Hey, It's Jade! and family

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Not-Yet-Terrible-Twos...

In just a little under two hours, my not-yet-2-year-old racked up quite a list of achievements...
  •  Pushing a chair over to the homeschool supplies drawer where he dumped out the pencil sharpener shavings and pulled all the tape out of the dispenser.
  •  Poured a large bowl of popcorn all over the living room floor and ground most of it into the rug.
  •  Climbed up on his changing table, stood up, ripped the "autographed" photo of Stitch from the wall and into pieces.
  • Moved the rocking chair away from the closet door, opened the closet door and drug out old clothes all over his room.
  • Smacked his brother in the face because "Bubba" was trying to keep him from getting in trouble.
  • Pushed a chair from the table to the kitchen cabinet and proceeded to put a (breakable, eek!) coffee cup under the Senseo machine spout and was about to fire that puppy up.
In between each one of these incidents, I scooped him up, gave him a talking to or smack on the hand/bum, set him right, and cleaned things up. I only left him for about 5 minutes at a time while I was trying to make business calls.

I love that he is such a go-getter, and is incredibly smart... but my gosh, he wears me out!

Friday, January 27, 2012

Homeschool Recap, Jan 27th (Week 18)...

In my life this week...
We are on the hunt for a new/new-to-us car.  We need to replace the Rav4, as we just don't want to put any more money into and with our plans to expand our family, we need something slightly bigger anyway.  Just a little, really.  We don't want any mammoth vehicle, but it needs to fit three carseats across or have a third row.  And be good on gas mileage, preferably not already have too many miles on it... and be in our price range.  Which is low.  Haha, yeah... it's gonna be an interesting ride.  We put our Rav4 up on Craigslist yesterday, so hopefully it'll sell quickly.  Then we can turn around and get ourselves into something.  We test drove a Kia Soul (we love everything except that it doesn't have much cargo space in back at all, like... my stroller won't fit back there, I don't think) and a Subaru Forester (which, I really liked, but is not quite big enough).  Also looking at Hyundai Santa Fe, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander.  We are kind of all over the place, not really sure WHAT we want.  Truth is, we need two cars.  Replacing the Rav4 doesn't really solve our one-car family problem... need a BOGO car deal, please!  Lol.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...
This past Saturday, I had an Open House Bazaar and it was so much fun!  I had my Usborne stuff out, my mom brought her chain mail jewelry, her best friend Mel brought her handmade photography greeting cards, we had Scentsy, Pampered Chef (Kelli, whom I haven't seen in like 12 years came!  Yay!) and my friend Ginger's Delightful Decor.  Having that mix of people was fun, but also the people that came to hang out/shop was such a neat thing.  At one point I looked around and was just overwhelmed at how cool it was to have such a random mix of people from all areas of my life in one room, getting along so well!  I loved it!  This afternoon, the boys and I are going to eat lunch with our homeschool group.  Hooray for a sweet lady who is going to come pick us up and bring us home so we can attend!  Thank you, Kathryn!  I really enjoying hanging out with those families... hoping we can make it a more regular occurance!  And later today I have an Usborne booth at a lady's event... pretty excited about that!

Praying for...
Obviously wisdom and guidance on the car thing.  It's scary to buy a car, new or used... for different reasons.  I just pray we make a good decision and don't jump into anything we will regret.  And that we can get a good price on our current car so we can pay our property taxes (eep, due Jan 31st!) and have money to put down on whatever we decide to get.  Also, on a less selfish note, praying for friends who are also struggling with finances, job issues and a need for clear guidance!

A recipe and photo to share:
I tried a Mini-Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipe from Pinterest.  And it was soooo good, and really easy!  Not good for our diet though (I dunno how many WW points these are, but they're worth it!).  Yum!

They LOOK good and TASTE good!
Callen loved it, for sure!
In our Homeschool this week...
Tot School:  Oh my goodness, the closer we get to two-years-old, the more of a handful Callen becomes!  But, he's also getting smarter and saying a lot more words lately... so, it comes with the territory, I suppose!  The other day, he got hold of his washcloth and laid down in the floor and started "cleaning" it... I guess seeing me do it after every meal is rubbing off on him.  He is one messy baby!  It's about time he start cleaning up after himself!  Lol!

I put him to work cleaning the floor!

Bible: Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord your God with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." Oh, how this verse will serve as constant reminder for year and years to come!  We went through books of the Bible Micah through Zephaniah.  Talked more about Moses, the burning bush, the 10 plagues and passover.  Is it bad that Preston giggled the entire way through the description of the plagues?  I mean, he's 6 and the idea of frogs hopping all over the place could be amusing to a boy.  To me, it's complete nightmare... eeeep!

Reading/Writing: Went over the sound |n| spelled "gn" and "kn," and the use of "ough."At bedtime, we've been reading a book that I'll be reviewing soon called TJ & The Time Stumblers.  Yes, he actually let me pause our Hank The Cowdog series!  Anyway, it's ... interesting so far.

Math: This week was pretty much a review of shapes/geometry.  Though we did talk more in depth about different kinds of triangles, polygons and quadrilaterals.  He got to play with his food a bit!
Pretzel triangles!
Coming up with designs together!

Science:  The subject from Science with Water this week was sinking and floating.  Using some other fun books from the library, we did some fun experiments like creating an iceberg and seeing how it floats, making a floating rainbow and just throwing a bunch of stuff in water and guessing if it would sink or float.
Does the iceberg sink or float, guys?
Water, oil & alcohol!
Why do some things float or sink?

Music/Art: This week's hymn was "The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want."  After reading through it, Preston declared that kind of stuff should be in the Bible.  Lol!  Yes, dear... it is pretty much STRAIGHT from the Bible, so good call!  We also talked about tenor and baritone saxophones and watched some youtube videos of those instruments to hear the differences.  For art, we looked at an abstract work of a city and I introduced Preston to pastels (oh, what a mess!).
It's smudgy!
Spanish: This week we continued talking about words having to do with family. We checked out some bilingual books from the library from Carmen Lomas Garza about her family.  These are neat because they have a painting of a scene, and she describes it in English and Spanish.  I'm reading the Spanish, and letting Preston tell me what words he recognizes, then reading the English so he understands what was said.  Also, last weekend, while we were at the library, Preston picked up a bilingual book and spent the whole time reading it out loud in Spanish.  He really enjoyed it!


We are using My Father's World First Grade. See our curriculum here.

Blog Hoppin' with:
The Homeschool Mother's Journal Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers 

Friday, January 20, 2012

Homeschool Recap, Jan 20th (Week 17)...

In my life this week...
Michael started his classes.  It was a little stressful there at the start, but he, of course, pulled it off beautifully and seems to be enjoying it so far!  I'm so proud of him - he's a stinkin' professor!  Haha!  It's awesome!  Took Preston for his 6-year check-up this week, he's gained 5 lbs and 3 inches since last year.  Checked out great, except the quick vision screening they gave him resulted him maybe needing to get a real vision test soon?  One eye wasn't quiet perfect, but... honestly, he was in a mood and wasn't completely cooperative so I dunno if it was that or a real vision issue.  I guess we'll have to take him to get tested at some point just to be sure!

My favorite thing this week...
Sneaking out of the house on Thursday evening to have coffee with my friend Candi!  We got kicked out of Starbucks 'cause they closed, and as we sat in her van still chatting away, we were completely surrounded by a street racing meeting or something.  It was pretty funny.  But, most of all, I just love spending time with her - and I needed a break from my house!


A photo to share:
It was so warm today (77degrees in the middle of January!?!), that we had a lunch picnic in the backyard!  The boys loved it.  And it really was a beautiful day, even though, personally, I could go for a tiny bit of snow right about now.  =)

In our Homeschool this week...
Tot School:  Nothing new on the tot front.  Same 'ole mischievous monkey havoc around the house.  It's a good thing he's cute...

Bible: Proverbs 2-:22, "Do not say "I will pay you back for this wrong!" Wait on the Lord and he will deliver you."  We finished off Jacob and moved on to Moses this week.  Preston did a great job of writing a recap of the story of Moses in the Basket.  He put some effort into his writing, and it came out so great - yay!
Illustrating Baby In The Basket

Reading/Writing: Worked on the various reading rules and all that.  Lol.  This part is never very exciting, but he trudges through it and doesn't seem to have much problem.  So, that's nice.
Math: We talked about fractions this week.  He did great, seemed get it just fine. Read several fraction books (see below) and did the Complete Book of Math sheets on the subject.

Science:  The science theme this week was the start of Science with Water, we just talked about the basics of water... what it is, what it does, it's 3 forms and whatnot.  We did a few little water "experiments" along the way.  In the picture below, I put one cup of water in each container and asked him which one had more.  The answer was that they were all equal, of course!
Which one has more water?

Music/Art: This week's hymn was still "Amazing Grace!"  We also talked about the alto saxophone, which I used to play in concert and marching band all through school.  For art we looked at a French portrait of two girls, and worked on differences in lighting from Drawing with Children.

Spanish: This week we started talking about words having to do with family. 



We are using My Father's World First Grade. See our curriculum here.

Blog Hoppin' with:
The Homeschool Mother's Journal Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers 

Friday, January 13, 2012

Homeschool Recap, Jan 13th (Week 16)...

In my life this week...
Things settled down once we got our car back, completely fixed!  Woo, again, Praise God for that miracle!  We threw a Going Away party for my in-laws on Sunday, it was a success, I'd say!  They officially closed on their house this morning and have to be OUT by Sunday, wowzers!  It's also my Mother-In-Law's birthday today... crazy times, for sure!  Michael had two meetings with his new school just this week, he's so pumped about being a professor.  We're excited about the opportunity!

My favorite thing this week...
After all the craziness lately, it was fun to get out and be with other homeschool moms on Thursday evening (sans kids!).  It was our monthly homeschool group meeting, and we ended up spending the time chatting, laughing and playing Book Bingo.  Oh, you know how I love books!

I'm dieting...
Michael and I have been doing pretty well on our diets for nearly two weeks now.  I have lost 6 pounds as of this morning, even though we've slipped a few days (um, a going away party with food everywhere - not exactly perfect dieting conditions!).  But I'm feeling good about it, and still certainly motivated to keep at it.  Super proud of my hubby... I was wondering if he'd be able to stand it, and he's doing so great at it so far!  Go guy!

I'm praying for...
My in-laws as they have to tie everything up, get the house cleared and get going to Michigan by Sunday morning!  It's a lot of work, and they're pretty stressed, but I think it'll all come together.  Also praying for Michael as he starts his new professor job next week and doesn't really have a solid plan (eep!).  We thought they were going to give him the outline and have most things ready to go, but now it's not looking that way.  He has just a few days to prepare before class starts on Tuesday! Wow!


A photo to share:
My silly gooses!
Studying the counties of Texas.
In our Homeschool this week...
Tot School:  Callen has been being a monkey about napping.  A few times this week, he just played in his room for HOURS when he should have been laying in his bed.  I'm hoping the novelty of being in a big-boy bed (which means he can get OUT of it anytime he wants) wears off, and he realizes how important naps are.  Wishful thinking, ok?
Peg Board Time!

Bible: Proverbs 15:3, "The eyes of the Lord are everywhere; watching over the wicked and the good."  We also talked about Jacob and Joseph.  Planning to watch the Dreamworks movie, Joseph: King of Dreams, later today.  I've never seen it, but we own it.  Weird.
Joseph was thrown in jail.

Reading/Writing: Preston is getting better and better at writing, as long as he is interested in what he's writing, of course.  And reading is steadily improving as well!
Writing the scripture verse.
Math: We talked about money this week.  Read several money books and did the Complete Book of Math sheets on the subject.
Money Math!

Science:  We skipped most of the science this week as I just got lazy and it was more of a review about measuring than anything else.  We read the pages in Things Outdoors, and measured the kitchen table in standard and non-standard ways.


Music/Art: This week's hymn was "Amazing Grace!"  Preston really enjoys listening to the Hymns CD we have when he's resting, and usually falls asleep to it.  But I like it when he ASKS me to listen to it!  We also talked about maracas and cabacas.  For art we looked at some modern symmetrical wood prints, and worked on shades of gray in positive and negative spaces from Drawing with Children.

Spanish: This week we continued with the face and some emotions. 



We are using My Father's World First Grade. See our curriculum here.

Blog Hoppin' with:
The Homeschool Mother's Journal Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers 

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

God Will Make a Way

I will be completely honest, not a big fan of Rick Warren... but that doesn't mean God isn't using him.  He certainly is.  The following devotional was posted on his blog yesterday and a friend of mine forwarded it to me.  Timely?  Of course!  God knows.  He always knows...
 
by Rick Warren
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)
You may be facing a dead end right now — financial, emotional, or relational — but if you will trust God and keep on moving in faith, even when you don’t see a way, he will make a way. 

It will become more understandable as you head down the path he sets before you, but understanding is not a requirement for you to start down the path. Proverbs 4:18 says, “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day” (NIV). One day you will stand in the full light of eternity and view the big picture. You’ll see God’s purpose behind the path he specifically chose for you.  

In the meantime, do what Proverbs 3 says: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” 

Be patient. God knows what he’s doing. God knows what is best for you. He can see the end result. You can’t. All those problems, heartaches, difficulties and delays — all the things that make you ask “why” — will one day be clear in the light of God’s love.

But for now, we’re learning to trust God. 

----
And we couldn't fathom what we were going to do with the whole car situation yesterday.  The guy was talking like he wasn't going to fix the stuff they messed up.  I prayed, and prayed, and cried and asked for prayer, and got down on my face in the floor and prayed some more.  As I literally picked myself up off the floor, the phone rang... it was Michael.  He was at the car shop, and was on the way home with the car.  The FIXED car.  The guy fixed everything that was wrong, even though he still claimed they weren't responsible for some of it.  Praise God! Praise God! Praise God!  And while that doesn't bring an end to all of the woes piled on us right now, that was certainly the most pressing, the most fateful.  So, with that out of the way, I can breathe again, and realize how silly I am for even worrying at all, because God always provides.  Why can't I get my head to know what my heart knows in the midst of my panic?  Sigh.  God will make a way, where there seems to be no way!

Monday, January 9, 2012

Fully Relying on God...

Y'know, I don't usually want to blog about things that are going to be depressing.  But maybe it would actually help me to get it all out.  These past few weeks have sucked.  Now, don't get me wrong... there has been so much joy and love and blessings flowing through my life... I really can't complain for the most part.  I know that God is good!  But there are all these things bearing down on us right now, and I don't know what to do with them.  I keep giving them to God, then snatching them right back up to worry about some more.  I can't help myself.  I'm a natural worrier.  I want to have a plan of action, and know how things are going to go.  I don't have anything like that right now.  

What's wrong?  Well...
- My husband's back is in such bad shape that he can barely move at times.  Nothing seems to help.  (Not to mention he still has his full-blown migraines constantly)
- Husband also starts his third job this week.  He has a full-time job, and now two part-time jobs (and that doesn't include a few things he does on the side and the volunteer work he does for church).  It makes me feel awful that he has to work this hard (while in such pain too!) for us to merely survive.  It's not like we're rolling in dough because he's working that many jobs, it's still only getting us by, barely.  We have property taxes due by the end of this month...
- My youngest child has decided that he MUST climb on everything, which, in turn, means he must fall off of everything.  It's seriously becoming a problem.  How many bonks can he get on his head before he becomes brain damaged?  And he doesn't listen.  But, ya know, he's not-quite-two, that's kinda standard and I understand that.
- My in-laws are moving this week.  Not just across town or anything, but 1,000 miles away.  It's really difficult to imagine how things are going to be without them nearby.  Especially right now in the throes of this mess we're in.
- The car situation.  Where do I even begin?  The car (our ONLY car) had some sort of a leak.  It wasn't overheating, didn't blow up, just had a leak so we wanted to get it fixed before it got worse.  We took it to a shop that was recommended by a friend, was on the lower end of the price quotes we got and could get it in the soonest.  We weighed our options, and this place seemed like the best one.  Well, two weeks later we get our car back with MORE problems than when it went in.  It appears that the engine was put back together wrong.  It grinds and vibrates, has a leak still and doesn't start every time.  We've had several people who know engines look at it, and tell us that the place put it back wrong and they need to fix it.  So, we take it back to the place and the guy says he did a little work on it, but the rest of it isn't anything that they did, and he doesn't see anything wrong with it.  Um... what?  Michael will go this afternoon, after work, to check it out and see if the car is fixed.  If not... I really don't know what we do.  If he's refusing to fix what they messed up, I'm not even sure what our options are.  We don't have another car to fall back on.  We can't afford to buy another car or to pay for more repairs (the amount of money that we paid him for this "repair" wasn't chump change... it's a huge addition to our debt).  We don't have time for small claims court or anything like that.  It just feels so dirty and hopeless.  And completely unbelievable.  How do you do that to a family?  "Fix" their car by making it worse and then not owning up to it?  Wow.
- I am madly trying to hash out some sort of plan to get me back working so I can bring in some extra income.  Usborne is not bringing in enough money, no one will call me back or answer my emails, people are avoiding contact with me completely it seems.  I don't really have any other skills that I do at home to make money.  And I don't know what I could do outside of the home either.  But something has to give.  Then what do I do about child care?  About homeschool?  Me working would probably just have me spending my income on child care anyway, how does that help?  I feel like God called me to be here at home with my children, homeschooling.  We always knew it didn't make sense financially... but things always worked out.  Well, now that they're not working out anymore, does that mean it's time for a change.  I don't know.

Things just feel like they're spiraling out of control right now.  I know a lot of this stuff is menial, completely silly compared to most people's suffering and major things wrong with the world (oh, and speaking of... my laptop, still broken after many different people trying to help us fix it, sigh).  God has blessed me far more than things have gone wrong.  But you know, sometimes when you're in the midst of battle, it's hard to see anything but what's directly in front of you. and all you can think of is how to get past it, then we'll worry about the rest.  I will just keep trying my hardest to give it to God, and not spend my energy worrying.  His plans are better than ours.  His ways are always right and just.  I just need His guidance and direction as we have to quickly make some serious decisions about major things.  Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement, friends.

It is my hope that I will be able to look back at this blog years from now and think about this time in my life and laugh at how God brought us out of it, and it all worked out for His good.

* Update #1 - The car is fixed!  The guy fixed everything, including the stuff he said they weren't responsible for, and was completely civil about it when Michael and his brother were up there.  They test drove it, and everything is in fine, working order.  Drove it home with no problem... no grinding, vibrating or even any sensor lights on anymore!  Praise God!!!! This is a HUGE burden lifted from us, which means we can focus on other things... because at the moment this was the biggest roadblock.  :::happy, praise dance:::

Friday, January 6, 2012

Homeschool Recap, Jan 7th (Wk 15)

In my life this week...
Oh my word, where are we?  Let's see... my laptop is still not really fixed.  We replaced the back-light lamp and then couldn't get the computer parts all back together.  After a friend's help and then just trying anything possible, we got all back into order.  Only... the lamp only partly works.  I'm sure it's the way we put it back together, or the wiring was loose.  Something easily fixable... BUT, taking it apart and putting it back together again sounds like the WORST IDEA EVER at this point.  So, it's kinda just sitting in a box.  =/

The car is back!  THE CAR IS BACK!  We had our car (yeah, our ONLY car) in the shop from Dec 23rd and just until yesterday.  Geez.  Thankfully, my father-in-law let us borrow his car so Michael could work.  There was all kind of work that had to be done to the engine block.  Long story short, $1600 later - our car is back!  ANNNNDDDDD, it still has problems.  Different problems?  Oh my heavens.  'Scuse me while I hurl. 

And, my in-laws found out their house sold and have been frantically trying to pack and prepare for a move ACROSS THE COUNTRY.  Sorry for all of the CAPS in this post so far, but my gosh... it's been a trying couple of weeks.  We're excited for them to get to do what they want and get to move back to Michigan, but it's extremely sad to know that they won't be just down the road anymore.  They'll be more than 1,000 miles away!  Wow.  Just wow.  It's... crazy.

Questions/Thoughts I have...
God, what are You doing?  I know Your plans are always best, but why do they always have to be so mind boggling to us?  Let us in on a little of it, huh?  A hint?  Please?

I'm cooking...
I usually don't have anything exciting to share in the cooking department, aside from some desserts.  But, I found this recipe for Cowboy Stew on the DutchOvenDude's website (I receive a Dutch Oven for Christmas, LOVE IT!), and it was a huge hit in my house!  It seemed super easy, and I have never really gotten very good at making stew, so I figured... why not?  Well, it was super easy and DELICIOUS!  Preston doesn't usually like that kind of stuff, but he ate two bowl fulls the first night and then requested it as a snack the next day.  I'm serious... that's saying a lot!  Yum!

I'm praying for...
A lot of friends going through sticky situations right now.  2012 is off to a very interesting start for a lot of people!

In our Homeschool this week...
Tot School:  Callen is in his "big boy" bed (a toddler-sized bed) now.  He's saying more and more words every day.  I believe he's getting pretty close to really want to start potty-training.  Things are going well.  He is still as boogery as ever, of course.  Always in trouble!  But then, he's almost two, I have to expect that, right?

Bible: Proverbs 11:25, "A generous man prospers; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."  We also talked about the books of Ecclesiastes through Jeremiah.  Preston is starting to have trouble with the last half of the Bible books we've learned so far.  And we went through the stories of Abraham and Sarah finding out about Isaac and then Isaac and Rebekah.  We also read about Esau and Jacob, and ate Lentil Stew!
Abraham, Laughing Sarah with Baby Isaac
Giving some Lentil Soup a try!

Reading/Writing: Preston is reading so well lately, I'm very proud.  His writing is nice when he's interested.  When he's not... it's like pulling teeth to get him to do write something.  Something we still struggle with on a daily basis. 

Math: This week's theme was time.  This is something we covered in Kindergarten, but he certainly needed reminding.  We read several books we already owned like The Grouchy Ladybug and Telling the Time (an Usborne book!).  We used some clock face flash cards I have, and I asked him what time it was over and over, till he was tired of hearing it.  Haha!

Science:  Snow and Ice was the theme for science.  Unfortunately, we haven't had any ice or snow yet this Winter, not sure if we will!  Had to live vicariously through books about it.  We had a really fun time doing some activities like cutting snowflakes, watching a video on Wilson Bentley (the first guy to photograph snow crystals), and playing in snow.  What?  I had this little kid of Insta-Snow, and when you add water to the powder, it fluffs up and acts like snow.  Preston LOVED that, of course.
Unique Snowflakes!


What's gonna happen?!
Cool, snow!
Bury my hand!
Music/Art: This week's musical instrument was jingle/sleigh bells.  Easy enough.  We looked at a portrait painted by Eduard Manet called The Railway.  And we discussed positive and negative space from Drawing with Children.  And our hymn was the same as several weeks ago, "How Firm a Foundation."

Spanish: This week, we started working on the face, la cara!



We are using My Father's World First Grade. See our curriculum here.

Blog Hoppin' with:
MFW Blog Roll The Homeschool Mother's Journal Hip Homeschool Hop Button Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers Photobucket

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Playing Musical Beds...

So, for the past few months, Callen has been on the verge of discovering he could climb out (or FALL out!) of his crib.  Thankfully, he never did... but we initiated Project Find-Preston-A-Bed-So-We-Can-Move-Callen-Into-The-Toddler-Bed. Wow, that's a long name.  Anyway, after asking around, my mom and mother-in-law came to the rescue!  My mom's friend had an extra guest bed that they were looking to get rid of.  And the best part is, it's part of a bunk bed!  Yay!  So when we're ready for Baby #3 to inhabit the "nursery," we will have a bunk bed for the boys!  Love that!  And since my in-laws are moving, they said we could have the twin mattress off of their guest bed.  So, Preston is now officially in a twin bed.  Man, that thing looks gigantic in his room!  We just got it today, so he hasn't slept on it yet... but he's enjoying it so far.
Reading in his new bed!
Pretending to sleep in his new bed!

I took down the crib last nite (:::sob, sob:::) and put the toddler bed into Callen's room.  I was so nervous about how to get him to sleep in his bed.  I honestly don't remember much about this stage with Preston, though Preston was 20 months when we moved him to a toddler bed, and Callen is about to be 22 months.  I think Preston just slept in bed with me most of the time anyway 'cause Michael was working overnites.  Anyway, I didn't know what to expect with Callen last nite.  He seemed pretty excited, got all settled in, did his usual routine (he has a pretty funny bedtime routine, which consists of putting the book we read under his bed, along with his "Bob" (veggie tales) book and any other book he decides needs to go under there - sometimes a dinosaur book, sometimes Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - but always "Bob" and if "Bob" is missing, look out!  Anyway, then he usually wants a ball in his hand, and he has to be covered up along with his Stitch stuffed guy.  He pats Stitch night-night, and I have to too.  It's ridiculously adorable).  So anyway, he did alllll that and settled down, then the minute I turned the light off and started to walk away, he freaked out.  Screaming!  I soothed him, read him "Bob" again, did the whole routine over... nope, he wasn't having it.  So, I had to put the gate up in his door and walk away.  He screamed and cried for a while, and while I was getting Preston settled into bed it suddenly got quiet.  I figured he must have fallen asleep there at the gate, but when I checked on him, he was in his bed all covered up.  He must have given up and gotten into bed and went sleep.  Whew!  I heard him at the gate around 2am, but after just a few minutes, he went back to bed.  And then when Michael got up at 6am, he came to the gate and wanted out, but Michael told him to go back to sleep... I guess that worked, 'cause he didn't get back up till 8am!  

Nap time today was much the same.  He refused to stay in the bed after we did the routine, but I put up the gate and left him alone... he played for a few minutes with some toys, then it got quiet... when I checked on him, he was in bed all covered up, conked out.  So, I guess we're on the right track.  My goodness, they're growing up so fast!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Prestonism on Being Tired of Writing...

Scripture copywork
Me: Keep working on your sentence. The next word is "refreshes."
Preston (hating every minute of it): That word is too long! My pencil doesn't have enough ink!

Monday, January 2, 2012

New Year Goals...

There are two things that stick out in my mind that I'd like to work on as I start this New Year.  

One is losing weight.  Yeah, I know... cliche.  But, Michael and I are starting to talk about Baby #3 and I'd like to lose some weight before getting pregnant.  That's what motivated me last time... I dropped 75 pounds(!) before becoming pregnant with Callen.  Thankfully, I don't need to lose that much weight again... but I certainly need to lose quite a bit again.  Michael and I are going to try to stick close to the Weight Watchers diet and points system.  That's what worked for me last time, so here's hoping!

The second thing I'd like to work on this year is being more patient and gentle towards my boys (all of them!).  I blow up and lose my temper way too easily with them much too often.  They seem to know how to push just the right set of buttons to set me off.  But I don't want my sons to think back on their childhood, remembering Mom as being "mean."  There are ways to keep them in line with out yelling, scolding, etc.  And I need to hold my tongue more often against my husband!

So, no resolutions... just a few goals to throw out there and work on to better myself in 2012.  What are your 2012 goals?

Sunday, January 1, 2012

December 2011 Tweets to Remember...

Dec 1st - So, I'm about to kick off the first annual Dec 1st Financial Panic Attack! Anyone with me?! =/
 
Dec 1st - Noooooo, waited too long to order P's big Christmas gift and they're out. Will not be in till next Spring.
 
Dec 2nd - I spend a few mins in the kitchen, come out to find this: Callen reading my Bible in just a diaper. Silly bear!
 
Dec 3rd - The "Look & Say" books REALLY work, 'cuz Callen just looked & said like 6 new words from the Farm one! Hooray, baby! =)
 
Dec 4th - Happy birthday to my first-born! Preston turns Six! Wowzers!  
 
Dec 5th - Before noon, I had vacummed twice, swept 3 times. Good grief, haven't even had lunch yet!  
 
Dec 8th - Playing my own version of Chopped because I am long overdue a trip to the grocery store & I HAVE to be creative... Eep!
 
Dec 8th - Callen is obsessed with his "Bop!" book (Veggietales w/Bob on the front) so I got out the Nativity set...no Bob included. Drat!
 
Dec 10th - Spent the first 2 hours of my birthday holding a ladder. Yay 31? 
 
Dec 11th - I love asking Callen what Santa says. He answers, "Oh Oh Oh!" Heehee.
 
Dec 14th - Trying to get Callen to sing "we wish you a Merry Christmas" & he puts his finger up to his mouth, tells me "sshh!" Wow, ok.
 
Dec 18th - Callen fell really hard on his nose last nite, didn't bleed, but swelled. Today it is bruised, but he isn't complaining. ?
 
Dec 22nd - God has provided for us, and He will continue to provide. His plan is good. (Having to repeat this to myself right now, big time).
 
Dec 25th - Santa brought Callen a toybox & Preston a kid sized guitar!   
 
Dec 25th - Merry Christmazzzzzzzz! 
 
Dec 25th - Santa came & blessed our family above & beyond. I don't know who you are, but thank you! Bless you! Praise God!