Midwest HOMESCHOOL Convention in Cincinnati

The Midwest HOMESCHOOL Convention in Cincinnati is April 16-18, 2009. I've never been to one of these conventions, but I have a sister-in-law who has been to the one in Cincinnati and says it is really worth going. It's going to have a HUGE EXHIBIT HALL, INCREDIBLE Speaker Line-Up, and AFFORDABLE REGISTRATION. You can even enter to win:

• One (1) FREE Family Registration to the convention.
• One (1) FREE hotel room for Thursday, April 16 and Friday, April 17
• One (1) complete set of the recorded Sessions/Workshops from the convention.
• $50 cash to spend in the HUGE Exhibit Hall!

Four other lucky winners will receive a family pass to the convention and $25 cash to spend in the vendor hall. Entry details are here.

Fourteen Years of Keeping Us Hopping

Our Froggie turns fourteen today! She wanted to sleep in for her birthday, and she got to.

Since the boys were still with my mom, Froggie decided she wanted to paint her tea set today. She has had this set for at least a year. It was just never a good time when she wanted to paint it. So, Froggie painted her tea set and the other girls painted with water colors. The boys came home before the girls were finished, so the boys got to paint with water colors, too.

I figure we'll probably make a cake for Froggie later tonight or maybe tomorrow. We still have some of Monkey's cake.

The kids are all just grumpy and out of sorts today. I let them put in a movie to rest to hoping they would quit fighting and tearing each other down. It seems to be helping some.

Friday, we are going to have a birthday dinner for both girls at my mom's house. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Nine Years of Monkey Business

Nine years ago today our fourth daughter crawled up over my shoulder in the hospital and earned her nickname, Monkey. Yes, today is Monkey's birthday.

It has been and will be crazy today.

Jon took a personal day yesterday, because he couldn't sleep Saturday night and Monkey wanted to sleep in for her birthday, so we let the kids stay up a little later than usual. The kids slept in some and that let Jon get more sleep without all the noise. We let the kids have the day off from school on birthdays, so we were just lazing into our day (Jon and Monkey were still asleep) when a friend dropped by for an unexpected visit. Our dogs tried to get out to lick her to death. Her jaw dropped in surprise when she saw me in my bathrobe. LOL She didn't end up staying.

We made a quick cake to eat with lunch. Monkey frosted it herself and put the candles in. Jon ate a piece right before running out the door to work.

The girls and I have Sonflower Scouts tonight. Mom just picked up the boys so she could watch them overnight for me. They normally have father son time on S.S. nights, but Jon's new schedule doesn't allow that. The boys aren't sad at all though. They get to play with their cousin and spend the night with their grandparents.

I have to get parent letters ready with petal point information (for Sonflower Scout badges), so I better go.

How do you get a letter to Jesus?

Little Bear is really coming up with some deep problems and interesting solutions, lately.

Monkey, Puppy Dog, and Little Bear were making/playing with "mailboxes", cards, and letters today. Baby Bear decided that his card/letter was for "Baby Jesus". Questions and answers about how to get the card to Jesus, Jesus growing up, Jesus dying on the cross, and rising from the dead, etc. followed. Of course, you can't just mail a card to Jesus. My idea that Jesus would see it as Bear wrote it wasn't enough. So, Little Bear has decided that he needs to climb a mountain to give the letter to Jesus. Not only is Little Bear planning to climb a mountain, but he also has to put on his shoes and socks so that he can climb the mountain with Daddy and me.

As much as I need to get into better shape, climbing a mountain really isn't what I had in mind.

Who Me? Procrastinate?

Last year at our Owings family Christmas/New Year's get together, my mother-in-law assigned the moms with making a scrapbook page for each of their children. She even gave us a scrapbook ideas book for our Christmas present. The problem is that I don't scrapbook. I don't even get pictures developed.

Back in November Jon's mom had some of us get together at her place to work on our pages. It's probably a good thing too. One of my sisters-in-law gave me some sheets of scrapbook page paper (or whatever it is called). I had asked previously what size page. The answer I got was, "The regular size." To me regular size paper is 8.5 X 11. The pages my sil supplied me with are about 11 and 15/16" X 11 and 15/16". Like I said before, I DON'T SCRAPBOOK! This was one case in which procrastinating was a good thing.

I had some of the pages done yesterday. The rest I finished today. Keep in mind the following:

1. I DON'T SCRAPBOOK!
2. Since I don't scrapbook, I don't have very many scrapbook supplies.
3. Since I don't have very many scrapbook supplies, I had to make do with what I did have.
4. It's a good thing Jon let me keep a few of my BHG magazines "just in case the kids need to cut something out for school".
   
5. No one else in my family seemed too interested in helping me.
6. Due to number 3, I only have school glue. You know, the stuff that isn't supposed to be used with pictures and makes paper warp.
7. That's alright. I don't have "real" pictures anyway. Remember, I don't get pictures developed. I printed the pictures out on regular printer paper and cut them out.

So, without further ado, here are the pages I came up with.

This is the page for Froggie. I didn't have any good pics of just her.

I could probably do an entire scrapbook of Kitty Kat reading.

Birdie

Monkey

Puppy Dog

Little Bear (He was still Baby Bear at the time of the pics.)

Jon took the kids to Young's Jersey Dairy a while back while I was needed elsewhere. The clip-art images on this one are from
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/index.htm .

These will have to do. I'm out of time. We have to be at the get together at 6pm today.