*waves*   I'm still here *honest*

I've been sick since Friday..and finally gave into it Sunday.   My body just shut down.  I slept literally around the clock on Sunday.   Today I was just dragging.

So possibly tomorrow I'll get up and go.   The only reason I got online tonight is I bid on stuff late Thursday and needed to check...I lost *shrugs*  no biggy.

Ended up at my parents tonight...which was nice and laid back.   Hadn't seen them in a month...which just seems weird.   But ya know its fine.    We have lives.  

My mom is really getting into scrapbooking.   She has done all of my early-growing up years.   It was a lot of fun to look at.   And when she's finished I'm gonna take it down to Staples, or some such place and close my eyes and copy it all not thinking how spendy it will be.  LOL

I'm not posting tonight, I'm not.  so pbbbt

Okies...trust me ya don't want me posting tonight.  Just still not feeling very good, it would be a very very blonde posting.  *snigger*

Kaylin loves math and has excelled at it.   It comes naturally to her, and I don't want to still that from her.  Yesterday I came close to it getting bogged down by a detail.     I'm soooooooo greatful to Womie for this statement she made today;

 

Hey...

I wouldn't be too concerned about that. It's an interesting exercise actually... subtracting one thing from another type of thing... like how often do you say to yourself "Here's $10 and 6 rocks, how many more dollars do I have than rocks?" Generally it makes more sense to subtract the same sort of thing from itself...
I am sure she will be able to answer questions like that in time. I wouldn't be concerned.

I really only thing any exercise or learning activity is as good as how much it applies to real life.

 

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I so agree, its my philosophy of teaching.   But when using  a curriculum you find yourself loosing that focus.   Thanks for the reminder Wommie.   If I was in Australia, I'd come get you for a teacher for my kids.     Or glean from your knowledge, or both.  *grin*  

So I'm not gonna review that page, we're gonna just move on.   It will come back.  

The choice I've made to move back towards a more curriculum style learning has been a good one for my family and *is* working.   But at the same time, I have to remember to be flexible, and not stressed by my child not being able to do something immediately.   *deep breathe*

I told and keep telling Rob every day I self-doubt myself.   Its a HUMONGOUS responsibility to do this.   And then I breathe and try to relax and enjoy it. 

Teeter-totter   Teeter-totter.   Needs to relax more about this, and remember learning is supposed to be fun.  

The reading is fun again, and my kids are LOVING it...even Rainee and Jamari love the stories and stuff.  

And the math is fun most of the time.   So we keep working on it.

Thanks again Wommie for a good reminder.

I could have brought home another son tonight....

Well soon anyhow. 

I actually wish I could.  I'm such a sucker.   He's a delightful little boy who loves to talk, and loves my kids, and desperately needs a full-time stay-at-home mom.   Any one know a home?  Particularly in Washington would be good.   You have to be a licensed Foster parent, and be willing to do a open adoption for his grandma's sake.  

Actually, I'm just praying his grandma takes a deep breathe lets go of her desire to be "free" of responsibility and raises him.   She's only in her 40s...and has been doing so for the last four years.   But man...just so sad.

And how did this offer come about?  His grandma works at  a small mom and pop store I frequent...actually she's part owner.  She feels strongly that kids need a SAHM and a life.   I understand this, but they also need family.   *sigh*

Something to pray over...that she will find the perfect situation, and that the little boy will feel loved.    And scare DH over.   I'm soooooo evil.

 

Fascinating little piece of math today with Kaylin.   She's ahead of Samuel a bit.  I'll be intrigued to see if Samuel struggles with it or not.

3 circles 4 triangles.  How many more triangles.

4 circles 2 triangles.  How many more circles.

 

There was umm 9 of these questions?   And instead of the word triangle it was a picture of.  Kaylin loves subtraction, but this didn't "look" like subtraction...and suddenly she just couldn't get it.

We got the manipulative triangles and circles out, and she just couldn't answer how many more.  I'd match them up and ask how many are left over, and she could do that, but only if I did the matching.

So after a wee break to regroup...I got popcorn out (or snack this morning)   And gave Zeria 5 pieces and Kaylin 2.   "How many more does Zeria have?"   I asked.   She could answer immediately.

HMMM, so we went back to the circles and triangles.    Still she couldn't do it immediately.   I had to help her match them up, and then she could get the leftovers.

So, I sat back and thought about what was different.   A one was food.  And B it was all the same item when I used the popcorn.  

We did get answers so we won't do anymore for awhile.   But now I'm curious.   If I put 5 apples, and 3 oranges out would she be able to do it.   And what kind of wonky little gap in her reasoning power is this.

Wommie any comments?  I so wanted to talk to you this morning and ask questions as I struggled through your expertise....

Edit;  She can't.  She can do How many more without much struggle with its two like items.   But if its 5 rocks and 2 shoes.   She can't.

Very fascinating.....

           

Good morning   Looky  a picture.  (Points up)   This is Rob and I about five minutes from our house.   We found a new *ahem* necking spot.  *sniggers*

We took this on date night with our lovely timer in the camera.  Its one of the few pictures we have of each other with no kiddos in our arms.   *snigger*

We actually really enjoyed being up there...and I'm NOT referring to the necking.  *giggles more*   It was just so quiet, and had a fantastic view.   This week we hope to take a picnic up there and a blanket.   And just watch the stars come out...sometimes its just so nice to sit.

Pay day is coming fast.   And I'm rather glad.  We're down to one loaf of bread, no snack food, and no "extras".    We have food...just rather boring, and requires much work to become something edible.    Ya know like pulling out a cookbook and actually mixing ingredients together...I mean how ghastly.   How spoiled I am. 

I think summer is rapidly disappearing into Fall.   It was such a short summer.....but so lovely.   Ah well fall is perfect for lots of hikes, and bike rides, and GEO caching.    And burning.   I have a lovely burn pile just aching to be torched. 

So, I won't dwell on the short summer too much.   And I've also decided that this fall and winter on the day Rob kicks me out of the house I will be paying a visit to our local pool for a adult swim.   I feel so much better when I can swim.   It releases some of my mostly permanent kinks in my back and makes me less crippled feeling.   Since I'm already in town...I think it will be well worth it.

 

Good morning

Had a rather quiet weekend.  It was nice.   The weather is perfect, warm enough to sit outside, not so warm one feels sticky.    Rob pulled a overtime Saturday which normally stresses me out, but I just hung out at the lake in the afternoon, and puttered in the morning.

Have had a lot of fun writing one of my charries this last week.   For a long time I couldn't find a place for him, and then I joined a new board, and he's just blossoming, thanks to a new friend to play with.  Waves at the lady who might just accidentally be unlazy and read at xanga today.  *snigger*

Time for a kid funnies;

Rainee was doing her normal blab, blab, blab fest in the van yesterday morning.   And I was desperate for a couple quiet minutes.   "Rainee, please be quiet."   I asked (somewhat gently)   And she continues on.  "Rainee do you know what quiet means?"   I asked (a little less gently).

Its quiet behind me for a minute.  "Ummmm, nope."  

Rob and I just started laughing hard.   A truer statement was NEVER made.  *snigger*  

If temper tantrums are decidely related to lung capacity I would say Rainee's lung capacity is doing better these days.   As she's finally entered the terrible twos.   And she's 3.5.   We be nipping those little scream fests in the bud tanky very much.   

We spent Friday going to our County Fair and had a lot of fun.  I have pictures, I may or may not upload them later.

After 2 days of messing with things, I finally have a instant messenger working.  Its a older version, but at least its working.  *screams*

The newer version wants 2 plus hours to upload.   And about 1/4 of the way into its load time...it trys to install, except its not loaded yet, and then it aborts cause its a "corrupt file"   It ain't corrupt, its not loaded you moronic computer.

And yes...my computer is getting old. 

Okies time to do schoooool.  *shrieks and whines a lot*   (Me not the kids)

Headed for one of our last lake days of the summer...gonna miss them a LOT.

This however made me laugh..

DONNELLY, Idaho - The announcement that President Bush would spend two days vacationing in Donnelly next week mystified reporters at his ranch in Texas, prompting comments like "I can't find it."

Why?   Cause we camped about fifteen minutes from there...Its our official "favorite" place in the world.   We looked at land just out of curiosity.   And yup.  Its expensive.  Bummer too, cause its gorgeous.   But unfortunately the billionare types have decided so too.   The "average" house is going for $500,000.  *shrieks*

Okies dinners in the crockpot.  Half of my swim-suits on.  The kids are in the car waiting.  I really should head out.  

I was trying to register a new charrie at BW, but alas its being a booger.   So no go for now.   Instead I'll dream of who he is at the lake.     And yes he's another pixie.

Kerrigan's very adult son.   He's around 1,200 years old or so would be my guess.   Hey Aspen...you didn't get the dad want the son?

ROFL

school is almost done.   The kiddos have accomplished my goals and are now doing "extra"   Silly ones they like math.   And do extra pages of it every day.  

Zeria has had a wonderful week and hasn't had an attitude once.  It has been so wonerful. 

Of course Samuel has been PMS'ing ALL week.  Ya can't have all kiddos happy at the same time. 

We are taking some steps backwards in reading.  But its okay the goal is to get him enjoying it...if he's not we have to step back.   So I'm moving him out of the book we're in, and going backwards to some phonics review.  WAAAAAAAAY  backwards. 

He's in reality not really ready for school yet.   Kaylin is doing better then him with less direction.     He's a boy...boys mature later.     In the public school by now he'd have great big labels.

Mommy can give him the space he needs.   And will.  

Its a bit frustrating to move backwards instead of forwards, but ya know life gets that way somedays.

The funny of the week is however...

Rob has never done school with the kids, he let it be known that was "my" job.   Which was fine.  Yesterday however he said he'd be willing to supervise math as that was the "easy" part.  hahahahaha

So he supervised it so I could get to town before he had to go to bed.

When I got home he snuck me into the bedroom and told me.   "Every day you don't kill the kids while your doing school is a true miracle."

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Welcome to my life Rob.    

*cringes*   I just pushed order for a new pair of shoes.  

I haven't bought myself a new pair of shoes since Kaylin was a baby.    And I've worn that pair every day.

And I'm still cringing.   I remember when I paid $7 for shoes and just didn't care.   Now my feet, back care entirely too much.   So   I just spent $120 for a new pair of Berks...at my husbands insistance.

Really when you work out how long I've had the last pair its quite a good deal...

But oy.    Rob however informed me my shoes were VERY ugly.   Actually he used less polite words.   And he was write.  *snigger* 

Sooooo Berks coming soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bit frustrated today.   Hurt someone last night not really meaning to.   Did something to prevent hurt, and hurt still incurred.

Communication sucks just so ya know. 

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**disregard if you don't want to read Christian "mumbo-jumbo" 

Why is it when Christians struggle through to a new belief about something and finally make a decision that they feel honors God they immediately want everybody else to make that same decision?

I do it fairly frequently.    Its like we've finally gotten direction, and so now everybody else has to follow that same path.  

I guess we want company eh?

And on the flip side of that...when you finally make that decision to go against the flow, or follow a new path, your very prickly.   Your expecting conflict...and as a result you get it.

Homeschooling, Breastfeeding,  Vaccinations,  Reading Material,  Music Choices, Movies.   You name it there's a decision to be made.

There's no black and white in the Bible for any of these things and many more things.  

Last night someone asked me a question about how I choose to read what I read.    This is my answer, for each of the list of things.

"Finally brother whatever things are true, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are noble, whatever things are pure, whatever things are admirable, if there be any thing of excellence, or praise think on these things."

I can't blanket statement ANYTHING I do.   I can't say all fantasy is evil.   I can't say all homeschoolers are good.    I can't say all public schools are evil.   I can't say X denomination is all evil or good.  

I can just start investigation, reading, praying.   Some days I get half way through a book, and into the fire it goes.  Its just blucky.    Sometimes I finish it, and into the fire it goes.   Some days I love one.    Its a individual decision for each thing in life.

Blanket statements would be so much easier.  

In all the hype of LOTR....I didn't like the first movie.  Just didn't.   I know...I'm a rarity in that.  *giggles*   I felt dark, and dirty after watching it.  And still can't really tell you why...just a personal thing between God and I. 

Did I prevent others from watching it?  Nope.   Just knew I wouldn't watch it again.  (still haven't  LOL)   That being said.   I did watch the next two, and enjoyed them.    It was just a personal thing.

Certain things are lined out in Scripture as being bad.   Those are relatively obvious and repeated many times.   Many, many, many other things aren't.   And so we pray, discern, divide, consult our Lord, and trust him to direct us in the path we should go. 

Oh yes and hold onto this passage Pastor Joel preached on on Sunday.....It is so good.

Romans 14:1-5   "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.  One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.   The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.   Who are you to judge someone else's servant?  To his own master he stands or falls.  And he will stand,  for the Lord is able to make him stand. "

I love that last bit.   So comforting.   We're not gonna be left on our own to flounder.  the Lord is there helping.

To my friend whose seeking answers.   "If any of you lack wisdom let him ask God who gives generously without finding fault."  

I have no answers beyond that that will truely help you.  I'm sorry.   Its a personal journey your on at the moment.   I found and continue to find peace...but only as I search. 

 

Vacation pictures.   The view from our tent the second night.   Eastern Oregon, about 40 minutes outside of Bakers City.  

Jeremiah...being ALL boy.  He just loved this sword from the dollar store...that was "supposed" to be Samuels. 

All of us at Rob's favorite Pocatello hiking/camping spot.  Scout Mountain.

Craters of the Moon.   A 18 square mile Lava bed.  We spent several hours crawling in tunnels there. 

But this, this is my real memories of vacation.   Just bumbing in the lake.   Its so warm, and gorgeous, and family.  

And a creek we camped at on the way back...also just warm..wonderful.   Little crayfish, and crawdads.  And comfortable.  

Vacation was good this year.   And peaceful.