Spring Break 2010

Since we homeschool we take our Spring Break when it works for us, not according to someone else's calendar. We weren't sure when it would happen or if it would happen but we decided this week was the week to take some time off of school and let the boys go to Universal Studios with Bryan. It's very expensive, almost as much as Disneyland but it's where Marcus wants to go for his birthday and they've never been before. The boys have been working really hard and if the boys are working hard that means I'm working really hard too. I figured we all deserved some time off to do the things we want to do instead of the things we should do. Today we slept in, well, the kids slept in a little but still early enough to get a few hours of video games in. I got up early because animals don't take spring break and they needed to be fed. I love to be up early anyway so it was nice to get an early start. My big project right now is sorting through five bins and four boxes of paperwork that I've saved for a family of five for eighteen years. Every thank you note, birthday card, Valentine's Day card, anniversary card, wedding invitation, graduation announcement, you name it, I saved it. Oh and all three of my kids draw all the time and I had saved every drawing they ever scribbled on every scrap paper. I also saved every piece of schoolwork they've ever done. I sorted through the boxes so that things were separated by person and then I let that person go through their pile. The rule was you could keep anything you want and get rid of anything you want but the box has to close neatly. The boys did really well but they both still have a pile to go through. In the middle of all the paper sorting I wanted to take a family bike ride. I wanted us to do something as a family that we don't normally do. We got all the bikes out, brushed them off, found the helmets, pumped up all the tires (after a trip to Target to get a new tire pump) and after an hour we were ready to go. Our destination was the donut shop that's five minutes away. I figured we had to keep it short and simple and fun. We rode down there, had a yummy donut and then rode home. It was fun and I'm glad we did it. I know the kids will remember it and that's what counts.

The Hardest Thing About Having Pets

The hardest thing about having animals is when they die. We've lost several pets over the years but it's always so sad. The hardest part for me is what do you do with it once it's dead. The kids always want to bury it but I think it would be more traumatic if another animal were to dig it up and the kids were to walk onto that scene. We've always placed them in the waste receptacle in a very respectful, discreet manor. The problem is that when I go to take the garbage out I feel horrible until it's garbage day. Sadly, this week we lost one of our guinea pigs and one of our frogs in a matter of two days. Justin and I cleaned out the guinea pig cage last weekend and I could tell Isabel wasn't quite right. Her eyes weren't bright and she whimpered when I put her back in the cage. She was gone the next day. The frog was the same way. He was laying upside down one day and I thought for sure he was dead but when I had Bryan go to get him out he flipped over. Surprised us. I could tell he wasn't good though. The next day he was gone too. The kids seem to be doing fine but Justin always takes it the hardest. He doesn't always show how he feels but I know it bothers him and I know he kind of blames me. A few weeks ago I decided to move the guinea pigs and the frog cage out to the classroom. The guinea pigs were in the garage but they were so messy, smelly and noisy and we hardly ever use the classroom so I thought it would be best to put them out there. The frogs just don't look too appealing so I moved them as well. The problem is that the temperature is so random out there. It can be really cold in the morning and night and then really hot in the afternoon. That can't be that great for animals. I did move the remaining living frog into the house because I just didn't want to see Justin's face if we lost another frog. I decided to keep the guinea pigs out in the classroom because the other two, Bugsy and Flower, seem to be just fine. They are both full of energy, have bright eyes and their coats are very shiny and healthy. Our chickens are doing well, laying an egg almost every day. They're done molting so they're feathers are very fluffy. I call them fluffy butts. The bunnies seem to be doing fine as well. The gecko is fine and so is the cat. Good thing.

Bunnies, chickens and cats, oh my!

My chickens accidentally got out of their caged area but they looked so happy to be free and feel the sunshine on their feathers that I didn't have the heart to put them back. They immediately went to a sunny part of the yard and starting taking dust baths. If you've never seen a chicken take a dust bath, well you should sometime. It's a funny thing to watch. They do it to get rid of the mites that try to live on their skin and you can tell it feels good to them to roll in the dirt and lay in the sun in funny positions. Even our cat came over to watch. Gabby is about thirteen years old and almost as spry as a kitten. She still plays and does funny things and she's very talkative. Good thing we named her Gabby. The chickens were good and stayed out of the bocce court so I let them roam in the yard for a while until it started to get dark. Bryan doesn't like them in the bocce court because they dig in it and make huge holes that he has to fill in later. I understand. Our bunnies love it when I get them out of their hutch and they can eat grass in the bunny run. Patches likes to dig though so we have some very dangerous booby traps in our lawn that the boys need to fill in. You could really twist an ankle in one of those holes. I can feel spring in the air. The sun is warmer and brighter and things look so green and fresh. The garden yearns for her seedlings but I'm working on preparing the dirt so it's just right to receive our precious plants that will bring us such joy every morning when we harvest our little bounty of goodies in a few months. Gardening teaches me so much about life. Weeds, like sin, are so easy to remove when they are small and haven't grown roots but if you let a weed grow it becomes very dangerous, almost too dangerous to pull with regular gardening gloves. I have to use a special tool to get the root and then sometimes I have to get both hands around the root, steady my feet and pull with all my might. They don't often come up with the first tug either. I have to be determined to removed that darn weed. That's what happens when we let things that are not good for us grow in our lives. It's sometimes easy to just ignore it but it's getting bigger and stronger every day and soon will require special tools to remove when we could have simply just gone over even with bare hands and removed the little tiny weed. That tiny little weed could be an attitude, unforgiveness, selfishness, ungratefulness, bitterness, you get the idea. I want to be quick to remove things when they're little and managable and not wait until they require extra effort and even some injury.

Science Camp

Last week we went to science camp for the first time up at Alliance Redwoods in Occidental. If you don't know where that it is, it's near Sebastopol. If you don't know where that is, it's near Napa, well kind of. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that we went. I have been meaning to go to science camp for a long time. At least 5 years now. I finally got my act together, packed our bags, piled us in the car, set the GPS and headed up to science camp. My wonderful in-laws graciously agreed to pay for the camp which helped immensely. The forecast said rain so I tried to be prepared. Have you ever packed three kids and a mom for four days taking into account that it may rain all four days and you will have no washer and dryer? We also had to bring all of our own linens-sleeping bags, pillows, towels, etc. When we arrived it was raining so hard it seemed like it was night even though it was only 1:30 in the afternoon. I was not impressed. After checking in we walked back to our cars in the rain to lug all of our stuff to our cabin which luckily was very close to the lodge. The cabin was adorable and had recently been updated. New floors, new paneling on the walls, new sleeping mats, a wall heater. Very nice and cozy. The bathroom was very close too. I wore my cute Ug boots up there but quickly changed out of my wet socks and put on my trusty rain boots to keep my feet nice and dry. Well, come to find out my not-s0-trusty rain boots had a hole in them and in a matter of minutes my second pair of socks were soaked. I only had two dry pairs left. Uh-oh. Then I put on my tennis shoes thinking surely my feet would quickly get wet in those. Surprisingly they kept my feet relatively dry. It's amazing how uncomfortable you are when your feet are wet and cold. Okay, dry, happy feet. I can do this. That's what I kept telling myself. We all headed up to the meeting room for our orientation. Since it was raining so hard we were all completely soaked by the time we reached the room. We all shed our soggy jackets and tried to dry out before the meeting started. Then the councelors announced that we would be doing an acitivity-outside!!! Get on your wet raincoats and get out there!I quickly found a faster way to complete the project without running all over in the rain. Justin was my runner and I wrote down all the information needed. Mission accomplished. We then had a nice dinner in the newly renovated dining hall, had a short devotional time and then headed to bed. I got the kids settled and nestled all cozy in their beds. Then I went to the lodge to check my email while they fell asleep so quietly in the cabin. Not! When I returned an hour later they were all wide awake making flashlight puppets. I should have known better. I then settled them down again and after a while we all went to sleep. Luckily the next day we woke up and it wasn't raining! Yay!!! I'm not sure I could have done four days in the rain. For the next two days we had beautiful weather. The kids were able to do so many fun things, almost all of them involved a harness and a helmet-a boy's dream. Both boys did great. Breanna was able to hold her own on the hikes and in the afternoon she went into a class for her age group called Puggles. I believe a puggle is a baby platypus. They did some of the same things as the older kids but on a different level. She loved it. I was able to have some free time in the afteroon when all the kids were in their classes. The lodge had free wi-fi so I brought my laptop and checked email, played on Facebook and followed my blogs. The kids all loved the classes, the counselors and the food was actually good. I know, camp food good? Yep. It was very yummy and I actually went for seconds a few times. I'm so thankful that it stopped raining on those two days. By Friday the rain had started up again so we opted to head home instead of to the beach. We made the right choice. We love going on trips but we also love coming home.

I love this kid!!!

Justin is one of the most creative kids I know. He loves to dress up in costumes and get into character and when he does, man does it keep me in stitches. Bryan recently bought him a disguise kit and this is what the kid looks like in it. Hilarious! He doesn't always like it when people see him in costume though but then there are times when he doesn't care. This one was too much to pass up and he agreed to let me put it on Facebook as long as I didn't say who it was. Like anyone would not know who this was. Only one of my kids would dress up like this but I was happy he agreed. This one just couldn't be hidden and I had to share it.

My Sister Nancy

This is my sister Nancy. She's seven years older than me and has a different dad. We do have the same mother though and that is what has kept us connected throughout our adult life. She's very different from me but the more time we spend together, the more we realize the similarities and the differences. It's funny how that happens. She did drugs at an early age but just this past year she went through a drug rehab program and cleaned herself up. She has a great attitude and it's completely changed her. I'm proud of her. She's always willing to laugh and make a joke and we remember our childhood in the same way. For some reason my brother remembers it very differently. Ours was a painful childhood that was lonely, sad, confusing and just plain wrong but God is good and I can look back and see his hand upon my life. I was never harmed, never went hungry and I was able to learn from other's mistakes. I knew at a young age I would not do drugs, I would not get a divorce, I would not let my children raise themselves, I would be different. My sister and I weren't close due to the age gap but there were times when she did things for me, like the time she made me a Halloween costume that I'll never forget. She would make desserts from cereal (there was always a recipe on the box), she taught me to ride a horse and when she was gone I would play with her plastic horses which drove her crazy. When I'm with her I feel like she is the only one who understands what my childhood was like, because she is.

Yay! New Red Couches! (Well, new to me)

I'm so excited!!! We were able to get a sleeper sofa, a loveseat, a chair and an ottoman on Freecylce and hence the name, they were free. The fabric is not so fabulous but what is fabulous is the deep red slipcovers that came with them. I love this color of red and I've wanted red couches for so long. It feels so rich and lovely instead of my boring old brown couches. They served a good purpose but it was looking so drab here in the living room. Brown walls, beige carpets and brown couches. It didn't feel happy at all and was quite depressing. Not anymore! The couches changed everything. Now I'm rearraning the whole downstairs and even part of the upstairs. I have so many more possibilities. The wall removal has been huge as well. It opened up my living room and dining room so much, it almost feels like a new place. Anyone who has ever had a sleeper sofa or even tried to move a sleeper sofa knows this-they are heavy! Bryan got it in the van with the help of the guy who gave them to us and Marcus and I helped him get it out of the van and into the garage. He didn't seem to happy to have to come home after commuting in a torrential downpour to move a very heavy couch. So the next day Marcus, Justin and I moved the couch into the living room. Well if you've ever been to my house you know that my kitchen is pretty small and the opening from the garage to to the living room is pretty narrow. We moved it and wedged it this way and that and finally got it in the living room. We took off the legs, we took of the door to the garage, we moved the refridgerator, we made some dents and scratches but gosh darnit we moved that thing. Justin had to climb under it and hold the sofa bed in so it wouldn't flop out every time we moved it. Marcus refused to give up even when I thought it was impossible. Together we did it and I was so proud of my boys. I love that attitude-that if things are hard and seem impossible try it a different way, keep a positive attitude, the end result is worth it. Justin helped me put the slipcovers on so they looked just right and I am very happy with the end result. I know my boys had a sense of accomplishment that day too. Life lesson-don't give up when things get hard, have a positive attitude, look at things in a different way, accept help, be grateful and if things are a little ugly, a nice red slipcover with all the wrinkles smoothed out will make it much better.