Thursday, November 27, 2008

Five Kernels of Corn

I got this idea to do a silly post tonight. I asked Jon if he knew five corny jokes. He just looked at me and said, "You are so odd." So . . . here's one corny joke he has been telling the kids lately:

Two men walked into a bar. Which is funny, because you would think the second guy would have seen the first one do it.

There's one joke. I need four more. What's you favorite corny joke? Leave a comment to let me know. The corniest joke wins bragging rights. *


HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Please remember to make the jokes clean ones. Children read this blog.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Monkey's Creative Writing 2/25/05

Monkey was looking through one of her old Creative Writing notebooks this morning. She got a laugh out of this recipe that she came up with. She said I could share it with you as long as I put the date of the assignment. LOL

A round sandwich

ingredients:

2 square slices of swiss cheese
2 slices of 100% whole wheat bread
1 hamburger dill slice
1 stick of pepperoni
1 apple chopped into 4 pieces
1 strawberry chopped into 4 pieces
2 acorns chop each acorn into 3 pieces
3 sunflower seeds

directions:

Mix all ingredients except bread and cheese. Then you spread the mixture on one slice of bread with a wooden spoon. Next, put the slices of cheese on top of the mixture. Put the other slice of bread on the very top. Cut a circle out of the middle of the sandwich with a very long knife (that goes across the living room). You have to be where God is to do it.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

It Was Only A Matter Of Time

The weather here in Ohio has been all over the place. For example, last week we had a day in the 70s and the next day it snowed. Right now, there is snow on the ground. The children are talking of Christmas. When there is snow on the ground Christmas must soon follow. Right? Wrong. If you live in Ohio, then the chances are you will have snow for Thanksgiving and only need a light jacket for Christmas.

Hmm... I have strayed from my point.

Anyway, when the weather goes through crazy changes, people in my household end up sick. This past week, several of the kids started fighting coughs and stuffy/runny noses. We went through half of a large tissue box in one day. We've been fighting hard to get everyone healthy and try to keep it from spreading. However, last night I lost the battle. I had been fighting off the sickies. I thought I was doing O.K. Then, the girls and I went to Sunflower Scouts last night. It was bitter cold. I got through most of the night fine. As we were waiting for parents to pick up their girls, it hit me hard. All of a sudden, I had no energy. I started feeling achy and unsteady on my feet. I ushered my girls out of the church hoping the other ladies had everything under control (the girls in the age group I help lead had all been picked up).

The kids and I slept in late today. We needed it. Kitty Kat and I had stayed up late last night working on dishes. This morning, I am still feeling blah. Now, I also feel feverish. Ugh! Mamas aren't allowed to get sick!

Now that I've ranted a little, I'm going to go finish getting ready for the day so we can get school done.

Where's the optimism? I didn't have to get up early, get kids ready, and take kids to school this morning!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Saturday Sounds

rain falling

cars splashing through the water on the street outside

rain pinging on the kitchen window air conditioner

rain

rain

silence

no rain?

"Mom, it's snowing!"

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Optimistic or Sarcastic? You Decide.

I may never have an empty nest.


So, here's the story that goes with that statement.

Puppy Dog (6yo) had worn out his shoes. I mean the toes of his shoes were completely split open from one side to the other. I taped his shoes last night so that he could wear them to P.E. this morning. Jon picked up a new pair of shoes for him on his way home from work. It just so happens that he found the exact same shoes as P.D. had before. When Jon came in the door with the shoes, P.D. saw the box and got excited and demanded his new shoes. That doesn't work at our house.

Jon slipped the box to me and I had Monkey sneak P.D.'s old shoes to me since he wasn't wearing them. I switched out the shoes and put the lid on the box. Jon then presented the box to P.D. A look of confusion came over P.D.'s face as he opened the box.

Jon then had me take the box back and change the shoes again. Jon took the box out to P.D. and told a story about a salesman telling him that this was a special box. If you put an old pair of shoes in it and close it, when you open it the shoes will be new. Jon told P.D. that it didn't seem to work last time, but maybe it would if they tried again. P.D. opened the box and got excited, "Awesome! I got new shoes!". Froggie (13yo who will be 14yo in Jan.), on the other hand, got excited and yelled, "It worked! It worked!". Froggie then ran to tell Kitty Kat and anyone else who would listen about the magic box. Froggie genuinely believed that the box was magic.

So, there's just one example of why we may never have an empty nest.

Seriously though, does anyone have any words of hope for us?

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Creative Writing

Yesterday, I had the children do some creative writing. I won't grade their creative writing. Later, I will start having them circle the words they think may be misspelled. As they learn about different things in their other classes, I will start having them edit and rewrite their entries. For now, creative writing is just a time for them to have fun writing and drawing. Obviously, they all have areas they need to work on. I am pleased though. They all put forth more effort than they had at the end of last year.



Birdie, Puppy Dog, and Baby Bear were to draw a picture of a newborn baby:

Birdie says hers "looks like a baby in the manger with grass".


Puppy Dog's:

Baby Bear's is one of two things. Yesterday, he said it was baby Jesus's blanket. Today, he says it is baby Jesus's bed.

Monkey was to pretend she was a newborn baby and write about a day in her life:

"Waaaa! Waaaaaa!

I wos cold.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

waaa! ssssssssssssss.

SSssszssssss.

I was sleqing Then I waokuq.

I was waringy A rose pink Dres!


Froggie and Kitty Kat were to suppose they were able to visit the time and place of Jesus's birthday and write a letter to their parents describing the events:

Froggie first wrote from a calf's perspective and then from Mary's perspective:

Imoo

I am a cafe

who is happy

That I am

olade

That I can

see the newbo Baby

goodbye


I will love to be happy to be marry

I will be expeting NewBorne
Baby And he will bwe Name

a Baby god's son And she will call him
Boy
Jesus When Jesus Was 30
year's old He cam to the that

god hade made then

When he was kind and then

he went Away Far away From

his diciples houses

and then Santan is so mean
that he wed didnotnouticthat

termping him

and then he died on the crose


I think Kitty Kat was trying to write a book:

11/10/08
Dear Mom and Dad,

my work is going very well. Yesterday something happened. I was sweeping in the inn, like I always do at high noon. The inn was as full as a basket filled to the very top. I was sweeping the dust out into the street, when I saw two peaple and a donkey coming down the road. They stopped in front of the inn, and a man helped a woman of the donkey. They went inside the inn, and I followed them in. As I was putting the broom away, I heard the inn keeper tell them, "Sorry, We do not have a room you can use, but you can use the cave we use as a stable, but you will have to sleep with the animals." Then the innkeeper called me and said, "Take this couple's donkey and lead them to the stable, but let the woman ride the donkey, she is pregnant." Then we went outside, and the man lifted his wife onto the donkey, and we headed for the stable. Once we got there, the man helped his wife inside, and I followed, still leading the donkey. When the donkey was in a stall, and had water and food, I said, "I will be out here later today to take care of the animals. I will also bring some food and water with me for your dinner. But, do you need some right now?" I asked. The man said, "Yes, we would like some food, as soon as you can, please." I went back to the inn. When I found the innkeeper, I said, "Master, the couple asked me for some food and water. I sit all right if I get food and water and take it to them?" The innkeeper said, "Yes, but run back as soon as youcan. You need to finish your chores befor you have to go feed the animals." I said, "When I go to feed the animals, I need to take the couple some dinner. Is that all right?" He said, "Yes." So I got the food and water, took it to the couple, and then I ran back so that I could finish my chores. When I got done, the innkeeper gave me my dinner, and while I was eating, he said, "Take an extra lamp with you tonight, so that the couple does not have to sit in the dark, and take the lamp as soon as you are done eating. If they need anything, get it for them befor you come back to get the feed from the storage room. And don't forget their dinner." As soon as I got done, I grabed the food, the lamps, and a bucket to carry the things to the stable. When I got there, I got the unlit lamp, lit it with the other lamp, and set it on a shelf, then I gave the couple the food and then I walked to the spring, filled the bucket with water, went back to the stable, and gave them two cups so that they could get their own water. Then I ran back to the inn, grabed the feed and another bucket, and went back to the stable to feed the animals. I fed the animals, then I went to the stream. On the way, I figuered out how many trips it would take me to do it with one bucket. When I came back with my tenth bucket, I heard cries of pain coming from the stable. Then I heard silence. Suddenly, I a new born baby's cries. I walked as fast as I could back to the stable. When I got there, in the manger was a baby boy. I very, very slowly walked closer. When I got a cubit away from the happy couple, I said, "What is the baby's name?" They looked at me, and the woman said, "His name is Jesus, Son of the living God." Right as she said this, the inn keeper walked in. When he saw me standing by the happy couple, looking with love at the manger, he looked at the manger to. When he saw the baby, the woman said again, "His name is Jesus." Then the Inn keeper and I went back to the inn.

With Love,

Your Datter


A Little of This And a Bit of That

First, Lucille at Who's Going to Tell You? wants to know if she should keep blogging. She says she will continue if she gets fifty comments. She did not specify that the comments had to be from fifty different people, but wouldn't it be neat if she did get comments from fifty different people? I've started her off with ten comments. I'm just ornery that way. LOL So, everyone head on over to Lucille's place. I'll wait. I need to change around the loads of laundry anyway.



Second, I don't think I mentioned before that Jon, Kitty Kat, and Monkey are in a Christmas play the Stage Right drama group at our church is putting on. The play is (if I have it right) "Scrooge Revisited". Jon got the lead part of Scrooge. The girls are extras in a scene or two and are the great-great- great...granddaughters of Scrooge in a modern day scene. The girls had their lines memorized for their audition. Jon, on the other hand, has a total of ninety-nine lines to have memorized. He is finding that it is a lot harder to memorize lines now than it was when he had less responsibilities.



Third, things have been crazy around here.

The two aforementioned girls had to be at church every day but Friday a couple weeks ago. Sunday: we had morning and evening services and activities. Monday: the girls and I had Sunflower Scouts. Tuesday: Jon, Kitty Kat, and Monkey had play practice. Wednesday: Baby Bear had his Wed. night class; Puppy Dog, Monkey, and Birdie had children's choir; Kitty Kat and Froggie had small group; Jon had Men's Fraternity; and I had Teacher Training. Thursday: we had homeschool P.E. Saturday: our church had their Fall Festival and Trunk and Treat.


This past week was all mixed up.

A week ago Saturday, Birdie was playing ghost in a sleeping bag after I warned the kids to put the bags away before someone got hurt. Birdie tripped and chipped four of her teeth.

A week ago Monday, I dropped the other kids off at Mom's and took Kaycie to the dentist. Jon met us at Mom and Dad's and we ate supper with them before the girls and I had to run off to Sunflower Scouts.


Last Tuesday was election day so we tried to focus on the elections. The kids and I went over to Jon's Mom's place and picked up her pop cans (to recycle) and ran her vacuum. We took all our cans to the recycle center and then picked up lunch. We ate lunch at Jon's workplace. It was a nice day so the kids and I played games (i.e. Mommy Says instead of Simon Says) on the lawn while we waited for Jon to get off work. When Jon got off work, we went together in the van to go vote. The kids did great! They only got riled up when one of the poll workers started encouraging them. The workers were bored and enjoyed the lively chatter of the children. After we voted, we went shopping and then picked up Jon's car. The evening was spent watching the voting results, watching an online video about how the voting process works, etc.


Wednesday Birdie had an appointment at the E.N.T. doctor. Monkey, Kitty Kat, and Froggie stayed in the reception area and read. The boys went back to the examination room with Birdie and me. They all behaved well at the doctor's office.


Thursday the kids had their homeschool P.E. class and I got a chance to talk with some of the other homeschool moms from our church. We also had to run some errands.


Friday the kids and I (my mom came too) went to watch Jon at a forklift rodeo. As the day's events ended, Jon was in first place in the masters division. Jon's supervisor invited the children and I to go eat with them afterwards at Lone Star.


Saturday was the final day of the rodeo. We went again hoping that Jon would stay in the top six. During the final half hour, he was knocked down to seventh (I think) place. Needless to say, he was very disappointed. Jon stayed for the catered award ceremony while my mom, dad, the children, and I went to Frisch's. We then went back to our MESSY :. ( house for pumpkin pie that my mom had brought.

We also were getting back into our early rising routine this past week and dealing with the time change. Our pets are still messed up over the time change.

The children were really trying my patience this last week or so. They have been fighting and arguing, talking back, grumbling, complaining, deliberately disobeying, and making messes without cleaning them up. Between our busy week and trying to fit in school we didn't have much time to keep up the house. When we were working on the house, it was like we would take one or two steps forward and at least five steps back. I'm still trying to find the optimistic side of things.

This morning before he left for work, Jon told me I really needed to enforce a mandatory nap time "right now". He gave them all a talking to as well. The kids were already at each others throats before 6:30 am this morning! The kids have been watching preschool programs this morning ever since breakfast was over. They're not allowed to mess around or the T.V goes off. The girls won't take a nap anymore, so this down time is about as close as we'll get to naps. I was hoping the boys would fall asleep, but they're not. They are close though. We might just have to start our school day with story time. We've really got to get the kids back into a better routine.

This post is getting pretty long, so I'll end it here. I'll have another post up soon with yesterday's creative writing assignments.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Where should the moon be at 5:30pm?

We were out this afternoon between 5:30 and 6:00 and the following conversation took place:

Baby Bear: "Mo-ommy-y, there's a pro-oble-em!"

Me: "What's the problem?"

Baby Bear: "The moon is up!"

Jon: "Where did you see the moon?"

Baby Bear: "in the sky"

Who would have thought that a 3yo (almost 4) would be that aware of the time change differences?