Growing up

My baby girl is growing up today she shaved her legs for the first time (well not shaved but used Veet). I didn't shave till I was much older (she will be 10 next month) but I have the blond hair and it was never a big deal. Britt has very dark hair and it was so thick. I didn't want to make her wait till the age I was just because that is how I thought it should be. I figured we needed to look at it as when it was best for her not based on anything else. Anyway we started talking about it awhile back and bought the stuff, but I wanted to wait until she really wanted to. Well this morning she comes in and is like "Mom I have to do something about my legs". So we did, very painless, 3 minutes and we were done. At first I had thought just to do below the knee but poor thing it looked really bad that way because her knees and stuff had lots of dark hair too, so now her legs are smooth. Her daddy doesn't quite know what to think about it. She is growing up so much and this is just another one of those milestones.

How cool...a blog award for being nice

Stacy gave me this shout out on her blog. Hubby may raise his eyebrows at the nice part, but mostly I am just not all the time to him, so that makes it alright...LOL. Also came at a super great time because I am in such a non bloggy mood this week...ugh...just battling sinus cold, etc. So I needed something to put up on the blog.

How it works is you basically put the picture on your blog, and pick 7 blogs that you think are nice. Of course I have a hard time naming just 7 because all the blogs I read are nice in one way or another!

Some of my favs:

Of course I don't know if I am suppose to mention Stacy again since she gave it to me. But oh well she is my newest blog/hopefully soon to be met friend. She also got me started on arbonne which I love and she just made the whole process so easy so definetly have to mention Stacy

Then if I don't mention my hubby that wouldn't be good so number two has to be hubby's blog and he is nice, and wonderful and helpful and on and on I could gush. My most thankful blessing!

Number three has to be Anne! Talk about an unexpected thing, I don't even really remember where we started talking at first. I am sure it was some mom thing. But now I am just so blessed that she is my friend. We have had our families together for two vacations. The only thing better would be if we lived closer so we could motivate each other to walk and excercise more...which we both struggle with. Anne started blogging just to defend me from my first ever yucky commenter if that isn't nice then I don't know what is!

Number four fellow Oklahoman Barn Goddess she always has the prettiest pictures in her posts, always love her horse pics. She also keeps up with missing person cases which is something I always do too, and sometimes she comes up with ones I haven't heard about. She is one of my daily reads for sure.

Number five gotta be Brighton she will probably laugh and make a comment if she sees a nice award, because she is such a tell it like it is person. But I just really enjoy reading her blog, sometimes it gives me courage not to be such a pushover. I love reading about her kids and her daughter who she has to constantly fight the school system for the best services. Have left comments here and there but never had indepth talks with her but I just know if I met her I would just instantly like her.

Number six is another of those I read daily and sometimes several times a day
Zoot I love reading Kim's blog it is so funny. She makes me laugh.

Number seven...hmmmm...when I started this list I was like yikes how can I come up with seven and now I am like wait I have tons more people whose blogs I love and who are sooooo nice...so yikes one more...will be...OwlHaven another daily read. She just brought home her ninth and tenth child from Ethiopia. I love to read about her, she homeschools her now ten children.

And now I am like no I am out of numbers, but since I mentioned Stacy and she had already been mentioned then really I have one more and I have to mention Shannon who lives not to far away from where I do and I was so glad when she emailed asking where I was at. She posts devotional blogs just when I need them the most!

Strike

Yesterday we left speech and Brae's therapist told us she would see us Wednesday but to remember there was no speech next Monday. We got in the car and Britt asked if she had choir next Monday. I told her no it was labor day and dad was off too. Brae said "Yeah no school". I told them I had actually planned to do a few things for school on Monday because they had tennis on the Friday of the week. Brae said "What do you mean it is a holiday". I informed them both it wouldn't hurt to do a little school work, that it wouldn't take them long and dad would help too.

They whispered in the back and then both at once go "We are going on strike"...the chanting begins "No school it's a holiday" over and over. It was cute. I really didn't think much about it when I did the scheudle I knew it was labor day but figured they really wouldn't even realize other kids were out or that it was officially a holiday, guess I was wrong. Oh well so I guess mean mom is going to have to look at the schedule and see if I can't switch a few things around. Don't want my kids to go on strike this early in the year..LOL.

At Home

This is the first time in I can't remember how long I have been home all weekend. My sinus cold finally seems to be easing up, but this morning I awoke to "Mom I am sick" from Brae. It seems like he has the crud now.

Regardless of not feeling 100% I have gotten a few things cleaned out and organized. Switched around a few things on our homeschool.

Now off to cuddle with Brae at least something good comes from him not feeling well, he loves to cuddle and watch movies...and I love having that not happening near as much as it used to cuddle time.

Summer colds...ugh

I don't know if it is allergies, sinuses or what but I am feeling awful. I did okay getting through what I had to get done today but ugh now I am just flat out feeling awful.

Luckily tommorow don't have much on the agenda, the kids will have a few things to do but not much they mostly have tests on Fridays. Then I need to go buy a birthday present, and we have dinner planned with my parents but all in all not much.

We started our homeschool co-op so for the next several Thursday afternoons I will be teaching geography and story writing. I felt that I didn't have enough planned today as I was just not into it. I will make up for it next week. The kids loved loved it. They have all different kinds of classes but Brae is in my geography while Britt is in another class, then I have Britt in story writing.

I am getting snowed under with work projects again, which is good because we have several things coming up between now and December, and then of course Christmas. So extra work is good in that respect. A friend of mine got some disturbing news of her pregnancy today and it is really taking up a lot of space in my mind. I can't help looking back at my pregnacies and thinking and remembering the parts that didn't go as we had hoped. Anyway she will have more testing done Monday and until then I am just letting her talk away and am praying a lot.

I am still not sleeping good which may of course be why I have a cold because I have gotten a little run down.

Matt did the yard today so we wouldnt have to worry about it this weekend and we have lots of patches of dead grass due to the heat. Hope to have a laid back Saturday, then Sunday church and a birthday party so pretty laid back all weekend hopefully. Of course that means I will be trying to do a million things since I will be home, but will still be nice to be home.

Works for Me Wednesday: Practicing Spelling Words

Participating with Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer

I have posted some of these ideas before but I have added more too.

My kids love to practic their spelling words! Love it! We try to make fun and have a list of activities and things that we change around each week to practice that weeks words:

* Write them, but not just on paper we use Brittney's doodle bear and Braden has a doodle monster that are often covered in new words (just throw them in the washer for the next weeks words).
* Write them using window markers by crayola and they can write on the glass door front or back (it just takes a windex wipe to clean it off quickly). They can write them on their bedroom windows.
* Write the words with a marker on 3 x 5 cards then cut them apart, let the kids put them back together.
* Pour salt on a cookie sheet and spell out the words in the salt.
* Use magnets to spell words on the washer, refrigerator, etc.
* Make a cheer spelling out your words
* Make a word find puzzle
* Print each spelling word then draw around each word. Study the shape of each word.
* Type the words on the computer and print them out.
* Use shaving cream on a cookie sheet to write words in.
* Shuffle word cards. Write each word on a 3 x 5 cut each card in half or into syllables. Shuffle the pieces then match each half.
* Write words on the sidewalk with chalk.
* Write silly sentences using spelling words.
* Play super kid. Use 3 x 5 cards with the letters for Super Kid have child take a turn spelling word if gets it right gets a letter to spell out Super Kid
* Make a graffiti poster using lots of colors markers, construction paper spelling out the words
* Tape yourself saying your words and spelling them. Then play the tape back.
* Use paint to paint words, or dot paint.
* Use letter beads to string letters on a string to spell each word.
* Finger paint words.
* Make the words out of playdough.
* Glitter words - write each of your study words with a glue stick or glue pen then sprinkle glitter on the glue.
* Mark the vowels in the words. Mark short vowels and long vowels and cross out any silent letters.
* Write a story using your words.
* Play hangman on a big white board.
* Play Mother May I spelling. I stand at one end of the hall they start at the other. They only get to take a step forward if they spell the word I give them correctly.
* Spelling baseball, set up bases in the living room and to get to each base they have to spell their word correctly.

We do write them on paper but I always try to put a fun activitiy with it. They may write their words 4 times and then we play baseball. Sometimes they will write their words on the front door or doodle bear then sit and do a word search.

Repetitiveness helps them learn but adding in the fun helps them enjoy the learning.

His second career

Brae came up to me this morning out of the blue with this conversation:

Brae: Mom, do you know what I am going to do when I am done being a Nascar driver?
Me: No what?
Brae: A waiter, I think that will be nice after driving all the Nascars.

Makes perfect sense to me...he's always thinking and can always manage to make me grin.

First Day of School

 

First day of school is done. It went well, lots of fun. We did have a few tears (Brae) over cursive but other than that it went really well.

Insomnia

I think I am going to have to start my own label section for insomnia posts. Ugh 1:50 this morning wide awake. I didn't go to bed till 10:00 so it isn't like I am going to bed too early.

The kids are so excited for school to start today. It is fun for me that they get so excited, I had worries when I took them out of public school(still do at times which I figure is a normal part of any major decision) but I definetly feel it is such a good fit for my kids and our family. Still nice to have the confirmation that they get as excited about homeschool starting as they used to about public school. We got their desks all organized yesterday, and went over the schedules and rules for the new year.

Got a few things done this weekend, of course more on the list, but that is normal. Did get Brae's room cleane dout really good. Community yard sales are Sept 8 and so going to throw out my stuff with several friends. I have the best location so everyone just brings their stuff to my house. Anyway Brae is notorious for not wanting to get rid of ANYTHING...but yesterday he really did good. He kept finding things he hadn't seen in awhile and it was pretty cute. So his room is gone through. Britt and Hubby did her room, which means at least I may do a quick glance through before yard sale as they are both packrats so I don't know how much was actually gone through.

Today is a crazy busy day with homeschool, then speech, dentist and choir all at virtually the same time. I am doing the speech run and leaving 5 min early from it to get to the dentist with Brae. Hubby is doing Britt's choir auditions. Then when I am done at the dentist we will probably switch places as Hubby is on call this week so he needs to be close to home.

I better get some things accomplished since sleep isn't to be had tonight.

Almost Ready

I am almost ready for school on Monday. I have lesson plans done for 8 weeks, grade books ready for both kids. Books organized out, papers in folders. Still want to get some "I'm done first" activities together, as well as the "We are done with school but can't watch tv or video game" activities!

Hubby has worked out in the back yard hauling off some old boards and cleaning out the garage while I have been in the office surrounded by mounds of books and papers. We have been doing a modified school this summer but Monday starts full steam again. I still want to work a little on my plan (both kids are done), and get a few more activities set aside. Other than that school is ready for Monday.

Of course we have homeschool co-op starting on Thursday and I do not have my lessons already for that yet, I know what I want to do just don't have it all together yet. My friend Stephanie is helping me! I am excited about the classes we are going to teach. First is World Geography and then Story Writing.

The Fall schedule is getting out of control! Ugh...I am still debating if I am going to do a homeschool bible study I so enjoy it but it would be yet another thing that we were running too. We have homeschool of course, then co-op (classes taught with our homeschool group), Britt has choir, Brae has speech, and is starting Karate. Britt wants to play basketball, Brae may play basketball and if he does it will be on the community league and I have coached the past two years so I see myself doing that again. Then both kids have scouts...yikes how did we get this busy.

Yep she's mine

We were coming out of the store and saw this awful looking car, it has been painted all kinds of colors, and then they had proceeded to affix things to the car, their were cowboys and indians on the top of the car, and tiny bratz dolls on each mirror.

Britt promptly decided it was the ugliest car she had ever seen. Then just as quick asked if I had brought the camera. I told her no, and she informed me "Awww mom it would have made a great blog post".

Home Sweet Home?

Kids and I arrived home loaded down with stuff.

I back up to the garage door, press open, and get out of the car. Why is their water on the driveway? Look into the garage and the question becomes "Why is their water pouring out of my garage?"...ugh apparently some thinga majiggy on the hot water heater is going out. Oh fun...and hubby not going to be home until tommorow afternoon.

Despite the wet welcome home, we are glad to be here. Laundry is going, and about 70% of stuff is put away. The rest can wait till tommorow.

Recalls, recalls and more recalls

Are you tired of hearing about recalls from China, searching your toy boxes, cabinets, etc. New site Not China Made. Right now they are having a contest for a $50 gift card to American Apparel.

Mini Golfing

Braden is doing great, no more episodes and he seems to be more alert and doing better. Almost like he had to get that episode out of his system. Trying not to worry...easier said than done. We did have some fun mini golf time with my Aunt. We head back for Oklahoma tommorow unless something unexpected comes up but as it stands now we will be heading home tommorow.

Ugh don't really know *updated

Just venting my frustration. This morning we had several appointments and errands to run. To backtrack yesterday Brae just wasn't himself so we didn't do much and went to bed early. We had run several places and were in the eyeglass store to get Brae's glasses adjusted (they were setting crooked), all of a sudden BAM, Brae hits the floor. I suspect a staring out seizure because as soon as he cried and was calm he went to sleep. But basically don't know. Talked to the doctor here and he recommended once we get home doing another blood sugar test, but I really feel it was a stare out seizure. Poor Brae has a huge rug burn over his right eye, and on his right shoulder as well as some other scrapes from falling. No answers just more questions. Frustrating.

* Just to let you know he is acting great now, like nothing. I took pics to document his scratches and made notes for doc at home about what happened. We have been resting for awhile and he is bounding around like normal now. Which just makes it even more questions about what exactly happened this morning. Just glad that for now he is back to his oldself...of course the prizes I bought helped ALOT....haha.

Shopped till we dropped

My aunt, Britt and I headed out this morning for shopping.

My wallet is a lot lighter, back of the car is a lot more loaded down, and my feet are killing me, but we had fun!

Brae stayed at the house with my Uncle and cousin today to watch the race, so he didn't have to endure the shopping trip. Tommorow I will take him for a treat. Britt got lots of clothes that she needed, and luckily great sales.

Now just have to rest up from the day of shopping!

Made it

The kids and I had a good trip to Texas. I got pretty tired toward the end so I made the kids turn off their games and talk to me, we made our Christmas wish lists to occupy me. Now we are in for the evening and going to rest.

We stopped at Tinker Air Force Base to look at the static planes. Brae loved it.





Then stopped in Groom at the Cross, we always love to stop and they had added a lot more things.

Packed Up

We will be gone for 5 days, so why does the back of the vehicle look like I am traveling for 3 months? Ugh, but it is done.

Today has been getting last minute stuff done, making a to do list for hubby who won't leave until the day after us for his business trip so have to give him a honey do list to keep him busy. We were guilted into loaning our van to crazy SIL and loser BIL....hope we don't end up regreting that. Just for 3 days...but still.

I may have finally found something to spark Brae's interest as far as reading. Flat Stanley books. So far he is really interested in them, he made his own flat Stanley today (we lost the first one on an adventure to the movies...oops). Basically there are several chapter books in the series and part of the fun is you get a Flat Stanley of your own to take on adventures and then mail it to your friends and they add on to your paper and continue Stanley's adventures and send him back and on and on. So far I have hit up two friends with kids Braden's age to participate. We are taking Stanley to Texas with us (hope he makes it back) and we will even take a pic or two of Brae with him to add to Flat Stanley's journal. Best thing is so far the books are enjoyable for Brae and not too easy, but not so hard he gets frustrated. Here is hoping that this keeps him motivated.

Promised the kids a swim in the pool this evening before we leave. It is so hot here but I know Texas will be even hotter!

Such a boy

Talking to Brae this morning:

Me: When we are in Texas one day we have to go shopping.

Brae: Why?

Me: Because you and sissy need some things. You can survive a few hours of shopping.

Brae: Hours? I thought it would be minutes. If it is hours just beat me up and kill me now.

Oh he is such a boy, he detests shopping....to bad it will only be the kids and I in Texas so he will have to suffer.

Nippin it now

I have always been able to brag and have always been grateful about how wonderful my kids get along. If you ask one they will tell you the other is their best friend. Well this week, something snapped and we have had that little bickering stuff. Ugh. Hubby and I put up with it for about 3 days. Well by Saturday I had my fill so the kids and I had a nice long talk. The rest of the weekend I caught two little bickers (yes I know some will happen but I wont have it constant) anyway, I told them they needed to be happy in their hearts, etc, etc. They went to pray last night and I was in the hallway Brittney prayed: "Let me and my brother respect each other, and Braden prayed to love his sister and God more than he loves them now"....so maybe some of my talk sunk in.

I hope so, because this behavior was so unlike them. We shall see how this week goes. We leave for Texas on Friday just the kids and I so will be getting ready for that. Today going to have some fun and take them to see Ratatouille since Britt is convinced they are the last kids in the world getting to go see it. Wanting to do some fun stuff since we will start back full schedule of school on the 20th. I worked for hours on my first 6 weeks of lesson plans this weekend. I only have a few subjects left. So going to be busy getting things around, etc., but throwing in some fun and hopefully not quite as full of run as last week was.

Not enough

I figure whatever housepainters get paid it can't be enough. I don't think you could pay me enough to do that all the time.

I am so sore I don't want to move. But our bedroom is done ceiling and walls as is our bathroom. Looks so much nicer but I don't want to move again for at least a week!

She made it

Britt made it through the night at her sleepover. We had sent hubby's cell phone with her so she could call us anytime she wanted, and I think that helped. She called about 10 and we figured it was time to go get her, but she was just checking in and telling us goodnight. I am itching to go get her this morning, but I don't want to arrive to early. Hubby said Britt was kicking him out the door basically yesterday when he dropped her off. Ugh my baby girl is growing up.

Brae stayed here with us. He actually got me to play video games with him and hubby. That is so not my thing, but he loved it. Then he threw the sleeping bag down in our floor. So he got to have a sleepover too.

I slept in until 6:30 this morning...which for me lately that is like sleeping the whole day away..LOL.

Random Insmonia Thoughts

I guess I am going to start making insomia posts there own special folder on the blog!

You guessed it can't sleep. Hubby the kids and I all played outside in the pool yesterday evening and everytime we do that my allergies and sinuses go nuts. So the headache was too much to even let me sleep this morning.

Oh well that let's me do some updating:

I have lots of check marks beside my to do list. Unfortunately still more items. Yesterday afternoon I actually got to be at home, after running all week and got a few things done. We are leaving for Texas next Friday and while we are there I will get to see my cousin who is pregnant with her first baby. It's a girl and the nursery theme is Pooh so Britt and I made up this diaper cake to take with us. I thought it turned out cute.


I have the feeling Britt is going to leave my minimal computer knowledge in the dust. Her big thing now is emailing, and changing her blog. She sent me an email yesterday and I had to ask her how she did that with the back ground because I didn't know how to do it. Hubby knew how to do it but was shocked that Britt did it.
Definetly takes after her daddy with her ability to figure out electronics.

Britt has a sleepover tonight, she has only spent the night at one friends house and those were really good friends, she has never made it all night anywhere but there and my parents. So we shall see, she likes these people and of course I know the parents well enough to allow it but still don't know if she will stay all night. But the plan is to drop her off about 6ish. I guess Brae, hubby and I will just play some video games or board games and relax a little. I told hubby he gets to take Britt to the sleepover so he can make sure he knows how to get to the house (that way he can go pick her up if it's midnight and she wants to come home!).

Definetly been a busy week, this is one of those weeks where my part time, stay at home paralegal business exploded and I was gone every day and some days worked 12 hours. Thankfully those weeks are very few and far between. The past two weeks one of the attorneys I do a lot of work had been on vacation, which was nice but this week he was back and we did ALOT of catch up work. The other attoreny I do a lot of work for went on vacation, leaving me in charge of everything (I have known him and worked on and off for him for 12 years). So he left me not only in charge of the office, but also his elderly mother who is in a nursing home. So this week has been very busy. The poor kids have just rolled with it, they did a little school work for me, if we had to go in to the office gameboys were taken, they stayed with hubby very well and did great while hubby worked and on and on. So everyone has pitched in on this week. But I am ready to not have to do much this weekend.

Headache medicine is kicking in I might could get 30 minutes or an hour before anyone else wakes up.

At a full run

Talk about a crazy week. I knew it was going to be a little busier than usual. But oh it is turning out to be a week when we are on full run mode. Plus will be leaving next week for a week in Texas, so gotta get prepared for that. Braden is not feeling too good and he is a little off so a little concerned on that. Myself I am still not feeling great but am too busy to get in to get it checked out right now, but I am going to soon if I don't start feeling better.

The kids have even remarked how busy this week is. Thankfully my wonderful hubby has done even more around the house while I have been out running like a crazed woman.