Reunion

Deborah left a comment for me that I thought deserved a reply. She asked that I share my excitement about George's return, the day after tomorrow. I think that nearly every military wife or wives whose husbands leave for long periods of time might be able to relate to this - I'm excited and anxious, but in a hesitant sort of way. This four weeks is especially weird. It's longer than a short little trip where you just count down the days and it's not as long as a deployment or something like that. Nonetheless, in the past twenty some odd days I've adapted to being the sole caretaker of the home and the children and the thought of readjusting to sharing responsiblities is a little awkward. I've figured out how to manage everything. I've become accustomed to the dead silence that descends on the house five minutes after the kids are in bed. I'm sleeping in the middle of the bed, for pete's sake. I am thrilled at the idea of having my best friend here to talk with and a grown up to look at, but I will have to be a little less self-centered again. I might not get the nine hours of sleep at night that I've started to enjoy. The number of loads of laundry will increase. I had this uneasy feeling when it was time for George to be home in 2006, but things worked themselves out remarkably fast. I know they will again. I'm just amazed at how little time it takes to become accustomed to his absence. My mom will be spending the night on Saturday so we'll be able to go to church together Sunday morning. That'll be nice. And hopefully we'll be able to squeeze a date night out of a grandma in the near future. So, that's my excitement - a mix of emotions that add up to a sigh of relief and a scootchin' over in the bed a little.

My Gold Star Day was PLATINUM it was so good!

I thought about getting this posted last night, but I wanted to make certain I didn't jinx myself and spend half the night up with kids who wouldn't sleep. We had a fantastic day yesterday. I live in a perpetual state of mommy guilt. If I am schooling, I think about my dirty house. If I am cleaning, I am thinking about lessons to be taught. If I am in bed early, I think about what I COULD have done with that time. It is never ending. I have, however, come to a place of acceptance while George has been gone and it is making an enormous difference in my life. I am consistently getting nine hours of sleep a night. It's ridiculously decadent, I know, but it's unfortunately what my sanity requires. I want to be a 6 1/2 hour a night sleeper who accomplishes great things after the kids have gone to bed and before they rise in the morning, but I am so grumpy and unmotivated when I get that little sleep. So, after a couple of nights of power sleeping, I managed to do a little of everything yesterday and feel good about myself. On the housework front, I vaccummed every inch of carpet in my house (no small feat), cleared off the top of the entertainment center downstairs (a Flylady HOTSPOT) and dusted, folded and put away the laundry I did two days earlier, and tidied up the area in the kitchen that tends to be the repository of broken toys, mail, crafts from church, and confiscated toys. Joey and Mary finished their afternoon schoolwork, the children played outside, I offered them healthy snacks instead of junk, everyone got a bath, and the kids went to bed on time. What made my day into a platinum day was too good for words. Most of you will be thinking, "Big deal, a four-year-old should be able to do that!" but it's a major big whoop to me. JOEY PUT ON HIS OWN SOCKS AND SHOES!! I'm fairly certain that Mary could do that by three, but Joey has "sock issues". If the seams of his sock aren't perfectly aligned on his foot and his toes don't have the perfect amount of wiggle room, not too much and not too little, he freaks out. I don't know why this is, but I have learned to cope. I HATE having to help him with this and I was completely overjoyed when he asked if he could put on his socks and shoes and go outside to play - and then HE DID IT. Man, was it thrilling. Perhaps I can shave a minute or two on the ridiculously long amount of time it takes us to hit the door. Today has proved to be just as rewarding. I got up at 6:00 (without an alarm or a child in my room) and read my Bible for thirty minutes before starting my day. All the laundry is done and put away and the kids have finished their schoolwork. Joey earned a Spiderman puzzle for TWENTY green light days and he and his sister are working side by side to assemble their foam fit puzzles.

Why fight the sleep thing when it is producing such good results?!? The only question left to ask is this: when am I supposed to catch up on TV or blogging? Hmm... I don't like the obvious answer.

Emmie's First Haircut

Call me overly sentimental, as I know you will (and at least one of you already has) but it was a little sad to go for my LAST first haircut. It's just a little reminder that the baby days are numbered. Emmie did great. She was a complete angel. So much so, in fact, that I stayed and got my own hair cut after hers was done - while holding her on my lap the entire time. Her favorite part was when I got my hair washed. She scaled up the front of me so she could get a better look into the sink. We had fun. They are memories I will cherish.




These are the "BEFORE" pictures. I'll admit, she does look a wee bit shaggy.


"DURING" she sat happily on my lap and chewed on a comb. I learned my lesson after Mary's first haircut that a child that young must be held in this situation. See below.




Her "AFTER" pictures don't reveal some amazing new coif, just a kid who doesn't look like a cancer patient.

And for the sake of comparison, here's a flashback to 2002 and my first first haircut.

And I thought this was "normal"...

She's a Bonafide Reader.

I just finished my newest nighttime ritual. Mary is so excited about her newfound reading ability that she wants to read to me for about 10 minutes after her brothers have been tucked into bed. She received Charlotte's Web: Wilbur Finds a Friend for Christmas and she finished reading it to me this evening. She scoots over in her bed and lays her head on my shoulder and takes great care to not only read the words but add in her interpretive remarks about the illustrations. I'm so excited for her!! To think that there are untold numbers of people in this world who never learn to read is heartbreaking. I can see the excitement and wonder in her eyes as she finishes each page. I hope that for years I might slip into the bed next to her and share in the stories that she reads. I'm getting that ooey-gooey mommy feeling that always comes in the evenings when they're all sleeping and quiet. Where is that feeling when they're all screaming at each other and I'm secretly fantasizing about grabbing my purse (and the sweet little baby) and escaping to Starbucks for some love in a cup?!?

He's Got a (Two-Year-Old) Potty Mouth!!

Timothy is a bit...intense. He is easily provoked and becomes extraordinarily angry. What we are working on training out of him at this moment is the verbal assaults that he launches at his siblings and on rare occasion other grown-ups. His favorite slanderous remark is "Poopie Loser Butt!" You must understand that this insult is hurled with ferocity and malice. If he had a more extensive vocabulary I shudder to think what might explode from his mouth. I am slowly convincing him that this behavior is completely intolerable, but there are times when I have to quickly glance away from him to snicker silently 'cause it's so stinkin' funny!! Teresa was quick to remind me that I ought to preserve this little tidbit for posterity, because a few years from now when I'm walking around in the fog that I anticipate settles around 40, I will think back to this time and wonder, "Now, what was that cute little thing that Timothy used to say when he was a toddler?!?" Not so cute if you are the poopie loser butt.

Disclaimer: These remarks are in no way intended to offend my 40 plus readers. My apologies if you find yourself offended. The good news is you'll forget about it in just a little bit...

He Makes Me Laugh

George sent me some pictures from his time in MO. He and some friends went to the Bass Pro Shop in Springfield their first weekend there. I laughed out loud when I got these pictures and I suspect that they were taken for that very purpose. I love you, HB, and I can't wait for you to come home and keep me entertained. Though I do secretly snicker each time I hear "Poopie Loser Butt!", nothing compares to you!!

Rabbit Trails

You ever head down those mental rabbit trails that lead you to places you never imagine?!? Today I was cleaning the litter box (glamorous, I know) and began thinking about all the toy recalls and weird stuff happening with products made in China. Don't ask how I got there. I sort of know, but I'm not willing to share it publicly for fear that people might think I'm a little -ahem- psycho. So, I asked myself this hypothetical question. What would happen if the average American consumer quit buying products made in China? It would be next to impossible, I imagine, as most everything at Wal-Mart would be out of the question. What effect would it have on the American job market? How would that kind of economic pressure have on China? Would it change the quality of goods they export or their attention to human rights? What effect would it have on the global marketplace if the demand for goods made in China dramatically dropped off? What do you think?

Guardian Angel

Occasionally someone's random act of kindness turns into a big huge life saver. Today was the case. Around 1:30 I got a phone call from a friend who was at Wal-Mart and asked if I needed anything. Mind you, it's COLD outside (it's 34 degrees now) and raining. To my friends to the north, this might be no big deal, but to me it is significant. I hate dealing with warm coats, mittens (which I abhor), car seats and whiny children. I told Mrs. Saved-My-Day that it looks like I have depleted my stash of Benadryl and I like to buy the stuff at Wal-Mart because those individually foil wrapped buggers you get elsewhere drive me up the wall. Wal-Mart has a 100 count bottle. Perfect. I decide to meander downstairs while I had her on the phone to double check that I'm good on formula. Bottle feeding Emmie has had its ups and downs. I wish I had been able to nurse her like the others, but it is convenient to KNOW how much she's eating. Anyhoo, to my shock and horror I barely had enough in the canister to make two more bottles and I did not have a back up in the pantry as I had thought. I would have been making a dash to the store this evening with my four happy children, gnashing my teeth, and cursing my own lack of preparedness. But Mrs. I-Can't-Thank-Her-Enough stepped in and fixed my problem. She showed up this afternoon with the Benadryl in a bottle (yippee), the formula, and some eggs - 'cause we were out of them, too. Thank you, Mrs. So-Nice-Of-You-To-Remember-I'm-Here-By-Myself. You get five gold stars for the day and my unending gratitude.

Does This Happen To Anyone But Me?!

Okay, so I have this fun little respiratory virus. I feel yucky. And this morning I took my four lovely children to the pediatrician to have Joey's ears rechecked. I was exhasted by the time we got home at 10:45 and I was counting down the minutes to naptime. I made peanut butter sandwiches for the kids and was trying to heat up some soup for myself when I turned around to this sight. Surely there is another mom out there whose two-year-old thinks that a peanut butter mask is a good idea. Hmm?!?

September 1979

I was just shy of my fourth birthday. This was my mom and me at her office. She's now worked for that employer for nearly 30 years. Notice the bottle of Tang sitting on her desk. I laughed out loud when I came across this picture today.

Blogging Is Really Weird, Isn't It?

Okay, I know I need to shut up already and move on to something else (Idol is playing in the background) but this is part of my point. Blogging is a strange medium. Who exactly is my audience? Am I just writing for myself? If I were, I certainly wouldn't think to edit my posts for fear of exposing too much or coming off as a freak. Am I writing for those whom I KNOW frequently check my blog? Sometimes. Am I writing for the complete strangers who sometimes pop in through some random internet search? No, but I do think of that on occasion. It's difficult to pinpoint what motivates me to blog. I suppose it's a bit of all of these which is part of what makes this such an unusual form of communication. Fellow bloggers, why do you blog? Are you doing it for yourselves? For your families? For your cyberfriends?

Tying Heart Strings

As I have shared, connecting with Mary is a challenge for me. Something that I did recently, haphazardly, I might add, is really helping bridge the gap between us. We were at Target walking past the dollar spot and Mary spotted these little tin mailboxes and begged me to buy one for her. I felt like I was being manipulated at the time with her pleas and the long drawn-out explanation she gave me about why she just HAD to have this thing. I picked up a red one and agreed to leave it on the corner of her dresser and we could use it to exchange notes. Since then we have begun a pen pal relationship that she finds absolutely thrilling and I'm certain is making major deposits into her love account. We are communicating more freely and I am delighted to see her try to articulate her thoughts on paper given her blossoming ability to read and write. Now that the lines of communication have been opened, we are exchanging our feelings like a textbook therapy session.

Today, for example...

Mary: Mommy, when you yell at me, I feel like you're a monster, even though I know that you're not.

Mommy: (after feeling like flushing my head down the toilet) Mary, when I yell at you, I FEEL like a monster and I really don't like it. I'm so sorry that I yelled at you just now.

Mary: I forgive you, Mommy. And I'm sorry that I didn't obey you. I know that hurts your feelings.

Mommy: I forgive you, Mary. Let's both try to act better next time.


Here are a couple samplings of her notes:

Translation -
I love you
Me you together
I love you.

As I read it, she pointed out to me that she had placed a period at the end. And she wanted me to know that she didn't copy the words. She spelled them herself.

Translation -
You hurted my feelings.
Mary

This was really exciting to me. She worked hard to ponder the words that she needed to express herself. And she's not stuffing or lashing out. I should add that this note was written to her dad, not me.

Suggestions for my Full-Contact LIttle Man?!?

Any advice given here would be much appreciated. I am on a quest to curb the bickering in my house and the little people acts of violence. I am stumped by one factor. Timothy LOVES to wrestle, play chase, you-name-it, as long as it's very physical and energetic. I can't tell you how many times Joey and Mary come to me saying, "Mommy, Timothy wants to wrestle and I don't want to!" This predicament normally results in Timothy chasing his target around the house while his siblings run for their lives squealing and tattling. What can I do to fill up his tank with the rough stuff, especially when Dad's not around?!? Do I need a life-size punching bag? Feel free to weigh in, HB, if you're out there.

Skeptical

So, I saw this picture comparison thingy on Jennifer's blog and decided that I'd like to know who our children favored. Imagine my disbelief and disappointment when all four of our kids are smack dab in the middle. I cooked them! At least ONE of them could look 1% more like me than him. For just a second I thought of putting another man's picture in for the father, just to see if the results were rigged. Dumb, I know. Especially when I could be spending my time doing something so much more valuable like watching DVRed American Idol, which is one of my profoundly guilty pleasures.

Johns Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Family pictures

Johns Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Johns Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Free family tree

Johns Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Free family tree

Waving the White Flag

Okay, I'm ready to publicly admit that I am sick. The Claritin is not working. It's not cedar induced allergies. I've caught whatever nasty virus Emmie had that caused her to stop eating and Joey caught resulting in a raging ear infection. Ick. Oh, for the days of calling in sick or staying home from school with a box of kleenex, some chicken soup, and the remote. I realize now how many things I took for granted in the BC era. Anyone remember Jenny Jones?

Blowing Off Some Steam...Please Disregard

Okay, I'm hurt. I need to talk about it and I'm 98% certain that the person who hurt me will never read this, so I'm going to go ahead and vent. As I have made known, George is gone for four weeks. Yes, I know that most of you would never openly talk about your husbands being gone for security's sake, but I'm a risk taker, what can I say? I am desperately trying to avoid feeling depressed and overwhelmed and associating his absence with the painful period of my life that was his Iraq deployment.

I reached out to a neighbor and asked for some help with a minor problem at my house. Nothing major, but it's annoying and I was hoping to have it fixed before George returns - in three weeks. I politely asked for help and was rejected in a way that felt horrible. Everything inside me wants to hit reply and simply say, "I'm sorry I asked." My wise friend in Ohio has convinced me to do otherwise and drop it. Let it go without response. What really gets me is that the reason I've been given that help is not available is that her husband is too busy helping her with her house and her kids to drop by and help. By golly, that must be nice!! It feels so much like the icy, cold shoulder moments of 2005 that it turns my stomach. I almost wish that her response had said, "We don't really care one bit about you and your family and I wish you'd never speak to us again." That would be easier, because now I realize that at some point there will be further contact. I will have to forgive and move on and let it go. Why can I feel my chest tighten just thinking about forgiveness? Isn't our Lord fantastic that his forgiveness was without reluctance, hesitation, or bitterness? I will have to pray and search my heart for that measure of peace and love. Right now I just feel hurt. I need to place that pain at the feet of the King and love my neighbor as myself. Ouch.

Now that I've unloaded, perhaps I can go on with my day without taking it out on the four precious cooped up kids who deserve my very best.

When all else fails...Teach School.

Today has been a tough day. I woke up sluggish and with a nagging sore throat that I'm desperately trying to ignore. I walked around in a daze for about an hour after rising and finally had to snap to it when I got a call that a friend would be dropping by. (Thanks for the carrots!) My kids were running around like wild monkeys the entire time she was here, mainly due to my lack of attention and structure. As she was leaving we started up our school day. I outlined on the board what I wanted to accomplish for the day and I am happy to report that the majority of it occurred. I feel a little lonely and a little worn down by some heavy issues weighing on me right now, but when I am having a difficult time working through things the best thing for me to do is teach school. We had math lessons, scripture memory, phonics lessons, read aloud time, social studies... I even squeezed in almost an hour of FIAR time right before bed. We watched a youtube video of Venice, looked at my pictures from my 1990 trip to Venice, read Papa Piccolo and discussed qualities of a father, adoption, and Italian words and expressions. Everyone is tucked into bed (sort of) and now it's the tough part of my day. The time when I KNOW that I should just get in bed, turn out the lights, close my eyes and wait until morning. Sleep will come. I look forward to tomorrow. Only because I can check one more day off until my partner has returned. Until then, I'll just keep teaching school.

Seven Weird Things About Me

I saw this at Life is Not a Cereal and decided that since I have no one to hang out with, I will continue to blog. The house is quiet and I am savoring the silence. This is a meme that Jenny invited anyone to participate in, so I considered myself tagged.

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person’s blog who tagged you.
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. List seven random and/or weird facts about yourself
4. Tag seven random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by posting a comment on their blog.

So, here are seven weird things about me:

1. I wrecked the driving school car the first time I sat behind the wheel. I was terribly nervous about learning how to drive and the two other students in the car already knew how. I told the instructor I was not ready to drive, but he insisted that the best way to overcome my fear was to face it head on. The car was stopped at a "T" in the road and the instructor told me to turn left. Somehow in trying to make the turn I panicked, mistook the gas for the brake and gunned it for the curb with the right front tire. The tire was damaged, the axle was bent, and they had to send for someone to come pick us up. Probably one of the top five most embarrassing moments of my life.

2. I've never seen any of the Karate Kid movies and this baffles my husband to no end. I don't feel as though I'm missing something.

3. I would love to live near mountains. Maybe not so near that driving is treacherous, but I would love to gaze out my kitchen window and see the majesty of God.

4. I've visited seven foreign countries but I've never been to Canada or Mexico. When I was fourteen I went on a musical tour of Europe. We went to France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, and England. It was a life changing trip for me in many ways.

5. I had two miscarriages before Mary was born and strangely enough I am completely grateful for the experience. Not only am I able to relate to other people desperately longing to have children, I value my children 1000 times more knowing the darkness and fear that I faced wondering if I would ever become a mother. I draw from that on days when I wonder "what in the world was I thinking?" and "why are these little people trying to drive me insane!?".

6. I have the absolute best friends in the world. Wow. Even though I have to work hard to maintain some long distance relationships and there are days when I literally weep because I want to see my friends so badly, I feel blessed beyond imagination to have these women in my life. There are a couple that I am convinced are the hands and feet of Christ doing His work and blessing my family in the process.

7. I talk to myself when George isn't around. There you go. I'm a little certifiable. Mostly it's during these quiet evening hours when I am accustomed to his comforting presence.

Okay, so maybe not all seven things are WEIRD, but they are what came to mind. I think I'll go flip channels for the next three minutes until I'm unconscious.

Goodnight, world wide web.

Oh - I'm supposed to tag seven other people. Hmm... How about Julie, Carrie, Jamie, Teresa, Victoria, Queen to my 3 boys, and ComfyDenim.

I hope I'm doing this right.

Baby Sister

Okay, so maybe comparing my kid to Nick Nolte's mug shot might seem a little odd. I'll redeem myself and post some precious pictures and a video of her with her new Minnie Mouse outfit that my aunt sent her for Christmas.

Slight Resemblance?

Now, NO ONE can talk smack about my baby but me, okay?

This One's For You, HB!!

I'm feeling a little drained. I'm sure there are many reasons, but the main one is that I get my recharge from George. His loud, silly demeanor helps me be a little less... me, I guess. He reminds me not to take everything so seriously. And his presence makes falling asleep FEEL a little easier. I've been sleeping with the TV on, of all things. Goofy, I know. So...what's been going on here since my last post? Emily is eating better and her morning mucus is slowing down. Joey seemed like he might be getting better and then took a turn for the worse. He literally kept me awake ALL NIGHT LONG Wednesday night complaining and whining of some non-specific problem. I wasn't able to tell if it was his throat or his tummy. He carried around a trash can and paced around my room, restless and whiny. It felt like the longest night of my life and I'm not real proud of the way I handled it. Thursday morning he BEGGED me to take him to the doctor. I was certain that he was suffering from some mysterious virus that he caught from his sister, but I was so dumbfounded by being up all night long that I took him. He has a double ear infection and his left eardrum is perforated. Who knew? He never once mentioned that his ear was bothering him. Now Mary is all stuffed up. And I'm just watching and waiting for Timothy to get it next. Yippee!!

School has not come to a complete screeching halt. Mary finished her 100 Lessons and was given an Arcee Transformer as a reward. She is delighted to have a GIRL Transformer. The same day, she completed her Primer book (Math-U-See) and her Skipper Handbook for Sparks. Today she finished her Explode the Code Book 1. Joey's had a few lessons - and he's back to eating and running laps through the living room and dining room, so I guess those antibiotics are helping.

Tomorrow my mom will come over and visit. I'm excited that we'll have another face to look at, but a little disappointed that it's not Daddy's (no offense, Grandma!). I've got laundry to do and floors to clean. I haven't done much this week besides take care of sick little ones.

Oh, one last thing. I got an e-mail from Denise about making AWANA lapbooks. I think this is a super great idea and what better time to start than when we are starting a new handbook? Mary and I are going to make a Hiker Lapbook - it'll be months before it's completed, but I can't wait for her to have something we made together to remind her of her scripture memorization.

Leave me a comment and let me know you're out there while I'm here on house arrest, will ya? I'm just realizing that all this down time is the perfect cure for feeling overwhelmed by the hecticness of the holidays. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise.

Checking In

I'm still here. A few things have been on my mind to blog about, but it's all very random. Am I the only one running their air conditioning this week?!? Last weekend we were opening the windows to cool the house a bit, but because Emmie is sick I've resisted letting more allergens in the house. Not only is she battling her second cold since her ear tubes last month, Joey woke up from nap time yesterday complaining of a sore throat and upset tummy. He skipped dinner, ran fever after bath, and threw up at 4:00 in the morning. Doesn't it figure that as soon as Daddy, my nighttime hero, flies away that the middle of the night barfing ensues? To his credit, it really wasn't that bad. Just a little water and stomach yuck. And 90% of it made it to the bathroom. Way to go, Joe!!! Why do kids always throw up at night? I don't get up in the middle of the night to get sick. Unfortunately, I can remember throwing up on my mom once or twice when I was a kid. "Mommy, my tummy feels funny..." Sorry, Mom. Paybacks are heck. We're doing our normal thing around here. A light version even. Last night we had Campbell's soup for dinner and tonight we had egg and cheese breakfast tacos and pears. I think I might have to venture out of the house tomorrow. If anyone gets up sick tonight, I'm not gonna.

On a positive note, I'm not experiencing the intense freak-out about being alone with the kids that I anticipated. I know that it's early and that as the month moves along I might struggle, but I'm doing okay. I've kept the kids pretty busy with schoolwork. Mary is going to finish her 100 Easy Lessons, her Math-U-See Primer, her Explode the Code Book 1, and her Sparks Skipper Handbook this week. WOW. I didn't plan for it to happen that way. It just did. I'm really excited for her. And I think she might earn her SUV by the end of the week.

I do miss my honey bunny, but it's different knowing that he is safe and that he is able to relax a little more than he does here. Poor guy works long hours and comes home to the chaos. He's been going for afternoon workouts in Missouri. Way to go, sweetie.

Thanks to those of you who have checked on me and even made offers of visits and a dinner invite. I'll hold you to it. Let's just hang on a few days until the germies leave our house.

Take a Deep Breath

The anticipation is over and it's time to dig deep. Four weeks is a long time - but then again, the month of December took me by storm. Maybe January will be just as swift. Instead of really savoring yesterday, I walked around huffy and irritated and sullen. Perfect way to see off my beloved, don't you think? At least I've added a reader to my numbers. Maybe he'll do more than lurk. Maybe I'll get a comment or two as well. I know what I would like for things to be like while George is gone and I know the goals I have for myself. I wish I didn't have these wretched emotional memories associated with long absences. I wish that I were more confident, more independent, more assured. I sat and read a couple of pages in Calm My Anxious Heart last night and Linda Dillow was talking about praising God for making us as a beautiful tapestry, woven with purpose and skill. God is the creator of our minds, bodies, and spirits. She asserts that He is the craftsman of each individual personality. So, following that, if we are in a state of perpetual self-doubt and disapproval (see above) we are challenging His design for each of us. Hmm.... Did God make me clingy, needy and panicky? Somehow, I don't think so. I'm certain that each of these absences is a growing process for me. Why do I approach each of them like a child that wants to sit in the middle of the floor holding her breath until someone caves and gives her what she wants?!? Ugh. Here are a few of the goals I have for this month. Maybe if I write them down and focus on them I will think less about the fact that he's on his way to the airport RIGHT NOW.

I want to:

* focus on the kid's lessons and make it a really fun and productive school time.
* get back into the swing of things with our AWANA ministry.
* clean up our room, for pete's sake! I'm so tired of our space being the repository for all the chaos in our lives and a visual reminder of my shortcomings and limitations.
* seek positivity and a loving demeanor each and every day. This will require me to lean on the Lord and not my husband. I'm certain this is part of the reason that God continues to test me with these separations, by the way.
* keep things simple and stay close to home. I'm still recuperating from the holiday frenzy. Lots of downtime is a must this month.

I'm going to go get ready for church. It's time I show my face there again. It has been way too long. Thank goodness for Grandmas who stay home with sick babies. It is important for me to connect to people. I learned this a couple of years ago.

Be in prayer for all the thousands of military spouses who are holding down their home forts. They wipe away each tear, do every conceivable chore, manage every crisis. And all while their thoughts linger on the ones they love who are far away fulfilling their duty to a sometimes divided nation.

Katy and the Big Snow: Our First FIAR Lapbook

I'm so excited to write this post that I can barely type. This unit took way longer than I had hoped. That is in part due to me figuring things out as we went along and also due to the holiday interruption. Mary finished her Katy Lapbook today and you can tell by her face that she is thrilled with her accomplishment. I'm certain we'll do a lapbook for all the Five In a Row books - this type of activity is up my alley.

Mary illustrated the concept presented in the language portion of the FIAR lesson. "Snowman Rides a Tricycle" is her interpretation of personification. We made a definition flap below it. Next we made a little vocabulary flapbook to include the new terms we learned through this book.





We really enjoyed the Social Studies applications of Katy. We got out Dad's compass and discussed direction. Now they ask me which direction we're headed or pointed nearly always. Thank goodness there is an electronic compass on my van! We also talked about street signs. We made stop signs out of print outs and popsicle sticks. Then we made little flap books using the kids favorite street signs that we frequently see out driving. Now they point and read each sign we pass.





I deviated a bit from the suggested science portion of FIAR. I think the book recommended examining weather patterns. We just learned about this mythical thing called snow and talked about WHY it doesn't snow very much in Central Texas.


Even Timothy enjoyed the counting opportunities repeated readings of Katy afforded us. For our lapbook we made a skip count by fives flapbook to show Katy's fifty-five horsepower.



This was likely Mary's favorite part of her lapbook. I taught her how to make paper snowflakes. I folded the paper and did the cutting. She drew the designs onto the folded paper for me to cut. We mounted her snowflake onto cardstock using transparent Contact paper.
So, there you have it. I hope to learn more and more about lapbooking as we progress and experiment together. Mary really enjoys this - it's a nice deviation from lots of reading and writing practice.

Post-Holiday Sigh of Relief

I've read many-a-blog entries of late echoing what I have been feeling. I am so happy that the holiday season is over. I really do enjoy the last few weeks of the year - the bowl games, the holiday food, the lights, the music, the family times, the remembrance of the birth of Christ. I'm just so happy with my little routine and I feel like I can barely accomplish the bare minimum. Add in all the shopping, wrapping, crafty stuff, special events, etc. and I feel like a basket case. The past few days I've walked around the house in my slippers with a smile on my face and very little on my to do list. I've been keeping up with the laundry, preparing and cleaning up after simple little meals, and prodding the children back into their lessons. I'm not sure how to avoid this feeling next year or what I would change to avoid it. I'm just breathing a sigh of relief and looking forward to a cleaner looking calendar for the month of January.