Kids are so cute.

Mayah's Goodnight Prayer:

Dear God. Thank You for the sunshine we had today. And thank you that we got to play in the mud, even though we got in trouble for it and got sprayed off with the cold water from the hose. It was still fun. It was worth it. Amen

Who's Idea Was It To Get A Dog, Anyway?

So, the furry little critters that live in my house and take up space on the floor caught a juvenile crow in our back yard the other evening. Fortunately, we caught them before they killed it, and it seems to be ok, other than the fact that it can't fly.

JP put it in a kennel in the garage for the night with some food and water, then in the morning, he put it up on the roof where it would be able to hop onto some low hanging branches and climb up into a large tree. It did not stay on the roof, however, and decided to come down to the back yard.

It's parents are still anxiously hovering (loudly I might add), and I am hoping that they are seeing to it's nutritional needs.

The worst part is that, while the poor little guy is our back yard resident, the dogs cannot roam freely, and must be leashed to take care of business. This is not a problem for Charlie, the beagle, but it is, however, a problem for Sara Beth, the persnickety mutt who likes to make our lives difficult. She won't do her "business" on a leash. Instead, she hovers by the back door and whines, then as soon as she's out there, she just stands around looking confused. She is making me crazy. I hope that little bird heals fast, cause Sara Beths own life might be at risk if this keeps up.

I didn't realize how long it's been since I have posted here.

So, here is a rundown of our life lately...

In April, I went to Tennessee (by myself!) for a brief visit with family, then my sisters and I went down to Gulf Shores, Alabama for a girls vacation. We decided, during the 8 hour drive down, that our big brother might not appreciate being pestered via text messaging by us, so we promptly began texting him with hourly updates of our adventures. The texting lasted for the entire 3 days of vacation, complete with pictures.

Last year, when we had our girls vacation in Chicago, we all got tattoos, but this year all we got were fabulous shoes and great tans. (See above)

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We are wrapping up our school year, finishing June 11th. I have managed to downgrade our commitments by ending music lessons and gymnastics. We will finish the year strong, though, curriculum wise- having accomplished most of what I set out the do this year.

The summer will bring a few reading and math lessons, but I have managed to bribe the kids into thinking that this is a good idea.

Testing will come in June, and I will most likely have them evaluated by a teacher (Jane Sullard, who did their evaluations last year.)

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I started a new diet a few days ago, called the HCG diet, and it's working really well. I am excited to finally get the weight off and reset my body back to lower measurements. The Naturopath that I am seeing is really positive about the changes, and so am I.

Oh my, how embarassing.

My 10 year old went to the Children's Theater today to see a play about Norse Myths. A dear friend of mine took him along with her 2 children. I took care to put him in nice clothes, khaki pants and a polo type shirt. I carefully instructed him on his behavior and manners. Then I dropped him off at my friends house and she assured me she would bring him home after the play.

About 2 minutes after my friend dropped him off at my house, I looked down at his feet and realized he was wearing a pair of old shoes that had A HOLE IN THE TOE!!! I mean, his big toe was protruding out of the gaping portal in the front of his shoe. After I got over the shock of his audacity to wear those shoes out of the house, I asked him why he was wearing them. He has 2 pairs of very nice- INTACT- shoes in his closet. He shrugged and said "I could only find one shoe for each pair." That's a boy for you. It never occurred to him to ask for help finding his shoes when there was a perfectly matched, old and holey, pair in the closet. Needless to say, I threw the offending pair away so as not to be confronted with this breech of fashion etiquette again. I hope.

Getting Healthy...

I am starting the Fat Flush Plan on Monday. It's tricky to do this kind of eating with a family, so I am getting them all in on the action. JP is doing the Plan with me, but not going quite as hard core. He does have to work, and I accept that :)

The kids are having the sugar in their diets significantly reduced. I am not nearly as careful as I should be about monitoring that kind of thing. Instant oatmeal for breakfast, canned fruit for lunch along with processed cheese... those things add up. I think Ian will have the hardest time with it. He looked a bit panicked when I informed him that I was throwing out all the candy and marshmallows.

I am attempting to avoid arguments and heated negotiations with the kids by making up menu choices and putting them on the fridge. Breakfast, Lunch and Healthy Snacks menus will at least help them understand what I mean when I say, "eat something healthy," and relieves me of some kitchen duties.

We were laughing at ourselves last night coming out of Frey Meyers with a cart full of flax seed, organic eggs and kale. Now we only need Birkenstock shoes and some hemp clothing to fit right in.

Switching it up...

In her book, The Well Trained Mind, Susan Wise Bauer asks the question: How do I know if my child truly understands what she is learning in math? The answer: Give her a page from a different math curriculum and see if she can do it. Switching curriculum, or occasionally supplementing one, can lead to a wider understanding of the subject because the information is presented in a different manor, and the student is exposed to a variety of viewpoints. You get a clearer picture of what you are learning, and sometimes fill in the holes. It also allows you, as the teacher, see any weak spots and provides the opportunity to strengthen them.

By the time January hits, our homeschool is usually ready for a change. The excitement of the Holidays are over, and it's back to business as usual. I hate business as usual. It boars me and makes me restless. I need change on a regular basis, and thankfully so do my kids. So, January is a great time to start new subjects, or just change curriculum for some subjects. I add some things and take some things away. I refresh our homeschool.

This year, for Mayah my 2nd grader, I am adding cursive and switching her math from Math-U-See to Abeka. She actually LIKES routine, and I can't change things too much for her or she gets insecure. That fine and I work with it.

For Ian, my 5th grader, I am adding to his writing curriculum (supplementing it with Abeka's Language B), changing his Logic program, and adding drawing classes. I am also raising my expectations in certain areas, such as his handwriting and spelling. I am requiring him to make outlines and write short essays that demonstrate his understanding in certain subjects, such as history and literature (the two are one and the same in our homeschool).

We are also going to purposely peruse New Years Resolutions this year. I want them to learn how to focus on a goal of personal achievement and find satisfaction in accomplishing those goals. We are going to lean how to set a goal, decide on the steps needed to achieve that goal, and practice the art of self discipline for the purpose of advancement. I acknowledge that this task requires that I set the example and I will be doing my best to model behavior that provides direction and accountability for my kids.

It seems that I am a bit of a self abuser. I always seem to go into weight-loss mode right before a major holiday. Like now, for instance. I woke up 2 days ago and decided that I absolutely had to lose 10 lbs before Christmas. Maybe it's my way of controlling myself when I would be otherwise free to indulge to my hearts content- which would be very bad.

I can't seem to get off the gain-lose-gain-lose roller coaster, and the sad part is that I know how to lose weight and keep it off, I just can't bring myself to do it! I don't need a magic pill to make me skinny, I need a magic pill to keep me skinny once I get there myself! Ugh!