Go Indians!

Well, Madeline had her first Varsity game last night as a Totem. That is the name for the little bitty cheerleaders that cheer at the games. They go out in the very beginning and do three cheers and then go out again after halftime and do three more. Madeline did well the first time after getting over some nerves about the Indian mascot. Then the second time we had tears. I don't know if she was tired, scared, or what, but at any rate, pretty good for the first game I'd say. Especially since I fully expected her to not do it at all!! I don't know who was more excited though- her or me!

20 Things I Am Right Now

I have been tagged by my sweet friend, Sally. So here it goes!

1. Hungry
2. Babysitting
3. Tired of the kids fighting
4. Sleepy
5. Loving the baby bouncer
6. Nervous about Homeschooling
7. Hot
8. In love with my baby
9. Listening to my older kids play
10. Loving my husband
11. Missing my BFF Christy
12. Wishing there were more hours in the day
13. Thankful for Baby Einstein
14. Needing to pay bills
15. Wishing I had the body I had before kids
16. Procrastinating my ballet lesson plans
17. Needing another way to make money
18. Warming a bottle for my charge, Isaac
19. Wanting the vacation we haven't gotten
20. Praying for Claire, Dave's uncle Louis, homeschooling, dance, and Caroline's appointment with the doctor next week about her flat head.

Now you try!

First Day of Homeschool

Wow! I can't believe we are actually homeschooling! To make the first day special, I took Charlie around to the front of the house and got a picture of him in front of his "school." And then one of him at his "desk."

Some of the things we learned the first day were: Psalm 1, diligence, people in other countries and their flags, compound words, number lines, counting by twos, fives and tens, evaporation, and that there is water in the air and clouds. When Dave got home from work and asked how homeschool was, Charlie answered, "Awesome!" He really did well. He was glad to be done at lunchtime and wanted to go to a friend's house. I had to explain that they were still in school!

Here are my thoughts over the past few days:

• I really just withdrew my child from school!
• What the heck am I doing?
• My child missed meeting his new teacher, seeing his new classroom, and seeing what friends are in his new class.
• What do I do for P.E.?
• This was really quick! We're done by noon!
• How can my child be playing while the other kids are still in school?
• How can this homeschool thing really be legal?
• Can I really look at a magazine while my child is doing copywork?
• This is a lot for him to learn in one day.
• Is it lunchtime yet?
• I will get to know Charlie so much more.
• We are a team.
• What a blessing for God to give us this opportunity!

3 Days and Counting!

Mandy and Russell arrived back in town Sunday night with Claire, and while they are very tired, they are glad to be home. The latest on Claire is that they are giving her a 3-month long steroid treatment to stop the seizures. The idea is that if they can stop the seizures, her brain can then use that energy to develop her body and hopefully she will eventually be able to walk and talk. The treatment is in the form of injections that Mandy and Russell have to give her so pray for them as they take on this difficult task. Also, the treatment is very expensive- as Mandy put it, "like several new cars expensive." The blessing is that the insurance is covering it 100%! God is so good! But the biggest blessing of all is that Claire has not had a seizure since Friday! 3 days and counting! Thank you for all your prayers, and continue to pray with us for this sweet little girl.

Update on Claire

Mandy and Russell let us know they are in Minnesota and have done Claire's first test. It was an all-day test yesterday and they have today off. We are praying for rest for them and for an enjoyable day before more tests tomorrow. The doctors seem hopeful and that is already an answer to prayer.

Prayer for Claire

We have very good friends named Mandy and Russell. Their middle of three daughters is named Claire. Claire is two years old and has been diagnosed with Epilepsy. She has many seizures and cannot walk or talk, but she has her way of communicating. She has come so far over the last year and a half. She is such a joy to everyone she meets and has affectionately become known as "Clairebear." As I write this, Mandy, Russell and Claire are on their way to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. God is so good to have worked this trip out for them so that they can have Claire seen by the best doctors. Please pray with us for them:

• For safety in all their driving.


• For Claire as she will have many tests over this next week.


• That the doctors would see from her what they need to see to help her.


• For the doctors who will be helping her.


• For God's will concerning any further diagnosis and treatments.


• For calm hearts for Mandy and Russell.

We are all of course, praying for a miracle and that there will be something that can help Claire. We also know that it could be God's will to keep her as she is. Either way, she is a gift from God and we all love her dearly. I will post updates as I get them. Thank you for your prayers.

What is a Hot Spot?
A Hot Spot is an area, when left unattended will gradually take over. My favorite analogy is of a hot spot in a forest fire, if left alone it will eventually get out of hand and burn up the whole forest. This is what happens in our homes. If left unattended, the hot spot will grow and take over the whole room as well as making the house look awful. When you walk into a room, the hot spot is the first thing you see. Your eyes are locked on it. Over the years my hot spot has migrated. As a child it was a chair in my bedroom. I would pile it to the ceiling. Right now I have two hot spots in my home: the dining room table and the bed in the extra bedroom. The dining room table is a staging area. We put the unopened mail there, as well as any thing that needs to go to the basement. Some times you cannot see the top of the table. This is the first thing I see when I walk into the kitchen. Granted, the pile has only been there since last night, but if I don't deal with it first thing in the morning, it will collect many more items by evening. CLUTTER ATTRACTS CLUTTER. The Bed in the extra bed room is just the same. I use it as a place to put things that don't have a home. Do you have areas like this that continue to grow if left alone? Does the rest of the family see this as a place to put things when they do not want to put them where they belong? It is our job to NIP this in the bud. Get rid of that pile, find the surface underneath, and stop the Hot Spot from becoming a raging Clutter inferno! - FlyLady

Today's Baby Step is a good one for me. The two biggest Hot Spots for me are the dining room table and the corner of the kitchen cabinet. Everything gets dropped on the dining room table, including the baby! (That's where her car seat lives!) Anyway, then my "pile" accumulates on the corner of the kitchen cabinet of things that need my immediate attention. And boy, do they get out of hand quickly! I guess Home Schooling will help with the dining room table since that is where we will work. But if I just take two minutes to clean these areas and give the immediate attention, maybe it won't be so bad. BTW- my sink still shines!!

Home School, Here We Come!

Since we made the decision to Home School Charlie, it seems I am even more aware of teaching opportunities and moments. So yesterday was a great day for us to be excited about learning something. Charlie found a snail outside and wanted to keep it. So I "babysat" while he went outside to put sand in a tub. Then he wanted to make a house for it and put a roof on the tub. We tried a magazine, but it wasn't long enough. So I thought of foil, and he put enough over the box to cover it. Then he asked for a box. I sent him out to the garage where we have what seems to be a never-ending supply of empty boxes. He found one and asked me to cut off the flaps. Then he asked for tape. The next thing I knew he had taped the flaps together to make a house-like roof for his snail. He added leaves, and made a "bed" for the snail in the sand with his finger. So I had to get a picture. BTW, the snail's name is Rex.However, today I was informed that Rex has somehow disappeared. Well, it was a good exercise for us and I think a trial-run for me because my Mom wants to get the kids Hermit Crabs for Christmas. Lord, help me!


Speaking of Home School, our curriculum came today! We are so excited! It was like Christmas opening the box. The kids immediately began looking through the books. Their favorites are a science book called "What's Inside You?" and another science book called the "First Encyclopedia of Animals." Madeline also loved "The Beginner's Bible," and Charlie was excited to have a whole story about penguins called "Mr. Popper's Penguins." I am, however, a little overwhelmed at the size of the Instructor's Guides and Study Guides. I'll definitely have to have some preparation time. So I put all the books together on our shelves, and here is a picture of Charlie's Home School study area:

The books along the bottom shelf are the History, Science, Read-Alouds and Readers along with the two Science Kits for experiments. The HUGE blue binder on the middle shelf is the History, LA, and Readers Instructor's Guide and Study Guides. Yikes! There is also a Science Guide. And the tubs hold our school supplies and the top holds all the workbooks- Bible, Handwriting, Math, Art, etc. I am actually anxious to get started. And we are already ahead- the very first Read-Aloud is "Charlotte's Web," which we read this summer.

In case you are interested in where Home School Curriculum comes from, ours came from Sonlight. It is Bible based and teaches History from Creation to the Fall of Rome. It teaches Creation Science and concentrates on "real life" books instead of textbooks. The student learns by reading about real-life places and people, and then incorperating such skills as Geography, Science, Grammar, Spelling, etc. It also concentrates on helping the student foster a love for reading by having the parents read books aloud to them as well as by having them read books themselves.

To this Core Curriculum, we have added Handwriting and Math that Sonlight recommends. The Handwriting is called "A Reason for Handwriting." It is manuscript handwriting based on the Scriptures. All the exercises involve writing Bible verses. And the Math curriculum is Horizons Math. It uses a spiral technique which builds on previous skills learned. Charlie already likes it because the pages are colored instead of the "white ones" he had at school.

Our Bible Curriculum consists of a few things. Sonlight has one called "Leading Little Ones to God." But along with that, we have purchased a few other things. They include a text from Bob Jones University called "A Father's Care," and a Baptist Catechism called "Truth and Grace" which we began last Fall. In addition to these I have collected a few Devotionals for boys.

Finally, Charlie loves to draw and color, so I am going to teach him art once a week or so. Our art book is "How to Teach Art to Children."

So that is our Curriculum in a nutshell. It includes History, Science Language Arts, Reading, Math, Art, and Bible. Iwill also post these in a sidebar soon. I know it seems like a lot, but each day may only consist of a few hours total of school time. And not every subject is done every day. So it is a learning experience for all and I will take you on the ride with us. Enjoy!

Keep on Keepin' On...

So today, I'm supposed to do what I've already done. Well, I already gave you the update on my sink from last night. And it is now 3:45PM and I am still not dressed. I can partially blame that on my Sweet Caroline who decided to awaken to be nursed about every 2-3 hours last night. She hasn't done this since about 5 weeks of age. So hopefully it is a fluke. But I didn't have anywhere to go today, and those two things together didn't make a very good combo. Tomorrow is another day.

Happy Birthday to my Big Bro!

Happy 39th Birthday to my Big Brother!

When I think of my brother, Mick, I think of lots of great things. He makes me laugh and always has, he loves to tease me (especially when he and Dave are together- I don't stand a chance!), he has one of the loudest laughs I know, and he is a great father and husband. I think of pulling fingers, arm farts, a beer on the back patio, trumpet playing, country music, Mickey Mantle, and Stretch Armstrong. He is a computer genius, a weather junkie, a coach, and a "smart great guy." I think of crying the night he went away to college, and the day he drove all the way to Nocona when I was in labor with my first child. I think of him walking his son down the aisle in a wagon at my wedding, and the pictures of him and his daughter going to the father-daughter dance. but I think my favorite thing to think of is his nickname for me. It is one of the things I love the most about him- how I feel when he uses it. So here's to you, Mick- Happy Birthday!

Love,

Half-Pint

FlyBaby- Day 2

So Day 2 for us FlyBabies challenges us to get dressed all the way to our shoes. Yikes! First of all, I hardly ever wear shoes in my house. Second of all, and most importantly, I MUST have my breakfast and coffee before getting dressed and ready for the day (Except on Sundays when schedule and 3 kids to get ready for church all by myself force me to switch the order). And third of all, there are days when I am lucky to even get a shower, much less get dressed to my shoes! Plus, this is supposed to include make-up and hair. Now she's really pushing it! But, FlyLady has a plan for getting me more organized and I'm guessing more productive, so I must at least put forth the effort. I think I will ammend this challenge to read, "Get dressed to presentable by lunch." Or soon, "Get dressed to presentable by school time." I'll let you know how it goes.

Update on Shiny Sinks:

FlyLady hit the nail right on the head with this one. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to come into the kitchen this morning. I think it really smiled at me! Even though it was 11:00 last night, I made sure the dishes were in the dishwasher, the counters were clean and everything was in it's place before I went to bed. My mother always told me this "shiny sink" concept was important, but for some reason I never listened. (Sorry, Mom! I'm actually just now catching on to leaving everything cleaned up when I leave the house for a trip!) So last night I did it and this morning, it paid off. However, it didn't last very long. Tonight I couldn't empty the sink because I had forgotten to run the dishwasher today. So everything is at least rinsed, trash is in the trash, things are put away, and the dishwasher is running. But I have a not-so-shiny sink. Oh, well. Baby steps!

Shiny Sinks

I am now a FlyBaby. "What is that?" you ask. Well, I have made an attempt to begin organizing my home. Yes, I have made these attempts before and it never lasted. And this attempt may not either, but I'm doing it anyway. So I have found two wonderful websites for organizing. The first one is FlyLady. (More on the other one another time.) You may have heard of her. She creates lists of things that will help you get on the road to organizing and cleaning your home. So, I have joined and will get daily reminders and tips from her. As a new member, I am a FlyBaby. And I have Beginner Baby Steps that will help me get started. The first one is "Go shine your sink." Now, I admit that I am horrible at keeping the kitchen sink clear of dishes. It is one of my downfalls. Most of the time, I wait until the next day to get the dinner dishes in the dishwasher because I am just too tired after dinner. Not to mention that often the dishes will stay in the sink for more than one day (exactly how many I refuse to say!). So, here is my commitment- to myself, to my family, and to you (so hold me accountable!)- I will not go to bed at night until my sink is shining. That way, I can wake up to a smile in the morning!!