Pumpking Carving!

With 4 children, things can get pretty messy and out of control in a short time! We had to lay some ground rules before they "had at it" with the pumpkins. Let's remind everyone that we are doing this on my kitchen table that is in a room with a carpeted floor. Don't ask! I have only ever lived a few months in a house that didn't have a carpeted dining room. It seems to be my curse! Even building our own house didn't take it away!

Now, notice in the picture above, my son's first instinct as he grabs the carving knife. I would like to point out to all who think boys won't be boys if there aren't any weapons around. Boys will be boys, and they always find weapons. They make weapons from nothing. They crave weapons. If it is already shaped like a weapon, then it's all the better, and fun!


Princess just jumped right in! "Really! We get to make a mess and you won't be mad????"

Baby Princess is a little disgusted. She took some coercing. Don't worry she eventually realized the reality that she can squeeze the guts all she wants and I won't care!

This is "Mr. Analytical". Not only is he the cleanest kid I have, but he takes the utmost care and time to do everything. The job was not done until every possible seed and gut was removed in as orderly fashion as he could come up with. We eventually had to help in order for it to be finished before Halloween.

My "Hunk of Love"! This is one of his favorite times of year. Fall means a lot of things to him, but this day is ranked on top. Why? Well he is highly addicted to pumpkin seeds. Oh yes, highly addicted. Throughout the entire process of carving he is surfing through the guts picking out every single seed. At least 10 times he makes sure that the kids don't miss a single seed. He has it down to a science. He separates the guts and the seeds, he rechecks the garbage piles to see if any were left behind, he rinses off any left over guts, he rinses again, and again, and then we salt and bake. I am always impressed with his patience while doing this. The beautiful thing about having 4 kids, is having 4 massive pumpkins loaded with seeds.

Coming up! Halloween pictures!

Busy Bee!

I have discovered something that I actually already knew. Anybody who has read this blog or knows me personally, knows that I am busy. Sure we are all busy. We have normal duties that have to be fulfilled. Some are stay-at-home moms that are the basic cruise directors of their house, some work, some volunteer, and some....well some are really busy doing things that no one can figure out. I can't decide if I want to know or not. I don't have time to. I 'm too busy!


Anytime that I go out to the store, I get looks and comments like: "Wow! You have your hands full! Are those all yours? You sure are busy!". This is when I smile and sometimes chuckle. This is when I whip out the big news and say "Yes, I am busy. And oh, by the way, I home school them!" It's my favorite part. I watch their jaws drop, their tongues roll down to the floor, and their eyes open wider than humanly possible. Then I turn around, clap my hands three times, and ask the kids politely to get back in line behind me. (Ok, the end was a slight exaggeration. One can dream, right?)

So I'm busy. What else is new? I have a full day. What I do sometimes struggle with is the fact that I still look for things to fill my day. No, I am never bored. There is always something to do. I just find things that look cool or sound like a good idea and then spend my "extra" time studying them, or doing them. Or I think that I have all the time in the world because I don't work, and my kids don't spend 8 hours a day in school. Sure we can do things later in the day. Sure we can stay up late and sleep in. We home school. We can do what we want.

Well my dears, I am finding that the more I try to buck my schedule, the more I find that I am yearning for it. I am going for the less is best routine. I am going to stick to that routine. I am going to get off the computer and get in the shower right now. Because even before I sat down to type, I knew that this was not in the schedule!

Quote of the Day!

My dear friend Andrea is so wise. She leaves me a comment on most of my posts and makes me chuckle. After reading my latest post, she gave me a bit of her wisdom. I have declared it my quote of the day.


TV remotes - one of the reasons men and women will never understand each other!

I don't know!

TV has been the blame of some weird phenomenons here. The other day, I caught Princess and Batman watching my TV in this position. I don't even ask what they are doing or trying to accomplish anymore. I just laugh, take a picture, and say "I don't know!". Yes, weirdness runs in the family!

We have another habit that's forming in our house. My dear son has taken another step into manhood. He is about to turn six next week! In his great walk through life, he has learned an unwritten man trait. A trait that every woman winces at once in her life. If that woman has married or had multiple brothers, the chances are high that she winced a lot.

My dear first born son has mastered the remote control. He has learned to yearn for it. He knows what each button is for. When he sits and watches a movie, he will not stop looking for it before sitting down. It might as well be duck taped to his hand.

He has picked up the habit of rewinding and replaying the good parts over and over and over again, until his siblings run screaming from the room for me to come and take the remote away. When I come in, he instantly puts the remote down and acts like he didn't do anything. He bats his icey blue eyes at me, and innocently says, "What mom?". I instantly know what went on. I don't know if it is my mom instincts or if it is the reality that I somehow lived through growing up with 3 brothers that all did the same thing. Icey blue eyes or not, I know what he has been up to!

He also has the man habit of high volume. He doesn' t have a hearing problem. He simply has little man ears. My daughter and I can listen to the volume at an average level of 10 to 12. My son and husband??? It is more like 35. I don't know if it is nature or nurture. I have come to the conclusion that it is no coincidence!

A homeschooler's gym class

This is our PE class! No, I don't organize relay teams, or make them do exercises before each class. I have heard of some moms doing a gym class, but we don't. One of the reason's I don't is because of these pictures. Why waste my time? My kids are active. They run, play, spin, jump, and are moving all day long. Even during our rest time, I have to go up stairs and remind them that it is rest time, a time for rest and relaxation. Which means we need to be resting or lying down, not hanging off of our bunk beds and pretending we are jumping off tall buildings like Spider man!
I would love to challenge anyone who thinks that home school kids are getting anything less than public school kids. If anything, my kiddos are having more fun!

My First Born Son

When I had this little man, life changed. He brought a certain "oomph" into my life. He is super charged. He is full of life and energy, and at the same time has this little heart of gold. He is so caring. He will gladly give up something he wanted to someone who wants it more. He is the all around kind of guy. He makes friends everywhere. He wants to be just like his daddy.

About a week ago he told us that he wants to be an astronaut pastor. "Really, buddy?" I said. "Yeah, I need to go into space and I want to be a pastor and tell the whole world about God!" he said. My cup runneth over when he says things like that. Only a mother of a little boy could understand how stinking cute that sounds.

Sometimes he says things that blow me away. While at the doctor's office today, he made friends with this other little boy about his same age. They were playing in the little playhouse in the waiting room together. The little boy got excited about something and shouted, "Oh my god!". My son chimed in quickly and said, "Don't say oh my god! If you say oh my god, then God is going to come down and destroy your house!"

I quickly corrected him, but was laughing the whole time. The poor little boy he was talking to probably now has a true fear of God. All because the preacher's son decided to bring forth a little fire and brimstone! I love this kid. He makes my heart go pitter pat. And no, I don't believe that God is going to come down and destroy our houses.

So....How's it going?

It is going really, really well. Life is crazy, but we are surviving. I have been staying on schedule, mostly. I have been sleeping in until 6am instead of getting up at 5:30am. I know, I know! You think less of me. How undisciplined can one get? 6am wake up, that's for wimps.

Well I am one. I admit it. I like to sleep. I love to have the birds singing to me while I rub the sleep out of my eyes and stare at the wall for 30 minutes. It's what I do. For my first 30 minutes of existence in the morning, I like to live a life of denial. I like to deny that I even have to get out of bed. I like to think of every reason of why I should sleep until 10 or 11. I think things like: "They will be fine getting their own breakfasts today! They won't miss me. They will sit at the table with their school books ready quietly waiting for me. I will be the one welcomed with breakfast waiting when I get up. (Or my favorite excuse!) Sure! We can start school by 10:30 and get it all done before noon!"

I am totally not living in reality when I wake up. I am close to hallucinating. I don't think straight. Like I said, after 30 minutes or so of pondering my day, I decide that I must stick to the plan. I must grab myself by the collar and hoist my butt out of bed. I realize the reality of the situation and I grin and bare it. It's not that I don't want or like my life. I just don't like anything in the morning. After 7 or so, I am completely living my dream.

Just ask my husband. After 9 years of marriage, he still tries to converse with me while I am in the hallucination stage. He wakes up singing like a bird. I grunt or moan with a frown that is beginning to cause wrinkles. I tell him that I hate mornings. He asks, "Do you at least love me?" I give him a look. He leaves for work after hugging me and kissing my forehead. I love when he kisses my forehead. As for the hugging, I wouldn't classify my part of the hug a real hug. I really just lean into him and make him hold me up. About 45 minutes later, after my first cup of tea, I call him on his cell and with a big smile tell him good morning. He laughs at me, then tells me how ridiculous I was after I woke up, and asks if I am now finally awake. I act like I said or did nothing wrong or out of the ordinary. He again laughs at me, and asks if I will ever be a morning person? I then laugh at him, and sternly say "NO WAY! God didn't make mornings for me!".

After my nightmare of getting out of bed early everyday, everything is dandy. School is going great. The kids are falling into my steps just fine. They are learning at alarming rates. We have chosen some challenging curriculum for them and they are surfing right through it. Ok, Ok, it is only the second week of school and they are still reviewing last years material, but they are getting back at "it" very quickly.

As for this blog of mine. I am trying to find the time to do it daily. It might not happen everyday as you have noticed, but I will be posting more often as I find the time. I love doing it, and it seems to me by the remarks of those I see, that you guys enjoy it. So between the multiple grammar, arithmetic, phonics, history, and science lessons in the morning, the scrubbing of bathroom floors in the afternoon, and the nightly laundry sessions that I am called to, I will come to you. Who needs history? Let's just leave the past in the past, right? And math? Why did we invent calculators? Oh! and my favorite, we don't need to wear clean clothes everyday, do we? I mean, we do home school. Showering and dressing are optional!

Anyone who knows me, knows that these last few lines are a total joke! Just thought that I would clear my conscience and reassure you all.