Menu for the week of 1/13/13

Sunday

• Breakfast -  Eggs in a Nest
• Lunch - Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Green Beans, Peach Cobbler
• Supper - Ham & Cheese Rollups, Apple Slices

Monday

• Breakfast - Cream of Wheat 
• Snack - Chips, Salsa
• Lunch - Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
• Snack - Celery Sticks, Ranch Dip
• Supper - Chicken Wings, Sweet Potatoes, Peas

Tuesday

• Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs & Frozen Waffles
• Snack - Graham Crackers & Peanut Butter
• Lunch - Beef & Barley Vegetable Soup, Italian Bread
• Snack - Cookies & Milk
• Supper - Mexican soup with lime & Avacado

Wednesday

• Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, Toast
• Snack - Granola Bars
• Lunch - Leftovers
• Snack - Celery with peanut butter & raisins
• Supper - Potatoes, Brats & Green Beans

Thursday

• Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, Toast
• Snack - Graham Crackers & Peanut Butter
• Lunch -  Spaghetti, Green Beans, Salad, Breadsticks
• Snack - 
• Supper - Jambalaya, Rice

Friday

• Breakfast - Biscuits & Gravy, Fried Eggs
• Snack - Chips & Salsa
• Lunch - Leftovers
• Snack - Tapioca
• Supper - Leftovers or Pizza

Saturday

• Breakfast - Pancakes, Sausage Links
• Lunch - Kielbasa Cabbage Soup, Rolls
• Supper - Macaroni & Cheese, Corn

January thaw

It is a balmy 53 degrees today, so most of my students have vanished to the great outdoors to ride bikes and enjoy the weather.  Garrett came in to tell me how warm it was. Please excuse the quality of the pictures.  Looks like we are in the market for a new camera. :(   The weatherman assures us that winter will be back tomorrow.  Lunch is going to be a picnic by the creek, and the widows are open.  (Only a couple and only a couple of inches - if it was up to them, they would all be wide open, though).  Garrett asked if I could put the pool up.  I think a few people in this house are looking forward to spring!

I'ts THIS warm

It's this cold.

I really have other things to do, mom

Wait, I want to get my picture taken too

me too... me too...

Counting

Another Garrett post...

1...2...3...4... 1...2...3...4 - I know what cats go with - dogs - they both have 4 legs
chickens go with people - they have 2 legs

Charlotte - "What do fish go with?"   Garrett - "Ummmmmmm...... fishtanks!!"

How is a mom (or sisters) supposed to keep a straight face?

Garrett was having a hard evening.  He just wasn't getting his way.  We went round and round about it, but I (nor he) just wouldn't give in.  He went into his room (where he was supposed to be going to bed) and pulled his Pull-ups out of the drawer and threw them on the floor, which highly upset his sister who joined in the crying...  So, I told him to pick up his Pull-ups and put them in the drawer.  So he did.  Except, he didn't put them in the Pull-up drawer.  He brought them into our room and slowly pulled open my drawer... looked at me - I wasn't looking at him... closed the drawer... looked at me... saw me turn his direction... opened my drawer and started stuffing Pull-ups in it with an "I got the best of you" look on his face...

Pretty soon, the Pull-ups were were they belonged and he was back in my room with a sweet look on his face.  "Why aren't you in bed?", I asked.  "I need to give you a hug," was his answer.

No, really, I was hunting coyotes!

We have a couple of toy guns.  The rule is - you can hunt animals - coyotes, deer, skunks, etc. But NO shooting at people (real or imagined)!!

Garrett was going around shooting his toy gun today.  Laura asked him what he was shooting.
"Ro.... coyotes" was the answer.
Laura: "What were you going to say? Robbers?"
Garrett: "Robbers sometimes shoot people. If I was a robber, you would have to put your hands up.
Laura: "Really? You wouldn't want to be a robber though, would you?"
Garrett: "No. Do you know what robbers do?"
Laura: "What do they do?"
Garret: (whispered) "They 'teal 'tuff!"

In a sister's view

We have a chat window on our computer where we can chat Todd at work instead of calling him and then he can answer us when he has a free minute.  The kids like to send him little messages once in a while - mostly in the form of emoticons.  They are supposed to attach their name to their message.

Today I glanced at the chat window and there was a little row of hearts - signed by Lincoln.  Todd responded "I love you, Lincoln.  Are you being good today?"  The next line said "Kinda" - signed by Emily.

2 things that made me laugh...

I was straightening up our room today and when I got to my bedside table, I had a Bible, a clock, a light, lotion, a couple of hair scrunchies, and some home organization and homeschooling books, .  I got to Todd's and he has a Bible, a clock, a light, some screws and nuts and bolts, a calculator, business cards, plumbing parts, an allen wrench, a latch for a live trap, keys... just funny to me what ends up coming out of my busy man's pockets :)

The other...  This evening I was just folding the very LAST piece of laundry and heading to put it away (a major accomplishment in this house) when the dryer buzzed with another load to fold.

Menu for the week of 1/6/13

Sunday

• Breakfast -  Breakfast Burritos
• Lunch - Potluck
• Supper - Veggie Tray w/ Dip, Popcorn, Sliced Cheese & Sausage, Crackers,  Apple Slices & Dip

Monday

• Breakfast - Baked Oatmeal, Toast
• Snack - Pretzel Rods with Cheese Dip
• Lunch - Meatball Soup, French Bread
• Snack - Turtles
• Supper - Chicken Pita Wraps, tzatziki sauce, Smashed Potatoes

Tuesday

• Breakfast - Breakfast Burrito Casserole
• Snack - Chunky Monkey Smoothies
• Lunch - Turkey & Rice Soup, Bread
• Snack - Chips & Salsa
• Supper - Beef & Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Applesauce

Wednesday

• Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, Toast
• Snack - Granola Bars
• Lunch - Sandwiches
• Snack - Apple Crisp
• Supper - Baked Potato Skins with Toppings

Thursday

• Breakfast - Pancakes, Sausage Links
• Snack - Cheese & Crackers
• Lunch -  Leftovers
• Snack - Snack Mix
• Supper - Mini Pizzas

Friday

• Breakfast - Crock Pot Steel Cut Oats, Fruit, Granola, Toast, Peanut Butter
• Snack - 
• Lunch - Baked potato soup
• Snack - 
• Supper - Leftovers or Potatoes with Brats & Green Beans

Saturday

• Breakfast - Dutch Babies
• Lunch - Pizza
• Supper - Leftovers

Happy Birthday, Todd

Happy Birthday to the one I am so happy to be sharing my life with.

Birthdays are changing a little bit around here.  The kids make the birthday cakes (or in this case praline cheesecake bars)... The kids wrap the birthday presents... and The Kids talk about having big surprise birthday parties...  I think we'll just stick with the cake and presents this year.  :)

Don't slip, Daddy

Garrett just came inside all worried.  "Mommy, the rocks on the driveway are all icy... Daddy might schlip when he gets home!!!" - and back out he went and then in again with his brow all wrinkled with great concern.  "Mommy, what do you think we should do to keep Daddy safe when he gets home?"

A good beginning.

Apples to Apples, lots of laughter, delicious food, visiting, playing, not much sleeping, and 

cupcake decorating...

 A wonderful end to 2012 and beginning to 2013.

Thanks for coming, Fishers, we really enjoyed your visit, and thanks for the fun New Years Eve & Day, Bloemkers, and thanks for the quick visit, Rensners, we look forward to a longer one next time.  :)

Ringing & Banging in the New Year!!!

Happy New Year!!!  One child didn't make it until midnight, some were in their pajamas, several of us were wondering why we were making ourselves stay up - but all of us were having fun.

Dust mites need not apply

WARNING:  IF THE THOUGHT OF BUGS, BUGS YOU, YOU MIGHT WANT TO SKIP THIS POST!!

We've vacuumed and dusted and dusted and vacuumed and washed blankets and pillows... getting the room ready for the "allergy prone kids".  I've read more about dust mites than I care to know... (Like, dust mites and their (ahem) droppings can make up 10% of the weight of a 2 year old pillow).  Dust mites aren't harmful to people - good thing, because they are everywhere... a mattress can have 100,000 to 10 million dust mites in it...  But some people are allergic to their (ahem) droppings... And we happen to have at least one of those people living in our house and most likely 3 of them... So tonight, the 3 of them begin their exile to their room of new mattresses, washed bedding, vacuumed carpeting, scrubbed walls...

And in case you are shuddering to think of these bugs, you can read this

As a practicing allergist in Wisconsin, I would like to make a few comments about dust mites and their control.
1. Man has lived with them for many thousands of years.
2. They do not spread any type of disease. If you are not allergic to them, they are harmless
3. They eat shed skin, human as well as other mammalian types.
4. They do not live on you or bite you.
5. Dust mites are present in all homes except in areas of low humidity ie. the southwestern U.S. or at altitudes above approximately 3500 feet.
6. Their presence is not related to how well you clean your home or your socioeconomic level.
7. Mites are unable to drink water. They absorb moisture from the atmosphere. Therefore, the cheapest and some feel the only environmental manipulation that may be effective is lowering indoor humidity. Reproductive rates of mites drop when indoor humidity is less than 50%. Keep indoor humidity below 45%, ideally close to 20%. Therefore, no humidifiers, especially in bedrooms, in the winter and use air conditioning all summer.

Martin Lobel M.D.— Martin Lobel M.D., FAAAAI, FACAAI

And here is what I found on the door to that room.

The No Dust Mites Aloud sign was Lincoln's - one of his sisters helped it out a little

Magnified many, many, many times!  Garrett wouldn't go in the room until this sign was removed - he thought this was actual size - and he is one of the ones sleeping in here.

Funny kids...  I sure hope it works!!!

Fun and games

Today has been a relaxing day of games around here.  We were invited to join some friends for the day and it was very tempting - they have have kind of adopted us/let us adopt them as our "here" family since our family lives so far away - and it is always fun to get together with them.  Anyway we had decided just to hang around home and just spend time together.

Todd and most of the kids enjoy long, strategic games (they like other games, too).  So they started out with Settler's of Catan this morning, after breakfast while I worked on lunch.  They finished that game right before lunch and then while Garrett and I took a nap in the recliner, they started (and are still playing - more than 3 hours later) a game of Risk.   After our nap, Garrett and I challenged each other to a couple of games of Candyland - each of us got to win one game. And I started on supper.

While I was peeling potatoes and listening to them talk about conquering each others countries and wiping them out, I got a picture in my mind of my Grandpas, many years ago when I was pretty little.  They were sitting at a little table at the bottom of the stairs at my Fox Grandparents' house playing a game of chess.  It was a quiet, serious, brow wrinkling game - I remember them playing chess together like that more than once.  And I had to laugh, because when their great grandchildren at this house play chess, it is anything but quiet or serious.  All the kids gather around the chess board and help cheer the players on.  The chess players come to life and you hear yells of, "Off with your head!!" and other equally cruel things.  But it is fun to think of them enjoying and playing the same game their great grandfathers played.

Bottomless Pit

We ate a big, late breakfast this morning, and a late lunch.  After lunch, we decided to make a quick run to Sam's club to look at new mattresses for a couple of our allergy and eczema prone kids after discovering the connection between dust mite allergies (which Laura tested highly positive for) and eczema.  That is probably a whole nother post worth, but I'll just say we'll be switching a couple of kid's bedrooms around, clearing out the "allergy" room and there's going to be a lot of vacuuming and bedding washing happening in that room.  I'm looking forward to seeing if it helps.

Anyway, We were discussing what we would do about supper, and I said that we shouldn't even be hungry again today.  Lincoln exclaimed, "Oh! I'll be hungry by the time we get to Sam's!!"

Menu for the week of 12/23/12

Sunday

• Breakfast -  Skillet potatoes with scrambled eggs, English Muffins
• Lunch - At some friends'
• Supper - ?

Monday

• Breakfast - Oven Crepes (Mixed Berry and Cheese w/ bacon bits)
• Snack - Popcorn
• Lunch - Slow Cooker Enchiladas, Fresh Salsa, Guacamole, Corn Chips
• Snack - Bananas
• Supper - Hot dogs, Chips, Hot Chocolate

Tuesday

• Breakfast - Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs
• Snack - Cheese & crackers
• Lunch - French onion soup, Grilled Ham & Cheese Sandwiches
• Snack - Ice Cream
• Supper - Liver & Onions, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Salad

Wednesday

• Breakfast - English Muffins, Fried Eggs & Bacon
• Snack - Apples & Peanut Butter
• Lunch - Leftovers
• Snack - Granola bars
• Supper - Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole

Thursday

• Breakfast - Scrambled eggs with sausage, toast
• Snack - Celery & Peanut Butter
• Lunch -  Baked Potatoes with toppings
• Snack -Grapefruit
• Supper -  Grilled Chicken Wings, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, salad

Friday

• Breakfast - Crock Pot Steel Cut Oats, Fruit, Granola, Toast, Peanut Butter
• Snack - Cheese & Crackers
• Lunch - Baked potato soup
• Snack - Popcorn
• Supper - Fajitas, Corn

Saturday

• Breakfast - Dutch Babies
• Lunch - Pizza
• Supper - Leftovers

What did you think parties consisted of?

We went to a 50th wedding anniversary open house this afternoon.  All the way there, about every 5 minutes, Garrett would ask - "Are we at the party yet?"  Finally I asked him if he even knew what a party was.  "Ummmm, No... I mean Yes - there is lots of persons and cake there."

When we finally got to the "party", and walked in the door, the bride and groom of 50 years ago were cutting cake and giving each other a bite.  Garrett took one look and exclaimed, "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!!!"  "What did you know?"  "I knew there was cake at parties!"

His sense of humor is quickly developing...

Since I tell stories on the kids, I guess to be fair I should tell on myself too.  Last night the kids were getting settled down in bed.  One of them came and asked me if I could come in and tell the others to stop talking - which I did - and they did... for a little while, that is... All of a sudden the talking started again so I raised my voice and said..."Just. Stop. Talking.!" ...  kind of frustrated like... And they stopped - so abruptly and and unnaturally that I thought I'd better check... And the reason they were talking again was that their Dad had stopped by to visit with them before they went to sleep...  ooops...

The funny thing about it was when I walked in the room there was a general air of amusement  from most of the kids, a bit of sheepishness from Todd, but Lincoln just burst out with HA HA HA!!!

Does he want the skunk shot ...

or does he want his Daddy to get sprayed?

Garrett came in from outside - "Daddy, it 'mells like tunk" out there, will you go out and shoot it?"

"Hey, hey hey (talking to his siblings) - come look out the window and watch Daddy shoot the 'tunk and get 'prayed..."

I asked Garrett if he really wanted his Daddy to get sprayed and he shrugged with a twinkle in his eye and said, "He's going to need to take a really long shower..."

(There really is no skunk out there - I think he is just smelling some skunk smell from a previous skunk spraying at the dog or something...)

How do I get this van to go?

After Heidi read my blog post about her stirring the pot with my toothbrush, she thought I should really post a little story about a recent driving experience Laura had the other day so that she wouldn't have to be the only one embarrassed by my stories... Of course Laura doesn't think I should... hmmmm...  I guess I will, since this blog is for memories' sake.

The other day Laura got in the driver's seat and I was riding shotgun - the rest of the family was in the van too.  She was getting everything situated - the mirror, seat, steering wheel and getting ready to back out of the driveway of the home we were visiting. I casually mentioned that she would need to turn the van on before she could drive... "I know, Mom." Not really exasperation, but more of a, come on, Mom, I really do know that much about driving, tone of voice."  "OK... I'll just let her drive and try to keep quiet," I thought.  She put the van in reverse (the key must have been slightly turned because the van went into gear - but the van wasn't running) and looked back over her shoulder to start backing out - and I looked over at her with my eyebrows raised... "Um, Laura, you really do need to turn on the van before you can drive" - we all got a good laugh out of that one.

By the way, Laura is doing very well learning to drive our big ol' 15 passenger bus.  Todd is a whole lot better at teaching her to drive than I am ("oh, yeah, he just gets in, tells me how to go and doesn't say anything about my driving"...)  She is done with her little stint of "school" except for the driving portion so it will be nice not to have her gone in the mornings.

Some things you are just better off not knowing!!!

A post on a friend's blog about her son cleaning sinks with his toothbrush today brought back a memory that I think should be on here for us to remember.

A few years ago my nephew and niece were here for a few days.  One morning I was brushing my teeth with an audience of several girls.  After I was finished, Jessica said, as if it was no big deal, "Heidi was just dipping that (my toothbrush) in the toilet..."  Gack!!!

There is no difference...

Yesterday, Laura and I were debating.  Well, not exactly debating... as she likes to say with a cute grin, "Oh, yeah, I forgot, we're on the same side."  So, we were discussing the recent school shooting and she asked... "Why are the people who are wanting gun control the same ones who are pro abortion - what is the difference between the lives of those children who were killed and the lives of all of those babies who are killed every day?  There is no difference!"

No my sweets, there isn't...  I love your beautiful heart.

A girl just HAS to be able to talk...

Sometimes bedtime is kind of a struggle around here.  Most of the time it goes pretty well, but once in a while they just can't get settled down.  Tonight was one of those nights.  Finally, Todd said... NO more talking... if you HAVE to say something to someone, whisper.  A few minutes later a sobbing little girl came out to me.  "What' s wrong?"  "I can't say something and I need to!!!"  "Dad said you can whisper if you need to talk, what is it that you need?"  "I don't know..."

I'm not sure they get it...

Lincoln and Garrett just came tearing through the living room around the couch.  "Boys, boys, boys...." I called.  "Yes, Mommy?"  " Are you supposed to be running upstairs?"  "Noooooooooo!!!!" drifted back to me as their running footsteps continued down the hall...

They keep each other in line

We were eating breakfast this morning, and one of the kids said something goofy.  I heard someone say "Multi Stare!", and several pairs of eyes immediately swiveled to the goofy party for a stare down.

Sometimes these kids crack me up.

Good thing the stars squiggle around...

At 9:30 tonight I heard a little voice... "Mommy?"  "Yes, Lincoln..."  "Come here..."  "What do you need, buddy?"

Lincoln:  "Ummm.... scientists... they have tried to figure out why the sun doesn't fall on the earth..."  Me:  "And?"  L: "I think I have it figured out..."  M: "How does it work?"  L: "The stars squiggle around up there to keep themselves up... that must be what the sun does, too."  M: "Hmmm..."

I guess that is as good of a reason as any to still be awake - there are lots of important things to figure out when you are 6 years old.  That and waiting for dad to get done taking his shower so you can get rocked to sleep.  :)

Our unplanned evening of fun

What a fun evening we had last night.  I wish I had thought ahead and invited a big crowd.  In the late afternoon, the kids asked about watching the meteor shower...  We' 'll see, was the reply.  What about a bonfire, they wondered, a little later...  So I swallowed my thoughts of, "What about bedtime?  Dad isn't home to help, yet... He has to work late tonight...  Don't you kids know it is FREEZING out there?  Some of you kids REALLY need to get to bed, you've been whining all afternoon..." and said " SURE, that is a great idea - pull out the chairs, bring up some really big pieces of wood - this is going to be so fun."  And it was.  It really, really was.

They built a rip roaring fire, we pulled up the chairs - they ended up laying in the backyard on the trampoline so the fire wouldn't hinder their view of the sky.  They brought out their pillows and some down blankets to keep warm. And we looked up into the sky at the awesome display of stars and ooohed and aaahed as the lights streaked across the sky.  The air was filled with "Did you see THAT one?" and "How many have YOU seen?" and songs, chatter and laughter.

And I wondered why I don't put aside my - Wow, that was a long day - let's get these kids to bed and have some quietness... and That sure sounds like a lot of work - let's not do that... and Can you imagine the mess that is going to make... (you get the idea) thoughts more often and just enjoy these young, energetic, enthusiastic, beautiful lives a little more - because these days are just flying by.

(And, don't get me wrong - I do really enjoy these young people - and we do have a lot of fun and laughs and time together - and I LOVE spending my days and evenings with them... but sometimes the extra things get turned down and sometimes they end up being the most fun.)

Smart Monkeys

This is what I found in the boys' room the other morning.

At least he was listening

Some of the kids are playing Bible/hymns picture charades. Abigail just came upstairs laughing to report that Lincoln had just drawn a picture of a field with a farmer. They guessed that it was the hymn "Sow, sow the word", He responded that it kinda was but it was what we heard about Sunday. You know, the wheat and the rips (tares)...

Does anyone want to play along in the comments?

I think I'm back to normal today... and Todd said it was probably ok to leave last night's post on... so I'll trust his judgement since I didn't seem to have much; although he was rushing around getting ready to go to work when he read it... so :)

Anyway,  here is my thought for today.  We spend a lot of time on our children's natural life - keeping them fed, clothed, happy, cheerful, schooled, etc.  Maybe it is because I have known of so many new little ones being born or being expected lately, but I have been thinking a lot, about how to raise wholesome, pure, Godly children.  After all, our children are more than just a physical beings.  They take a lot of molding, naturally, just to make them productive citizens of this life... But much more than that they are spiritual, eternal beings.  And helping them with that aspect of their lives is so huge in my mind.  It is so, so much more important than keeping their bodies taken care of.

So, I just thought it would be interesting and helpful to ask how you look at and work at this part of your children's lives.  If you'd rather not comment, you're certainly not under any obligation.  :)  But if you feel like it, I'd love to hear from you.

THIS is what is wrong...

I just can't get this freecycle email off my mind. I read it, deleted it and then went digging back through the trash folder.

I would like to think that not all that many people think like this... but there are enough similar freecycle ads, to prove that several do... And we're just a tiny community here... Also, this is not my typical "for memories sake" post. But it just made me sad... And frustrated...

Maybe it caught my attention more than it would have if I hadn't just seen pictures from South America of a home with wooden posts with gaps (there really is no way to describe it without seeing the picture, but likely most of you have seen similar pictures or even seen real poverty in real life) ... with no obvious comforts where a couple actually lives and a friend was visiting... and a picture a friend took in Poland of a train restroom with blowing snow and ice covering the facilities... And I admit I love the comforts and cleanliness of our great country. And I see nothing wrong with enjoying the benefits of the hard work and ingenuity of the people before, current and the hard work of my hubby. But seriously?!? THIS was on a local freescycle site...

i am in dire need of a tv of at least 27'' my 50 '' just got a remote thrown through it. and just foiund out my extended warranty that i purchased for $120 doesnt cover physical damage. the tv is what my kids watch all their movies on so if anyone can help me out please i would appreciate it

I just can't get it!?! Dire Need?!? Really?!? I hope we can teach our kids what really is important... That our only real dire need is getting to know and love God... And that is the spiritual and most important part of our lives.

But even for the natural part of our lives it is so much better not to get caught up in more, and more; bigger and bigger stuff. That all we really need for this life is to have enough to eat, a safe place to live and a way to provide for the ones we are responsible for. And I suppose one could argue that that isn't really an absolute necessity - there are people existing on much less than that... but I think if we can provide we should... (Again, not that we can't enjoy the fruits of our labor - I guess it is just the tone and selfishness of that post that saddened me and the thought that those kids are growing up with that type of thinking)

Anyway, I am doing some searching and wondering about what we can be doing to make our real, dire needs the ones we are really focusing on...



That's all... Good Night :)

I have finally discovered why...

... the bench looks like this so often

Because, obviously, hangers were invented to be chainsaws...

...not to hang up coats!

How do they know how to do that?

I was watching Lincoln the other day without him knowing I was watching.  He was at the computer in our g-mail account.  He clicked on the "Drive" button (where you can type documents, spreadsheets, etc.), created a folder called "Lincoln's Writing", created a document to put in the folder and proceeded to to hunt and peck a little story out.  When I looked at the folder later, he has the main folder "Lincoln's Writing" with a couple of science type documents and then he has another folder within the folder labled "Lincoln's Stories" with a fiction story in it.

Now, technically, he really isn't supposed to be messing around with the computer - especially in our account..


I don't know if he watched one of his big sisters do the same thing or how he figured it out, but maybe we should skip some of the classes it is like pulling teeth to get him to do and get him started on some computer programming.

Happy 12th Birthday, Charlotte

Happy Birthday to our sweet Charlotte.  We are enjoying watching you grow into a beautiful young lady.  Thanks for your sweet, willing spirit. We love you so much and are so happy you are our daughter.

Happy Anniversary, sweetheart!

16 years ago we started our life together with joy and excitement, looking forward to what the days and years would bring us.  It's been wonderful, full of joy, with never a dull moment.  I look forward to many, many more wonderful years with you, my best friend, by my side.

Sometimes I wonder...

When magnetic tape is applied to your face, who knows what you might attract.

When the porch step...

...meets the forehead

Table Manners

One of the conversations at the supper table:

Garrett (accidentally burped)

Todd:  Garrett, did you know that in some countries it is polite to burp when you are done eating?

Garrett:  (The light bulb went on in his head and he gave a huge thumbs up) You don't even have to say excuse me?

Todd:  Nope

Garrett:  GREAT!!! Lincoln!!!  Let's go there!!!

Some short stories

Some of the kids have been on a story writing kick.   For some reason, most of the girls' stories are about poor, abused, unfed animals who run away and find a new happy home ... not sure where that is coming from - but I suppose it is better than a few years ago when every game and story started with them being orphans... Anyway, this story that Garrett dictated cracked me up.

The Person and the Pig by Garrett age 4
So, once upon a time there was a pig and he was walking along and he saw a person. The person got on the pig. The person owned the pig. Then the person got off the pig.
That is the end of the story

Lincoln's "stories" are a little more research oriented. He has facts like this filling his head about several animals and often pops out with a narration. Last night we had a possum in the yard and he informed us that it really wasn't an opossum, it was a Virginia Possum... and explained why... and when I looked it up, sure enough... Anyway, here is one of his "stories"

Pronghorns by Lincoln age 6
Pronghorns are very fast mammals that are related to deer. They can run up to 60 miles an hour. Even though they can not run quite as fast as a cheetah, they can run farther without tiring out.  They have little horns that stick up from their heads and give them their names.  Pronghorns are very interesting animals.

And Lincoln's fiction very short story

The Dream By Lincoln Erickson
Once there was a man who had a dream. And in that dream there was a cat. The cat had some pet mice. And the cat ate those mice.

Heidi is still in the middle of her story, but here is the beginning of it

The Happy and Cuddly Puppy by  Heidi 8

Once there was a puppy that had no owner. She walked through the woods. And she got thinner and thinner. Soon she was so thin that you could almost see her ribs.She was thirsty, hungry and sleepy. Soon she laid down and went to sleep.
When she woke up she was in a strange room.then she saw a little girl.

And here is one of Emily's

The Circus Horse  By Emily age 10

Once there was a circus. In this circus, there were dogs, lions, tigers, monkeys, horses,   and many other animals. But most famous of all was one circus horse. She was wonderful with children and gave them many rides. But she soon grew tired of giving rides and always being looked at. So she decided to run away. One night she escaped, running from the grounds. For days and days she ran. Until one night, she came to an empty barn. She ran inside and settled down for the night.

The next morning she was very very thirsty. So she looked for something to drink. Soon she came to a stream; she drank and drank until she was satisfied. Again, she started to run, but running made her hungry. So once again, she started to look. However, this time it was for food. She looked until it started to grow dark. Soon she came upon a house. Near the house, there was a barn. So she went inside and, again, settled down for the night.

She awoke from the sounds of voices. It was two little boys whispering and looking at her. But, when she looked at them, they ran away. She was lying on a pile of hay, so she began to eat. Suddenly she was startled again. The two little boys were back, with them was a man. The man was looking at her, he spoke to the little boys and they ran off. The man walked towards her. She shrank back, but the man was talking softly, so she calmed down and let him lead her to a box in the barn. Then he left.

After awhile he came back and 8 or 9 children were crowded around him. Then somebody called to the children, and all the children ran out of the barn. The man started to look up and down around her neck where her circus collar had been, before it had been torn off.
Then, in a few minutes, all the children came running back as fast as they could. They started petting her and feeding her apples. After a while, the oldest boy led her to a pasture with other horses in it. She pulled at the rope that was attached to her halter, so the boy unhooked it and let her run with the other horses. They left her there and that night led her to the barn. Then they let her live there forever after that.
                                                  The End

And the beginning of one of Charlotte's (almost 12)

There once was a farm that had quite unusually strange animals. Instead of chickens, they had ostrich. And their cows all gave cream instead of milk. One day a common cow who gave milk arrived at their farm. They knew that they would have to get rid of it at once.

But the little cow did not want to leave so it went into the woods to hide. The farmer thought it was the end of that. However, the little cow had other ideas. Every night the little cow crept into the barn and taught the cows to give milk instead of cream.

Soon the farmer (whose name was Jonathan) noticed a change in the cream. Jonathan knew that if the cows began to act like common cows they would have to sell them. So Jonathan decided to sleep in the barn that night and watch to see what happened. Soon after he went to sleep, he heard a muffled moo. He sat up quickly and looked around there he saw the Common Little Cow.

The little cow was startled and quickly ran back into the woods. Next night Jonathan was ready. When the little cow creeped in Jonathan quickly and quietly stepped forward and slipped a halter over her head. Jonathan led her to a stall and left her there for the rest night.

When morning came, Jonathan went out to the barn to look at her and to decide what to do with her. He was very much frightened when he first heard her speak. However, after the first fright he decided to talk back and see if she could understand him. Soon they had started a very lively conversion. He learned that she had been born on a big ranch but soon after her birth, her owner grew ill and died. The new owner was nice but with him came a new boy and a new barn man. The boy would throw sticks at them and call them names. So she decided to learn to speak so she could teach him a lesson.

Whoops, wrong name association...

We are watching a little boy today named Rory.  Garrett keeps forgetting his name and calls him Lion.

Happy Thanksgiving

A full (In more ways than one) fun, noisy day!!!  We left home at 6:30 and headed for G'pa and G'ma F's house via the nursing home where my Grandma B is.  She is content and sweet.  Wish I had remembered to get a picture.  My parents' house was bursting at the seams with food and grandchildren.  8 boys and 8 girls... 21, 18, 16, 15,   13, 13, 13, 12, 11, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 4  (Hope I got that all right!) Oh, and their parents...My sister & husband, brother & wife and us.  It seemed kind of strange to all be together and not have a sweet, snuggly, crying baby to pass around.  Looking at the ages, I'd guess that about 13 years ago we were pretty busy passing babies around!  After eating a delicious lunch, complements of Dad & Mom, Clint & Dawn, Roger & Traci, and Bakers Square (yummy pies)  (Somehow we took the day off from cooking).  The kids played a couple of not so quiet games, we all had some lively conversations, and all of the kids got along beautifully.  The only almost skirmish of the day was a couple of the dads... one tried to sit on another...  Something about for old times sake... All in fun... I think, anyway.  So now, we're headed back home, full and happy.  Thanks Dad & Mom.

Black Friday

We were driving home tonight and were amazed at the number of people camped out in line waiting for the doors to open, and the cars upon cars in the parking lots.  I was kind of glad that we decided not to join the crazy people out there this year.  I have to admit, though, that last year it was pretty fun going to the little W-mart in our little town, waiting in line for several hours, visiting with my sister while Todd napped on the bicycle boxes and my brother in law kept all the kids. Since it is a small town, a lot of people know each other, so there was a festive air around the store while people visited during the wait. Maybe next year...

Technology

It's amazing what can be done with technology!  Appliances and other household things might not hold up like they used to, but technology can hold it's own.  I'll back up a little bit here... In the past few weeks, we've had to replace our kitchen sink... twice.. because the first replacement was defective.  The dryer is in several pieces, waiting for a part to arrive. (The part was researched and ordered online).  Yesterday, the fridge (only a few years old) decided it was tired of keeping our food cold and making ice cubes, so it went kaput.  After going back and forth about whether we should move our basement fridge upstairs and deciding we shouldn't risk it quitting as a result of the move, we researched prices online on our gadgets as we were on our way to my parents' house this morning.  Found a good Thanksgiving sale deal. Thought about it during the day. And ordered it complete with free shipping while we were on our way home.  Amazing how easily you can spend several hundred dollars... without setting foot in a store.

Happy 4th Birthday to our Garrett

Since you won't agree to stay our baby... We'll wish a very happy, happy 4th birthday to our "Big boy."  We love you so much, and are so happy that you were born into our family four years ago.  You bring us so much happiness, laughter, love, and snuggles.

It is a good thing we don't have close neighbors...

... The kids are outside watching the meteor shower and singing rounds at the top of their lungs.

How is it

That our little farmer not only thinks he would like a "tlactlor" for his birthday, but it should be a "John Deere tlactlor?"  How does he even know what a John Deere is???

Congratulations, Laura

on getting your driver's permit today!!!  Great job on your first on the road driving!!!

Dogs can't read...

It seems like a lot of our funny stories are about Garrett right now.  He is at the age when he is funny without even knowing it.

This evening I asked him to bring his reading book and I would work with him.  He brought it but couldn't concentrate.

At supper he asked Todd if Todd could read with him after supper.  I asked why he hadn't read with me earlier. He said he would, NOW... But why wouldn't you earlier, I asked him.  He looked at me as if I was crazy.  "Because I was a DOG!!!"

Makes perfect sense now.

The report from the girls' room from last night...

In the middle of the night, one of the boys wet the bed... which started off this chain of events

Getting him cleaned up and changing his bed ended up waking everyone except one kid up.  After everyone had settled back down, Garrett headed into the girls' room and "snuck" into one of their beds.  So he said, "I 'nuck in here... you couldn't see me 'cause I was 'neaking in here." 

It was, of course, the early, early morning of Heidi's birthday... so she was tossing and turning and tossing and turning and announcing every couple of minutes that she couldn't go to sleep.  She'd jump up and they'd tell her to lay back down.  Then she started coughing and coughing and coughing...  She finally headed to our room and fell asleep in the recliner.  Only to pop back up bright and early before the sun rose to start out her special day.

So... the night that was supposed to start out early ended up not only not starting out early, but wasn't very long on any end...

Birthdays are important topics around here right now

"Mommy, let's sit down and talk about my birthday..."  "OK Garrett, what should we talk about?"  "You go first."  "What should I make you for breakfast?"  "Don't worry, it will be something easy... it won't be too hard for you..."

Happy 8th Birthday, Heidi!!!

We love you sweet Heidi!!!  We love your zeal for life and the way you light up wherever you are.  We love that you are learning how to be quiet and still, sometimes.  We are glad that you aren't ALWAYS quiet and still.  We love the way you love others.  We love YOU because you are YOU!!!

A little peek

I've read a few blogs lately with fun posts about being real.  So I though I might attempt one myself.  We do have a lot of fun, and my posts do generally reflect life around here, but we do have a lot of life filling in around the posts.

• It is loud around here.  Like, really loud.  At any given time, there is someone talking - and afraid they aren't being heard, they are talking at full volume.  And at the same time, there are usually several other somebodies talking too.  Added to that, we have 6 kids taking piano lessons, so therefore taking turns practicing all morning.  And some classes are DVD or listening to CD lessons... And that is why I guard the hour of quiet time we have scheduled for every afternoon. And while they are all quiet, I sit and enjoy a snack and a glass of pop and relish the quietness.

• We still don't have night time figured out.  Once in a while, everyone wakes up in the morning in the same place as they went to bed, but more often, I wake up on the couch, Todd in the recliner and 2 or 3 kids in our bed.  We sleep wherever we can get sleep. 

• No matter how many times a day we run through the house straightening it out, a cyclone follows behind us. 

•  Sometimes we arrive somewhere and someone is missing shoes.  Or has two shoes for the same foot.  Or has  a pair of shoes that actually belong to a sibling.  Or has a shoe from two different pairs. 

•  We recently were at an event and when we were ready to leave I noticed that Lincoln was wearing Garrett's pants and Garrett was wearing Lincoln's

• Too often, when Todd calls to say he is on his way for lunch or supper, the girls and I look each other and say, uhhhh what IS for supper???? (The menus are helping with that one though.)

• We sometimes have 7 or 8 or more loads of laundry waiting to be folded and put away.  And that many more waiting to be washed. And then we go on a laundry marathon.

 And now I had better get back to the chaos that is life around here.

An interesting piece of trivia

I learned recently...

Leeches are still used to help heal wounds.  Who would of thought...

Our electric company was too quick this time

In the middle of supper, the power went out.  So our evening continued in candlelight, flashlight and oil lamp.  We almost had them convinced to go to bed early... when the lights all came back on.  Somehow the excitement of the evening has them extra giggly and wound up, so instead of early bedtime we might have to settle for sometime tonight!!

Bittersweet...

Laura is taking driver's ed and will get her permit this week...

Heidi gets out of her car booster seat tomorrow...

Lincoln can ride his bike without training wheels...

Garrett can pump on the swings, his tricycle takes him anywhere he wants to go AND is reading his first early reader books...

2 teenagers, 4 in double digits, only one napper left...

One high school age, 2 junior high, all but one technically in school...

It is so fun to see them grow up, but why oh why does it happen so fast?

I Heard out the window...

...Kick the house...  kick the trees... kick the house... kick the trees...  Great job!!!! YAY!!!

I looked out the window and Emily was teaching Garrett to pump on the swings.

I love it when they enjoy each other.

These kids melt my heart over and over...

According to Abigail, cleaning up a shattered jar of pickles was better than having to clean up after an overflowing toilet - so therefore not a bad job at all.

According to Heidi, even if she doesn't get anything for her birthday on Monday, just being able to get out of her car booster seat will be present enough. (I'm pretty sure she will be getting a gift, but she sincerely doesn't care)  And then, later on, when I asked what she really wanted, she gave me a kiss on the cheek and said it doesn't really matter if I get a present, I am just lucky to have you for a mommy...

Wonder where these sweet kids came from?!?

Happy Birthday, Laura

Happy 15th birthday, lovely, sweet daughter.  Thank you for being not only a wonderful daughter, but also for growing into a dear friend.

Beginning to Spell

Earlier today Garrett was trying to take a nap and some of the kids were clearing the table at a louder pitch than necessary.  He came tearing down the hall and ran straight up to them.  "Be O-U-T!" Everyone stared.

 " I said 'BE O-U-T'"  "What did you mean?"  "Be QUIET!!!!"

Later we were sitting around the supper table. Garrett and Lincoln were each trying to out talk the other. Lincoln was telling everyone one about his idea to build a fence to keep Loyal from chasing cars. When he was done, Garrett flung out his arms to emphasize his words. "I have a big, big great idea! We could just build a shed in the morning and lock Loyal in it whenever we leave!"

A few minutes later we were talking about dog collars. Garrett said "Maybe the DPS(UPS) man will just bring us a collar some day."

Then a minute later we were talking about his quiet time spelling troubles. He looked up from his lasagna and said "I can't really spell. I'm not a good speller. But when I'm four I'll be able to read and do real school."

Lincoln also has a word of warning for everyone. Earlier he informed us that "If we ever get a platypus, make sure it is not a boy platypus because they are poisonous."

So if you ever want to get a platypus don't get a male. Who knows? Maybe the DPS man will deliver one to your front door sometime.

Grandma E's Visit

We had such a fun week - one of the reasons I love that we homeschool.  Grandma "E" came from Wednesday through Tuesday and we dropped school book work for the week to enjoy some field trips/sight seeing. This is just a list of things we did so we can look back and reminisce.

Wednesday after piano lessons we headed over to the St Louis airport to pick her up.  We had a few minutes to wait so we headed down to the "cell phone" lot and parked where we could watch the planes arrive.  We came home to supper (I had left the 3 oldest home so they could get a little school in and make supper) and then headed to Bible Study.

Thursday we were planning to just hang around the house, but we saw that the weather was going to change for the worse by Friday so we decided to change our plans to visit the pumpkin patch from Friday to Thursday.  So we headed up to Arthur to the pumpkin patch and stopped at a few of the stores in that area.

Friday, Todd had the day off of work and we went up to the stores at Tuscola and then up to Champaign.  It was just a nice relaxing day.

Saturday was Virginia M.'s funeral - she had "finished her race" well so it was a very helpful service and a nice visit with our friends. (It seems like every time Grandma E comes there ends up being a funeral...)

Sunday we had a nice meeting in the morning, a relaxing afternoon and then a gospel meeting in the evening.

Monday we mostly hung around home and had fun with grandma.

Tuesday we headed back to St Louis and spent the day at the science museum before taking her back to the airport.

It all went by too quickly, but we really enjoyed her time with us!

Always something to learn

As we were driving out of the driveway this morning, Garrett said "Daddy, you need to cut down that tree."  "Why?"  asked Todd.  "Because it's dead...The leaves are all gone."

I guess he forgot what autumn was all about.  There is so much for these little minds to learn

Airplane Wheels

We were sitting in the "cell phone" parking lot at the airport watching the planes land today as we were waiting for Grandma E's plane to come in.  As we drove away to pick her up, Garrett announced, "OH... Now I know why planes have wheels... I always wondered why they did."

Big Appetite

Abigail was dishing up ice cream for afternoon snack.  Garrett was passing them out.  There was one with a little bit more than the others.  Garrett says: "I need to eat this one because Heidi might not be able to eat it all.  But I can... See my big mouth?"

Hunters

Our poor chickens are being hunted down by two little boys with cap guns...

Happy Birthday, Abigail!!!

Happy 13th Birthday to Abigail!!!

We are so very thankful to have you as part of our family.  We love your sweet, willing spirit.  You're growing into such a beautiful, gracious young lady!  Love you!!!

The menu requests:  (These kids don't take after their mom - I look for any excuse for junk food!)  - Baked Oatmeal, Split Pea soup in bread bowls, Meatloaf and mashed potatoes (some kind of veggies and maybe a salad) with an Applesauce Birthday Cake. (Every time a birthday rolls around I suggest chocolate cake with chocolate frosting... they just raise their eyebrows and stick with pumpkin, apple, spice, etc. cakes.  Wonder if I can talk Garrett into a Chocolate one? - lol)

Dress rehearsals...

... (or in this case pajama rehearsals) are supposed to go badly, right?

Tomorrow the kids have a singing program that they are doing at an art gallery in town.  Their piano teacher recommended them to the owner of the art gallery when she was looking for performers for her monthly performances.  They are singing 11 songs and have been working quite hard to get ready for it.

Tonight they were running through the program before heading for bed.  The singing went pretty well, but the little brothers (who are singing with the girls in a couple of the songs) were in top form.  They were behaving like... well... like little 6 and 3 year old boys.  Making faces, singing silly, teasing... you get the picture.  The girls were doing pretty well ignoring it until they looked at our faces - we were trying, but we just... couldn't... help... laughing.  (Which, of course, encouraged the little monkeys to entertain us even more).

So tomorrow, we're really, really hoping that stage fright will tame them down.  One of the girls suggested Benedryl...

Happy Birthday, Emily!!!

Happy 10th Birthday to our Emily!!!

Cinnamon Rolls, Baked Potato Soup and Spaghetti are the menu requests for today.  Pumpkin Cake is the birthday cake request.

How can this sweet girl be in the double digits already?  She's our sugar and spice - our giggles and hugs.

We love you, sweet Emily and are so, so glad you are our daughter.

Sibling Cooperation

Three or four years ago we met a family with 10 kids who spend about half the year touring the country singing and playing.  Our kids have learned several neat songs over the years from their CDs and website.  Some of the children noticed that they would be performing in Oblong last Monday evening on their way home to Iowa from one of their tours.  So we went to see them.  They had several new songs but one of the most impressive is an instrumental they call Sibling Cooperation.  I took the video with my phone with everyone tapping their feet and the pew shaking so it is a little shaky in places.
Something amazing happens about 1 minute into the video and then it gets doubly amazing at about 2 minutes into the video.