We did it!

I just sat Jorja down with a Bob book to see what she could sound out and I was so surprised with what she was able to read to me. And she picked up the sight words "the", "a", and "has" quite quickly.
So I guess I have no choice now but to start kindy with her early so the poor child can learn to read. AND I have to get all of our early readers out of storage. Yikes. That means that our dining room remodel has to be fast tracked. Which also means a trip to Orlando to buy the new table, and getting someone in here to quickly (and economically) put in the wall unit.
Hmmm...that is a lot of work all put into motion by one little 5 year old eager to learn.

Things I've learned while doing yard work...

1. My girls are not nearly as good at yard work as watching TV. They need serious encouragement in the weed-pulling, leaf-raking and mulch-spreading departments.

2. 80-anything degrees and higher are too hot for re-mulching. Or sitting in a chair eating a Popsicle. Or being outside.

3. I NEVER buy enough mulch. I will henceforth go to Lowe's, tell them how much mulch I need and then add the words "times 2". That should get me close.

3.5. And speaking of Lowe's...they never take me seriously. Anytime I ask for something they always hesitate and seem as though they are waiting for my husband to walk up and take care of things. This only fuels my stubborn nature and makes me ask A LOT of questions about things I don't really care about as punishment. "Soooo...this chigger stufff...does it really work? Do you have organic ant granules? Can you ask your manager just to make sure? Where are the posies? Can you take me there? Do I need to pay for the mulch first, or can we just see how many fit in my van? Do I need to back my van up over here to get the mulch, or can you just carry it there for me?" See...I am a much nicer person when you don't judge me for the lack of testosterone.

4. After 30 minutes of work I will inevitably stand up and black out. I must always remember to have a chair or pillow near me...concrete hurts.

5. Drink water. And then drink water. And a little more...

6. If I find a millipede, frog, lizard, worm or any other "cool bug" I have lost 3 workers indefinitely. Their new task is to make it a house and feed it lunch.

7. I should never, never, never try to spruce up the back yard the day before a party when I already have 3 days worth of to-do list looming overhead.

...

The end is near...

And we can't seem to get a darn thing done.

We only have two weeks left of curriculum, and for some reason, we just keep finding reasons not to finish it. I know we could just skip it, honestly. Everything we do from here to the end of the year will be reviewed ad nauseam at the beginning of the next school year. But I'm not a quitter. Am I? And I'm a rule follower. When I want to be. And what kind of example would I be to my children if I just quit now.

So we keep chugging along. (barely) And we will complete all the lessons and tests...and then we will swim and play and sleep in and stay up late and totally and completely enjoy summer for about a month until we get bored and are ready to start school again.

Homeschooling is a gateway drug.

It all begins innocently enough.

You think about it, you may even pray about it. Then one day the decision is made. Whether it was a decision made before you had children, because of a special need of one of your children, or a bad experience in a public or private school, it's done, you're going to homeschool. For better or worse...you homeschool.

This is my family (obviously, duh!)

It's our life. We joined the club, so to speak, we are literally a card-carrying home school family.

But for so many of us, it doesn't end there. It's not just how we educate our children. It's our lifestyle.

And then it begins...the lifestyle changes. For some, homeschool was a product of long denim dresses. For others, the long denim dresses came out of the decision. And it's different for all of us...what byproducts come out of this lifestyle.

For our family it is slowly but surely getting off the grid, one small (or large) decision at a time. What am I talking about?

• Starting a garden. Ask Jorja why...she will answer, "so we don't have to go buy our produce anymore." Yes, it's educational, healthy, and saves money, but it just seems like the 'thing to do.' And I blame my fellow home school mommies for setting the example.
• Cooking from scratch. I know, a lot of you who don't homeschool do this, but bear with me, because before I was the one sitting ALL DAY with my four children, I could give a rat's hind-end if my kids were sugared up and full of chemicals that made them act like untrained monkeys. Now, I am doggone serious about fresh fruits and veggies for snacks and meals instead of junk that will make me want to take up drinking at 10 AM.
• Cloth diapering. The newest item in my line of going against the grain. I'm tired of Pampers, Huggies, and sometimes Luvs taking all our money. And you know I'm serious about this if I'm willing to take on MORE laundry. And if I'm willing to swish poop out of a diaper.
• Holistic medicine. Yep, I've jumped off the pharmaceutical freight train. I will, of course turn to a prescription when needed, but no more than necessary. Guess what? Those great herbs and homeopathic remedies people have used for hundreds of years...a lot of them WORK. It's amazing.
  
• Farm-fresh eggs and whatever else we can pilfer...err...purchase from our local friends who farm. Yes, I'm even considering raw milk...you know "for the animals". (Please FDC, do not come hunt me down, I promise, there is no contraband dairy in my fridge or my children)
• Tardiness. I will never forget the first lesson I learned in Jamaica. When we were running about 2 hours late getting to our resort I was told about "Jamaica time." Yes, Jamaica time is the explanation given when everything is so laid back that no one really cares if you get there 20 minutes early or (more likely) an hour late. I've always been very high strung and have never wanted to be late for anything. It's tacky. Promptness is courteous and thoughtful. Unless you homeschool. In which case you live your life by "homeschool time." Now, I could blame this phenomenon on the fact that I have 4 small children, but I'm not going to set myself up like that. Because we all know that even when I'm down to schooling one or two high school girls, I'll still be late to everything - late according to 'the man', that is. But for me, it's just "homeschool time, man. No worries."
  

So what's next, you ask? Well, I'm not sure. But I can guarantee that it's not coming from Wal-Mart or Target. More likely a farm supply store. And it might be cute, yellow, stinky, and eventually lay eggs. Or it might be a product we learn to make ourselves from live cultures or milk. But whatever it is, I blame the influence of those lovely ladies I know who think outside the box.

Generosity, with a hint of orneriness.

One thing I love about these girls is that they are (almost) always willing to share. Whether it's treat Jorja gets at preschool, a goodie Jonah gets at a sleepover, or a handful of snacks Josie gets from mommy in the kitchen, everyone gets a taste.
Sometimes it comes without hesitation, but other times, we may run into some arguing, or like today...some toying with emotions.
This morning we got an early start and took a few items to a bake sale at Jorja's school to benefit a local child, Luke, who is dealing with some very serious health issues. I also gave each girl a couple dollars that they could spend at the sale.
Josie went straight to the chocolate dipped Oreos. Smart girl. Jonah opted to get a couple lower priced items. However, when it came time to eat, Jonah asked if she could have a bite of Josie's. And Josies response was awesome. She did not answer Jonah, instead, she looked her right in the eye and took a bite of the Oreo pop. She didn't even blink.
Jonah asked again. Josie took another bite, still staring right at Jonah.
Jonah and Josie facing off in a battle of wills over a bite of oreo cookie and chocolate bliss. And this continues until the last tiny bite of the treat was left. At which point, Josie's mouth upturned into an evil grin very reminiscent of something you would see out of the grinch, and she slowly lifted it up to her mouth. Jonah's eyes grew large with anticipation. Josie paused with it on the edge of her lips...then handed it across the table to Jonah, who broke off a large bite of her brownie and gave it to Josie. Crisis averted.
The peanut butter balls I bought, however, are put up. I don't think I have enough to share.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My girls + pretty much anything = potty humor

This week's letter at Jorja's preschool is D. Surprisingly, doo-doo was not mentioned. Neither was dookie or dummy. I am very proud of this accomplishment. I think we are heading toward a civilized household. Maybe.
We discussed several D words before all laughing that diaper would be a funny item to bring. Yeah, it's settled and this is not as inappropriate as dad's idea for the letter U - underwear.
And then Jorja's uncanny ability to make me roll my eyes kicked in...
"Ha, ha, mommy..."
If you have heard her raspy goofy laugh, insert that above...she thought she was quite funny with the following statement.
"How about I bring a DIRTY diaper!?"
And the laughter commenced.
Even Jamison had a big goofy grin. I guess there is no hope for that one, either. I do like that she found a way to use two D's, but I explained that her teacher would probably not appreciate me if I let her bring one of Jamison's dirty diapers in.
So we compromised and I let Jorja bring her favorite stuffed puppy, Roundup, in a diaper.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Life is...mundane...?

I can't believe it. I haven't had anything wild and crazy to blog about in months.

No children locking employees out of stores.

No mummified poultry.

No pulled fire alarms.

No overflowing toilets.

I might have to do something rash like take a cross-country trip alone with the kids to have some inspiration.

Or I'll just make stuff up...

Or do this again...