Greensburg, KS Lookin' Good!

I'd been meaning to make it out to Greensburg for a while, and finally we were able to take a day and go last week. We watched the "Greensburg" documentary on Planet Green last year, so we wanted to see the progress that had been made since the last episode that we saw. I'd never been to Greensburg before, so I couldn't really compare before and after. But I can tell you that I saw a lot of hustle and bustle as construction workers "did their thing." We saw lots of new houses, and of course, the 5-4-7 Arts Center. While the town still has a long way to go, it seems like they continue to move into the future in a positive way, while making sure current residents are able to live, go to church, go to school, work, etc. I was very impressed. Here are some pictures that we took. We got their late in the afternoon, so we didn't get to take as many as I wanted since we were fighting the sunset. It was a beautiful day!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=11193&id=1545241314&l=7eb9b

Tim Tebow was Homeschooled

If you watched the BCS Championship game last week between the Florida Gators and the Oklahoma Sooners, you've probably heard this story before. But I felt it important to mention here, because I'm hoping that the Tim Tebow story is a wake up call to all those school districts who have the authority to allow or disallow homeschooled kids to participate in extra-curricular activities in their schools. Lucky for Tim, (and the Gators) the state of Florida passed a law allowing homeschooled kids to participate in school sports. To my knowledge, in my state it is up to each district. I'm hoping that Tim's story, and many others sure to pop up between now and when my children are in high school, will influence the leaders in my district should my children want to participate in a group sport one day.

You can read more about Tim here.

I'm really not sure why a school district would want to hold back a child who wants to participate in school sports. The fact is that everyone pays taxes to the schools, and just because our children don't attend does not mean that the school is missing out on anything. Yes, I understand that each school gets so much money per student per year. And if my children are not counted toward that number they get no money for them. And? What does that have to do with school sports? Absolutely nothing. Telling homeschooled students "no" is basically a way of trying to force them to attend school, even though standardized tests tell us over and over again that it's not the best thing for the student. It will be interesting to see what happens as time goes on. To all those states and districts that allow and encourage homeschooled students to participate in school sports, bravo to you! The funny thing about homeschooled students is that they have HOURS to perfect their sport because they don't have to sit in school all day. And that is reason #1 for homeschooled students to get a chance to play sports with their peers.

Happy New Year!

I can't believe it is 2009! Christmas went by like a blur, and before we know it, we will be looking at 2010 and wondering how in the world time can just keep going by faster and faster. I hope you had a great Christmas. I am personally in a bit of a slump, and trying to get out quickly because I don't like it! Christmas was a little strange at our house, because it was the first time that my children left for part of the day to spend the afternoon with their father. While it was a nice break, it really made Christmas day seem like just a few hours long. I guess every Christmas will be weird from now on. Isn't divorce the pits?

This year we had to explain "Santa Claus" to the kids, who are 7.5 and 6. I could have waited another year on my six year-old, but when she asked, "how come Thomas got what he asked Santa for and I didn't?" I couldn't let it go on another year. So we had the talk, and she is still a little unsure about the whole thing.

I will never forget my sister, just 10.5 months older than me, spoiling "Santa" for me when I was 6, as we lay in our beds one night. I didn't believe her. I tried to rationalize the whole thing in my head, when I said, "the next thing you're going to tell me is there's no such thing as the Easter Bunny!" I could feel her eyes roll.

Incidentally, a few weeks after Christmas, my 6 year old lost a tooth. The Tooth Fairy came and went with no incident, and no questions. When will I break THAT to them?!

Our Visit with Santa

This year, our visit to Santa was a little different. In past years, at least one of my two children were very hesitant to visit Santa. They go in boldly, then shy away the closer they get to the "big guy." But this year, there was only minor hesitation, and that was only regarding who would go first. They both stared at him in the little house on Main Street, as they argued in whispers about who should go first. (As if Santa couldn't hear them from 3 ft away!)

Anna went first, and shared the note that she had written for Santa. She had three items on her list and she read it to Santa. She would not look him in the eye. She is not a shy child, but I think that Santa, the all-knowing, all-seeing man was too close for comfort! When it came Thomas' turn, I noticed how he would not take his eyes off of Santa's face. This is VERY odd for Thomas. He normally does not make eye contact unless he knows you and decides to let you into his world (he's very picky). I decided that he was simply growing up and getting over his fear of the Big Man. When we got into the car, the first thing he said was, "Santa sure does sound a lot like Mr. John at church!" (He was).

"Really?" I asked. "I hadn't noticed."
The best thing is that since "Mr. John" is our pastor, he knows their names when they walk in the door, which totally baffles the kids from the get go! Here they are:

We've Been Invaded!!

There comes a time in every homeschooling mom's life, when she realizes that her children are simply not doing what they have been told to do. The other day I was in my bedroom, when I knew that the kids were not sitting at the table doing school work, but doing something in the living room. On my way to the office, I poked my head through the doorway to redirect them, when I got the laugh of my week. Staring back at me were two little aliens, ready to attack their mom (I'm sure of it!) They probably didn't realize just how hilarious they looked, so I took a picture. Then it occurred to me that my son let his little sister wear his coveted Darth Vader costume. So I quickly became grateful for the sharing attitude and didn't mention the neglected school work. It got done later!

First Snow of Fall 2008, Anthony, KS

Just a couple of days ago, my son complained, "When is it EVER going to snow?!" (As if it weren't JUST the beginning of December). Yesterday it was close to 70; today it is 29 and snowing. Welcome to Kansas! Of course both kids had to get in all their snow garb and immediately head out to the snow. I think they were out there for about an hour when they finally came in, freezing and hungry. They had fun, but my prediction is that by the middle of February, I will hear the same, "why does it have to snow AGAIN?" complaints that rang through the house last year. Here they are playing:

Turkey Poem

Well, it's December 1st and you know what that means? Christmas is 24 days away! What I want to know is how this happened so fast. I remember New Year's Eve like it was yesterday! It also means that Thanksgiving is behind us and we have fridges full of leftover mashed potatoes, turkey, and green bean casserole. If you're like me, you have a freezer full of turkey pot pies (thanks to my sister!) We had a great Thanksgiving with my sister visiting, and we went to our friends' across the street to eat. Our turkey, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole made it safely across the street, but our other neighbor's sweet potatoes didn't make it, as the dish exploded when it came out of the oven. It might sound mean to say she deserved it, but she did and she knows why! :o) (Little details that won't make the blog, but if it did, you'd get a good laugh, I promise!)

So anyway, I wanted to share this poem that someone posted in a group I'm in. I thought it was super cute, and appropriate for all ages. Enjoy!

Black November
When I was a young turkey,
New to the coop,
My big brother Mike took me out on the stoop,
Then he sat me down,
And he spoke real slow,
And he told me there was something that I had to know;
His look and his tone I will always remember,
When he told me of the horrors of..... Black November;
"Come about August, now listen to me,
Each day you'll get six meals instead of just three,
And soon you'll be thick, where once you were thin,
And you'll grow a big rubbery thing under your chin;
"And then one morning, when you're warm in your bed,
In'll burst the farmer's wife, and hack off your head;
Then she'll pluck out all your feathers so you're bald 'n pink,
And scoop out all your insides and leave ya lyin' in the sink;
And then comes the worst part!" he said not bluffing,
She'll spread your cheeks and pack your rear with stuffing."
Well, the rest of his words were too grim to repeat,
I sat on the stoop like a winged piece of meat,
And decided on the spot that to avoid being cooked,
I'd have to lay low and remain overlooked;
I began a new diet of nuts and granola,
High-roughage salads, juice and diet cola;
And as they ate pastries, chocolates and crepes,
I stayed in my room doing Jane Fonda tapes;
I maintained my weight of two pounds and a half,
And tried not to notice when the bigger birds laughed;
But 'twas I who was laughing, under my breath,
As they chomped and they chewed, ever closer to death;
And sure enough when Black November rolled around,
I was the last turkey left in the entire compound;
So now I'm a pet in the farmer's wife's lap;
I haven't a worry! , so I eat and I nap;
She held me today, while sewing and humming,
And smiled at me and said: "Christmas is coming..."

~Poet Unknown

My Baby Turns 6!

My daughter turned six yesterday and it's about darn time! She is one of those kids that is year older in your head than her actual age, so I've been wanting to call her "six" for a good year now. She asked me yesterday, "are you going to say I'm seven now?" If you knew her, you would understand. She started reading at age 4, so she is a really good reader now, even better than some 7-8 year olds we know. She has always been socially mature. She is into hair, make-up, and fashion. And she has a natural understanding of grown up things that most kids don't have. She is very perceptive, so I have to be very careful what she picks up on if it's an adult topic that I don't want her to be ready for!

So the night before her birthday, she reminds me, "don't forget to set up my birthday table like you did last year, you know, when I got my umbrella?" As if *I* would forget something like that! My mom started that tradition and every year I would wake up with a special table set up with my presents, flowers, etc. I don't think the birthday child should have to wait until a party to get her gifts- she should get them first thing in the morning. Since we homeschool, we didn't have to worry about running late for school. As a matter of fact, we took the day off!

When Anna woke up, she said from her bed, still one eye closed, "Mommy...do you know what T-O-D-A-Y I-S?" (She can spell, too!)

"Thursday?" (Giggles)

We got past the formalities and she got up and went to the table. Our dining/school table was full of schoolwork from the night before, so I had set up a smaller table in the living room. She saw the dining table and I saw the disappointment on her face. She tilted her head in that, "really?" sort of way. "You forgot!" she said.

"Of course I didn't!" I replied and then she decided to look around. Then she saw it and a still-missing teeth grin appeared as if to say, "okay, I still love you."

She had a great day with her brother. They built a fort, and watched Nim's Island underneath it. Birthday calls came in and interrupted the movie over and over. We had lunch at Pizza Hut, her choice. Then she had her good friends (three sisters) come over for a small "Little House on the Prairie" party, where she got a new pink computer from her dad, and her favorite gift, the The Kathleen McKenzie Doll - Life of Faith Series .

I have to brag on my children for a moment. Yesterday I pretty much let them have the day. Except for cleaning up their fort before the party, they did not have any chores or requirements. Last night I was so tired that I went to bed at 9:30. They were both playing on the computer, so I told them they were to be IN BED by 10:00. I had visions of them staying up until 3:00 am like they'd done before and wondered how often I would have to repeat myself before they got into bed. But, they did what I asked! I couldn't believe it. I don't know what time they actually went to bed, because I was pretty out of it. But all was quiet when it was 11-something, so I'm pretty sure they hit their mark. They were probably worn out as well, but I'm going to take it as they just decided to give Mommy a break and obey the first time. I love my kids!

Halloween Costume Contest Winner - Again!

Two years in a row, my son won the costume contest for his age group. First with his astronaut costume, then with his policeman's costume. This year, he had an awesome costume (Darth Vader), but there were three other Darth Vaders! So...we still had a winner this year, with my daughter's Little Red Riding Hood costume! She was so cute. She chose her costume, and I just found it online for her at Costume Express. You never know what the weather will be like on Halloween, and this year it was HOT! At 5 pm it was 88 degrees! It did cool off as it got later, but the parade through main street was at 5:30 and my poor son was dying under his Darth Vader helmet. He took it off when we got to the end where they do the costume judging. His head was soaking wet! We got a laugh out of that. Here are their pictures:

Chaplin Nature Center, Ark City, KS

Recently our homeschool group visited the Chaplin Nature Center in Ark City, KS. It's about an hour from our home and was well worth the drive! If you live in the area or plan on coming through, make plans to check it out!

The project our kids worked on was checking the water quality of the creek not far from the nature center. Their job was to scoop out samples of the muck from the creek bed and investigate the creatures that they found. It was a cool day, and it never occurred to me that a creek would be teeming with such life late in October. But it was! We found lots of baby frogs, and I can't remember for the life of me all the other creatures, but there were tons. Next time maybe I'll take notes! We dug through the muck collected in the nets, some with fingers, some with sticks. The children were given boots to wade out further into the creek, and they had fun doing that. Here are some pics of our group:

You can probably see the various ages in our group and the number of adults there, too. What a difference from "school field trips!" Our guide, Shawn, was very nice and guided us through the project in identifying what we had found. On our hike back to the building, Shawn asked if we wanted to go down to the bridge where we might be able to see a snake. Of course, we did, and we saw a snake! We also saw deer tracks and raccoon tracks. Then we went inside to evaluate using a numerical scale how the water faired. It was "good," I believe. Each type of invertebrate we found was worth a certain number of points. The more and varied the invertebrates are, the higher the point value, the better the water quality.

After our "lesson" we ate a bagged lunch and then let the kids go explore. I plan on going back at some point. I will probably wait until it gets warm again! One thing I forgot to mention is that the nature center building has lots of mounted animals in it that are really cool to look at. There are other activities in there, but the most memorable are the mounted animals that most kids don't get a chance to see up close.

Frugal Tips for Stay at Home Moms

There are a number of frugal things you can do to save money when you are a stay at home mom. My favorites are shopping at Goodwill or consignment sales for children's clothes, and living small. If you don't have a local children's consignment sale, think about starting one. They are usually held twice a year (once for spring/summer, once for fall/winter) and you can get anything and everything a baby or child might need. Sellers tag their own items and drop them off where they are organized by the people putting on the sale. Then you have 2-3 days to shop for things you need. You pick up your items that didn't sell and a few weeks later, you get a check in the mail for what you sold. This is a great way to recycle still-wearable children's clothes. It is a way to make a few bucks AND keep yourself out of the store.

Living small is something that is difficult for families to do these days if they own their home- mainly because it is nearly impossible to sell a home right now! I was able to down-grade when I became a single mom, and our rent is much less, and so are our utilities. Living in a smaller home is also a great way to keep "things" at a minimum. If you don't have room- you don't buy it! And that is an automatic savings plan for you and your family!

For more frugal tips, visit Simply Vicky.

Must See Video on Why YOU Must Vote

I've tried SO hard to keep politics off of my blog. Finally, something came across my path that is non-partisan and very worth sharing here. Please watch this video, and share it!

http://www.valuevotersusa.com/

Scripture Stories- Joseph

As I mentioned before, we use The Story of the World for history. Today, we read about Joseph, and I thought, "hey! I can use my "Joseph" felts to help illustrate the story!" I did and it worked out wonderfully. It occurred to me as I read, just how many times the kids had heard this story. But I also realized that every time we read it, we are using a different version and more details are added in each year. In a couple of years, I will be able to get out the Joseph felt set, and they will be able to tell ME the story! That is sort of how the felts work. Kids can retell the story in their own words, sharing the details they remember (hopefully). It is also a great way to know what they learned and catch the parts they didn't (in "school" this is referred to as "testing" :o)

Hooked on Phonics Coupons

I've decided to update coupons here when I see new ones to help families out with this great program. Right now, through Nov. 30, 2008, you can save 20% on your purchase of $75 or more when you use the coupon code EM4508F2. I will try to keep this post updated with current coupons, but please honor the expiration date given here and don't come after me if the coupon code does not work after that date. While it might still work, don't count on it!

New Members of Our Family

I don't think I've mentioned this here, but back in September, a couple of kittens came up to our back door at 11 pm one night and have been here ever since. They are SO adorable, and I'd be jumping for joy except for one problem: I'm allergic to cats! Well, the other problem is that I was not anticipating having to feed two very hungry kittens, get their shots, get them fixed, etc.

Which brings me to a bit of a sore subject, and I'd like to share what I learned. Because I had to keep them outside for a good part of the day, they brought fleas in. I tried to do the least invasive thing and bought them flea collars. They did not help at all! When I finally went to the vet to get something real, they sort of giggled and I know why. I mean, if flea collars were worth anything, why would all of these other products have come on the market? So the flea collars are in the trash. Sigh. More money down the drain.
Some good news, though. When my allergy symptoms included a sore throat, I began drinking lots of water with apple cider vinegar and honey. (Get Bragg's ACV with "the mother" and raw honey!) Before I knew it, the allergy seemed to have disappeared! The cats are in the house full time now and I've been fine. I've even gotten to love on them lots without sneezing, coughing, or itchy eyes. If you have an allergy, perhaps this remedy will work for you, too!
I'm sharing some of my favorite pics. It is so cute the way they cuddle up as much as they can. And so funny how they fight when they are awake!