"I falled."

Baby Bear was asleep when we came home from an appointment this evening. I laid him on our love seat without taking off his coat, gloves, and shoes because I wanted him to stay asleep. He had missed his nap earlier. While I was reading to the other children, all of a sudden, Baby Bear slipped off the love seat. He lifted up his head and said, "I falled". Monkey was the closest to him, so she comforted him and he fell back to sleep beside her. I'm not even sure he was actually awake. It didn't even bother him when we all laughed at his statement.

I.A.H.

My oldest two daughters were just initiated into I.A.H. (I Am His) last night. I.A.H. is a Bible club for middle schoolers. They had to attend five meetings during a set time period and memorize four bylaws, The Beatitudes, and Mathew 5:11-12 to be eligible. Last year I messed up and they didn't get to enough meetings. There wasn't a class for me on Sunday nights and I thought I.A.H. met on Wednesday nights. We were faithfully at every Wed. night church event. Then when it was almost time for the initiation, I found out from my niece that I.A.H. was on Sunday nights. I guess I could have found something to do on Sun. nights. Oh, well. The girls got to be honorary members last year. This year they are full members. Kitty was hoping this year to have a leadership position in the group, but since she isn't a two year member she is ineligible.

Who are you?

I posted some things on FreeCycle yesterday. Today, I had two people who were supposed to come get items. The first item was picked up successfully. Then, as I was waiting for a lady I had dealt with before to come pick up some infant toys, a lady I didn't know came. She said her friend, Kimberly had e-mailed me and they looked up my address and came. Even though I had received a lot of e-mails, I did not receive one from anyone named Kimberly. I also don't have my address listed with Yahoo! or FreeCycle. I guess they must have looked my name up in the phone book. The only person I had contacted about the toys was the the lady I was expecting. I allowed the stranger to take a couple toys and made sure I held back one that had been requested by the lady I knew. The lady who was supposed to come pulled up just as the other lady was leaving.


I don't get it. Why would a person show up to pick something up that was not reserved for them. But most of all, how did the lady get my address?

Mice

Our house is old (built in 1871). Every time it rains for several days straight or starts to get cold the mice seek shelter in our house. I have been trapping mice for about the last week or two. Whichever child is nearby when I find a trapped mouse usually studies it's appearance with me. Today, Birdie was with me when I found one.

Birdie: "Is it a girl or boy?"

Me: "I think it's a girl."

Birdie: "But it's not wearing it's bow on it's head."

Me: "No, it's not wearing a bow."

Aren't kids funny!

Black Friday

There was a popular game that I wanted to get two of, one for home and one for a nephew. I won't mention the name in case someone looks over my shoulder. So I was at Wal-mart at a quarter to five Friday morning.

I went to the game aisle and there were none there. I asked an associate who told me that if it was an advertised sale it would be in such and such area on the other side of the store. So, I went to the other side of the store and joined the vultures, err I mean other customers.

At five the employees cut the black plastic off the pallets of product and guess what? The game I was after was no where to be found. I went back to the toy department and asked another associate who said it should be where I just looked. I said it wasn't. She asked another associate. The other associate said it was where I had already looked. The aforementioned associated said it's over there.

I went back over "there". There was one pallet that had two different games on it and I asked the associate by the pallet if she knew where "the game" was. She said it wasn't over there and she didn't know where it was.

I decided it was a lost cause and went to pay for my mousetraps (that's another post). While in line, I noticed that the lady two people in front of me had "the game". That was the first one I had seen all morning. (Yes, I was looking into other peoples carts etc. to see if they had the game.) I asked the lady where she got it and she said it was on the back wall of the toy department and that there were a lot of them.

I went to the back of the toy department and they weren't on the back wall. I asked an associate who was restocking the games if he knew where it was. He did not. However, a customer walking by said it was "right over there at the back and there are only six left". I was at the back wall still.

I walked over to the sporting goods section where she had pointed and nothing. I decided to check the next walkway forward. There, not ten feet from where the second associate in the third paragraph above had been standing, was an endcap full of the game. The top shelf only had about six games on it, but the other two-three shelves had probably between thirty-fifty of the games on each.

I grabbed two and then went to check out. Success in less than an hour.

By the way, shouldn't the associates know where things are? If it were me I would make sure I walked through the store before the sale to get an idea at the least. If it weren't for the kind customers, I wouldn't have gotten the games. The kids and I went to Wal-mart later that evening to get some household items and all of "the games" were gone.

I'm thankful for . . .

. . . God sending Jesus to take my punishment for sin. His mercy and grace are wonderful gifts I
could never earn.

. . . living in a country where I can worship God as I choose.

. . . my family.

. . . my friends.

. . . my children being healthy enough to fight (each other, going to sleep, etc.) though life would
sure be easier if they didn't fight.

I'll have to close this for now and post again later. My children are fighting sleep and I need to go sing to them.

Two Things I Am Thankful For

1. The bat is out of our house (at least out of the living quarters).

2. It has been raining here for a while now. The center (?) of the
storm just finished going over us. That is good because a skunk
sprayed our van Thursday and the smell is awful. I'm hoping the
rain will wash away at least some of the scent.

I have many other things I am grateful for. I will post about some
of those later.

An Unwanted House Guest

My husband woke me up last night with these words, "Sorry to wake you up, but I have a problem." My foggy brain automatically began to imagine all kinds of worst case scenarios. I asked what the problem was and he told me that the bat was back, flying around our house and Midnight (You remember, the bread thief.) was trying to catch it. I don't think the bat has rabies, but you never know and our dogs are due for their rabies boosters. We shut the dogs in our bedroom and managed to trap the bat in our enclosed back porch. The children found the bat this morning and I got a picture. I was going to post the picture, but Blogger is having issues with images.

Taming the Wild

The kids were absolutely wild today. We went to my parents' house for supper and my mom even noticed how rambunctious they were. By the time we left to come home, they were calmer. I had a very easy time getting them all to sleep.

Thank you, Mom and Dad! The evening at your house was just what the kids and I needed.

Getting six children out the door in less than fifteen minutes . . . ?

It's doable!

So, here's the story:

Sunday afternoon is normally a time for naps in my house. Today was no exception. DH had to leave for work before the Bengals game was over. After he left I read from LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the children during the commercial breaks. I turned off the T.V. and finished the chapter we were on when the game ended. I then declared mandatory nap time. (Yes, there were a few groans.) We were all snuggled up under sleeping bags and quilts. We fell asleep while it was still light out. I woke up with a start when it was dark out. I glanced at the clock, saw that it was 5:45 pm and jumped up calling to everyone to wake up. Evening church 6:00 pm and it takes us about fifteen minutes to get there. I was able to get everyone up ready and out the door in under fifteen minutes. As we were driving past the downtown churches, the bells tolled the 6 o'clock hour. We were late, but we made it to church. I had enough adrenaline in my system to wake me up and get us there safely.

Update and School Stuff

Thursday I was in the kitchen fixing dinner when Birdie came in and told me that there were two or three police cars outside with their lights flashing. She said that they were going this way and that way and gestured with her hands. Huh? then she said that there were other cars and they had wrecked. The rest of the family was in the living room, so I went there and asked DH if there had been a wreck. He hadn't even notice the police cars. Just then, there was a knock on our door and DH answered it. I went back to fixing dinner until the kids came rushing in exclaiming that Daddy was in the backyard with the police looking around with flashlights. The officers said they had stopped a suspect beside our house (we're on a corner) and before they had turned the corner they had lost sight of the suspect for a time. They weren't sure if the suspect had a gun or not and were concerned that a gun may have been tossed over our privacy fence. This wouldn't be too far fetched. We once found a lady's purse someone had tossed over our fence. We haven't come across any guns. Hopefully, we never will. In the meantime, we have to be careful about the kids being in the back yard.

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We started a Thanksgiving lapbook and I just had to share the cover idea I came up with. We are using a "Learn 'N Folder" unit from Live and Learn Press. We liked the front page of the download, but I wanted to make it personal. There was a box that said it was a Live 'N Learn Folder from Live and Learn Press. I scanned a recent family portrait, resized it, and printed it out. Then I glued the portrait behind the box and cut around the margins of the front page graphics. I then glued this to the front of our folder. I was going to post a picture of the front cover, but for some reason the picture won't download. I'll try to post pictures when we finish the lapbook.

The Police Searched Our Back Yard

There was a bit of excitement here this evening. Several police vehicles stopped a suspect beside our property. Birdie noticed the vehicles first and then we had a knock at our door. DH went with the officer to search our back yard for a possible gun. They did not find one. Now DH and I need to search during daylight hours before we can let our children go into our back yard. I will update on this later.

Naps All Around

Our whole family has been tired lately. We just never seem to be rested. Today, the kids and I have seen the beginning of the solution (I hope.).

I was reading LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE to the kids when DH had to leave for work. Baby Bear and Puppy Dog were in desperate need of naps, so I had them sitting on my lap and beside me respectively. The girls were curled up nearby. Everyone was covered with blankets and quilts. We were definitely cozy. Baby Bear and I think Puppy Dog fell asleep while I was reading. I became super drowsy and could barely keep my eyes open, so I passed the book to Kitty Kat and asked her to read the next chapter.

While Kitty Kat was reading, I was dozing in and out. While dozing I gave the occasional necessary directions to "please listen to your sister," "let her have some space too," "If you don't settle down, you will lose your spot on the couch," etc. You get the idea. A mom's job is continual. I sent Birdie to my bed. Kitty finished the chapter, and I announced (read mumbled) that no one was to get up or get crazy. Everyone was to take a nap. After some minor attitude, I got everyone to curl up. Monkey was the final hold out and she finally gave in to the nap after I got her to stay under her blanket.

I woke around six and had to unbury myself. In the process of moving the boys I woke them. I fixed drinks for the kids, and then prepared supper. Then I woke up the girls. I want them to sleep tonight!

Hopefully, our nap time was just what we needed. I think we all feel better.

Ads on my blog

Recently, I signed up for an ad thing for my blog. I'm not allowed to click on the ads from my blog or promote them. There is supposed to be some way for me to preview ads before they are posted. The first couple ads that came up had to have my approval first. I noticed two new ads today that were not sent to me for approval. I am doing this on sort of a trial basis, so please bear with me. I'm not entirely responsible for the content. It is supposed to reflect what I have posted about. I'm not sure about one of the ads so please be careful. I have not been able to preview today's ads.

Just to see what happens, I am going to mention used cars.

DH and the Pita Bread

I mentioned to DH that TMBMT asked if I would make pita bread for her. His response was, "That was homemade?" I said yes and asked if he liked it. He said it was good, but could I please make it bigger next time. The recipe made sixteen small pitas. DH and I decided together that the next time I would make sixteen small ones for the kids and eight larger ones for us. After eating the leftover pitas tonight, I think I will make eight small pitas for the kids and four large pitas for us. The leftover pitas were hard to split and a little tough.

TMBMT, I'll try to make fresh pitas for you sometime. I'm not sure how well they would freeze.

No more store bought pita's for me!

The homemade pita bread was a success. It was easy, so easy that I could even have the kids make it. I would have to man the oven. I'm not comfortable with the thought of children and a 500 degree oven.

The kids are still feeling irritable. The aforementioned daughter is still fighting a fever. None of the children were ready for our regular curriculum today so we did some odds and ends.

I had told the kids that we would be writing letters sometime in the near future. They all decided to start today. We're out of stamps, so they won't go out until this weekend. Froggie will make hers into an e-mail (She already has it handwritten.). Kitty Kat has her second draft done, but she printed the letter the second time around. I'm making her rewrite it in cursive. Puppy Dog keeps drawing pictures and then folding them into really small squares. I'm going to have him sit down tomorrow and write another letter and then help him fold it to fit in an envelope. The other three haven't finished their letters, yet.

I received a link to a printable Highlights picture search today, so I printed enough copies for everyone. The kids really enjoyed getting to do the search.

Several of the children were doing math on their own. Puppy Dog was doing Lego math today. It's been a while since we have done that. I think he may have gotten the idea on his own.

Baby Bear was so funny today. He took his shoes and socks off and I made him put them back on. He came to show me that he had them on and they were on the wrong feet. He argued with me about them being on the wrong feet while grinning from ear to ear. He does that when he is being silly. I told him that his left shoe was on his right foot and his right shoe was on his left foot. He crossed his legs and then said, "No they're not!". I said, "Well, when you cross your legs they're on the right sides, but they're still on the wrong feet." He giggled and then said, "This is my right foot" (points to his left foot), "and this is my left foot" (points to his right foot). He was grinning from ear to ear. I realized that he probably does know his right from his left. He did the same thing several times throughout the day and he always pointed to the opposite side; which of course had the shoe that corresponded to the side he said. I don't consciously teach the kids things like right and left. I just use the terms in everyday life as I am doing stuff with them and in directions I give them. Hmm . . . maybe that is consciously teaching them. Anyway, I wasn't really expecting Baby Bear to understand, yet. After all, he's not even three. That's one of the things I love about homeschooling. I get to see when things click into place, and I see the results of the younger kids observing adults and the older kids.

We are back into Wisdom Words for the year. We're doing the Kindergarten sounds practice (like speech therapy) for Birdie, Puppy Dog, and Baby Bear. We were doing the exercises as a family the other night and Kitty Kat got grumpy. When she was asked what was wrong, she said she thought some of school was babyish. I had to remind her that the speech therapy was not for her but for those who needed it and that we did it as a family to make it more fun for the younger ones. She seemed alright with it after that.

Sick Children and Pita Pockets

I can always tell when my kids are getting sick. That is, if I read the big neon flashing sign. For some reason I don't always realize what is going on at first. The kids usually don't realize what is going on either. They get short tempered, fussy, uncooperative, and overly sensitive. Several of the kids showed these signs this week, and Jon and I were actually monitoring them this time. Today, one child proclaimed she wasn't feeling well and ended up having a 100 degree temperature. I gave her some medicine and she seemed to feel better after a while. However, I kept everyone home from church to rest. The kiddos also got treated to an early bedtime.

I was going to pick up pita pockets for tomorrow's BBQ pork after church this evening. Needless to say, I did not get to the store. I once found a recipe for homemade pita pockets. I might just try to make them myself. If I do, I'll post about the experience.

Yummy Hands

My little Birdie should really enjoy washing her hands now.

A while back (read months and months ago), I bought some strawberry scented bubble bath. Not long after the purchase, our bathtub started to have trouble draining. We no longer use the tub upstairs, because the pipes are old, and we are still in the middle of our downstairs bathroom renovation. The upstairs will have to wait.

Back to the handwashing thing . . . I found the upstairs soap dispenser empty and I knew I would forget to bring up another pump the next time I went up. I remembered the bubble bath and decided to give it a try. I filled the dispenser most of the way with bubble bath and then finished filling it with water. I gave it a little shake and it was good to go. Now, when we wash our hands upstairs, they smell like Strawberry Shortcake afterwards. Birdie loves Strawberry Shortcake.

I'm not sure how my husband will feel about the strawberry scented soap. I may keep up the practice though. The bubble bath (generic) costs a lot less than the pump refills.

Are we having Thanksgiving early?

That is the question my children asked me Friday when I served them a big turkey dinner. We had turkey, candied sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, homemade rolls, and iced tea. Our turkey was twenty pounds, so we have lots of good leftovers. We have had four meals out of it and haven't even started the dark meat yet. We still have some white meat left. I plan on making some casseroles and soups out of the dark meat. I will probably freeze some to use later. Tomorrow, I plan to make stock from the carcass. I think I'll stock up on turkey while they are priced right during the holidays. That way, we can have many cheap meals. I will have to be careful when choosing the birds though, a twenty pound turkey barely fits in my biggest roaster.

A freezer and A Cabinet Done and A Refrigerator to Go

Kitty Kat helped me defrost our freezer today. She helped unload it, use a blow dryer on it to speed the process, dump out buckets of ice and water, and then reload it. The whole thing went much smoother with her help. I really enjoyed working with her.
Monkey also helped dump a bucket of water and ice. She also took the items we needed to toss out to the trash. If I remember correctly she even had a smile on her face. ;)
The other kids (perhaps not Froggie) dropped by from time to time to check out the progress.

Puppy Dog and Baby Bear helped take everything out of a corner cabinet in our kitchen for me. The cabinet is very deep and I can't reach the back of it. The little kids enjoyed helping because it meant they could climb into the cabinet.
Monkey wiped out the cabinet after the boys cleared it out.
I then inventoried everything and then organized it in the cabinet.

Now, I just need to clean out the refrigerator and I'll be ready for a big restocking trip to the store.

Froggie did help empty the dishwasher today. Monkey then refilled it and I checked it added a few more items and ran it.

Birdie did put away her videos. She fussed the whole time, but she did do it. She needs a Strawberry Shortcake fix. We haven't watched her videos in while. Perhaps, I could let her watch one tomorrow.