Reading Joy
17 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Homeschool, Kids
Well, well, well. Finally something positive to blog about!
None of my children are “readers”, they love to be read too and I do occasionally see them reading the odd picture or comic book, but reading doesn’t interest. This has been something I have tried to remedy for years, reading anything and everything to them and while they have loved the books we have read in the past…….nothing was sparking that fire I was hoping for, so you can imagine my sheer joy when I started reading Harry Potter to the girls and they couldn’t get enough……..holy cow, it has been amazing!
Alice has been rereading the first two books and sneaking peeks at the chapters we haven’t got to yet in the third book.
I. Could. Cry. For. Joy.
Felicity, is reading but not a proficient reader, still not sure about a lot of words and stumbles every word but “the”. She has been reading the first Harry Potter book, it takes her 20-30 minutes to get through a paragraph, but she does it of her own free will. Progress! She is finally showing interest in reading.
I do not know where this will go or how long it will last but I am over the moon thrilled. Doing the Happy Dance!!!!!
J.K Rowling, THANK YOU!
K~
Spring time walk
12 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in Kids
Joff, the kids and Rosso cousins:)
Tilly, has been eating dandelions!
Hannah and Katie
The Lamb and the Wolves (Happy Easter)
09 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in Holiday
Yesterday was a haphazard sort of day, doing everything at the last moment, including an Easter egg hunt with the Rosso cousins. It was fun and I am so glad we managed to pull it together at the last-minute. The one thing we did not do this year was dye Easter eggs, partially because we have around a thousand brown eggs as our hens have sprung into action and we can barely eat/give them away fast enough. Brown eggs, we discovered do not dye well.
Today was Easter Sunday. I went to church, which was just all around odd, but the children were beyond excited that I went and that made me kind of sad. I had to go though, the Easter bunny does not arrive at our house unless you go to church. Chantelle was excited because she got to ride in the truck, her obsession with riding in the truck is beyond normal. Everett, after a song, turned to his dad and said “Isn’t Sunday the best day of the week?!” Felicity was very excited to turn in her conference notes and receive her prize, because she really worked hard to pay attention both Saturday and Sunday of Conference weekend. Frankly she did amazing, listening to each two-hour session and trying her hardest to figure out what each person had to say. Most of the time I wonder how these children are even mine, they are such good kids and despite my usual bad example on a daily basis they are managing to do what is right, heck, they even manage a reprimand for me on occasion:)
Joff was supposed to go into work this afternoon, but did not end up going and that made the kids even happier still, so we sat around munching on candy and talking. It is wonderful to just have a day as a family once in a while and for us it does not happen nearly often enough. The Rosso cousins came to play for an hour before dinner, even little Dan, although he really just came to read our giant book of animals, still it was fun to listen to him talk about the awesomeness of cats while I readied for dinner.
We were supposed to eat the goose for dinner, but Joff worked too much to get around to butchering the poor guy so he was spared once again. We had crock pot chicken noodle soup instead and I am glad we did not have a large traditional dinner this year, chicken noodle soup was perfect after all those jelly beans and chocolate eggs.
I feel so sad for that goose, he is so lonely, but my attempts at finding him a home are proving futile. I really do not want another goose, but I am now thinking maybe I will just buy a female goose for the poor guy. What is a little more critter poo around here anyway?
All in all a very good day. I am thankful for my husband and children, I am thankful for my nieces and nephews. I am thankful for the opportunity, to try again each and everyday to forgive and to be a better person, no matter how often I fail at both.
Happy Easter.
K~
Melted chocolate. Pathetic, melted chocolate. Perfect for dipping though.
09 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in Picture Post, Random
I miss so many things that used to make up my world, but I seem to have shed a skin, a piece of my self is gone. I miss it.
I have been missing, missing from life, church, family. I have burrowed into myself, my children , school, Joff. Concentrating on what is the most important right now.
When I took dance and I first learned to pirouette, there were two things I would run through first. Back straight and focus on a point, usually a poster or a clock, depending on where I was at. Frankly it is still hard and I sucked at ballet, but that is where I am at right now. Back straight and focusing on something that makes sense. One thing.
I picked up my camera yesterday, cleaned it up, popped in a memory card, battery. It felt alien almost to check my settings, make sure I had not left it on iso 1600 before packing it up. Then I pulled a muscle, put away my camera and went back. Back straight, focusing on what makes sense, but not before I got this shot of Lolly.
Is she not beautiful?
I love my family, my children, my husband, my fur-babies. I may not be the greatest person to be around right now, but I am working on it, this is not the first time I have been fooled by life, but you know what they say, fool me once, shame on you , fool me twice, shame on me.
Hey, maybe I am learning something?
Finally.
I hate life lesson crap.
K~
P.S This is neither a cry for help, cookies or medication. I am not depressed. Just rearranging life priorities. Although I can put on a sad face for cookies, always.
March is in like a lion, but this post is a total lamb.
04 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in Homeschool, Kids, Picture Post, Random
Has it really been a month?
I blame it on pinterest. And the children. The children are everywhere and they want me to do things for them, like feed them and wash their underwear. I am so picked on.
1. I bought a new, dome-shaped, clear umbrella. It is ridiculous how much I love it.
2. We have made revisions to the house, again. Thanks Pinterest.
3. I am really excited to share some fantastic news about math. Sadly it is not that math is no longer required learning, no that would be too good to be true. We have been using Math U See and loving it. Yes the sky is falling. It is turning out best for Everett and Felicity, but Katie and Alice are doing well and I am sure they will feel better about it once they get used to it. At the very least there is no complaining. A+ in my book.
4. I am thinking of not finding out the gender this time round. I never in a million years thought I would feel that way, but I have boys and girls, a surprise might be kind of fun:).
5. Made some salsa, tons of lime and jalapano, mmmmmm, me so happy.
6. Caleb calls Tilly, “my little pet Tilly monster”.
7. As much as I am in total denial about pregnancy in general, as much as I swear up and down that I am done, so, so done having children. I cannot complain, I am insanely happy things did not go the way I thought I wanted. I have seven amazing children, a sweet angel in heaven, and a new little love on the way. I am blessed. This is something I can never say enough, whatever crap life throws my way, I am blessed.
I am sure my fur babies feel the same way:P
Fox looking out. By Katie.
K~
Another Sunday
29 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Random
I am feeling chatty, but since I have recently discovered that I am a hermit, there is no one to speak to other then the baby and the cats. And they do not laugh at my very lame attempts at humor. In case you are wondering the older children think I am crazy and rarely listen to a word I say, I can hold their attention for about ten seconds if I am holding something that contains loads of sugar or cash. I can get 30 seconds if I am holding both.
When I got married to my Joffy, I ended a relationship with Hellman’s Mayo. It was all about the budget, Why buy Miracle Whip and Hellman’s, waste of money, or so I thought. Then I had a sandwhich last year with Hellman’s and I almost cried*. I had been eating the nastiest stuff on the planet and I was done!
Hellman's REAL mayo. REAL, people, the REAL god of condiments. Roar.
I am eating a burger with tons of Hellman and Ketchup! Yum!
Joff has been working so much lately, when he came in to tuck the kids in the other night Caleb said bye instead of goodnight. Tonight he is off to the Special Olympics and he will not be home till tomorrow, possibly Tuesday. I hope he comes home tomorrow. Because the babies have a dental appointment Tuesday morning and I hate dental appointments even if they are not mine. I am extremely romantic. I tell Joff all the time how I could not live without him. Who would do the dishes?
My poor Joffy.
Funny how when I have so much to say I find myself without words.
K~
*I cried, it was in a little diner and I choked up. People were looking, I was all, Oh my, oh, oh, sniffle, sniffle, what magical ingredient has made this BLT heaven on earth, sniffle, sniffle, mmm. I moaned and made disgusting eating food noises and if I had not been me I would have been very humilated. But I was me, so it was all good. Oh so Good.
The other side.
19 Jan 2012 2 Comments
I survived.
I survived three long miserable weeks of the flu, everyday was hell and I mean that, I have not felt that dead and utterly useless for a very, very, long time. But I survived and I feel a million times better, Joff and I went out to look at a van yesterday and I actually enjoyed myself, it was not me dragging myself around praying for my bed. So yea for getting better. And we bought the van. A 15 passenger 1 ton Dodge, low miles and it was previously used as a church van so I am feeling pretty good about it. Now we save for a car, something that gets excellent gas milage.
Joff gets his W2 this Saturday, very anxious to see if we made our income goal for 2011, pretty sure we did, but confirmation will be sweet! Things are working out well for Joff at work, the state investigation is going well and several supervisors have been fired or moved to different parts of the company. It is such a relief, because the stress that Joff was bringing home from work was not healthy. Also I just learned that Joff might get another small raise soon and that will help us meet our income goal for this year, crossing my fingers!
Nothing on the house. There just has not been time for it. I am glad we started, I am glad that it is there and we are moving along however slow.
Tilly Woo Wiggins is crawling and jabbering and eating us out of house and home. She is Joy. I love my baby so much.
Caleb now, he cracks me up. We have three space heaters, one is new the other two are older and I turn them on in the morning to help heat the bedrooms and living room a bit before the kids wake up. Caleb woke up earlier then expected this morning and I heard him wander into the girls and say, wow, too hot! then on into his room and he did not even stop, too cold he muttered and into the livingroom, he plopped himself down and said just right.
It feels amazing to be alive. I guess I did not realize how sick I was until it was all over.
That is all.
~K
Every day I’m shufflin’
12 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Random, Uncategorized
Zombie.
But not the fun, shuffling kind. More like a couch potato zombie. Without the couch and potato.
I make so much sense.
There are seven children that demand my attention, but I am full up. Exhausted, sick, miserable. I drag myself through the day, trying to be happy for my kids, trying to be alive only to crawl into bed at night and find myself unable to sleep.
Rinse and repeat.
Sharyn and Gary showed up today with Pizza and snacks for the kids and I almost cried, the idea of having to cook was more then I could take.
Joff has to work and work overtime. So it is me. All me.
And that is enough self pity for the day.
Odie, let’s talk effort versus return here. You know, you can still lead a pointless life without all that running around.
Garfield
“I’m spending a year dead for tax reasons.” – Douglas Adams.”
I used so much hairspray that I feel personally responsible for global warming.
–Dusty Springfield ( I have nightmares of aqua net )
I’ve got seven kids, the three words you hear most around my house are: “Hello, goodbye, and I’m pregnant.
–Dean Martin (wow, it is uncanny)
If all the world’s a stage, I want to operate the trap door.
–Paul Beatty
K~
Crazy People Crossing.
08 Jan 2012 1 Comment
in Random Tags: adorable puppy, awesome dad, sunshine and roses, theraflu
I want that, you know like the moose crossing signs, but for crazy people. I want one. Although, most crazy people are really the normal people and the normal people are just ignorant of the fact that they are the crazy people. Got that?
I wrote three posts over the last two days. They were consigned to the save draft bin, as the time is not right to share them I think. Letting bits and pieces of myself spill out can be very hard.
Today I am home. Again. Joff and the children are off to church and I am sitting her snuggled up in bed wishing I could drink an entire bottle of Theraflu. Joff even took the baby, because he is an amazingly awesome dad and because he is an amazingly awesome husband. Joff, I love you. And I really do feel bad about missing church. Again.
I bounce all over the place, from feeling like I have the worst case of the flu ever, to feeling like sunshine and roses and then on over to crying like the world is burning all around and we are all doomed or crying because I saw another adorable puppy on pinterest. Which is a different sort of crying. In all other words I am a wreck. The first trimester sucks big time. I am desperately trying to pull myself together, taking life one day at a time.
Insert sappy but inspirational poem here.
Gosh darn that theraflu is tempting me!
Elli made an snow elephant yesterday, so very adorable.
Katie can not swallow a pill to save her life. Not one cut in half or quarters or wrapped up in peanut butter, but she can draw, this is one she did in Paint on the computer:) I am trying to convince her to allow me to post a fox picture she did the other day, but it will take time. Katie is shy about her work:(
Joff has found me a another 15 passenger van to go and look at this week. We get to drive an ark. Yippee.
Chantelle is on her way to creating havoc and mayhem. She can now pull herself to a stand, when sitting her down I have to be careful there is nothing near by or she will try to pull herself up! (Do you see her baby leg warmers? My first pair, finished finally and I am rather pleased with myself! Almost done with her second pair already:))
I am struggling with words and I keep having to move away from the keyboard (flu like symptoms, need I say more.) so I shall not throw this in the save bin but publish it, so I do not end this week without some bit of new hash.
Ta!
K~
I find my own shortcomings wildy entertaining.
05 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Random Tags: angry cat, deadly ninja, eating chocolate
I wrote yesterday, for reals and trues. I just happened to be writing after bedtime, my bedtime which is pretty darn late. Anywhoo I fell asleep on the keyboard and ended up with a draft that looked like an angry cat had tried to murder the keyboard.
So I wrote about how I have decided I am not the world traveling sort (ooooh, exciting!)
And that Caleb and I had discovered a smallish pond to skate on, we pretended to be deadly ninja’s, based on the thin cracks that followed me around I was more killer sumo wrestler.
Back to today.
Caleb was found behind the couch, munching on something, except he had nothing in his adorable little paws, I said, Caleb what are you doing, his reply, oh, you know, eating imaginary chicken. Maybe I should go grocery shopping?
And now I would like to talk about my bad habits. Most of which are also some of my favorite habits.
Sleeping. One might think that this would be a good thing, but according to Alice, who informed me today that I (me!) loved to sleep more then anything. Close Alice, but if I could perfect sleeping whilst eating chocolate we would have a winner.
Spending time on the computer. I am not sure this is as bad a habit as some like to claim. I spend more time then I should but not enough for my liking. No intervention required.
Junk food. Again, maybe not as bad as people think? I think it seems worse then it is because I do not eat three square meals a day. More like snacks, dinner and then a few more snacks. I do sometimes eat lunch and/or breakfast, most especially if I am out or visiting and it is offered. Really, if it was a toss up between a tomato and a bag of chips? Tomato wins hands down. Iced milk or a pop? Iced milk, easy. Chocolate or anything else? Chocolate.
Not eating right. See above.
Laziness. I am not lazy, I am laid back. Pick your priorities kind of girl. That shelf that has not been dusted in two years you ask? Why are you inspecting my shelves and really if you insist on doing so here is a duster thingy, still in the package. Have fun. ( I am sort of lazy, do you want to vaccum while you are at it?)
Consistency. Finally, a bad habit that really bugs the life out of me. I am not a consistent sort of soul, I have started and finished many things quite succesfully, but over all, starting and sticking with it, is not my fine point. This flaw is something I work on daily. (hmmmmm, maybe not so bad as I thought.)
Those are good enough for tonight. I adore visiting my lesser self, so I shall return to it in the future.
Now to bed, before the angry cat comes back for a second try at the keyboard.
I don’t know who’s cat this is, but for there own safety I hope they never tried to bathe fluffykins again.
K~
