Re-entry

This past week was our first week back to school. We just finished a month long break--a restful, mindless break. But now we're back at it.

Shakespeare has been struggling with reading for awhile now. It has never come easily for him, but it appears that he's slowed to a snail's pace. This week, instead of backing off I pushed ahead. That was foolish. It just made him say things like, "I hate reading." And made me almost agree with him.

When Gem doesn't instantly understand a concept she runs to despair--much weeping and head banging on the school table--very dramatic. This is the way that the distributive property (math) was received this week.

Combine those two attitudes and add in two younger children with pink eye and you will get an idea of what our school week looked like.

On the up-side, Gem grasped the concept and likes math again, pink eye is gone, and I've decided to do a couple of easy reading weeks for Shakespeare. Mix all that together and our second week promises to be a huge improvement.

Lots of people comment, "I don't know how you do it." Sometimes, I don't know either.

It's amazing that 15 minutes of silence can be such a luxury to a mother.

Popcorn and Jesus

Last Friday, after saying bedtime prayers, I was leaving the boys' room and Popcorn sheepishly asked me, "Mom, can I ask Jesus in my heart?" He was smiling hugely! He was a little embarrassed to ask me about it and asked me if I could do it for him. I told him that it was something that he had to do all by himself, but that I could help him. I lead, he repeated. He was so excited and I teared up. I was so proud and happy. I would like to have seen the party in Heaven.

Welcome Home Rebekah!

My college roommate and her husband adopted a beautiful little girl from Ethiopia. They were supposed to pick her up a day after Mother's Day, but because they were in Addis early they let Sarah and Joel take her the day before. What a fantastic Mother's Day present!


Congratulations, Sarah and Joel! And welcome home Rebekah! I can't wait to hear the story.

Romancing Mom

The other five of the Sixinthemix did a wonderful thing for Mother's Day. They bought me the A&E Romance collection. That's right ladies, 30 hours of everything from the 6-hour Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth as Darcy), to Jane Eyre, Victoria & Albert, Lorna Doone, Tom Jones, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Emma, and Ivanhoe. We popped in Victoria & Albert when we got home from church. Only 27 more hours to go.

Emily, are you crying yet? Do you want to come visit your niece and nephews?

New Stringers

You would think that cutting stringers for stairs would be fairly simple--BUT IT'S NOT!!! Even when I had a pattern from the old deck, it's still involved.

Using a circular saw you have to cut all the diagonals then use a had saw to finish it off. I cut three of those. Then hanging the things gives me an opportunity to exercise patience--level, parallel, perpendicular, secure. I'm so grateful for skewable joist hangers.

Tomorrow I'm off to Home Depot to get three more 16' TREK boards. That's another $100 in materials, but they're going to be nice stairs. At least tomorrow I'll be able to check that off the deck to-do list.

No pictures, of course. I'm the one who takes pictures and I didn't recruit a volunteer. Maybe I will tomorrow.

Wild, Wild, Wild, Wild Animals

My wild chickens hatched at our local zoo on Tuesday.


My friend, Melissa, and I braved the wilds without husbands, but with 8 creatures.

Here is Gem with a cougar.

And here are my big kids with the sea lions.

After Gem freed Shakespeare from a giant spider web . . .
We joined our friends: you've met Muppet and Adrenaline, but I'd like to introduce the 6 year old who is sticking out his tongue--"Ondependya" (something he says before he charges--we don't know why), and the little guy standing in front--"Cub".
Popcorn and Cub looking at the gorillas.

Funny moment: I called Gem over to see the rhinos that were mating and Shakespeare came running, exclaiming, "They're still doing it!" A lady next to me laughed and said, "Well, I guess that's one way to teach them."

More Camping Trip Pictures

Here is Gem and Shakespeare taking the plunge into icy cold water at a natural slide. There is a longer natural slide down the road from this one, but this one has sunlight and the other is shaded--big difference at 78 degrees.

Popcorn has actually wanted me to take his picture recently. If you think that is no big deal, look here.

No need for sunscreen here, just cover yourself in filth from head to toe and you'll be fine.

My buddy and me at the top during our second hike.

Leaning at the summit with Gem, Shakespeare, and Muppet (good friend--might as well give him a name because he's in our posts from time to time--he talks a lot).

The summit we hiked to on the first day--and isn't it a lovely picture of Gem too.

I might as well introduce you to Muppet's sister, Adrenaline, too. Her mother and I agree that somehow, Gem got some of her DNA and Adrenaline got some of mine--Gem prefers hot tubs, shopping and lying on a beach, to Adrenaline's climbing, hiking and jumping out of airplanes (if she was of age and her mother hadn't bolted her feet to the ground).

Very cool tree. Had to include the picture.

Loved this picture of the flowers too. It's my desktop art right now.

My Cousin On the News

And she is on the news using one of my favorite services . . . online grocery shopping. Check it out here.

We Went Camping

On Thursday we packed up and headed out to Stone Mountain State Park. We tent camped and came home late Saturday.

This was the only picture of all of us together. A tree was nice enough to take the shot for us.


I borrowed a Kelty Kids pack from a friend so that it would be possible to hike with Sinatra. We did 5.5 miles the first morning(the first mile and a half straight up) and another 4.5 the next morning. Sinatra loved his little perch on our backs.

The trees on the face of the granite summits have very shallow root systems. It was a quick science lesson for the kids. All I had to do was ask, "Why did that tree fall over?" They came up with the answer pretty quickly.



Popcorn did so great until the last half mile of the first hike. Not bad for a four year old.

I swear, the man is part pack mule.

Even though they got a lift, they were both tuckered out by the end of the hike.


Day 3

Our friends joined us.

We "fished" . . .

and fished . . .

and whistled all the way home.

More adventures to come from our second day camping. Right now, I'm done blogging. Must take a break and get something else done. I hope you enjoy the first round of pictures.

Water Boy Upgrade

Well, Sinatra has upgraded to orange juice--the jug poured out on my 100% wool, oriental rug. Joy!