OK...now you know the real truth.  "Hello, my name is peachy and I'm a stinky blogger."  LOL My blogs tend to spit and sputter and eventually go out.  Hey, what can I say, sometimes reality interferes with my plans :D  So it's been what, six months since I added an entry here; what have I been doing lol.  GOOD ONE, like I could remember that, I can't even remember to buy toilet paper at the grocery!  We're trying hard to get back on track schoolywise, it's been such a year. 

I've had to go through a ton of neurological testing since the beginning of the year.  The short (HA lol) version of the story is that I have a "nystagmus-like" movement in my right eye, that is an uncontrollable jerk or side-to-side motion and problems with focusing.  Doesn't do it all the time, can't make it do it, can't make it stop lol.  So I land somehow in the neurologist's office and I've had quite a plethora of tests done and they find nothing.  Yay.  So now I'm scheduled to see a neurological ophthalmologist in Atlanta next month; in the meantime I've been seeing the chiropractor for the first time to see if he can help with the headaches and such.  It HAS helped but sheesh, I'm having to get past what dear hubby calls the 'witch doctor.'  LOL Isn't that awful???  He'll say, "seeing the witch doctor today?" lolol.  The doc is so very nice and goes to a friend's church, but he does have some interesting ideas.  My favorite thus far was the day he was mid-adjustment on me and he gently says...."now just relax.....go toward the liggght."  WHAT???? lolol no thanks, I'll just wait for you to get my back cracked for now lol.    However, the headaches are gone and I'm thankful.  The eye...is the same.  Looks like I'll be heading to Atlanta.

In other news, we have a new family member...Oscar the goat lol.  That is one smart critter, but more on him later.  Still have the chickens; one (Belle) has a growth of some sort next to/on her beak that seems to be affecting her breathing.  Any ideas?  Got the garden mid-planting, we currently have green onions, garlic, potatoes, greens and we just planted some early tomatoes and yellow squash.  Beans and peas will follow soon!

That's it for today,  Y'all have a great day and repeat after me..."don't worry, be happy!"

OK y'all...I need some advice.

We have homeschooled from the beginning, and it has been brought to my attention (thankyousomuchdearhusband lol) that my son, 8th grade, is woefully lacking in US history.  Doesn't bother ME lol, since I don't have much recall about that stuff when I 'learned' it in school (and I use the term 'learn' very loosely; it was more like 'memorize this until the test is done') but we've had a couple of occasions lately that really perked up dear old dad's ears.  Example:  someone commented on a solemn faced baby, said he had his Richard Nixon face on; later discussion made my son ask 'who's that?' LOL. 

SO...we are in need of suggestions for US history books.  We've used Abeka in the past and well, frankly I wonder if that isn't part of our problem.  Not that Abeka isn't a good curriculum, but it's just so uninteresting to him.  I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a history buff and that a lot of it seems to be simply reading, which my sons hates.  Has anyone used anything that you'd recommend for our situation?  Money is definitely an issue, since I've pretty well spent my book allowance for this year, but we gotta have something.

Thanks for the help, y'all.  I appreciate any and all advice!

Today is September 26 and I haven't blogged in forever!  Life has been really hectic around here, but hopefully things will fall into place soon. 

My baby turned 8 recently, I just can't believe it.  She had a great birthday though, and she doesn't know it yet but there is yet another surprise to come.  She mentioned going to a local amusement park for her birthday, as she planned her 'day' a few months back lol.  However, that place is rather pricey and we just couldn't afford it.  However, my husband's employer gave out free admission tickets recently, so woohoooo! here we come!!  We haven't told her yet, we're going to visit her grandfather who lives near the park and then just drive up to the place.  Won't she be shocked??

Otherwise, we're just muddling along best we can.  We have been trying to learn how to live on less money in the hopes and prayers that the Lord will lead my husband to a different job.  This one stinks! lol  He has been there a long time, so we are doubtful that he will be able to get another job that pays as well, hence the learning to live on less.  We would like to live closer to his dad, as he is the only one of our parents still alive and he is quite elderly.  This would move us about 50-60 miles away, which is fine with all of us, but we need a new job!  Pray for the Lord's will in this situation; patience is very frustrating.  I know the Lord is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us" (Ephesians 3:20)

Thanks for visiting, y'all have a great day!

We are really enjoying our lil hummyfriends.  They're kinda territorial about their 'branch' out there!  Does anyone have any ideas on how to make a homemade hummingbird feeder?  We're trying so hard to not spend what we don't "HAVE" to, but we'd really like to have some more feeders.  Thanks for any suggestions...

Today is August 31 and I am...

UNEMPLOYED!  (here's my best Elvis impression, "thank ya, thank ya very much")

After much deliberation, my husband and I made the decision that it would be best for me to quit my job.  I have been working from home as a medical transcriptionist for a couple of years now, and it's been a great job for me.  However, time has not been my friend and I have been struggling with some behavior changes in my children and some homeschooling issues as well.  Essentially, while I am technically home with the children, the afternoon hours are spent with me working at my computer and the children being pretty well on their own.  They are certainly capable at nearly 8 and 14, but over time I have noticed some 'tude' problems that I am very displeased with.  When I sit them down to firmly discuss the problems, somehow my job always comes up.  Yes, I know that they can be yanking my chain to some degree, as they are aware of my mixed feelings over not being able to really 'be' with them while I am working.  I am also aware that my son has entered those teen years, and there are some changes to be associated with that.  However, I do feel that having a parent's direct undivided attention is of tremendous benefit to children, even if it is nothing more than direct eye contact and a listening ear.  In addition to this, we have really struggled with trying to get all of our school work done prior to my beginning my work at 1:00.  Also the house is a disaster, as mornings are spent schooling, afternoons working, supper preparations, family time and baths and then bedtime!  When do you vacuum, mop, finish the laundry?? WHEW.

So I called my employer this morning and she was so kind and supportive, stating that she understood my reasons and while she hated to lose me, if things changed and I needed to come back, just call her.  I felt such relief over this and we chatted for about half an hour lol.  I'm to return her equipment tomorrow, and that will be my last day since our current pay period ends tomorrow. 

The best part?  I hung up the phone, went to the children and said, ok...it's official.  Tomorrow is my last day of work.  Huge grins spread over their faces, and the littlest one ran to throw her arms around me!  How's that for a great reaction??

Let the celebration begin!!

Hey y'all,

We did the coolest thing over the weekend.  Locals call it 'floating down the Ichetucknee' lol and we had a blast!  Basically, the Ichetucknee (say itcha-tuck-nee) is the clearest river I have ever seen, and there is a state park there in north Florida.  You can rent tubes, rafts, etc or bring your own and float down through spring-fed, crystal clear waters.  (Now say 'ice cold'!)  Beautiful, gorgeous, a wondrous experience for us all...you could literally look down into the water and see every little thing on the bottom of the river.  The children took their swimming goggles and we bought one of those one-time-usage waterproof cameras.  We saw lots of fish, turtles, birds...and otters!  They were so cool, I'd never thought about otters around here!  This one lil guy was only about 4 feet from me, he chattered at us a bit, dove under, resurfaced with a fish and proceeded to sit there and have a snack while watching us float by lol.  It was truly amazing, we loved it!  The scenery was absolutely gorgeous, I highly recommend it. :)

Hey y'all,

Well, after much pleading, we decided to start school today.  No, the children were pleading to START lol, ~I~ was pleading to wait.  "No, really, Mom's not ready!" lolol  Oh well, seize the day, right?

We decided, at my 13-yo son's request, to just read the Bible together and discuss it for this year's Bible study.  I had thought to use one of those 'read the Bible through' charts, but they list several chapters per day and that would be overwhelming to the children, I think.  The boy child here wants to start in Genesis (he's much more organized and methodical than his mother lol), so I guess that's what we'll do.  However, today we began with II Timothy 3:15-17 and reminded ourselves that we must always begin our day with our Bible study, as it is THE most important lesson that we have!  One thing that really made an impression on me is a statement I read in 1998, our first year of homeschooling, that went something like "Ultimately, we learn to read so that we will be able to read the Scriptures for ourselves."  I've never forgotten it, nor the recommendation of always having Bible study be the first lesson of each day.

Otherwise, my son started Learning Language Arts through Literature this year, 8th grade; it seemed to be a lot of work, but he loved it.  He didn't even fuss at all the writing, and he detests writing lol.  In fact, he has asked if he can continue by himself this afternoon!  Abeka pre-algebra and health, Spelling Power for him.  For the girlie (3rd grade) we have BJU spelling, Draw Write Now for handwriting, Abeka health and eventually Saxon math, but she's not quite ready for that yet, so we're still working through a 2nd grade workbook that we used last year.  Together we will do Mystery of History, Considering God's Creation, spanish lessons on cassette that I forget the name of at the moment lol, and their dad will lead them in Georgia history lessons at night. 

I have some issues to resolve about needing to be with both of them for their lessons, I felt very pulled-here-and-there this morning.  Their age difference causes some of that I think, and of course they both want Mama's attention.  I try to remind myself, when they are talking incessantly and I can't hear myself think , that there are parents all over the world who are clueless about their children's thoughts and activities and wish that their child WOULD talk to them.  Then I take a breath, smile into my child's eyes and try to figure out what in the world Chipper Jones' batting average has to do with the tacos for lunch that we were just discussing! 

Parenting is not for cowards and I love it!  See y'all...:)

OK, I thought this was so funny, I had to give it a go.  So here is my list...

Things you'll never hear me say :)

1.   Go ahead kids, y'all just fight it out.

2.   Whatever YOU think, I have no opinions of my own.

3.   No thank you, I'm not hungry.

4.   Housecleaning is my passion, my joy, my life. :)

5.   Sure, I'd love to hold your pet snake...lizard...bird...mouse...

6.   This has too much chocolate.

7.   Ah, 90% humidity and 102 degrees...how refreshing!

8.   I'm just too organized for my own good.

9.   Oh GOODY, time to balance the checkbook!

10. Awww, is it time to go to bed already???

I apologize, I do not know the author of this beautiful writing.  I would love to post that, if anyone can help me.  I received this in an email right after my mother passed away...

MOTHERS

The young mother set her foot on the path of life.

"Is the way long?" she asked.  And the guide said, "Yes, and the way is hard, and you will be old before you reach the end of it.  But the end will be better than the beginning."

But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years.  So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them, and the young mother cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."

Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, "Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come."  And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary.  But at all times she said to the children, "A little patience and we are there." 

So the children climbed, and when they reached the top, they said, "Mother, we would not have done it without you."  And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up at the starts and said, "This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness.  Yesterday I gave them courage.  Today, I have given them strength."

And with the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said, "Look up.  Lift your eyes to the light."  And the children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the darkness.  And that night the mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old and she was little and bent.  But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage.  And when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide.  And the mother said, "I have reached the end of my journey.  And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them."

And the children said, "You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."  And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her.  And they said, "We cannot see her, but she is with us still.  A mother like ours is more than a memory.  She is a living presence."

Your mother is always with you.  She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street, she's the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks, she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well.  Your mother lives inside your laughter.  And she's crystallized in every teardrop.  She's the place you came from, your first home; and she's the map you follow with every step you take.  She's your first love and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can separate you.  Not time, not space...not even death.

Hey y'all,

We've just seen the coolest thing and I wanted to share...we have a hummingbird feeder right out the living room window here, and of course, the little guys are so amazing.  They normally have a set routine, you could almost set your clock by them last year.  Every evening around 5:00, you could watch and see a hummingbird at the feeder.  However, today we've just noticed the most interesting thing! This one hummingbird came by the feeder at around lunchtime, and after sampling the wares out there, lol, proceeded to sit on a nearby branch on the tree where the feeder hangs!  I've never seen one still, they are normally in constant motion; this little guy has returned time and again today, to sit on that branch!  Isn't that so neat?  Has anyone ever seen this?  He just sits there for awhile, enjoying the shade...but not as much as we enjoy watching him!

Hey y'all,

We've been homeschooling for quite a while, in fact this upcoming year will be our 9th, and it didn't take me long to discover the truth in this statement:  The people in your world who are supposed to love you best are often the ones who support you the least.  This includes parents, siblings, your closest friends, your church family and even your pastor.  Most of them don't MEAN to be unsupportive.  However, they don't seem to miss an opportunity to question, create doubt and even speak against your homeschooling and child-rearing styles.  Does any of this sound familiar?

~~What about learning to get along with others?  Are you sure?  What about when he starts algebra?  But you went to public school and you turned out alright!  Are you really sure?  What about sports, socialization, college??  But are you SURE?  You know, you can't shelter them forever! Well okkkaayyyy, if you think so.  (AND NOW, my personal favorite...body language: crossed arms, rolling eyes and mutter "Mmmhmmm")~~

Worse than what people say to you is what they say when you're not around.  Even well-meaning folks have plenty of comments and discussions, complete with eye-rolling, head-shaking and sighs.  As if this isn't enough to dissuade, often we discourage each other by being too critical of different methods or styles, by 'knowing it all', by making false assumptions.  We should be embracing each other, uplifting and supporting, lending a helping hand...not a slapped wrist, a harsh word, or a turned-up nose.  I've lost count of the times people have been appalled at some facet of our homeschooling.  I can't keep 'em all happy!

Every homeschooling family is different.  That bears repeating:

EVERY homeschooling family is different. 

What works for you may not work for me, and vice versa.  Don't assume that your way of learning, while it runs like a well-oiled machine at your house, would solve the dilemmas at my house.  Blowing off my issues does not show compassion; "I told you so" is not helpful.  I confess, there are times that I would pay good money to see one of these 'my way is the only way' people dropped into my household!  That wouldn't work either, because you see, we all have different goals.  Sure, we are similar in that we want the best for our children-- the best raising, the best learning, the best attitudes, the best family life.  But the details change, even within our own households at times.

If you are the grandparent, aunt, or close friend of a homeschooling family, be truly supportive; tell that mom how proud you are of her accomplishments, tell her that you know what she may have sacrificed in order to provide this environment for her children and what a good job she's doing.  Tell that dad that you're proud of him for providing for his family and creating a home where mom can teach, and for the teaching that he provides himself in spite of his busy work week.  If you're in church with a homeschooler, take a minute this Sunday to compliment the children's behavior, pat them on the back and say 'well done, good job!'  And if you're a homeschooler yourself, remember that every homeschool family is not like yours.  In fact, none of them are!  Support each other, greet one another with a hug, give someone a call and say, "Hey, I was just thinking about you!"  Don't try to 'fix them.'  Listen, listen, listen; remember God gave us twice as many ears as mouths, so use them accordingly.  And hey, homeschool mom?  I'm proud of you!

I wrote such a novel on our first birth, lol, but the second has a tale of its own!

My second baby was due on October 4 and I was so HOT, I thought I'd die lol.  On top of that, this little tyke was certainly making its presence known!  Thankfully, I never had any morning-sickness, but everything hurt lol.  Though I only gained 12 pounds in the entire pregnancy, I would stand next to family and friends, literally cradling my belly from beneath it, turn to them and say, "Here....hold this for a while, wouldya??"  My doctor finally put me on bedrest for the last three months, because we were trying to avoid going too early.  (As a sidenote, it was during these months of bedrest that my son and I began homeschooling!  What a journey lol...)  About three weeks before my due date, I saw my doctor with some pains.  He sent me to the hospital, yippee this is it! I thought, and I don't even have to wait until my due date!  Yep..you guessed it...after all the bedrest and waiting, he finally was willing to let me go...and there were no contractions lol.  Had I gone into labor on my own it would have been fine, but my doctor wasn't willing to induce me just yet.  However the following week, we decided there was really no sense in prolonging this further, so off I went for another induction.  One more 6 a.m. journey (what IS it with morning folks??), once again the Pitocin.  This time, it didn't work as quickly; around 11 a.m., my family in the waiting room decided to get lunch after checking with us.  I was huffing and puffing and breathing, hadn't gotten very far, plenty of time.  Just after they left, my doctor decided to go ahead and give me an epidural.  Well honey, we got busy then!  The epidural was administered; this is a good thing lol, although I find it particularly cruel to tell a heavily pregnant woman in hard labor to "curl up into a ball", good one.  Got it done, laid back down, covered me up..."I'll check back in a few" and the door closed behind the nurse.  Take a breath and WHAM, suddenly there was a sense of 'whoosh' lol and an incredibly intense pressure, I started hollering at my husband, "Get her back in here!", hitting the call button and blowing for all I was worth!  "I ~blow~ NEED ~blow~ HELP!!"  Well they come a'running, flew in that room like the devil himself was after 'em and I certainly couldn't tell them what was wrong!  When they were able to get through my hysteria and check me, the baby was coming.  I mean, she was coming lol.  It was the typical movie moment, "DON'T PUSH, don't push!"  My doctor threw on gloves as she came through the door, they gowned her between contractions and in just a few minutes, I was holding a perfectly healthy precious little baby girl.  As my husband and I ooohed and ahhhhhed, I could hear the doctor say that there was a total knot in the umbilical cord, isn't that weird?  My little one weighed in at only 5 lbs. 8 oz, down to 5 lbs even at discharge, but she was healthy and strong.  Once again, God is good, all the time!

Unfortunately, my family was gone and missed the whole thing!  The nurse went to get them and no one was out there.  We decided to play a trick on them for missing the action, and the hospital staff did not tell them of the birth when they returned.  My sister called me on her cell phone from the waiting room, "How're ya doing?"  "Oh,"  I said, "I'm okay, got my epidural   ...y'all can come back if you want."  It wasn't until they entered my room and spied me with my little bundle that their jaws dropped, "IS THAT THE BABY????"  Guess we had the last laugh LOL.

I can't think of anything I love more that a good birth tale, lol, so I decided to share mine.  SO, congratulations, my first child was due on November 21, the pregnancy progressed fine and dandy, no problems.  As my date approached, I would groan, "Doc, if I don't have this baby soon, it's gonna weigh a ton!"  His reply?  "Oh, at least lol."  Our lil unborn surprise was so funny, even in utero.  You know how it is, your belly is so big and in the way, so..well...you prop things on it lol.  Every Sunday in church, I would prop my Bible open on my belly, and that baby would kick and kick until I couldn't even read the pages, it would wobble so badly!  I guess things were getting tight in there; as soon as I moved the book from my belly, he would stop lol. 

On what was to be my last office visit, the doctor said he wanted to stretch my cervix a bit.  Let me clue you in to something, if anyone ever says this to you? RUN!!  LOL, I thought they were going to have to peel me off the ceiling.  He said, now if this doesn't put you in labor (and goodness, it should've!!) then you come back and we'll induce you.  Sure enough, the appointed day arrived and we got ourselves to the hospital at a chipper 6 a.m. for the induction.  Once stripped of my dignity , I found myself hooked to a monitor, where the nurse informed me that I was already having regular contractions. (Who knew?) Induced me anyway, and boy I could tell when they stepped away from the bed.  That Pitocin is some spunky stuff lol.  Busy day in babyland that day, I progressed along nicely, got my Epidural and didn't feel another thing.  Soon, we were huffing and puffing and pushing...my husband was so cute, I remember him saying, "it's got curly hair!" as the baby crowned.  Unfortunately, it WAS a big baby, I wasn't feeling a thing and as I said, busy day in babyland..maybe it was the pre-Thanksgiving rush?  In any case, I crowned that boy at about lunchtime...and he was finally suctioned out at 4:50 that afternoon.  I had been on oxygen all afternoon for some irregular fetal heartbeats, and he'd been all squished up in the birth canal for hours!  When he finally made his entrance, all 9 pounds of him, it wasn't a happy one.  He was just as blue as could be and was rushed off to the neonatal unit.  There was no 'set the baby on mommy's belly' like they do in the movies, no sweet kisses or tender hugs...they touched his head one time to mine and ran out the door.  My poor husband was caught in the lurch, not knowing whether to stay with me, go to the nursery, go to our families in the waiting area.  I said, "GO, go with the baby!"

I was a long time in recovery and I had very little news of my baby, except well-meaning OB nurses who kept trying to reassure me.  My mom came in to me very soon, saying she needed to check on HER baby.  She said our baby was in the unit and they had no news.  What I WASN'T told at that time was the baby nurse had run to the elevator with my baby, past all our families who knew our birth was imminent.  Mama asked, "Is that our baby?" and was answered, "Yes ma'am it is and if you want to go up with us, you better come on NOW."  As soon as they reached the ICU window to see the baby, a different nurse slammed the blinds closed in their faces.  After some anguished moments, she gruffly came to the door to relate the news, "Don't get your hopes up."  My baby was not breathing normally and was not getting enough oxygen.  His APGAR scores were not good and they were working on him. 

In recovery, my phone rang.  It was my brother on the line, who had a friend who worked in the neonatal unit.  He had called the friend, and asked if she could help.  Here was my first real report on my baby!  He explained it all to me, told me to hang in there and he'd call with anything further; the baby was in good hands.  No one wanted to tell me the experience at the nursery window; my dad, normally a very reserved person, got so upset that my mom had to take him outside.  "We're gonna lose him," he cried, as they comforted each other best they could.

Finally, I was released to my room, and our first stop via wheelchair was the neonatal unit.  My first memories with my baby are ones of tubes and wires and monitors...but they placed him and all of his periphernalia in my lap.  You could hardly see a baby under all that stuff!  My husband and I held him as long as they allowed.  Many times during that long first night, my nurses would find me missing from my room, only to discover me down at the nursery window.  Every time they entered my room, I asked for an update.  Toward morning, a nurse came in, picked up the phone and dialed a number.  In a minute, she handed me the phone.  I could hear this squawking, shrieking, obviously extremely mad baby on the line...a smile slowly came, with tears, as she said, "that's him!"  Anyone who could make that much noise was certainly breathing!

Around 9 a.m., there was a knock on the door to my room.  I wondered if it was my husband returning from getting a bite to eat, perhaps a family member.  My pediatrician poked his head around the door, announcing, "Hey!  Somebody wants to see you..." and turned the corner with my beautiful baby boy.  I sobbed so, I have no idea what that man said lol.  All I could do was cry and nod as I held our precious gift, who was the most gorgeous pink now, breathing on his own normally, and suffering no ill effects. 

Ain't God good?

Why isn't there some decree that says a mom cannot possibly be sick at the same time her children are?  Add in the husband..and whew, need I say more?  Ugh, we have all had some evil virus, my daughter started on Sunday and the rest of us fell right behind her.  She even had a rebound on Tuesday!  In a bleary-eyed state, I told my husband it was at times like these that we could really use two bathrooms...without opening his eyes, he answered, "We'll get right on that for you."  lol I won't hold my breath on that one, and we should be thankful we have even ONE bathroom!

Otherwise, no new vegetable news..except that the fruit flies are taking over.  I guess that's what these lil pesky things are, they came to visit while we had a couple of canteloupes and now they won't leave.  We have tomatoes in varying stages of ripening and I'm guessing that's what is keeping our little friends happy.  Any suggestions?  because they are driving me nuts! OH, and we have the biggest tomato on the vine that I have ever seen..this thing is, no kidding, almost as big as two fists!  I wish I had a digital camera to show y'all.

Enjoy Wednesday!

I can't remember the last time I saw the bottom of my clothes hamper.

I can't remember the last time my house 'passed inspection.'

I can't remember...what I was going to type next.

I knew a gal who was such an meticulous housekeeper that it was said you could eat off her floors...big deal!  You can eat off my floors too...'cause there's food down there. :D

I knew a gal who scrubbed her baseboards with a toothbrush.  I always wanted to know if her husband knew this...and if he realized that baseboard day usually followed a night that he didn't come home on time.  Guess whose toothbrush?

I knew a gal who said that ironing clothes was therapeutic...I thought she should seek professional counseling, m'self. 

A good friend is someone who knows everything about you, and loves you anyway:  one of mine sent me a Garfield comic that shows Jon saying 'this house is a mess, we should do something about it.' Garfield's reply?  "Do what I do...close your eyes!"

You know, last year was a tough homeschooling year. (I say this every year lol, I think.) We had a special speaker at our homeschool group, Ruth Martins y'all know her? WONDERFUL, and I was asking her about some 'schooling issues' I'd been having.  She asked a few questions, and then she said, "Oh honey... you have a 13-year-old, that's what the problem is!"  lol  So, I'm trying something different with the upcoming school year.  As usual lol.  Seems like I'm always trying something different, and the next year I say, "Hmm, that didn't work, I'm gonna try something different." 

My oldest child began homeschooling in kindergarten and, being a new homeschooler, totally clueless and pregnant with our 2nd child, I started 'school at home'.  You know, it's 8 a.m., time to pledge to the flag, sing My Country tis of Thee and sit down at the table with our stack of little books.   Now why I thought this plan would work for us when it didn't work in schools, I'll never know lol.  (I now like to say I'm a recovered school-at-homer.)  However, this child did not recover with me lol, and he doesn't think he's "doing school" unless he has his assignment list, his books, etc.  No live-n-learn for him, no sirree.  I've tried talking to him, showing him that he really IS learning... and he nods politely...and in the next breath wants to know when we're gonna "do school." 

My second child is so totally different, she's very lalala, whatever lol.  Her greatest delight was in informing relatives, her Sunday school teacher and/or perfect strangers that she couldn't read (1st-2nd grade age)  Didn't bother her a bit.  Can't read, don't care, whatever, lalala lol.  "What word is this...c-a-t?"  Shrug, she'd answer lol.  Nudging her into schooliness made her cry, and I failed to see what was productive about THAT.  So I let her go at her own pace, and one day, snap-my-fingers, it just happened!  They really will do these things in their own time.

However, I'm still here with Mr. Straight-n-Narrow lol.  SO...sigh...I have ordered him all the appropriate books and workbooks this year.  Learning Language Arts through Literature, Abeka Prealgebra, Mystery of History, Spelling Power, Abeka Health, Considering God's Creation science and his dad is going to teach a state history course.  I have also ordered appropriate books for lil herself, simply because she LOVES it lol and I don't want her to feel left out.  If she does them, fine, if not, fine.  Pray for us!

Thanks for listening :)

My daddy was a fine man...but not always socially acceptable in his comments lol. 

I remember one of my favorite 'Daddy sayings'..and be forewarned, this one is not generally repeatable in mixed company lol.

My daddy had a mindset about prices.  Everything cost too much.  Didn't matter what it was or the price, it was too much lol.  He remembered when you could buy that for (fill-in-the-blank).  He remembered when he and Mama had 50 cents and they both walked to town and got in to see a movie, had popcorn and a drink.

However he had a saying that he used when things REALLY got out of hand.  Example:  "Hey Daddy, lookit my new shoes, I got 'em on sale, they only cost $9.99."  Daddy's reply, "$9.99?  NINE NINETY NINE!  Why, I wouldn't pay 9.99 to see the Statue of Liberty pee over the Hudson!" LOL

My Daddy...he was a hoot.  In later years, my brother added to this funny story.  After one such occasion, my brother paused...and added..."hmmm...~I~ would pay that, I'd kinda like to see the Statue of Liberty pee over the Hudson...but...I'd wanna be sure of which side of the river to stand on!"

lolol

Hey y'all,

This old brain is having a time, I'm telling you.  I grew up in town...small towns, but TOWN, and I'm trying hard to think country!  I saw a bumper sticker one time that I loved, it said "I'm not from the South...but I got here as quick as I could!"  Made me laugh, and that's how I am about country living..I'm not from the country, but I got here as soon as I could lol.  Actually, we STILL live in a small town lol but I'm trying to develop country thinking.  So I think I'm toodling right along, doing okay, lalala, when suddenly my husband will come in and totally throw me. 

For example, I'm feeling a tremendous sense of accomplishment, because we've canned tomatoes, froze some too, made strawberry fig preserves and generally put a bunch of stuff in the freezer, like peas, butterbeans, greens, peaches etc.  So I'm all "pat me on the back" kinda thinking lol, when boom!  Supper table last night, picture it lol.  Himself says "so...you gonna go back to the farmer's market for corn?"  Well smack my head and call me Lulu...CORN.  I forgot (insert embarrassed face).  (Mental note:  add farmer's market to the dozen things already on the schedule for next week.) 

Well, I'm doing better at this 'feeding ourselves' thing than I ever have, I guess I get points for that, right?  Happy day y'all!

Mama had a bad habit...of throwing things that frustrated her out the back door lol.  All kinds of things landed in the backyard at our house, from broken dustpans to toys.

Once, my mother had been nagging my dad to fix the oven door.  For some reason, the hinge was messed up and the oven door wouldn't close properly; it would 'catch' right at the last moment and leave about a one-inch crack open.  You could usually wiggle it around a bit and get it to close.  On this particular day, Mama was cooking a roast in the oven and when she opened the door to check on the meat, she couldn't get it to close.  No amount of 'wiggling' would work, and as I watched her from the kitchen table, the oven door came completely off in her hands.  So here she was, standing in the middle of the kitchen, holding a 350 degree oven door in her hands.  Mama never even blinked...she turned and walked out of the room (holding the oven door, mind you)...in a minute, I heard the back door open and BOOM, there went the oven door, right out into the backyard!

When she calmly re-entered the kitchen, I was laughing so hard that tears were running down my face.  She stopped and stared at me in that 'you better cut it out' mother look, you know the one I mean lol.  The more I tried to stop laughing, the funnier it got; a grown woman had just calmly thrown an oven door out into the backyard!  When the 'mama look' didn't work, she turned to me and icily stated, "I fail to see the humor in this, missy."  I ROLLED, I laughed so hard my stomach hurt and all I could do was helplessly wipe tears from my hysterical face. 

Mama got tickled at me laughing so hard, and then she started laughing, and then we both just lost it.  It is one of my fondest memories of my mom. :)

Who knew kitchen appliances could be so funny??

I heard this story recently:

A well-meaning grandma offered some peanuts to her grandson's playmate;  she knew her grandson was allergic to them.  The grandson, however, thought she was offering him the offensive nuts.  With all the drama of a 3-year-old, he put his hands on his hips, looked incredulously at his grandma, and said, "You KNOW I'm awwergic to peanuts; are you trying to do me in???"