Letters From the Teefer

The Big Exam is Over!!!

2011-02-24T21:30:00.003-06:00

LSAT - fall 2005
My father passes away - fall 2005
U of H Law - begins summer 2006
Third child born August 2006
Fourth child born June 2009
Law School Graduation - August 2010
MPRE exam - November 2010
Bar Exam - February 2011
Fifth child due - May 2011
Bar results available - May 2011

I am looking forward to getting to use our vacation time for vacation. Currently the spouse has negative vacation days because of the big exam, and he'll dip into the negative again when this next baby boy is born. I am not discouraged about that though. The fact that he can now attend the Cub Scout meetings, help with some evening/weekend activities, and babysit when I am ready to run again is HUGE!!!!

Life Upate

2011-02-09T23:48:00.003-06:00

Seeing as how I have this blog I never post on, I thought I'd put out a few unintelligible utterings about some of what is going on.

Baby boy due May 9th - Yes, that makes 5.
Bar Exam for spouse on Feb. 22-24 - life has slammed to a halt b/c of this
Ceasing canoeing classes while son's asthma is not liking the cold
Playing the role of science teacher for a coop - Feb. is electricity
Quickly earning Johnny's Bear badge this month
(We missed a lot fo Cub scout meetings due to wrestling practice, and
we've had quite a bit to make up.)
Selling Girl Scout cookies
Jessica and Julia still dancing - ballet and hiphop respectively
CCE classes/homeschool PE classes
One computer crashed, and
another computer physically crashed by a 20 mo. old
Still playing the part of food allergy chef
I predict John's zombie car is holding out until John's last exam is complete to RIP. If it makes it into the driveway after that exam, it proves that miracles really do come true. :)

BTW - Our citrus trees I planted produced well this year. I'll try not to wipe that green speck off of my thumb. The squirrels ran off with our beautiful pecans though.

Pain

2010-06-17T22:20:00.003-05:00

I came down with a nasty staff infection recently. I've been in pain all week. Last night I was tearing up in agony. The staff infection abscessed, and the doctor had to lance it. Thinking that the abscess was larger than it was, the doc didn't administer any pain killer. @%$&! The pain had me shaking for at least 10 minutes afterwards and shook me up for much longer than that. I do not wish to describe the lancing procedure here as the experience will haunt me for some time to come. I am feeling considerably better after the procedure though. Now I need to gather my courage. I have to go back again tomorrow. Hopefully there won't be anymore cutting.

Spaghetti Fun

2010-01-15T16:11:00.004-06:00

Top - James's first spaghetti dinner.

Bottom - The instant before a black hole is formed.

I enjoy the spaghetti fun. Spaghetti is just one of those dinners where I don't mind all the mess even though I am dining alone with four children. I must confess that I am tempted to sling some cooled spaghetti across the table at my offspring for the sake of harmless fun, but I don't. My middle two children normally display some pretty rotten table manners and wouldn't be able to differentiate when it is and isn't okay to act this way. At many mealtimes I just have to leave the room and tell them I can't bear to look and just let me know if anyone is choking. Unfortunately for my sophisticated eldest child, she still has to eat at the kids' table with those noodle-heads.

Quick Compliment to My Library

2009-10-04T22:10:00.004-05:00

One of the few places where I don't mind paying a late fee is the library. - Please no jokes about 10 cent fees. I've got quite a tab running that I am not willing to confess. (chagrin)

I Love Him

2009-09-13T20:30:00.003-05:00

Preschool is Unnecessary

2009-08-31T23:31:00.003-05:00

Okay, I'll confess that when I first moved to this house, I had my first two kids in Mothers Day Out two days a week. I knew nobody here and I wasn't aware of any play groups or homeschool groups. I didn't think homeschool groups really kicked in until you actually missed the school bus. I promptly removed my kids from MDO when I found a homeschool group to play with. Enough said about that.

Don't pay for preschool. It isn't worth it. Find a play group/homeschool group or whatever to meet others at the park. Your kid will actually get more time on the playground this way rather than being trained to mimic an older school age child at 2,3, & 4.

To teach your kid to count play Hide and Seek and Chutes and Ladders. Easy enough. You can count just about anything with your child too. Also if the TV must come on, put it on Sesame Street.

For colors talk about rainbows and jelly beans and play Candyland. Ask what color crayon they want to color with or what color shirt he wants to wear. My third child required no intentional color training at all. (She also indirectly learned the Sanctus prayer in Latin without my having "taught" her.)

For writing first let them scribble all over the lines on a coloring sheet over and over again. Then take notice when they draw an intentional - you'll know the difference - kind of "line". Have them draw lots of these almost-lines for rain or just to play. When they get the almost line, try some easy dot-to-dots with those numbers they know. Eventually you get to tracing, stick figures, and then the letters and numbers!!!

For the alphabet. Sing the song. Again and Again. Draw letters with sidewalk chalk. Ask what different letters are in the title of a book. Read, read, read, and read and make it fun. Have books to play with that are easily digestable as these also have to pass. lol Make letter pancakes and eat them into other letters. B to P to l. Or O to C. M and W can turn into V then if you eat it just right, you can get an 'i' out of it.

That is preschool and with enough reading they'll be reading before kindergarten.

August 13, 2009

2009-08-13T16:55:00.003-05:00

Whew! Exams ended; $ has come in; the car is working; I've spent time with adults; my will-power is returning; and the house is CLEAN - very clean! Sure there are other problems I don't divulge on the blog, but I am very well.

The Boo is three today. 3! My husband has been in law school her whole life, but he should be finished a few days before she turns 4. Tonight we are going to keep the house clean and eat out. Birthday girl picks where and there is much to celebrate.

Living on the Edge

2009-08-05T19:58:00.003-05:00

Mortgage payment goes out tomorrow and we are going to make it as usual but really cutting it close there... too close. Law school tuition kills me. If my husband didn't have the GI Bill he would get all of his tuition money up front via the Hazelwood Act, but thanks to his GI Bill 'benefit' that he earned Hazelwood won't pay out until the GI Bill does its part and we end up paying interest on a loan for tuition that is supposed to be covered.

Our other benefit... our FSA hasn't reimbursed me for the birth of my son. We are sending in paperwork again. Is this the third or fourth time? I don't know, but it would be nice to get my money back that I should have received a while ago. Because everything is all convoluted, I will send my midwifery receipts to my medical insurance instead of the FSA. The medical insurance will cover nothing of course (don't get me started on Obama's plan) and automatically kick my claim over to the FSA which should - if they are feeling nice at the moment - reimburse me.

Pardon my tone but I'm feeling trapped. My van doesn't run well these days and I've been trapped at home with 4 kids with very little cash. It is exam week for the husband too. Really, what husband? My feeling is similar to having jeans on that are way too tight while I'm bloated; they stick even more cause they're wet; I can't get them off; and I'm having trouble breathing.

Sweet Baby James

2009-06-21T10:21:00.006-05:00

Baby James was born at home on June 2, 2009 at 11:04 p.m. weighing in at 9 pounds and 9 ounces and measuring 22 inches long! Woo hoo! That is a big one!

Unlike the time when we delivered Julia at 10 till 6 am and immediately fell asleep exhausted, we stayed up and celebrated a little while this time. I wasn't up all night laboring this time and so I was up for it. The night was still young and the rest of the kids were next door. So why not? John brought out some crystal wine glasses with grape juice. The midwife, her assistant, John, and myself had a toast and celebrated the new baby. Afterward the baby and I had a candle light herbal bath together. The midwife recommended that I lay the baby back until his ears were just under the water. So I gave it a try and it was amazing! The crying baby completely quieted and relaxed with his legs spread out floating on my left hand. It was an experience I am glad I didn't miss.

Look who is a big sister now!

The next morning the three older siblings filed into the bedroom quietly and walked around to the side of my bed to get a look at their new baby brother. They were so quiet, careful, and excited with large smiles on their faces. Little Julia finally broke the silence and asked, "Is that baby James?" I was glad to finally tell her yes. For little Julia the pregnancy must have felt like eternity. I know it did for me at times. Whew! Now we can start the path to a new normal. I won't have to be sidelined for dodgeball games much longer.

The Baby Countdown

2009-05-27T10:24:00.005-05:00

Some quick updates... Baby James is due in five days (the first day my spouse returns to classes for summer school). I tend to run late though. Jessica was born on her due date; Johnny was two days late; Julia was seven days late. The trend is for each child to be born later and later. I hope not. Sleep is eluding me.

Diet this pregnancy has been quite an ordeal. Every day I take 1 prenatal vitamin 4 times a day with food and one fish oil tablet. I've been trying to ensure that the foods I eat are high and iron and then I need to eat vitamin C to absorb the iron. I've also got to get in a yogurt with acidopholis and cranberry juice each day to help to stave off the Strep B infection women get tested for during prenancy. And yes just a few days ago I came up NEGATIVE for Strep B! I had never tried a diet to stave off this infection before and in this test case, it has worked. No antibiotics for me this labor! In the meantime, I feel like a total pig cramming all these foods in me and then trying to eat something different.

Better Now

2009-04-19T12:22:00.005-05:00

Whew! It is over. I just survived a week of kid illness. I can now escape my cabin fever, go on with life, and be a little more compassionate to other moms with sick children.

My youngest only 2 was the most severely afflicted being sick for 6 days with a nasty stomach bug. At 2 a child is not able to alert you in time to let you know she needs the barf bucket. This is rather unfortunate as I spent an hour and a half in the pediatricians waiting room Wednesday wearing barf all over me. Next time I'll know to bring a change of clothes for me too. BTW - if your kid has a nasty bug, don't bother with the pediatrician unless the child needs an IV b/c of dehydration. The $30 copay, the child screaming in pain that it wants to go home, and the barf you wear all over you for the long wait isn't worth it. I knew better, but I was really hoping for some pain relief for the childs ongoing stomach cramping - no help there for us.

I also ran out of laundry detergent prematurely due to all the extra sick laundry and getting to the store for refills on Gatorade and sick child food was difficult. My husband isn't around much as he has final exams, presentations, and reports coming up. At least he had the sense to spend some time with his kids he hardly sees one Thursday night rather than go for drinks and appetizers with his law class after class. That would not have gone over well this week. I would have responded with biowarfare.

I have omitted a lot of gory details. I'm sure the moms reading this post are well aware of just how disgusting these illnesses can be. Children just do not know how to handle - or should I say not handle - barf and other excrements. For those that don't understand, go kiss your mom that she let you live. :P

Sleepy

2009-03-29T18:01:00.002-05:00

I've been rather idle lately and quite hard on myself about it. 31 weeks pregnant with three kids - one being a two year old - is a decent reason to be exhausted, but UGGH! Well I finally got some bloodwork back and found out that I am severely anemic. Any lower of an iron count and I wouldn't be allowed to have a home birth. Okay, so there is also a physiological reason for this affliction of indolence. Apparently my large bowls of Cheerios in the morning coupled with at least half of the prenatal vitamins I'm supposed to take doesn't provide enough iron for this non-red-meat-eater.

Solution: I'm adding a can of spinach a day to the diet and making sure I get all the nasty vitamins down.

In the meantime, I'm going to go lay down while the kiddos shred the house. :)

A Repost

2009-02-08T10:31:00.003-06:00

"It is a fact that stepchildren are sixty-five times more likely to die than children living with their true parents, and it is inescapable that young children often have a terror of new stepfathers that is hard to overcome." - source The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature by Matt Ridley

This is a repost. I felt compelled to repost this since I've been hearing entirely too much abuse coming about from step fathers and step mothers lately... including the little boy two doors down from me.

Burdensome Laws

2009-02-04T07:42:00.004-06:00

Fortunately there is a voice against the insanity of the Comsumer Product Safety Act http://demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=JimsJournal.Detail&Blog_ID=295d58b2-b6fe-c446-1432-24b6199424ed (I'm not endorsing this guy, but in this case he is alright.), but I fear eventually we are all just screwed. Congress is going to keep making laws. Inevitably we will have no choices anymore. (Yes I am sounding a bit fatalistic today. I'll snap out of it.) Besides large companies taking complete control of the children's market... Legislation is often up for consideration for doctors to control midwifery, schools to control home educated students, or the dietician's association to control all nutrition advice. This list of potential takeovers is obviously not comprehensive.

And then there are bailouts. I'm still on the subject of burdensome aren't I? Schools that should have died a long time ago have been consistently bailed out by infusions of tax payer cash. Too many adults livelihoods rely on schools for there to ever be any real education reform or for schools to ever be allowed to die. Now the government has moved this practice to the private sector. Sick. These guys should not be allowed to play with money or make laws.

Birthday Done Right

2009-01-21T00:13:00.002-06:00

We celebrated Johnny's 7th birthday this past weekend. We had a handful of our homeschool friends, a cousin, and some neighborhood kiddos over to celebrate. It was a very good day.

We didn't erupt a volcano cake this year. No tornado cake was requested. No birthday cake disasters of any kind were asked for. Johnny simply requested allergen-friendly Namaste spice cake with milk-free cream cheese frosting. A favorite of his and very yummy for nonallergic people too.

I want to share a couple of helpful party ideas for the parents that are tired of the child birthday party excesses. My first idea is the nerf-dart-gun-war. We asked guests to bring their own nerf dart guns with protective eyewear if they had them and any extra guns they could share for children that might not have one. We supplied the nerf dart ammunition. The kids and some adults then split into two teams and had a dodgeball style nerf-dart-gun-war. I officiated which basically means I sent kids and adults back into the game in a timely manner. We also played a variation where dodgeball and dodge-nerf-dart went on simultaneously. A good rule to include for either type of war is that if a person gets hit in the head that he is not out. I now bid a delightful farewell to the moonwalk.

My other idea which worked great was to not give out party favors. Not a single kid asked for them. Party favors are landfill pure and simple. I'd rather wipe my butt with the cash than buy the party favors. At least then the money would have served a useful purpose.

What Happened to the "Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness?"

2009-01-13T07:49:00.005-06:00

http://www.cpsc.gov/ABOUT/Cpsia/cpsia.HTML

Thanks to the recent toy safety scares originating from China, we now have the new Comsumer Product Safety Improvement Act to look forward to. I'm sure corporate America is loving it, because it pretty much rids our society of small businesses that make toys for a living. Small businesses that live here in the USA! As of Februay 10, 2009 friends can no longer make and sell toys for children because they cannot afford the testing to make sure the toys are safe. There is a lot of confusion just how far this Act will go. Will this affect clothing? Will this affect the resale of toys or clothing? Will this affect collectible items that might be construed as a toy?

This is just crazy. I am clueless when it comes to the law, but ridiculous is pretty easy for me to detect. I went recently to a Natural Foods store and asked if they would be interested in selling a unique Valentines product my kids and I were going to make. The store representative said he would love to, but they had already tried to sell a product from a local resident recently. The Friendswood police Department made them remove it off the shelves. I really don't know what laws came into play there. Apparently the kids and I can still try selling at a farmers market. Thankfully we aren't making toys.

Would it be stretching it to say that our laws are made such that the people that are already in power will stay in power? Shouldn't "Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness" include trying to make a living and being free from excessively burdensome laws?

Update on Last Post

2009-01-10T07:51:00.002-06:00

It looks like the Wiki-post is going to be rescued now. Before there was a statement indicating that the post might ought to be in Wikisource or under the topic of standardized test in addition to the possible use of copyrighted material without authorization.

The Bartleby Project

2009-01-09T08:52:00.010-06:00

The Bartleby Project is being considered for deletion on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bartleby_Project
On page 193 of Weapons of Mass Instruction, the author John Taylor Gatto gives expressed permission to use his afterword about the Bartleby Project on the internet. The only stipulations are that his work must remain uncut and free. I am curious to see what happens to the posting of his afterword on Wikipedia.

My quick summary of what it is... The Bartleby Project is a grassroots effort where students refuse to participate in practices for and take standardized tests. When handed an examination, the student is to say, "I prefer not to take your test." A similar unexpected statement of freewill "I prefer not to" is exercised by the character Bartleby in Herman Melville's Bartleby the Shrivener. Students participating in the Bartelby Project are to refuse standardized tests and the practices for them in a passive manner yet with resistance to threats and other scare tactics.

Good luck kids!

Book and Reflection

2008-12-30T15:23:00.004-06:00

I've started reading a new book titled Weapons of Mass Instruction by John Taylor Gatto. A much better read than his Underground History of American Education book. This is by the same author that wrote and coined the term Dumbing Us Down.

There are numerous points to comment on. I'll mention some. (I don't want to type much, and I still need to finish the book.) I am very interested in what Gatto has called an open source education. It is an education where the child learns by feedback/trial-and-error through apprenticeship and experiences. Gatto believes genius is as common as dirt, but our Prussian-derived schools serve to suppress it. We can all be producers, but it is better for corporations if we are consumers due to fear of overproduction. Schools lock up the energy that once made this great nation. Not long ago 13 was mature, and the term 'adolesence' didn't exist until the 20th century. This label served to extend childhood longer. It goes on and on and on. He cites sources along the way. I love reading about all the successful businessmen/politicians that didn't finish elementary, high school, or college. There are a lot of them. They learned through an open source education and not a bunch of unconnected dots that the schools offer.

(Here is where I sensored my reflections on my own educational experiences. I deleted quite a bit, but typing it was helpful.)

I have run out of time. Hopefully this made sense. I haven't finished the book yet, but even my two year-old won't stop me.

I give the book two thumbs up.

What Should I Get Him for Christmas?

2008-12-13T21:58:00.010-06:00

Would it be an unrecoverable breach of etiquette for me to just stop buying people the crap for Christmas? Ugh. I've gotta somehow find time to shop with little resources for various people. I try to make the gifts as thoughtful as possible, but it still amounts to crap. I mean it isn't like these people don't have the same stores around them. Had I traveled somewhere cool, I would've picked them up something.

I know it would be rude of me to not give my spouse something. So I've posted my question...

(If the poll doesn't work, I'll fix it. Apologies in advance if so. Scroll down just a little to get to it.)

70

2008-10-15T17:27:00.003-05:00

My mom and her twin brother turn 70 this Thursday. We had a party celebrating the event at my house this last weekend.

Amazingly enough, everyone managed to get along for the duration of the party. I don't think it would be stretching it to say they had a good time.

I think my uncle was appreciative after just having survived through a really nasty car wreck. I think he'd like to have another family gathering in the not-too-distant future. That is fine with me, but it is someone else's turn to host. :)

No Title

2008-09-29T22:39:00.006-05:00

A lot of big things have been going down lately. I'm trying to put things in perspective though. I'm not talking about the woes of the hurricane. Fortunately, the hurricane was nothing but another annoyance in the shuffle of life in my world.

I've gotten pretty good about parsing out what I can understandably be miffed about and what I can let slide off of my invisible shielding of Pam - and no that glowing sheen you see on me isn't from not having showered (lol). Long inhale. For the things in my life that bother me though, I am beginning to recognize an insidious cause to my own sufferings. My own internal struggles of how to view the world and happiness - a sort of identity crisis I guess - probably accounts for the majority of my anguish. So in a sense I am causing my own problems more so than the 'problems'. Okay that made no sense. And for those of you that that made sense to, may I dedicate to you the first song on the Purple Rain album. Cheers.

Aside - My dsl connection has been quite temperamental lately, so the blog has taken the back seat in my connection time.

When Cats are Better Than Dogs and also Gas Masks for Jogging? - Preparing for the Mosquito Truck

2008-08-27T21:52:00.008-05:00

I love it when I see a cat while I am out running. Cat = No loose dog. Yes I encountered another large canine again tonight. Thankfully he was feeding on a banquet of trash which distracted him enough for me to quietly turn and jog the other way.

Loose dogs concern me. My right hamstring made a nice looking chop for the loving family mutt of a family 5 doors down a few years back. After that incident the dog later growled at me while the owner, which fortunately was outside with the dog this time, called out to me "Don't worry she doesn't bite!" - This was after I had talked to that same person about having gotten bitten by her dog. In another vicious attack one late night, I maced the dog. I informed the owner that I was going to have the dog picked up if I saw it out again and she was 'shocked'.

In another incident the mailman couldn't deliver mail due to another loose hostile 100 pounder pet. The mailman shadowed me with his mail truck so I wouldn't get mauled. I called animal control on that creature, because the beast was loose when kids were about to be walking home from school - and because it was the right thing to do.

I could keep going, but I am tired of writing about loose dogs. Note to all dog owners - Joggers look like prey to the loving furry family pooches. There are no gaurantees the dog isn't going to bite unless his teeth have been pulled. The family pooch often takes on the form of a fiendish attacking, teeth-barring, snarling beast when I run by.

Maybe on another posting I'll write about another jogger's nightmare - The Mosqito Truck!!! Oh heck I'll keep typing. ...The feeling one gets when they detect the high buzz of the Mosquito Truck in the distance while a mile from home is of pure chilling doom. There is nothing that can be done. The Mosqito Truck races through neighborhood streets at speeds faster than a UPS man. It is no use. I inhale deeply before it passes. The Truck zooms by, and I try desperately to my hold breath for another mile until finally succumbing to the urge to breathe.
The End.

Tennis Anyone?

2008-08-25T19:06:00.002-05:00

The older two in my brood are taking tennis lessons this school year. They seem to have good builds for the sport, and the lessons occur on Mondays freeing up the weekends that are usually swallowed up by youth sports.

I was impressed with the tennis coach. He had a very upbeat personality and did a great job keeping the zoo on the court engaged. It was a worthy investment of time and money.

http://www.chadwelltennis.com/pages/index.cfm?siteid=3855

A Barber too

2008-08-25T18:55:00.002-05:00

I am a volunteer multitasker by occupation, but one more to add to my list of skills(?) is barber. I gave my husband a haircut, so we could pocket the $11. It was the first time I ever used the clippers. Not bad for a few minutes of work. I did a pretty good job too. He's come home with much worse paid-for haircuts before.

Today's Run

2008-08-20T23:31:00.004-05:00

Workouts get boring, so I decided to change up the running routine with biking at the gym with the bikes that have the cool tvs on them or attend aerobics classes with a number of other people and follow a silly routine. While the change has been nice, I've been really edgy lately too. My mind had had it.

So I went running for the first time in a while today. I ran the first half mile lap and started wondering why I am doing 'this' again. When I got to lap four though I started to consider running more than the standard six laps. I was feeling alright and my mind was clearing up. I didn't have a toddler tugging at my shirt, a Johnny breaking anything, a Jessica voicing her concerns, or a dog eating the state of Kentucky from the USA puzzle. I didn't have to keep track of any wierd aerobics routine or listen to FOX or CNN mumble on about crap on my exercise bike. It was just me. So I kept running. I started thinking about so many things and had a clarity I hadn't experienced in a while and so I ran another lap. That lap was easy, so I ran another lap. Huh, I guess I need to pay a little attention b/c I'm around again! 10 laps - the first 6 b/c I had to out of my own requirements, but after the first 4, it was easy. I felt quite peaceful; the slight tightening in my forehead was gone; and I got to process matters in my mind. It was wonderful!

I Just Can't Do It

2008-08-19T21:04:00.002-05:00

I can't make the break. Despite what the national organization is doing and despite the council I recieved by two people whos advice I value, I've got to keep my kiddo with her Brownies. The mamas that run this troop are too cool to not be able to work with and Jessica's not being a part of it would just be wrong. This is doable. It is certainly is not the fault of our local leaders or the girls. If I do my parenting right, Jessica may never even experience any of what this fuss is about.

No Cute Picture

2008-08-15T22:40:00.006-05:00

I'm having to make a parental decision that breaks my heart. My daughter is a Brownie; she loves it. In the past I've had only mild reservations about it. The Girl Scout website and other materials often have ' Girl Power', 'Girls Rule', and of course shopping slogans for the Girl Scout store. I know certain councils have had entanglements with inappropriate organizations, but not our council. I know that the cookie money might overfund the top leadership depending on your point of view. I also dislike having my daughter sell cookies with ingredients I know are harmful to an already 'large' population. These were just my past reservations that I was willing to put up with and discuss with my daughter.

With the release of the new Journeys book this past week that the Girl Scouts will now have to follow, we will likely have to jump ship. My family hasn't changed, but the Girl Scout direction has. The line has been crossed. Unfortunately, the new Girl Scout direction seems more self-serving and agenda-oriented.

We are attending a meeting for the American Heritage Girls with other former Brownies and Girl Scouts next week. I think it will go well, but I always hate these splits.

I'd rather post a cute picture.

She's 2

2008-08-10T11:18:00.006-05:00

Well not yet. She'll be two on Wednesday. We celebrated while some cousins were in town and her daddy wasn't taking an exam. John has his final on Julia's actual birthday. We will manage something festive on her birthday too, but we are keeping the younger birthdays to just family.

This party consisted of natural hot dogs (how can a hot dog be natural???), chips, cake , and ice cream at home with a trip to the water playground and splash park at the YMCA in League City. The water playground is an impressive area. It is a little excessive as is most everything aimed at kids, but a good time was had by all.

Another of my cake creations... Behind Julia's cousin's head in the picture is a toy engine leading the zoo train I made. The cars are just mini loaves - all allergen friendly for Johnny - with the Little People zoo animals on them. Pretty cool. BTW - The Namaste brand spice cake mix is very yummy and allergen friendly to almost everyone I know. It worked great in the mini loaf pans too. Applesauce can be substituted for eggs the mix calls for if need be. Aside - I swear I am going to open a restaurant with natural allergen-free friendly foods one day in a giant yurt... if I can ever get these kids to grow up!!! lol

Filling the Void

2008-07-28T19:59:00.003-05:00

"I've got a hole. Got a hole. Got a hole in the middle of my bathroom W - A - L - L !!!"

I no longer sing that tune while applying my ladies speed stick. 5 years after the creation of that hole (and total destruction of my bathroom), my husband has finally crammed a new medicine cabinet in the hole, and he has vowed to NOT rip out any more of the house. The bathroom itself only became operational within the last year. John finally got a move on it when I decided to turn it into a library. My house is small. It would have been worthy use of space.

I usually find it distasteful to gripe about my husband on the blog knowing that people we know might be reading. This isn't so much of a gripe. It is an update on progress or lack thereof as most have been to my house, most notice what is missing, and most understand this is truly a joyous occasion.

To be continued... I haven't had baseboards in years. A frame around a door is still missing. I think that is all ... well besides a few bathroom fixtures, but those don't stick out so much ...and the upside down back door... let us not go there.

35 and other stuff

2008-07-22T09:38:00.007-05:00

I turned 35 last Thursday and we observed the big moment this past Saturday night. We began the big occasion with taco salads. Then the kiddos and my husband gave me a special picture frame filled with pictures. Each picture had them making a letter with their bodies Sesame Street-style spelling out WE LOVE YOU!! Pretty cute! The first exclamation point they made was particularly funny. The baby was hanging from some male hand from nowhere and Johnny was huddled down as the dot. The baby hanging there just made me laugh. Our cool trampoline champion babysitter (some of you know who that is) came over and we had strawberry shortcake for birthday cake. (I was going to make my favorite carrot cake, but I didn't have time to make it. )

Then off on a date we went. With time to spare before the show we hit Whole Foods. I just had to know if a soy Whipped Cream has been invented yet, because Johnny had to have soy ice cream instead of whipped cream in his shortcake. We were happy to find that Whole Foods now carries the squirting kind of whipped cream in soy. I am going back there later this week and picking up a couple of bottles. If Johnny uses this whipped cream like he uses ketchup, I better get a lot more than that. I figure he'll finish the first bottle rather quickly and after he has his fun, I'll still have another bottle. :)

Now to the real destination... I of course chose to revisit the Radio Music Theatre http://www.radiomusictheatre.com/. We watched a spoof called 'Electile' Dysfunction. We laughed and had a great time. It was great to enjoy a show that didn't have a slant. They made fun of everybody. It was great. Had I been drinking, I would have snarfed my drink.

My Flower - I guess

2008-07-15T00:02:00.002-05:00

I am an
Echinacea

What Flower
Are You?

"You are a health conscious person, both your health and the health of others. You know all about the health benefits and dangers of the world around you."

It does kind of fit, doesn't it? I am what I am I guess.

VBS

2008-07-13T20:41:00.003-05:00

I signed my kids up for my husband's church's VBS (Vacation Bible School). I was assured upon registering that so-and-so would handle my son's allergy medicines if he should need them. They would also email me a list of what is going to be served as snack, so I can bring my son a comparable 'safe' something to eat.

I've copied the list of snacks exactly from the email. I have removed the names of any of the guilty parties.

Day 1 Thankful Face Cookie - is a large sugar cookie and they will put frosting on it and then use 3 m&m's for the eyes and nose and then a candy orange slice for the mouth. And then usually we have Country Time lemonade or water for the drink.

Day 2 Mucky Mud - is a pre-packaged chocolate pudding and they will crush two vanilla waffers and put on top.

Day 3 Sink-or-Floats - will be a scoop of vanilla ice cream, grape soda and a cherry on top.

Day 4 Infinity For Me - 6 ritz crackers and squirt cheese. They will be layed out in a cross shape and then a string of cheese across all of the crackers.

Day 5 Faith-on-Fire Fruit - a small scoop of whipped topping with 3m&m's for eyes and nose and then bright colored fruit for hair.

Did the kids ask for this? YUCK! My 8 year old daughter took a look at the list and made a yucky face. I didn't bring my son a comparable snack. I brought my son and daughter fresh fruit to eat for snack every day. I feel sorry for the other kids that had these foods pushed on them. A good number of them clearly did not need fattening food. On the last day of VBS a plastic baggy was sent home with my daughter full of candy. Why?

Anyway, so we show up to the first day early as told to do in order to explain Johnny's emergency action plan to the designated lady. Her reply. "I'm really not suppose to give him any medicine,...... but I guess if he really needs it." My thoughts, "I really shouldn't kick your a$$, ....... but since you really need it." Then she says, "Can't you stay?" Fortunately there was another lady there taking it in that looked capable of being able to read and comprehend a simple emergency action plan.

Thankfully the kids had fun and want to go back again next year.... with the same snacks I sent. Mission accomplished.

Light Bulbs

2008-07-08T13:37:00.000-05:00

http://youtube.com/watch?v=e-LOtKIIKcg

Another bright idea. (Sarcasm)

I Heard Oinking in the Sky

2008-07-07T23:19:00.002-05:00

Hell started storing ice cream this last weekend, and pigs have clearance for take off despite the dogs and cats raining from the sky. My husband who can now fly too..lol.. did the dishes!!! Alas. The clock strikes midnight, and I find my ride is now a pumpkin as John started school back up today.

I Have Allergies

2008-07-04T18:25:00.002-05:00

"I Have Allergies" is the slogan my son's allergist said Johnny should wear on his shirt anytime he is involved in group activities. Yes, we got the blood test back. The blood test that required A LOT of blood. NINE vials. I thought I was going to be sick myself. Anyway, the results were really good and really bad - hence the need for the shirt.

It seems my son has double and quadruple the allergy cell counts (depending on which kind) of a normal child. It may have been even worse than that if I could've heard the phone call from the doc better despite my best efforts to barricade myself in my bathroom away from the noisy kids. -Quick aside - I had locked my bedroom door and my bathroom door. The bedroom was an airlock between me and the kids and still the kids yelled and pounded and howled and frazzled my nerves as I tried my best to hear and understand the allergist on the phone. And people wonder why I am not a phone talker.- I will need to obtain a hard copy of the blood test results to go through while the children sleep.

What I do know from the phone call is that milk and peanut are still absolute no-nos. Too dangerous to try kind of results, but we are going to try some more of the tree nuts with some food challenges. A food challenge is when you try a food alone and wait and see if there are any reactions in a doctor's office. We need to food challenge hazel nuts, brazil nuts, and walnuts. We will also food challenge more fish perhaps at home as we have been successful with tuna and salmon. As for the shellfish, we may try to food challenge those at home, but I am a little nervous about it. Shellfish are related to dust mites (gross) and Johnny is horribly allergic to dust mites. His bed is covered in top of the line $$$ dust mite encasings, because the nightly hack-hack-hack-vomit had to stop. Anyway, his eating something similar to a giant dust mite tends to make me a little nervous.

The good news is that at 6 years old now, Johnny is growing out of some of these allergies. He is less allergic to a lot of foods other than the scary the milk and peanut allergies. Yet on the bright side, a peanut vaccine in the works is about 5 years out. The trials have been successful in even the most severely peanut allergic persons. As for the milk, we wait a little longer. 99% of children grow out their milk allergy by age ten. It has been noted that kids are holding on to their food allergies longer, so may it will be longer than age ten for Johnny especially since his milk allergy is so severe.

Picture Day

2008-06-15T11:25:00.002-05:00

These are just a few pictures we took at Helen's Garden in League City. I cannot say these are necessarily my favorites, but they might be. Jessica and Johnny took some really cute duo pics together, but I think these three are a good sample.

Typing with Speed Here about Arkansas

2008-05-21T10:02:00.004-05:00

Quick posting here. The kiddos are playing Battleship and the little one is running around the house with her sticky honey covered toast which means I have a moment to spare.

Sorry for the slide shows on the previous post which need to be cut down a little. I went ahead and threw them up there after spending way too much time on flickr.

The vacation was a blast. It was only a 7 hour drive to DeGray Lake State Park. The yurt we stayed in was fantastic. I don't recommend the hiking trails there, but there are plenty of different boats to rent with good fishing. We also went horseback riding and really enjoyed the campfire at the yurt at night roasting marshmallows and hotdogs. (The baby is no longer content but I'll keep typing.) There was a small drive to the Crater of Diamonds mine. The kids and John had fun, but the baby was rather unpleasant. I can't attest to the amount of fun, because I spent my time with a discontent baby.

Then on we went to Petit Jean State Park via a designated scenic drive where we really enjoyed the hiking trails. The Cedar Falls Trail down to the waterfall was a lot of fun and the waterfall was a little piece of heaven. If you ever go to Petit Jean, DO NOT stay in the teepees. The poorly constructed teepees are an insult to native Americans. The large hole in the top and some openings in the sides would not have protected us from the 5 inches of rain expected one night. We moved to a cabin instead and longed for our yurt.

The next two nights we spent in Hot Springs. We had a kitchenette and a great view of Lake Hamilton. Not far from Hot Springs are some crystal mines. Of course we like dirt, so we had to go. The kids came home with tons of crystals. My husband and I did too... :). Hot Springs was fun to walk around, fill up our water bottles, see the hot spring (most are capped now), and ride the Duck Tour. I'd really recommend the Duck Tour if you get the same tour guide we got. He was a little white haired hilarious former Coast Guard captain that really seen and heard it all and knew how to have fun with that. (Baby is really pressing me.)

This will have to do.

Day by Day Vacation Slide Shows

2008-05-19T17:00:00.007-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19937944@N08/sets/72157605149184010/show/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19937944@N08/sets/72157605153138603/show/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19937944@N08/sets/72157605149329502/show/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19937944@N08/sets/72157605149391304/show/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19937944@N08/sets/72157605149460974/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19937944@N08/sets/72157605149489074/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19937944@N08/sets/72157605149495242/

Mama Put Her Toys Away Early Tonight

2008-05-07T23:34:00.004-05:00

7:45 p.m. mom is on her bed. The kids are all in Johnny's room to go to sleep. I was informed that the baby had taken off her diaper again. I stay on my bed b/c there are times you have to just put the kids away for everyone's health. Mom is harried. Every last nerve has been poked at and frayed. The kids will continue to work on my nerves if I keep tending to them, so I don't.

The other adult that rarely resides here shows up and informs me that Johnny put the Boo's diaper back on. I think the kids finally realized there was something more going on with mommy when I didn't tend to their nightly emergencies. Their game of watch what we can make mommy do didn't work tonight.

Little Miss Babycakes hasn't been napping for me during the day. I put her in her crib earlier today for some not so quiet time hoping for a possible nap out of her. Jessica had a friend over at the time that doesn't have a baby in her home. The friend didn't take well to the baby screaming her head off. I explained as best I could how the baby needed to have rest time and didn't want to go to bed. The crying still upset the friend. It upset me too. Babycakes turned it up to full blast today.

Anyway, no nap from the Boo for the past few days plus a number of life stresses took out mommy today and the kids sensed it. It was good for them.

BTW - John is done with his finals.

First Communion

2008-05-04T21:02:00.004-05:00

Despite Johnny having hit her with a dirty wet mop beforehand, we got Jessica to the church with a white dress. Whew! The event was successful. Jessica didn't drop the host. We took a lot of nice pictures and had a reception at my home afterward. I prepared the reception food myself. We served white chili (my own recipe and John helped with the chili), vegetables with homemade hummus, grapes, and an allergen-free spice cross cake with extra cupcakes. The entire meal followed the GFCF (Gluten-free/Casein-free diet) except the beer. Not bad for our humble budget. We had thought of catering from Lupe Tortillas, but we'll think about that again after my husband finishes his law degree... and then we will still probably just make white chili with fancier paper bowls.

Monsanto - body without a soul

2008-05-02T16:13:00.002-05:00

Give this site a few seconds to load up.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/05/01/this-company-may-be-the-biggest-threat-to-your-future-health.aspx?source=nl

Yucky

2008-04-24T00:13:00.002-05:00

"Auuugh!" and a spraying, "thhhhhp! You used MY drinking glass for your experiment!!!" "hee hee hee (giggle giggle)" in the background. Thankfully the kids didn't use the rubbing alcohol ingredient this time. I got a taste of vinegar, water, organic concord grape juice, and dirty pennies. YUCK! Yes this was a bonafide water surface tension experiment I got a taste of. My husband laughed hysterically too after he sent the kids away. His cup is next. }:-)

Meditation

2008-04-12T22:21:00.002-05:00

For reasons undisclosed in this blog, I have decided to try meditating 5 minutes a day for at least five more days. Last night I closed myself in my son's room with the lights off and attempted feeling inside of myself an evening by the ocean complete with breezes and smells or the feeling of a great view from a mountain after having hiked for a number of hours. You get the point.

Being an unappreciated mom, during yesterday's meditation my partner and son felt no need to turn the volume of their Star Wars Xbox reenactment down while I try to achieve a level of solace in my soul. In today's mental exercise, my face was showered with the excess of water from another's hand washing. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Now I have no ill feeling towards my dear family. Family life naturally comes with a number of idiosyncrasies, and in turn mom's are allotted about as much clarity for thought as pigs are allotted wings for flight. I can get over it. In the meantime I will continue my daily meditations, and if I manage to train my brain to tune those clowns out, I'll be all the better for it.

A Little Funny ha ha

2008-04-04T21:47:00.003-05:00

The link below is a parody on the homeschooling ruling in California.

http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s2i31751

We are of the Teefer

2008-03-28T21:05:00.004-05:00

I am having one of those 'yellow school bus' semesters. When mommy feels like a caged animal enduring uncontrollable stressful stimuli, government sponsored daycare starts to sound really good. My issues against sending the kids to school are... it still would be 'school' the kids would be going to, and I've a baby to take care of anyway. But why am I complaining so much? I know plenty of moms that endure so much more than I.

I know a big part of the problem. While my children are well-socialized, I clearly am not receiving the amount of adult interaction and recreation I need. Couple this with the fact that my energy expenditures to educate and raise my children aren't valued or defined as 'work' and my own identity ceases to exist. There is no more, "Hi. My name is Tiffane." There is only, "We are of the Teefer", and until the kiddos fly on their own, I maintain an unshakable yet understandable identity crisis.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T17:06:00.001-05:00

Sunny Days

2008-03-19T23:17:00.000-05:00

The neighborhood Easter egg hunt - This is about as much of it as I got to see too. I was attending a baby shower for a sister-in-law, but I bet this was fun. This was Julia's first hunt, and Johnny trained her on what to do beforehand. At the end of the hunt, Julia netted three eggs in her basket. Way to go Boosky!

Finding a Mate

2008-03-15T23:06:00.000-05:00

No. We certainly weren't a match made in heaven. I will skip our rocky beginning. We each came with our own set of quirks. Quirks that sometimes make each other want to slide out of sight in the passenger seat of the minivan, or perhaps preplan a way to smoothly redirect a conversation at social gatherings, or even wonder inside, "Why am I here?".

But regardless of the entertaining imperfections, it is working. We certainly aren't suffering from any severe relationaship maladies of drug, alcohol, violence, infedelity, or porn abuse. His worst offenses may include staying up too late playing the Webkinz, some fashion and social deficiencies, and some more private matters that aren't for sharing, but hey I'm not complaining. I've got plenty of glaring quirks, but he is popping me popcorn right now anyway.

I like the quirks despite any relay from the media that you have to find 'perfect match'. Love isn't perfect here on Earth. Love requires having less than perfect vision and a lot of work. Seinfeld, George, and Elaine didn't know that. Those characters would shred a potential spouse's quirks apart. They got to be so cynical and mean that I couldn't even find their show funny anymore. Unfortunately I think that show had a huge impact on modern day thinking about love.

Tulips for Teefer

2008-03-06T21:13:00.000-06:00

I found a pleasant suprise at my doorstep the other day. A bouquet of pink tulips was lying there. 'How did these get here' I wonder. The little card that came with them had my name on it. I guess it wasn't a mistaken delivery after all. The inside read, "You're a great mom and are one of the most kind and decent people I know." Me? I brought them inside and my husband admitted he could not take credit for them. Wow! I have no idea who sent these.

Wonderwoman and Yoda

2008-03-05T17:02:00.000-06:00

What do Wonderwoman and Yoda have in common? Easy. They have both spent extensive time hanging around in trees. When I was a girl I threw a Wonderwoman action figure out my second-story window. She landed caught in the braches of the large tree in my front yard. It was kind of nice to have Wonderwoman herself watching over me during childhood.

History repeats itself. My darling son lauched Yoda riding something similar to a taun-taun into flight where Yoda has now become entangled in the large tree in my front yard.

8 Years Young

2008-03-05T13:19:00.000-06:00

My first born is 8 years young now. We had fun with it. We made another homemade pinata shaped like a flower with 5 pink petals. We had the tower of safe cupcakes and an overpriced moonwalk. My kids parties are their presents from us.

I have a hard time digesting that this is my smarter-than-I-am/beautiful/very-loving daughter and I've got to raise her for quite a number of years longer. I really hope I don't screw her up.

Freedom of Movement

2008-03-04T20:35:00.000-06:00

I believe it would be cruel to send my son to school. He is very active and NEEDS his freedom to roam and explore. So do a lot of boys (and girls). At a school he would hardly get the time he needs to just 'go'. He likely would get into trouble because of his extra energy in the classroom with whatever misbehavior extra energy might stem and miss recess... the very thing he would need. Some kiddos like the active boy two doors down get grounded for misbehaving in school and miss the playtime outside with their friends after school. Talk about deprivation. Anyway, as I have gotten smarter about punishments, I have found a punishment system that works wonderfully!!! PT! The extra energy is the very reason he gets into trouble in the first place, so why not help him expend some of it? Isn't that better than making him miss playtime?

My system is simple. There has to be a worse enforceable alternative to the PT the offender can choose should he not carry out his PT. So he can either choose a spanking or the PT. My son has chosen a spanking before only to change his mind right before receiving it. Spanking isn't such a bad punishment for a child either if used judiciously. For one he has the choice of another punishment. Two, always spank on the bottom. Three, never have the angry face red from the high blood pressure you get when your son p!sses you off while administering the spanking. Go to another room first and let your blood pressure return to normal. When your face looks like it could use a little blush, then it is safe to administer the spanking.

PT exercises are easy to come up with. For antagonizing his sister, maybe 10 to 15 squats will do coupled with an apology albeit insincere. For repeat offenses maybe a little more squats or some push-ups. For the most severe offenses, let the daddy administer a full 'crap-out' of whatever the muscle group of choice is for the day. lol We've only had one 'crap-out'. That was for intentionally inflicting pain on the family dog.

Another benefit of PT with the child's choice of a spanking alternative (as if) is that the punishment is over quickly. You can get over the offense and get on with your day. Grounding/missing recess/time-out tend to drag out a punishment. Let's just move on.

And what about time-out, since I mentioned it? If the kid has tons of uppity energy, don't try it... especially if he has to just sit or stand and do nothing. If he is cranky or overstimulated and needs a nap/downtime, he needs a quiet time in his room. Don't expect a little guy to 'sit' in time-out without getting into more trouble. That is inherently a bad idea and against the nature of a wiggle worm.

Instant Green Tea

2008-02-21T22:17:00.000-06:00

I never noticed it before walking through the store, but there it was with only one simple ingredient. Instant Green Tea!!! Cool! Now I don't have to wait forever heating the water and seeping the the tea through the tea bag. This process usually sends me back to drinking coffee which sends me back to drinking those nasty diet sodas. The switch to instant green tea over diet sodas should make me healthier.

So if I choose a healthier option, then I am likelier to be healthy, right? Isn't that a better way to be healthy than getting sick imbibing poor choices, going to the doctor, and taking medicines? Then why is there a push to increase medicine by nationalizing health care? Why do we want more of the same medical care when our country is so unhealthy? Why not look to populations where the people are healthy and living long healthy lives? What are they doing? What are they eating? Let us mimic these behaviors rather than punish ourselves with medicines, high costs, and illness.

I highly question the motivations of our politicians. Someone has a lot of money to gain by promoting medical care. Keep us sick. Throw me a burger and a remote. How about a McDonald's burger that has been entirely cloned from the burger right before it while I watch American Idle... pun intended. Gross.

Our national food standards are tainted by the food industry and so are our politicians. Even our nutritionists are propagating the problem by recommending the ill standards that were taught to them. And exercise? It was a beautiful evening tonight and I was the only one out running... again. I didn't even go late this time.

Where is that I've Got Sunshine posting anyway?

Hallelujah

2008-02-18T22:17:00.000-06:00

Woo hoo! He did it! My son is reading! He has gotten through in one sitting reading a book called What is a Wookiee? And he's done it 2 times! Oh the joy!

We have come a long way since the beginning of this school year. Sure he knew some words, but I felt as if we would never get beyond a Dr. Seuss book. Between my son's inability to stay still or focused for more than 3 seconds and my noisy toddler always moaning and demanding attention, I was about ready to send my head through a wall.

I think we will have to celebrate!

(Okay okay. I confess. Part of the problem was my own deficiencies at dealing with a hyperactive young boy. I went from teaching my perfectly studious honor-role-type sitting-up-straight daughter to a distracted energetic class-clown son.)

Note to self - I need to put my I've Got Sunshine Posting at the top of my blog again. It is so much nicer than the other stuff.

String of Burglaries

2008-02-14T23:02:00.000-06:00

There have been 12 burglaries in my area. Two on my street. One across the circle from me and one three doors down. Three of my neighbors are concerned about my house. There has been a suspicious white car seen scoping out the area. It was last seen scoping out my house. A neighbor across the way saw it in front of my house, had her boyfriend drive over, and the car immediately went away.

I've Got Sunshine

2008-02-09T23:30:00.000-06:00

Too cute!

A Sith attack by Darth Ridiculous.

The smile that sold 56 boxes of Girl Scout cookies on the 5th floor at the office.

Jedi training on Dagobah.

Beautiful day

The way it is.

The daily emptying of cabinets and bookshelves.

Visit at the in-laws house.

Homemade Death Star pinata

Homemade erupting Mustafar volcano cake

I'm Back!!!

2008-01-07T01:00:00.000-06:00

My husband's work-free/school-free vacation officially started December 22nd. That night we attended his corporate Christmas party and immediately fell ill following a very late night. It could have been worse. We could have ordered our vodka-laced beverages without the orange juice. Anyway, my husband was out with the flu which eventually hit the whole family and I started out with a nasty mastitis infection and then the flu two days later.

This flu was more malicious than any of the regular flus I remember contracting before. I had a fever for a week. Two days I had fever over 103 which would not relent at all with ibuprofen. Even after the worst of it and all the fevers, the whole family is still recovering.

Christmas break obviously didn't go as planned. After the flu hit, we were stuck at home for the duration. We remained humorously positive despite the cabin fever and all the plans we had to cancel. We finally did manage a trip to see the inlaws this past weekend after having to cancel on them 3 different times over Christmas break.

Christmas Eve was especially exhausting. I was getting sick with the flu and my oldest was too excited to sleep. I desperately needed to sleep and was about ready to explain away Santa Claus. Then the baby threw up all over herself, the crib, me, and anything else around. At 2 am I am giving the baby a bath, pulling out a portable crib, and cleaning myself up. My oldest did finally sleep and Santa 'REALLY' did get to come by.

Christmas day arrives. My oldest comes in at 4:07 am in the morning wanting to open presents. My husband and I feel HORRIBLE. "Please don't come back until the sun comes out" I tell her. After we open presents, my kids have the time of their lives playing video games all day with their new Star Wars plug n play games as mom and dad are very sick in bed. They don't realize the flu is soon to hit them too.... and it isn't any kinder to them.

It is over and we made it. Next work-free/school-free break we are heading to Arkansas for vacation. It is nice to have something like that to look forward to after this mess.

Christmas Mad LIb excerpts

2007-12-20T23:54:00.000-06:00

I'm up. Daddy's up. And baby makes three. Alrighty! I guess I'll type.

How about a few excerpts from my daughter's Christmas Mad Libs?

"What if I suddenly developed a red rash on my head? My friend Tiffane suggested picturing the audience as a bunch of dumb moms to make it easier."

" 'Tis the underwear to be burnt, Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la"

" The baby sisters were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that George W. Bush soon would be there. When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a warm sleigh and 15,000 dumb reindeer. With a little old driver, so stupid and quick, I knew in a moment it must be George W. Bush."

"For example, last year she wore... a sweatshirt with Santa's private on the front.... She also wore a snowflake pin with a flasing black light that played Santa Claus is coming to Alderan.... To top it all off, she tied bells to her bottom so she would jingle when she hit!"

Mommy vs. Babycakes

2007-12-20T01:25:00.000-06:00

I know this isn't world changing news, but I think I pulled a muscle tonight. How it happened is pretty depressing too. I was chasing the baby that had just dropped quite a bomb in her diaper when I finally caught up with her in the entry way. Excited at my prized acquisition I did a sudden lunge and the classic gentle baby swoop wrestling maneuver to the floor in the ready position. While performing this exercise which requires a large range-of-motion in only a moments time, a part of my quad shot sharp pain signals through my nervous system leaving me immobilized. Sensing my weakness Babycakes then tried to sieze the opportunity for a getaway despite the fact that her diaper was already coming off. Whew! I kept her down for the count and she was changed. I WIN!!!

Nails are Glue

2007-12-16T01:16:00.000-06:00

My husband and I went on a date. Yeah we really did! After having a lovely dinner with two other couples consisting of a liquid red Christmas ingestible that could have fueled a rocket booster, Italian salad, baked ziti, and marbled fudge bars with coffee (to help sober me back up), my husband and I ventured for a night in town. We landed at the Radio Music Theater and watched a slightly musical play called A Fertle Holiday. I laughed my a$$ off tonight harder than I have in a long time. The play consisted of 13 characters played by only three actors that successfully changed roles without affecting any of the timing.

The play reminded me of the older SNL 80s humor. One of the actors had created film shorts for SNL in the past and the Radio Music Theater had been featured on SNL too back in the 80s. It is difficult to find this kind of funny anymore. The play brought me back to another time when funny wasn't so hard to find.

"Nails are Glue" is just a line from the play that stands out which represents the bull$h!t we have all tried to pass over on relatives before.

Exercise Class

2007-12-14T01:35:00.000-06:00

I did something different today by going to an exercise class other than an abs class. My usual workout is getting boring, so I tried a class called 'boot camp'. I liked the fact that everything we did did not require you to follow a beat to music which is very different than most group exercise classes.

So why am I posting about this? What is the deal? One of the things we did today was box with large punching bags. One of the punching bags was a male dummy. I couldn't do it. I considered it and couldn't do it. Too violent and disturbing for me. While I was (in my opinion) knocking the sh!t out my own bag I was thinking if I could do that to the male figure next to me and it affected my workout. I guess I learned something about myself today.

The Final Stretch

2007-12-09T14:00:00.000-06:00

This is it! This week my husband has two finals which will wrap up his official 1st year (if he were full-time) of law school. His first exam is tomorrow at 6 pm. The next exam is on Thursday.

Although John is the one in school, the whole family is really feeling it. We've gotta make it through this last week and then he is off from school (not work) until mid-January. Woo hoo! We live for Christmas break! This break is the longest break he has from school all year, and it has been a long year.

I can really feel the family already picking up speed for the final sprint and slide home.

!

2007-12-04T23:35:00.000-06:00

Recovering. Recovering from a nasty gastrointestinal virus that took me out of the game at least a week.

Where was I?

I can't keep up. Johnny damages a neighbor's tree we now have to prune; he barfs on both bunks which of course have dustmite encasings that encase the entire mattress and now have to be cleaned; and he wets MY bed. This is just one day and a typical one for Johnny. Baby-boosky empties the cabinets, pantry, and bookshelves after depriving me of sleep for many nights. Jessica wants to go shopping and become a model. She depends on me to taxi her to all of her numerous social engagements outside of the neighborhood. The dog. He doesn't have needs does he? Gosh I hope not, b/c I can hardly get to him. Have a bone Ernie. Baths aren't necessary for you anyway.

Who is running for president? I have know idea. What is going on in the world anyway?

Do I have to take Johnny and baby with me to the store again??? No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Behave or I'm writing to Santa!

Blog Posting Recommendation

2007-11-20T21:36:00.000-06:00

To see a great posting about the skills men should have, see...

http://www.chrisinaustintx.blogspot.com/

Two thumbs up!

Just a Minute

2007-11-20T14:54:00.000-06:00

Just a minute is how long I have to say my piece. Baby-boosky is just going to have to stay in her crib a little longer. Her nap maybe lasted ten minutes? My nerves are a little frayed at this point.

Okay so I take my son to the allergist yesterday, and finally having received all of my son's allergy test records from other allergists, he is suprised to see how allergic my son really is. Thankfully, he can help and unlike other allergists, he has a well thought out game plan. What suprised me is that included in this game plan are tests for IgG (immunoglobin G) responses to foods. This is a welcomed suprise too. My son has only been tested for the IgE responses. IgG responses do not fall under the medical definition of allergy. The medical definition of allergy includes the immunoglobin E (IgE or histamine) immune responses. So the IgG is a different response, but still an immune response. Never has a doctor even suggested this kind of testing before. I have gotten this advice from a chiropractor friend of mine whose advice I respect, but I just wasn't up to going to a chiropractor yet for a number of reasons.

I'll have more to say on this later Babycakes is screaming her head off.

Quick note - I was in an HEB yesterday overhearing 60 to 70 year old ladies talkin trash to each other about their banana breads. I kid you not! These ladies were die hard Thanksgiving bakers. They were showing each other how to pick the right kind of produce and how to make this or that just right. You know they've been waiting for this holiday all year and now are rolling up their sleeves to get going. The other senior ladies were running the aisles of the store like a large hurricane was coming. I must have been the only shopper in the store that wasn't a 60 to 75 year old woman.

Muted

2007-11-18T23:29:00.000-06:00

I really haven't been able to blog much about anything lately. I am somewhat miffed about domestic matters of late which has stifled any creative thought about any other topic. I maintain a rule not to trash the testosterone vessel I am chained to online. Albeit a fun and easy task, I will not do it. @$*!&

The Yucks Have Us

2007-11-14T17:55:00.000-06:00

Within the last 24 hours I've been barfed on, peed on, and dealt with many goosome poos by the baby. Baby Boosky also decided that she needed to let me know all last night how she felt. Now my 5 year old is sick with a tummy ache and fever too. He managed to take a nap and wet his bed. My 7 year old is just fine and wants to do stuff and decides she has to rely on me for entertainment since we are unable to leave the house.

Here is one of our exchanges as I long for a comfy pillow.

7 year old begins, "Cows have four stomachs."

I reply, "I think they have one stomach with four chambers. They also chew their cud."

7 year old then asks, "Mama, how many stomachs do you have?"

"One."

She returns, " Oh, I was just wandering because you eat so much."

This doesn't make me feel very good. I have been eating more than my share lately. I also missed my running of the dog last night, since my husband didn't get home until after 11 pm. I can't exactly leave these kids alone to go run. I feel like yuck, and I am well.

Why I am So Tired

2007-11-13T20:36:00.000-06:00

Cute, aren't they? They are very well maintained. They are coming close to $2000 in dental work and more than that in food allergy/eczema/asthma treatment.

Their social engagements are ever increasing. This last weekend was particularly busy. There were two soccer games, two soccer parties, and three birthday parties. Cici's twice, ice skating, Chuck E. Cheese, and ice skating again.

The baby is sick now. Sick babies are particularly tiring. After having given the baby half of the dropper of Infant Tylenol, she throws up. Great. How much did she actually get down her? Probably none, but I don't dare overmedicate. I administer the rest of the dropper and have to wait some hours before I can try again. The diapers of particularly goosome and numerous, but this too shall pass.

They're worth it!

Readability Level Increasing

2007-11-13T00:38:00.000-06:00

"Indubidably a plethora of magnificence is desirable", lamented the professor.

"Sadly, of magnificence, you have a dirth."

http://www.criticsrant.com/bb/reading_level.aspx (thanks Tom)

Life

2007-11-09T00:14:00.000-06:00

Thank you Aunt xxx for the nice comment, "Tiffane, I have never seen you look so tired before." This same comment by my aunt was made this last weekend at least three times within earshot of my husband. Thank you auntie for that!

I've been painfully busy lately (I know, who hasn't?) which is why I haven't been blogging lately... that and I've been waiting for those Jawa pictures I want to put up to come back from the developer.

Fortunately, this soccer season is wrapping up this weekend just in time for the holiday shuffle. I stopped posting the problems of soccer, because it was getting tedious. My current and hopefully last problem is that I am short trophies for 4/5 year-olds and I am supposed to give them out this Saturday.

What else? This weekend includes two soccer games, two soccer parties, and three birthday parties. Eating like crap this weekend, are we? The lawn still needs to be mowed. It would be nice to get at least one of the kids to Family Space Day. Do I really need to get the oil changed so soon? and yada yada yada

My husband decided to stop smiling recently. I don't know why. Well yeah I do, but I cannot post it here. I did break through his defenses with this joke though...

How do you get a sweet little 80 year-old lady to say the F*** word?

Get another sweet little 80 year-old lady to yell BINGO!

I wonder if my husband remembered that the baby peed on the quilt when he went to bed.

TTFN

Zoom

2007-11-02T21:44:00.000-05:00

Does having kids mean that I am going to be busy until I die? I feel like I am riding a very fast wave. Sometimes I get slapped really hard in the face with the passing water which can send me into a haze. The wave is fun, but staying on top of my board is difficult as I have never surfed before and especially tiring without sleep. When the ride is over, I am hoping I have a good run that is worth noting. Whew! I've got a ways to go, but then again this wave seems to be speeding up. It is harder to see what is passing by me. I hope I don't miss anything!!!

I'm It

2007-10-28T22:30:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged! I've got to come up with seven ?NEW? people to tag????

People who are tagged need to blog 7 facts about themselves on their blog and post the rules as well. At the end of their blog list 7 people you are tagging. Let them know that they are tagged by leaving them a comment.

1) 7 facts about myself? Let me check back with you when I find where my identity went. It might be under all of that laundry over there.

2) Most of my underwear is so old it looks like the dog chewed it.

3) !

4) I finally splurged and bought a trash can for my kitchen.

5) The Tooth Fairy nearly got caught tonight.

6) I really ought to go to bed, but I am waiting for the washer to finish.

7) My children will always remain my best accomplishments.

I don't have a full 7 names to list and I need to wait on the names I've got.

I Can't Believe It

2007-10-27T23:28:00.000-05:00

I can't believe my daughter didn't win the costume contest this year. She was perfect! Many at the party were asking her "Did you win?" They asked, because she should have won. Her Jawa eyes were wired with orange LEDs hot glue gunned to eye glasses behind a black cloth face covering. Her homemade ammunition belts were perfect. Her robe was perfect ( thank you Hope ) and her shoes were tattered with the same brown fabric glue gunned on old running shoes. She even had the black mittens. She was the perfect Jawa. There was no mistaking what she was or how cool she was.

What outfit won? A Party City store bought Made in China Spiderella costume. I couldn't believe it! Certainly that get-up was NOT worthy of winning! Maybe the judges were French. Jessica did learn from this though. From all the comments she got at the party, she knew the had the better costume.

The Night

2007-10-25T10:08:00.000-05:00

I pick the older 2 kids up at 6:45 from CCE. I've worked it out in my mind that if I first turn on the oven to preheat and then run the bath water that I can get the older two kids going in two different tubs before I need to put the chicken in the oven. Perfect timing. Now I've got to get the vegetables started and go back wash hair before I've got to get dinner out of the oven which is in 20 minutes. What is that smell? I hope the baby only farted. I'm on a very time sensitive schedule here. Frozen veggies are in the microwave. I go wash Jessica's hair. The baby is walking with a stinking sag at the bottom. Crap. Well maybe she is still pooping. I go on to wash Johnny's hair. I guess the kids can play more in the tub while I change this overloaded diaper. I throw them some towels in case they are ready to get out. Whew! I still have a little time to wipe and set the table! Wait! Veggies need to be stirred and microwaved again! There is hope that the kids will go to bed at a decent hour tonight!!!

Whoo hoo! Perfect timing! Kiddos are ready for bed, dinner is ready, the baby is clean, and we have a set table. Any number of things could have gone awry, but I guess Venus was properly aligned with Saturn today. Mommy orchestrated everything perfectly.

Few details happen... daddy gets home, Johnny gets his medicines for his eczema outbreak, everyone gets tummy aches from dinner, the running of the dog with massive stomach pains, and a chocolate indulgence after tummy feels better.

Now at this point I am suppose to get some sleep. Nope. First husband wants attention. "Leave me alone. There is a plot to keep mommy from sleeping around here. I am still tired from all the previous nights since Jessica was born." This goes on until the baby awakes to nurse. "Honey since you are already so awake, would you please bring her to me?" I know that I am in for it. The baby has a sniffly which automatically increases the nightly nursings. There is no negotiating these things. So the baby wakes up every hour to nurse. I have to move her to this side and that to nurse and we make it to the super early alarm my husband sets and never wakes to. We are at least an hour till he gets out of bed, but the baby is wide awake now and here comes Johnny. Johnny likes to press his head as hard as he can against mine and keep it there. I'm not sure why. I'm not sure why Johnny does many of the things he does, but he is close this way in his own little Johnny way. Jessica comes in to finish her night laying across the foot of my bed. I am no longer able to straighten my legs and the baby is still very wiggly. My husband finally leaves. I am still waiting to go to sleep. Maybe next time.

Punishment

2007-10-20T22:40:00.000-05:00

I hereby declare that there will no longer be any spankings...

Not that I or my husband spanked that often anyway, but my Johnny is soooo wild, crazy, and always getting into trouble. If I did spank him, he would taunt in his little Johnny voice, "Ha Ha! That didn't hurt!!!" Getting in trouble is just Johnny's nature. So given his wild and excessively energetic nature, we have decided to start 'PT'ing the kids for punishment. Isn't that exactly what they need anyway... certainly not any of this missing recess nonsense.

I was thinking push-ups, squats, and runs. Perhaps 10 to 15 push ups tops, or 20 squats, or running around the yard however many times would suffice, but my husband today went for the full military crap-out. The offense... Johnny started throwing objects at the dog. Jessica was goading him on. The punishment... squats until they could not squat anymore and then sit in half squat and repeatedly speak the offense they were not going to do anymore. Then they had to hand feed the dog his dinner to make amends.

The prediction... Johnny is going to have an a$$ of steel.

At a LOSS For Words

2007-10-19T21:47:00.000-05:00

I have things to say today, but I just can't. I have a knot in my stomach. The generation before me is passing on and today I saw laid to rest another relative that I will miss dearly. I am not looking forward to the next five to ten years. There are going to be a lot of funerals.

Unleashed Fury

2007-10-18T23:57:00.001-05:00

Disclaimer - I am not a dog-hater. I am a careless-dog-owner-hater.

Unleashed Dog Situation #49835. I go for a run with Ernie secure on a leash. Happy-stupid lab is out again. Happy-stupid lab charges after Ernie. Ernie jumps back into my feet. I hit cement. Happy-stupid-lab-owner says sorry from across the culdesac with a ringing idiotic inflection in his voice. I recoil and restrain myself. Happy-stupid-lab-owner is spared from a myriad of unpleasantries. I find comfort that there is no dental damage and run on with a bleeding hand.

Knock Knock Knock

2007-10-16T21:45:00.000-05:00

The Mormons knocked on my door today. It was very tempting to tear their faith to shreds, but I let it be. My husband has been collecting numerous texts on church history and formation in hopes of ultimately converting me to Catholicism. I've got enough ammunition over here to blast a Mormon off his bike.

I get a little sick of the elders in the Mormon faith sending 19 year old boys off to do their work. I'm sick of human pawns I guess. It's just another nasty scheme.

Backwards Thinking

2007-10-14T21:10:00.000-05:00

Is there a name for a mental illness where a person values animals over people? To me where animal love goes overboard is when an animal-lover really values an animals life equally to or more than human life. I can understand adoring your pet and loving it 'like a baby', but there are some people that really mean this. I also find that animal activists that are pro-abortion have a very skewed way of thinking.

Getting Tired of This Youth Soccer Debacle Thing

2007-10-13T17:21:00.000-05:00

Okay. So I spoke with the sports director and he was extremely pleasant. He promised in the future to cap the team size at 12 for playing 7 on a side. He agreed three year olds shouldn't be permitted on the 4/5 yo teams and gave his excuses for everything going awry. I left satisfied and reassured that since he was still rather wet behind the ears that it is reasonable for there to be a learning curve. Unfortunately, I cannot tell any learning occured...

I had also spoken with him about taking on new players onto my team. Given this was a crazy season, I agreed to take on 5 more players since one team consistently had numerous no-shows for games and practices. This would put my team at over 12 to 14. 14 still guarantees every child plays half of the game... which is also what the Y promises when you put your money down to sign your child up. Right?

Wrong. Why did 15 players show up at game time today? One of my old players didn't show up. Had she shown up we would have had 16. This is 2 more than the agreed upon 14. This is rather disappointing for the children. I don't know what other people think, but once a child is down to playing just one quarter of the game, is it really even worth all of the hassle of coming? It is a big deal to wake up early on a Saturday morning and locate the cleats, shinguards, and team shirts and head over to the Y. Managing children takes a lot of energy and patience.

I'm irritated. I'm irritated that a person can receive a professional salary for this debacle. I have never seen this ineptness in sports before. I guess I will be exchanging pleasantries with the sports director again soon.

BTW - Jessica scored her first goal of the season today!!! Yahoo!

Ups and Downs

2007-10-09T21:21:00.000-05:00

I believe our bodies must run in cycles. We have times when we are leaner and feeling healthy. We have times where we are breaking down. We have times when we bottom out and feel like a Hutt. We have times where we are on the upswing again but not yet at peak performance.

It is possible that the cycle may cheat you. You might not achieve peak health from your upswing. This is unfortunate, because it is possible that the floor of your cycle might have dropped too. It is hard to determine if this drop is caused mainly by age or the current constraints and stresses in life.

I am currently on an upswing and hope not to fall off the cliff too soon.

Sitting Around the Table

2007-10-09T21:15:00.000-05:00

My daughter was making a paper doll of herself tonight. Two of the accessories were a cell phone and a laptop computer. I find that funny as I do not even carry a cell phone or own a laptop.

My son drew his room with a phone (ok), a cd player (ok), a clock (ok), and a cookie jar!!! Now I am wondering if there really is a cookie jar in there.

Youth Soccer Cont...

2007-10-07T10:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was another 'great day' with the YMCA. Only 6 of our players showed up and we play seven on a side. The other team was even worse. Only four players showed, one was in the bathroom across the field at game time, and the coach didn't even bother to come or tell anyone she wasn't coming.

I reworked the game so that we played 5 on a side borrowing players from my team to make 5 for the other team. For the first quarter I had one helpful volunteer from my team play for the other team. After that I had to borrow my oldest child to play fullback for the other team the rest of the game, because I had run out of volunteers.

Another irritation is that the ref tried to leave. Seeing as how this was going to be more of a scrimmage than a game justified in his mind leaving. I disallowed this and explained that the kids were expecting the full show. (Show is right.)

It was hot and we called the game after the third quarter, because it was only my oldest two kids playing against each other. All the others were too tired to play. What a show.

Now I go into this a little more.

I have a total of nine players on my team. I might actually have 12, but after 4 practices and three games, I still have never met 3 of them. So I guess I have 9. One mom brings three of them. She is the one that missed and despite my asking parents to please sound off if their kiddos cannot come, she didn't. We end up waiting around for her kids to never come again like we did for picture day. She also knows that if her kids miss we don't have a full team.

The other team only has 5 players which regularly come. They asked if they could merge their team with mine as the parents that do show are completely demoralized. I agreed to take 5 of them and NO three year olds as this is 4/5 yo soccer. If a parent wants their 3 yo to play, then they can coach the team. Taking 5 players would bring my team to 14 players which would gaurantee every child half of the game if all were to show.

What a mess. This is a team sport. Missing impacts the rest of the team. Please give me a team with players that have parents that care. Pray for the other kids.

Midsemester Change

2007-10-06T00:05:00.000-05:00

I don't really know what to classify our educaion style as, but it has changed again. We are switching what we are doing midsemester and going with what works for the kiddos. I am so glad to have this flexibility and freedom. Sure a lot of supposedly top notch private schools use the Abeka curriculum, but so what if you aren't having any fun and not wanting to learn. The curriculum has gotten tedious. We are dumping almost all of it.

I wonder what I think I am doing sometimes. Since we are dumping Abeka math, I ordered a trial dvd for the Math U See curriculum. My daughter and I watched it together. She really liked it and wants me to get it. Let me repeat that she really liked it and was highly motivated again. So what did stupid mom set out to do even after knowing what is working for my daughter and what she wants? I started asking around about other math programs. Duh! Don't worry I didn't purchase anything. We are having fun with mommy math for now until I purchase the Math U See which who knows when that will be.

It has been nice for both of us to go freestyle. The other day Jessica missed 8 +3 a couple of times in her addition practice. So just to mess with her I gave her a worksheet that had thirty-five problems of 8 + 3 on it. When she noticed it she laughed and said," Mom! I'm going to get you!" She got all her math right. lol

This freestyle method is awesome. If I didn't have the two younger siblings constantly pulling on me and my attention, I don't know if I'd bother with curriculums for Jessica at all. When we do any of our 'school' (I cringe to call it that) our way, we have a lot more fun. The session can go anywhere and that is a good time.

We will definitely continue freestyle spelling. Her spelling words are going to get very interesting. Some of the spelling words we have on our list now I just know Abeka wouldn't dare consider. lol This is much better for us though. The smiles are back.

Updates

2007-10-05T00:02:00.001-05:00

I've lost my assistant coach in soccer. She moved her three yo down an age group where he really needed to be and obviously they are no longer part of the team.

The daytime curfew did not pass, but will be reviewed again in three years.

I'm not pregnant. Whew!

Jessica wants to remain in art class even though I hate parking on a busy highway with three kids to get her there.

Bono obviously never had to do his own yard work when he sang, "October when the trees are stripped bare of all they wear what do I care"

My running shoes are shot and causing my left foot to bleed.

Abeka math sucks. So does the spelling. So does Pensacola College.

Bubbles did a fantastic job at cleaning house today.

Johnny will become a Jedi for Halloween (and Jessica a Jawa). Thank you www.hoperadio.blogspot.com for the time I know you didn't have. I think I learned some today too!

There are a total of five pecans growing on my two pecan trees this year! This is good news. I planted them about 5 and a half years ago. (Has it really been that long?)

Why is my energy bill over $100 more than last time?

My husband has to work on his day off tomorrow. All day.

I am sleeping on the sofa.

On and on. I could say more, but chances are I know who is reading this.

Getting My A$$ Kicked and Loving It

2007-10-01T22:19:00.000-05:00

Jessica, Johnny, and I played Monopoly today for the first time. I don't recall ever having so much fun playing Monopoly before. It was a perfect game.

My son quickly bought up all three orange properties, St. James, Tennessee, and New York. And that is when the a$$-kicking started. He immediately invested in the housing market and then proceeded with the construction of hotels despite the lack of cash he had on hand if anything bad were to happen. His orange properties were unavoidable. I found myself drawn to his properties like a PMSing mama to chocolate on a rainy day. Soon I was down to my last $16 with all of my properties mortgaged. I then landed on Chance hoping for a bit of luck, but as chance would have it was made to pay the $15 poor tax. The rich business man was never made to pay the poor tax, but did get slapped on the hand once with the luxury tax. He also managed to avoid paying income taxes after he was well-propertied which I had to do twice! Anyway, the very next roll I went to jail. Seeing as how I had no 'get out of jail free card' like the rich monopolizing big businessman hotel-owner (wow this sounds like real life!) and I had no $50 and no desire to leave prison with what laid 6 to 9 spaces ahead of me (real life again!), I decided prison was the best place for me. When my sentence was up, I was made to leave even though I didn't want to go. I knew I would find myself in trouble again if I left the safety of the prison. I had to take my chances and rolled a NINE! I spent my last $1 in New York and was completely broke and in debt with at least 5 or 6 mortgages.

Priorities

2007-09-28T21:38:00.000-05:00

My husband and I constantly spend time and resources on everything except our relationship. Why is this? We both realize our relationship is important. When overlooking various checklists on how to keep a marriage alive, I see that my husband and I cannot check anything off. Despite this, our marriage is not in peril. In fact our marriage has been on the upswing the last couple of years. It is a little weird. Our goals for children, home, and community have really lined up, and our time and investments on these things reinforce support for each other. Aren't we suppose to date though?

Obi-John Kenobi and the Jawa

2007-09-27T23:37:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a couple of good friends of mine www.settingmykidsfree.blogspot.com who provided the link to the Jedi robe pattern and www.hoperadio.blogspot.com who is pretty much doing the work for me, my son John will become Obi-John Kenobi and my daughter Jessica will be a Jawa for Halloween this year. BTW - www.degraeve.com/jedirobe/ is the site to obtain the cool Jedi robe pattern. The friends you must obtain yourself.

My kids are so excited! John has been wanting a Jedi costume for over a year. Lately he has been trying to throw large boxes containing sewing machines into my shopping cart while lamenting on the cheap prices of sewing machines in the hopes of expediting the process. When he talks about his upcoming Jedi robes he looks as bouncy and excited as he does when he really needs to pee.

Despite having lost the church's costume contest last year with her Princess Leia costume complete with buns, Jessica is hoping her Jawa garb will seal her victory. Jessica cannot wait to play with yellow or orange LEDs to make the Jawa eyes light up or decorate slippers with tattered shreds of fabric to make the Jawa's shoes; however, she REALLY wants a working Star Wars gun like the Jawas had. I guess her little 7 yo Santa Claus believin' mind just doesn't understand all these things about life yet.

Bubbles

2007-09-25T21:04:00.000-05:00

I found a housekeeper hopefully worth keeping! I've only had one housekeeper visit so far, and she was not-so-hot. That was last May. I've been searching for help ever since, and I NEED help. I even look like I NEED help. Psychotropic drugs are out of the question. Motherhood insanity is a normal condition. I don't mean to digress, but I am emotionally and physically spent out well before the day's end.

I met the HELP. She is good. I've seen her work on a neighbor's house. She's cute, blonde, and bubbly too, but I can overlook that for $50 flat. Whoo hoo! I've got her coming every other week starting October 4th... to help her support her shopping habit. I guess we all have our weaknesses.

Memonic for Moms at a Loss of What To Do

2007-09-24T22:32:00.000-05:00

Should I dump water on his head
Or spank him instead
I just don't know what to do
So rather instead
I'll send him to bed
And then my job is through

lyrics by Tiffane

The Obligatory Running of the Dog

2007-09-20T12:42:00.000-05:00

I nearly skipped my run last night thinking my weight workout was enough, but my heart strings were tugged when I looked into the backyard and noticed the poor pitiful creature my family adopted. I wasn't sick. Spending time with my husband was out, because he needed to study. And sadly enough, my clothes from pre-third-baby still don't fit. So, I grabbed the leash and ran out the door with my puppy.

Ernie is a good dog. He is very mindful and wants to please us. He stays right by my side without tugging on the leash the entire run (unless an attractive bitch catches his attention). The only problem with Ernie is that the kiddos don't like to play with him. Neither the kids or Ernie are really to blame. Ernie is a nearly 60 pound part-lab/part-brittany-spaniel puppy. When he plays with the kids he has the tendency to knock them down or use too much of his energy. This is a bit overwhelming for them, and so they stay away.

Anyhow, I do need Ernie to keep me company on my nightly runs. I've had a couple encounters with spoiled teenagers behaving badly and rogue attacking dogs. Ernie has come to expect his runs now too. This is what he looks forward to and this is his 'work' besides barking at the weirdos behind us.

Well, while out on the run I scored a decent find. For a while I have been contemplating purchasing more shelves. No big deal, right? Well it is a big deal when it always seems there is something else I have to fork over money for, and all of these little things add up fast for a family that decided to exit the rat-race to raise the kids without daycare or public schools. Well what did I find laying on the curb on my running route? Yes! A solid set of shelves! I went ahead and finished the run with the dog. (Ernie was the reason I was out there to begin with.) I told my husband about my find and we excitedly prepared the sport bus (minivan) for cargo. After having hoisted the heavy set of shelves into the sport bus, I got so excited I continued to look over other trash piles on the way home. In another trash pile I found a perfectly good stroller I could donate, a nice outdoor ornament I would never spend money on due to priorities, and a cute set of clay tea light holders. Whoo hoo! I relunctantly headed home even though I knew thousands of other trash piles beckoned. My husband was probably already wondering where I was and it would be a little funny to be considered a missing person due to my trash-digging euphoria.

Overall, I do believe our arrangement with Ernie is working. He gets attention at night while the kiddos are snoozing. He gets nice large rawhide bones, receives better medical care than most of the people in the world, and gets to see to it that no food in the house goes wasted. I get a great running partner that never complains, a floor cleaner after the baby has eaten, and some unexpected blessings. Besides, he was brought to us by a nun that saved him from destruction as a nursing pup. Ernie is "on a mission from God". lol

Youth Soccer Debacle

2007-09-18T20:22:00.000-05:00

Yes I am soccer mom for the fall season. There hasn't even been a game yet and I am ready to vent. Where do I even start?

First, I am sick of parents pushing their kids up to the next age level believing their kids are super stars. My son's 4 to 5 year old team has a 3 year old on it. Why? Somebody at the YMCA didn't have the heart to say "No". This supposedly super athlete (made known by his mom) of a three year old is no asset to the team. He is the worst 'flower picker' the team has. I am thinking his mom is eating her words now that we have had a couple of practices. I doubt she'll move him though. She doesn't have to coach the team and deal with him. I imagine she didn't put him in the three year old level, because that would require her involvement. She would have to get out of her lawn chair and play with him.

Tonight I was coaching my daughter's 6 to 7 year old team. A set of parents with a YMCA teenage worker approached me and asked if their supposedly super athletic 5 year old son (kid has never played soccer before) could play on the team. I said, "No. I've got a super athletic 5 year old son too that plays on the 4 to 5 year old level. I have to come up here two nights a week and juggle soccer games on Saturday mornings for two kids on different teams. If all the good 5 year olds leave a team, then that team is likely to be slaughtered by a team that retained its 5 year olds. Besides, your son will enjoy being the best player." These same people were complaining about a 3 year old on their 4 to 5 year team, and I guess they wanted to solve this by prematurely moving their son up too. If I sound too severe, don't worry. I actually did see him play in our practice for about 20 minutes and he clearly wouldn't be the best player on a 4 to 5 year old team either.

The YMCA is completely disorganized this season. My son's team had 18 children on it and the teams only play 7 on a side at game time. Do the math. Is it even worth waking up for on Saturday morning? Managing soccer practice with that many 4 to 5 year olds is a real treat too. I know. I did it yesterday with 17 kids. The Y had said that they shaved the team down to 13, but still 17 showed up yesterday. So I had only 13 uniforms and an incomplete roster. I have moved my son to a different team, so that he can play soccer on Saturday mornings. Hopefully the new team really is as small as the Y says it is and hopefully there are no 3 year olds.

Tonight the Y workers brought out uniforms for my daughters team. Not all of them were the same. The reversible uniforms all had red on one side, but then some had blue and some had white on the other. That is a bit of a problem when we are supposed to play against a red team. What else? When I signed my daughter up for soccer, ALL of the games were suppose to be at the YMCA. Tonight I find out that the Y is changing that. They passed out directions to an offsite location for at least 2 of the games to be played. This means I will likely have to cut myself in half to get both of my kids to their soccer games on these particular Saturday mornings. I've decided to leave my a$$ half at the Y. I didn't have the wherewithal to confront the Y workers out on the field about that. I know they were not the brains of this operation. This reeks of the new management. I'll be contacting the Youth Sports Director soon, and I will be nice. :)

Birthday Party Chit-Chat

2007-09-17T21:56:00.000-05:00

I went to a very interesting children's birthday party Saturday. The parents of the elementary children were actively engaged in a very agreeable discussion about the ills of their children's education. These were parents of children that are enrolled in public school. It was funny how many of their complaints were easily solved by home schooling, but I sat back and waited until they asked me some questions... and then I pounced.

"What do your kids do?" I'm asked. Well, just this morning we took part in the making of a comet. We mixed frozen CO2, amonia, dust, and organic material. Then we played with them (while wearing gloves of course) and paid attention to how the tail changes. We discussed the role comets may have played in forming our Earth's oceans and how H20 and HDO (heavy water) are found in our Earth's oceans and in comets. We also talked about sublimation. The frozen CO2 in our comet wasn't melting; it was sublimating.

We have also made lemon batteries (using lemons, pennies, nails, and alligator clips) this year connecting them in series to light LEDs requiring different voltages. Another neat science project was our dinosaur dig. We are still digging through the entire Mesozoic Era finding dinosaur remains. We have almost completed the top layer... the Cretaceous Period and then we will find remains from the Jurassic Period and Triassic Period. This is just science, but we LOVE science over here!!! Oh! And my kiddos keep their own goggles in their supplies to do experiments on their own. Just the other day while I was tending to the baby, my kiddos mixed baking soda and vinegar in a bottle and topped it with a balloon while wearing their safety goggles to watched the balloon inflate.

As it turns out. I may have completely converted one family to home education. If she reads the books I recommended to her about home education, I don't think her child will be attending public school much longer. I will have her reading about the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason, The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise-Bauer, and another book called Getting Started on Home Learning: How and Why to Teach Your Child at Home. Just for fun I mentioned books by John Taylor Gatto, but I recommended the other three reads first.

This Week's Conclusion by Jessica

2007-08-30T14:57:00.000-05:00

We have been home schooling on creation this last week. To start we talked about how theories are opinions or ideas that try to explain how or why something happens. We've covered the theories of the Big Bang, how our solar system coalesced from the nebula of a massive supernova, how our Moon was created by a Mars-sized planetesimal smashing into a Mustafar-like Earth, and how our planet may have become inhabitable. So I ask my little seven-year-old daughter what in conclusion she thinks about all this. The response is quite humbling. "I've learned that we really don't know anything", giggles my little girl.

My Letter for the Curfew Review on Wednesday

2007-08-27T20:15:00.000-05:00

Dear Harris County Juvenile Curfew Review Representatives,

I am a homeschooling mother of three. My children and I often venture out on the town for field trips, errands, and family reasons during the proposed hours of the curfew. I am extremely concerned about the proposed curfew impeding our freedom of movement. My older two children often "buddy" together to the bathroom or to another appropriate location while I nurse my youngest child. Dividing and conquering is often essential for us to make any progress in our movements. Obviously my older children could run into trouble while on their way down a walkway to meet up with me.

I have successfully raised my children to be mindful and polite thus far. The crime problem might be better solved by finding out why children would commit a crime. Perhaps poor socialization within the public schools and exposure to inappropriate media perpetuate the behaviors the curfews are trying to thwart. Maybe juvenile crime is associated with the juvenile literacy rate. The fact that a child is out during certain hours is not the reason why the child would commit the crime.

Please do not let the curfew pass. This would breed an undue amount of anxiety as my family tries to move freely within our own society. Curfews work better for war zones and criminals on probation. This curfew assumes distrust in children and sets a bad precedent for our society.
Sincerely,

Tiffane (and my last name)

Rain

2007-07-06T08:03:00.000-05:00

So much for mowing the lawn. The mower would get stuck in the mud before any grass would get chopped. No biggie. What is getting to me is that I cannot seem to wake up although I am out of bed and drinking coffee. I spent last week in north Texas where it rained heavily all week. This week I am back in Houston where it has been raining heavily all week. I've got cabin fever with three kids. I really wonder how people in Alaska survive through the dark winter. I imagine tanning businesses make a lot of money there so that people can get their solar fix. At least it isn't very hot here in Houston. My energy bill shouldn't be all that bad.

My Copays Were Worth it Today

2007-06-19T23:07:00.000-05:00

I took all three of my kids to the doctor without any hesistations today. What is even weirder is that it was for check ups! I usually cringe if I feel I must subject my children to the ills of myopic western medicine, but fortunately for me this doctor is from somewhere else (I am guessing India). I didn't experience any of the AMA automaton advice today.

I feel a shade less green today. Finding a good pediatrician for the kiddos always helps.

Green blah

2007-06-17T21:49:00.000-05:00

Uggh. This is the way I have been feeling for a while. I am a bit more than off kilter.

I think it really started when I got sick three times in the same week about 2 or 3 weeks ago, but this has easily been in the making for a while. The illnesses tipped me into a downward spiral. Uggh.

Remedies?!?!?!?!

Uggh.

I've visited this place before but this might already be one of my longer visits and the weather isn't helping.

I think I'll type in green until I feel better to see how long this lasts.

What should I get my husband for Christmas?
	One hour massage
	alcohol for his Dr. Pepper
	clothes
	make hime cookies because we are broke
	other, if other please comment idea