for over a week now. Something is wrong with our home desktop, but our wireless connection works fine. So Jon hit the after Thanksgiving sales and bought me a new laptop. Yea!!! As soon as I get files transferred and programs loaded and downloaded I'll be back in business. You can expect a few updates including riveting stories about theft, hard work, and childhood milestones reached--but you might have to be patient until I get everything in order.

Unemployed

One perk of being homeschooled is that Gem can run to the neighbor's house at noon every weekday and let out the neighbor's two little dogs--a gig that has provided a steady $20 a week. A job schedule changed and the neighbor's partner is not going in to work until noon, so now he can let the dogs out. So, all of a sudden Gem has gone from a steady income to zilch. Not too comforting for a 9 year old who had her sights set on boosting her savings to $1,000 next year.


Gem loved to take Sinatra along.


What a great big sister.


Or maybe it was just free slave labor.


It was precious and so profitable.

Birthday Bash

Monday was Jon's birthday. We celebrated in style. Well, in high fashion anyway.

Popcorn Talk

Popcorn is so fun to listen to sometimes. Four is just a cute age.

Yesterday on the way to church he said, "Mom you should have told me to bring my gun (cap rifle)."

"Why?"

"To shoot that deer if he chases after our car again."

He's been obsessing about the deer and how it might hit the car again. I swear he has this deer and his partner pegged as a special ops unit with a mission to take us out.



Also, this morning I was playing our "do you like this or this better" game. I asked him, "Do you like crispy toasted marshmallows or squishy gooey marshmallows better?"

"I like the kind that are hottish/coldish."

"You like them warm?"

"Um, no. I like it just hottish/coldish."

Oh, Deer!

At a little before one in the afternoon I turned out of the college onto the busy 4 lane road. I hadn't gone 100 yards when a buck bounded across the road and slammed into my rear passenger window. He got back up and ran into the nearby woods. Another deer darted across with more success.


I pulled into a campus parking lot and called Jon. Thankfully, he had all the kids with him at homecoming. If they had been there, Shakespeare would have had half a face full of glass and Popcorn certainly would have had a lapfull. I'm glad that the only damage is a window, some body work, and a $250 deductible.

Babies

Twins? Nope. But there is another baby on the way. It's not my own. It's my brother's!!! Congratulations to Mark and Lori on the coming addition to the Jones side of the family. Lori is due in early July.

Happy Birthday to Me...

I'm Thir-r-ty Three! Popcorn told me, "Happy 43rd Birthday, Mom!" I took a deep breath to recover then gave my sweet little man a hug. He also asked his daddy yesterday if I was going to be five on my next birthday. I love 4 1/2 years old. At 2 1/2, Sinatra is pretty adorable as well. There is just so much to enjoy.

In pregnancy, I'm 14 weeks along now and am feeling so much better. I didn't know how out of it I was until I emerged from it. First trimester, check.

I've felt the baby move a few times, but nothing that the kids could feel on the outside yet. I'll have an ultrasound in a few weeks to check on progress and hopefully, to discern the sex.

Side note: I have no camera. Sinatra sneaked into my purse and "played" with my camera. Now it doesn't work. Also, Sinatra got ahold of my old camera and while he was fiddling around Popcorn came in the room and told him something he didn't like. In true toddler form (the side of the toddler world that isn't cute) he threw it at his brother. Thankfully, it still takes pictures, but you can't review them or delete any--most inconvenient.

A Dress...a School

The wedding dress that I wore was borrowed from my mom's cousin. When I wore it, it was about 25 years old and had been worn by my aunt as well.

I got married in 1996 and can tell you that the Vera Wang dress of simple, smooth lines hit the main stream the following year. In '96 the "in" style was a fading spinoff of all that was beaded and poofy from the late 80's. I searched everywhere, but could not find anything close to the dress from that picture of my aunt's wedding. I remember asking a sales lady to bring me something without poofs, beads, or a gigantic satin butt bow. She came up with one dress--one! What a relief to find out that my mom's cousin still had the dress from 1960/70-something and that it would fit me.

After I was married we had the dress cleaned again and preserved in one of those special boxes with acid free paper and sent it back to my mom's cousin (sniff, wipe tear).

A few years later we found out that Sharon (mom's cousin) had a grandchild that needed a skirt for a bassinet. I'm sure it made a beautiful bassinet, but it still makes me cringe to think of it. Such a very typical Segraves move--like wiping out the starling nest along with the eggs.

Last night I checked my email and found a notice from Taylor University. Stay with me here. It will all tie together in a minute. In 1994 I applied to one university--Taylor, in Upland, Indiana. Nowhere else really appealed to me, so I put all my eggs in one basket. I was academically accepted, but the hitch was that there was no more room on the campus and would I consider going to their brand new extension campus in Fort Wayne, IN for a year and then transfer the following year?

I looked into it and found that the major I really wanted was only offered on the TUFW campus. TU offered only a minor. Also, TUFW would give me a $2000 scholarship. Done. Why in the world would I go to a school of only 500 students? That was smaller than my high school. Oh well, here I go.

Four years and a marriage later, Jon and I graduated from TUFW. Our degrees only state that we graduated from Taylor University--no mention of Fort Wayne. Good thing too. According to last night's notice, the Fort Wayne campus didn't support itself and is being cut from the apron strings. Anybody in the market for a small college in a slightly urban environment?

I feel like my dress is being cut up. I never thought I was very sentimental about that ramshackled campus (the physical defects of the campus were numerous), but I'm finding that I was just a bit more attached than I thought. I guess I'm more attached to the idea of getting the alumni magazine and finding out who had a baby or which professor retired. I want the home base. But as of May '09 it's up for bid. Another dress cut up.

A Break for the Pregnant Lady

Sorry I've been away so long. I haven't been very sick, but haven't had extra energy either. Just getting school done is my daily task. I swear that the house is being held together by chewing gum and filth. Jon has been cooking and taking care of kids when he gets home. He also puts our tribe to work cleaning their daily sprawl of toys and junk. He lets me sleep or just sit in a quiet room by myself. Good man. He brought me flowers the other day. Right now I love things that smell nice.

All that sounds a bit pitiful. I have had bad days and good days. My worst day was followed by my best last week. On my worst I laid around the house and slept, barely ate anything, could only speak in fragmented thoughts, and put Gem to work watching Sinatra. On my best, I mowed the lawn, tore out the dead garden, fixed the step on the treehouse, took the bush vine thing off the mailbox and washed it, played with the kids and cancelled school because it was a glorious day and I was feeling great.

All that to say, I took a break from blogging. In fact, I don't know that I am back yet. This entry might be a fluke. I'm 10 weeks along, so this shouldn't last much longer. I'm looking forward to feeling better all the time and getting back to blogging.

The Capital of Maryland

This year, Popcorn is in the kindergarten level class at our homeschool group. They learn all the same material as the older kids, but not as in depth.

We've been going over the states in the U.S. The older kids are learning capitals. The younger ones are concentrating on names of states. We also cover history, science, math, Latin, etc. etc.

When I review the material at home, Popcorn often interrupts and says, "Let me answer." I wasn't surprised when he tried to answer my question today.

"Shakespeare, what is the capital of Maryland?" I asked.
"I know, I know, Mom!" Popcorn said as he popped up from the floor where he was playing cars.
"Okay, Popcorn, you can answer. What is the capital of Maryland?"
"Butt whiff."
"What?!!!"
"Butt and whiff."

It seems that we have some confusion with a Latin conjunction and preposition from the last two weeks: Sed=but, apud=with.

Nothing Better Than Making Them Scream

Well, maybe making them cry.

My last post reminded me of one of my childhood torture techniques. This particularly good one was, "Animal".

Do you remember the muppet on the Muppet Show that played the drums? We had a puppet of him. Emily was seven years younger than I and was terrified of the thing. I routinely made her scream by popping it around a corner or making it stare at her and move its mouth open and closed. Sometimes I would add a monster noise for added drama, but it really wasn't necessary.

When I was eleven and she was about four she was still scared of the thing. One day, as a gesture of fained pity, I coaxed her near to "Animal" and showed her how he was only a puppet. I turned his face away and showed her the hole at his back. She tensely watched as a put my hand in and took it out time and again. Eventually she relaxed and even laughed a little. I turned him over and showed her his lifeless face. I stuck my hand in his mouth and picked him up by his beedy eyeballs. Now she was really convinced.

"Here, touch him." She timidly reached out and touched his fur quickly. "See, there's nothing to be afraid of. Now why don't you touch his nose?" She was more hesitant. She lifted her finger and slowly approached, then backed away, approached, then backed away (The bait was working). Finally, she slowly, deliberately, inched her finger close enough to feel his breath -- yes, he was alive now.

I'd like to interrupt this horror suspense story to tell you that I have mastered the art of perfect timing. This was accomplished early in my life and at the expense of many wet pants--none of which were mine.

Let's just say that Animal didn't hold back monster noises for this one. He even bit the unsuspecting victim and chased her to the stairs.

I might have gotten a very well deserved spanking, but I have to say that the satisfaction deftly outweighed the pain.

Poor Em. She is coming to visit this weekend. Despite this incident, and too many others to mention, she still pretends to like me.

Two Guests

This past week we had two guests: dog and lizard. The dog was okay, but the lizard was really fun. Gem loved to pick him up and stick him in the face of unsuspecting little brothers. She would laugh, they would scream. Must have gotten that one from her father.

Cumin, the dog, not the spice, was a good source of sniffing, barking and pooping (see how sensitive my pregnancy has made me). Spike, however, was a source of entertainment. Feeding time was a nature film in action. Throw cricket in, see cricket hide under paper towel, see cricket foolishly poke out the other side, see Spike pounce and swallow. Meal worms were not as fun to watch--they just didn't even have a chance. Other than that, Spike chased his reflection or just basked on his carefully heated rock.

Basking.
At the end of the week I have to say that it was fun to watch them go home.

"Fish and guests [bearded dragons and dogs] smell in three days."

Actually, the cricket habitat that tags along with the bearded dragon smells instantly.

The Best Comment

One day I took all my kids with me to mail a package. I usually go to the post office at the airport because there are fewer long lines there. This particular day was a happy one. The sun was shining, the weather warm, school done and children getting along. The kids even behaved nicely while in line (I expect it, but don't always get it).

We were headed out through the lobby when a woman entered and stated the standard, "I bet they keep you busy." I flashed a smile instead of a reply, then she stopped walking, smiled and added, "...and you don't mind it at all, do you?"

"It's a blessing and a joy. Sometimes it's hard, but mostly, it's great!" I loved being able to fill in the blank. It made my day. It happened over a year ago and I'm still talking about it.

Supersmell

I swear that I am part bloodhound. Did you know that, to a dog, the world stinks? We can all smell the compost bucket when it needs to be taken out, or the diaper pail in the same condition, but who ever thought that strawberry jelly would be so overpowering that a woman would refuse to make the standard pb&j lunch just to avoid it!

I remember when I was pregnant with Gem (1st). The hardest thing to do was drive, because I could smell the faintest hint of exhaust from the cars in front of me.

There are benefits to this condition: the toddler never gets diaper rash because I failed to catch the poopy diaper in time, I MUST bathe my children daily, my bathrooms get more attention, and the compost bucket must go out before it is full.

Some negatives are that, no matter how hard you try to escape it, people have gas. Another one is that I have to eat to survive. I would much rather drink water and avoid everything that has smell. Cooking is torture.

For this first trimester the only difference between a dog's nose and mine (well, besides the appearance) is that mine is connected to a creature that minds the stench.

New Blog Name

I would like to take submissions for a new title for my blog. By next May it will no longer be appropriate.

Yes, that's an announcement.
Yes, we know what causes that.
Yes, we wanted another one.

Periodontal Visit

What, you ask, is a periodontist? It's one of those dental people who check out your gums. We had to make a visit to Dr. Tanner's office this morning for Gem. Her gums are in fine condition, but she had to have a frenectomy--another medical term to learn.
Frenectomy -- the snipping of that little connecting part under your upper lip that makes a bridge between your lip and your gums. Can you say, ouch?!!

Gem's little bridge thingy joined to the lip lower on the gums than most. This causes a gap between the front two teeth and could also have cause receding gums later in life.

A very nice employee sat in the lobby with my three boys while I watched the procedure. I'm pretty good with blood, but my imagination got the better of me a few times as I watched the actual snipping. Wow!!! I had to keep reminding myself that she was numb. Also, she kept looking my way so I had to put on a happy, brave face. It's one thing watching surgery on TV, quite another watching your own kid go through it--even if it is minor.

I love that brave girl. She was nervous about the numbing needle and freaked out a little bit (on the inside and in the expression of her eyes and wiggling feet) when she saw the tools that he kept sticking in her mouth, but she stayed still through the whole thing.

After the stitches were in we went straight to a gift shop where Shakespeare, Gem and Popcorn picked out new Webkinz. I've never been happier to indulge Gem. Then we made a beeline for CVS to pick up Tylenol 3 (good stuff) and children's Motrin. One last stop at the grocery store for Popsicles (prescribed) and home to recover.

As the numbing has worn off she has been moaning a bit. She lifted her lip once (a no, no) and popped a stitch. She told me through tears. I called. No problem. He puts extras in there just in case that happens. Such relief--for her and for me.

What a brave trooper. Gem, I'm proud.

Washable

I've struggled to get them to play outside when it's 82 degrees and mostly sunny. I guess it takes a warm summer drizzle to get these kids outside on their own initiative. All four were outside jumping on the wet trampoline for a while. The aftermath was very messy, but well worth watching them enjoy the rain. My bathtub might not agree, but oh well. At least kids come washable.

Ding! Ding! Ding! We Kind Of Have A Winner!!!

The only two things growing in the compost heap are tomatoes and cucumber. I picked this alien off the cucumber vine. It looks exactly like an unripe melon (or maybe a sad imitation of a tomato) but when you slice through its tough skin it smells like a cucumber. I'm sad, however, to report that it is almost tasteless with just a hint of cucumber. Back to the compost heap it goes!

Congratulations to Anonymous!!! (probably Jeff) You correctly guessed the cucumber part.

So the mystery is . . . cucmelon or cucomato?

I'm leaning toward cucomato.

Short Cut

There are two meanings to this title:

1. Gem has been cutting short her piano practice and I sat through the entire hour with her today, getting her to do it thoroughly.

2. She got her hair cut short and it looks MahhhVELOUS, DAhhhhLING (Though the picture really doesn't do it justice).

The Line-Up

Another Hint

Keep the guesses coming.

Correction, Correction

Jon's Brick Breaker world (not national) ranking is somewhere around 32,000.
Jon's high score is 26,240.

Buddies

What is it?

Three cheers to anyone who can tell me what this is. Anyone have a guess? Hint: it grew out of the dormant bin of my compost pile along with other plants that sprouted though I didn't plant them.

Brick Head

My husband is a Brick Breaker addict. It's on his phone and he plays it all the time. I've learned to distinguish between the clicks that denote him reading email and the clicks that indicate a heated game of Brick Breaker.

It's the game where a little ball bounces from your "paddle" at the bottom and eliminates a pattern of bricks as it runs into them at the top of the screen. Thrilling, I know.

The game is even connected to a national database and lets you know your placing at the end of the game. Jon is in the 400,000 range. I can get to level 7. Jon can get passed the last level (32 I think) and go back around (only at a faster pace) and get to level 17 again.

I've caught him playing it in odder places.

At the End of a Busy Hall

On Saturday we placed the candy machines. We're having some trouble with the bubble gum wheel, but hope to resolve that today. The kids are excited about earning some money through this opportunity. We'll keep you updated.

Gem gets all the profit from the Runts dispenser.

Shakespeare's investment is the gumballs in the middle. Mom and Dad own the peanut m&m's machine.

Here is the hall where we placed the machine. There is a student grille at the end where Jon took the picture. It should be a busy hallway.

Zipping Toddler

I didn't think that Sinatra could handle the zip line. He's only two. The other day he begged to zip like the big kids. I held him up near the end point and let him hold onto the trolley while I pushed him along. He did pretty well and held for long enough to make the entire line, but still I would not let him do it.



Today I had Gem help. She put him on the zip and I spotted the entire way. He went to the end with no problem, but the bump at the landing point jarred his hands free and I caught him. After a few practice runs we let Shakespeare put him on the line and Gem catch him at the end.



He's zipping with the big kids. He's thrilled with the ride. If only he will show the same enthusiasm for potty training. He's not quite ready for that adventure.

Bob and Larry

Peeing and Dumping

What a nice title for a post--yet you'll see that there is no other title that fits perfectly.

Yesterday evening I was talking to my parents on the phone when the neighbor kid ran around the corner, yelling like he was being chased by a kid armed with a Super Soaker (I guess he was maybe). I kind of ignored him at first, but on the second time around he yelled for me. Some warning bell went off inside me and I dropped the conversation like only a mom can, "Gotta go! Bye.--click."

I raced around the corner to find Popcorn standing by the fence with his shorts down around his ankles. At first I worried that the neighbor kid might be a pervert, but then the whole truth of the incident struck me. There was Popcorn, nervously laughing and panicking at the same time, trying to get his pants up with one hand and covering his bottom with the other (a sure sign of guilt). At the same time, the neighbor kid blurted out the whole truth: "He was peeing on the dog through the fence!"

I looked at the fence. Decorated.

"POPCORN SHY-GUY!" (He has officially earned the first middle name on this blog).

Now his nervousness had foundation and he really began yanking on those reluctant pants. His haste made no progress whatsoever. He abandoned his rear cover and went for pulling up the pants with both hands, hoping to get into a running posture before I closed in. No luck. I was moving fast.

As I reached the guilty one, he reverted to rear cover while I yanked up his pants. Then I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him inside for an experience that he will not soon forget.

It didn't take long to laugh about it. In fact, as I was dragging him to the house I had to keep from smiling. You see, I had my own outdoor potty experience when I was just a year younger than he is now. I don't have many early memories, but I will never forget the aftermath of the Great Backyard Dump.

Charla Pocock was my partner in crime. I think I was the ringleader that convinced her to abandon conventional rules--hey, it was the 70's. Anyway, we pooped in the back yard and either a parent discovered it or Charla ratted me out. I don't remember the spanking as much as standing in the corner afterward. Charla was standing in the other corner and I was embarrassed that my parents were punishing my friend (Of course, they did not spank her). It's kind of a funny that embarrassment, not shame anchors that memory. And you guys thought that I remembered because of the spanking. Ha! Not so.

Afternote: The older kids just told me that the neighbor kid told Popcorn to pee on the dog. Can you hear me growling?

Alos, the dog is fine. I think she ran the second the fountain started.


Okay, now for the dumping story. And you thought you had already heard that part.

Sinatra woke up and asked for his favorite food--ekk. For all of you who do not speak toddler--egg. I took the lazy mom way out and poured a bowl of cereal instead. He didn't like that idea. I put it on his tray. He ran away whining and crying and giving me the defiant, evil eye.

About the time he started kicking his feet I should have swatted him--probably even sooner. Jon, who was hearing this from the bathroom, was trying to finish up so he could waylay the child and restore peace to our home. I was on my way across the room to take care of business. The child (Whose? I have no idea.) decided to seal his fate. He DUMPED he entire bowl of cereal on the braided rug. Bad move, Buddy!

What followed felt really good to me and not so good to him. They say that you shouldn't spank in anger. I was really pushing the line.

As I was cleaning up the mess, I almost started crying, but then laughed because the phrase, "Don't cry over spilled milk," flashed through my head.

So, there you have it: Peeing and dumping. No pictures. I was too caught up at the time to think "Bloggable moment! bloggable moment!"

Compare

The old roof is on the left above the garage. The new roof is on the main part of the house. I took this picture after the first day of work.



Yesterday (2nd day) it rained most of the work day. They only got about half of the garage finished and had to leave a giant tarp over the rest. This morning, bright and early, they were hammering away again and done by 10:30. Those guys work so hard.

Popcorn and Teeth

Sometimes popcorn hulls get stuck between teeth, but who ever heard of Popcorn having teeth? This one does. The dentist wanted him to begin coming at 3 years old, but I knew that was out of the question. He's now 4.5 and well able to just suck it up.

Popcorn is shy, painfully. If any person that he doesn't intimately know asks him a question he immediately plays coy--darting behind my leg, turning around, running away, snarling (my favorite, of course), or whining and repeating over and over, "I want Mommy!" Lovely. It's these things that make mothers have droopy eyes and frazzled hair from time to time.



Today was no exception. This lovely hygienist played to his desire for treats and coaxed and cajoled this kid into the chair, where he behaved perfectly once he got started. Okay, it might have been a blend of her kindness and the threats I was whispering in his ear even though I had a smile plastered on my face. Either way, he finally got there--with no snarling or pleading for Mommy I might add.

His favorite part was clamping down on the sucking thing. He couldn't hold in a smile--so cute. He came out with a clean bill of health--beautiful chompers, my boy.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and Back Down A-gain

At 1:30 today Gem officially started piano lessons with Mrs. Little. We will be enjoying beautiful scales pretty soon. In the meantime, we have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and Back Down A-gain, quite a lovely beginning.

Something to Remember

I have this picture as my wallpaper right now. I don't know who changed it from the garden shot, but when I twitched the mouse and the computer awoke, those innocent brown eyes contrasting with pink disaster were staring back at me.

It was a two year old Popcorn, only days after Sinatra was born, who pulled this one. The incident seemed to mock, "And you wanted another one?" Jon bought 4 bottles of nail polish remover and he and my mom and I set to scrubbing everything in the bathroom on hands and knees with cotton balls and wadded up toilet paper.

I still find remnants of that moment from time to time. Makes me smile.

Yep! I'm sure I wanted another one--and still want more.

Stripped Naked

Our roof is bare. All I hear is Spanish and banging and scraping. This is a good thing. Our house has needed a new roof for a while. The hail storm two months ago did it in.



Between watching the workers and the trash man, Sinatra has been glued to the front door all morning.

Climbing the Walls

In the Money

My daughter earns more money per annum than I do--which isn't saying much since I'm a stay at home mom. But really, who ever heard of a 9 year old bringing in $70 in a week? She has been watching dogs for vacationing neighbors and of course, there is the steady gig next door.

To top off all the summer earning, she and Shakespeare are keeping a friend's Irish Shepherd for a week and a half. We offered to keep her sans pay, but the friend insisted on paying the kids something, considering the sizable amount she would be saving by keeping the dog out of the kennel.



Our guest's name is Polly and she is a sweet dog--but she is a dog. The kids like to play with her (outside), but the closest she is coming to my house is a nice soft bed at the foot of the industrial strength shelving unit in our garage. Bless her shedding little heart. Despite the garage thing, I think she likes us.

Back to the Books

School officially started today. Shakespeare was happy to accomplish his first English lesson and Gem was tolerable toward math, even mentioning that she doesn't mind it as much as she used to. Yea!!! This means getting back in the grind and even picking up the pace a bit as they take on a more work load. They are off to a great start.

As a change from last year I've decided to ditch the year round schooling in favor of two semesters with sizable breaks between. We'll go from now until Thanksgiving then take off until January. Then we'll plunge into the second semester and finish sometime in June (I think). You see I have this thing down to an exact science.

I really enjoyed the year round schedule, but it's just too hard to mesh with our homeschool group schedule. The nearly-traditional calendar will fit perfectly.



This year I added a 30 minute reading segment to the daily list. I chose books in a wide range of subjects, from fiction to science. They have to pick one from the bag and read it until it is finished, then progress to another one until the basket is empty. I figure it will take them several months to empty a bag. Then I will have ample reason to go buy more.


Here is Gem reading. Mom, that's my new lamp in the background.

Cookout

We went to a friend's 41st birthday cookout on Saturday evening. They have a small pond with a paddle boat and trails through a woods with a 4-wheeler. We had a wonderful time. The boys especially loved the 4-wheeler and Gem enjoyed the freedom of going out in the paddle boat with her 8 year old friend--but that is me with her in the picture.



Here's Sinatra waiting for his turn on the 4-wheeler. Sorry, no pictures of that. I forgot to grab the camera from Jon until too late.

A Better 12th Anniversary Picture

Happy Anniversary to Us

We've been married twelve years today!!! Look how silly my Hubby is. This is certainly an everyday type of shot, but we're going out to dinner tonight so maybe we'll take a picture of us all dolled up to post later--especially since I have a great new outfit. Happy Anniversary, Love of my Life! I'm blessed.

Things That are Alive

We've had a lot of run-ins with critters lately. First there was this that we found nesting in the garden beside some herbs. Cute--very cute, but in the garden?!


Come, Peter. Get away from Mr. McGregor's cabbages.

Then there was this that Gem caught with her bare hands and brought into the house, asking for a jar. I prayed that she wouldn't drop it before we could contain the thing.



It's a skink, a lizard thing. It had a cool blue tail and it didn't bite, but reptile and rodent are not welcome in my house--especially rodents.

On top of all those critters, I whacked down thirty-six flies this morning before breakfast. I swatted away for five minutes and made them all dive bomb to the floor. I felt like the brave little tailor. I was also a bit grossed out. I feel like I'm in a cow barn and need to hang fly tape from the door frames. Seriously, we have a very sudden fly problem. I pray it goes away as quickly as it came.

Climbin' Critters

The kids only have one more week of rock climbing classes. Here is a shot of Shakespeare climbing in the bouldering room.

Woo Too

My sister's nickname is Woo. She just started a blog. Check out I Have a Hat --very fresh and fun.

Stained

Another picture of the deck? Yep. Hopefully my last. Notice that I stained the support boards to match the surface--looks so much more finished. Now I have to plant flowers in the bed to fill in the gap between the ground and the deck. In a few years it will be perfect, but for right now it's done.

Hawaiian Children's Church

The kids did "Outrigger Island" this summer for children's church. It's actually a VBS program, but since our church is so small the two ladies who run the department spread the five days of activity over five Sundays--something different over the summer.



The kids had a wonderful time and even Sinatra got in on the action. He stood up front during the final presentation and played his blow-up ukulele the whole time. Popcorn didn't run for mommy and daddy. Though he didn't do anything but stand there, it was a great improvement over last year. Gem and Shakespeare did all the motions and sang their hearts out. So fun to be the parent who gets to gawk and smile.