dilligence

These past few months my girl has been reading fantastically better. My eyes get all misty when I hear her read with proficiency, all the hard work was not in vain (some days it sure felt like it though) One of the other home school moms in the area uses workbooks from Barnes and noble. The kumon books have been a hit at our house, but I needed a few new books for handwriting and reading so I browsed through the section....I also spilled an entire cup of coffee on the floor but that's another matter. Reading skills grade 2 was full of true stories ( my girls favorite) so I grabbed it. The other book was Spectrum writing. It provides interesting questions while integrating the reminders in a un-annoying way. Both books have provided diversity in our day as well as improving comprehension. Now, she pulls a book of the shelf with confidence and read it to the boys. :0) The other thing is I have been better at is making sure we do it every day. For a while I just let her handwriting and reading slide when she was in a bad mood. Man oh Man! What a mistake. Now things are better and smoother. Summer school will be less work but we will still be making effort to read/write and do math daily. I cant wait till summer! Hows school for you?

cloud spotting...a rainy day past time

Thomas-I see a whirlpool in the sky
Girl-Thomas that is not a whirlpool
Mr.Steel-I see a ducky
Girl-I see a whale and Jesus and God...the REAL Jesus and the REAL God
Thomas-I see a whirlpool
Mr. Steel-mumbling cloud comparisons
Girl-I see a whale a roller skate, Jesus, and God
Me- *eye roll combined with a head shake*

Poor little moles have been stuck inside for days, only running outside between downpours. I suppose I have been doing the same except when I am jogging. Its times like this that make a person reminisce about the good old days when spring time meant flowers coming up from the ground...not floating away from it.

retro swimwear

I was browsing through a fashion mag when I came across something exciting,..retro swimsuits! I have always loved vintage wear, in fact I had a 60's swimsuit in high school.No no don't cringe, it was cute I swear. I'm desperately in need of new swimwear and came across a super cute suit. Normally I'm not a one piece person. Call it what you want but Ive never enjoyed having no run to the bathroom quickly option (if you know what I mean) Tankinis, bikinis...they have made life a little more convenient. I'm willing to go back for this suit because its just so vintage tho. It has that 50's bombshell appeal. This particular one is found on modcloth.com. What do ya think? cool, crazy,weird,fun?

yarn porn

One skein with endless possibilitys

the black and red would make a fun pair of striped socks don't ya think? the yellow below is by far the coolest!

Today I was browsing on my favorite yarn sight and drooling over their Merino sock yarn. I have yet to make any socks larger than my kids feet...or order yarn from the Internet. Its on my list of things to do. However, I am finishing up some knee high socks for Thomas! Since he refuses to wear pants because of the buttons and I refuse to buy him the sweats lest he become that boy who only wears them and never showers, I thought shorts with long socks an acceptable compromise. Has anyone out there ordered yarn online? If so, was it as fun as shopping for it?

worked out

I have pretty much been abusing myself since the weigh in and 3 lb discovery. Jogging 2 miles and faithfully doing plates every day. My body feels better than it has in years, other than the fact I hit my bed exhausted and all my leg muscles hurt all day long. Whats that you say? how much has flown from the scale.... a measly 1.5 lbs. This is the reason for my obsession over maintaining the same weight, It took me years (literally) to loose weight in high school. 2 stinking years to go from a size 12 to a 7. Sorry if I'm irritating you just now.Having accountability (even if its online) helps me keep at it.
I still need to pull out the chubby mamagriffith pictures for you to laugh and point at. I know there is some around that I have not successfully ripped up or destroyed. hmm well I might just keep taunting you for another few years.
Manz. has a walk run in July that I'm planning on doing. Anyone want to come???? You get a t-shirt! (for 25$$) and bragging rights for completing a 5k.

oooh yummy cracker snack

Today I was facebooking and found a link to a blog I had to share. This is pert of my girls math and reading today..cheese crackers! click here
pictures to follow.

plans, plans

So next year I have made the decision to continue on with k12. I love the flexibility of the program and the teacher support. (not to mention its free) My middle child is still giving me much to mull over. There is a program one of my friends does called liberty. The books for their curriculum are fun and engaging and the price is good. I might just turn around and do k12 with him to keep my brain fused together.?? Who knows, the homeschooling convention is coming soon it will help me make a decision.
The year after looks like a good time to start them at the private school. All three would be the right age...making driving less of a pain. For now I just don't know. *sigh* This year of home school has proved to be more challenging but not impossible. Her comprehension is greatly improved and she has been reading books out loud to her brothers at night. Summer is looking nice for a break in the weather as well as slowing down our daily load. We will still continue on with math and reading but wont have as much science/history/art/phonics. Whatever the case I am looking forward to sunshine, gardening and a clean house. How is your school year so far?

clean day

Today the house was quiet. Its been forever since the afternoon has been all mine! No one home to cook for (except the kids) and friends just popping in to say hi! First Leah came by and chatted while I cleaned the kids room and later when the house was nearly done Matt and his girl/fiancee came over and hung out. Good conversation, a clean house and remembering old times...priceless. :) How was your Sunday?

good book, great read, forever friend

The love of books could be inherent. My father has a library that fills a room, although not quite beauty and the beast big. I myself started collection books in Jr. high, the very favorite being a book of poetry gleaned from the shelves of a resale store...no wait now I remember! I got it from a garage sale. I would thumb through all the poems about love (remember I was 12) and dream about the some days. It is a book in which stray flowers were pressed, favorite pages were dog eared and most of all memories were hidden. Unfortunately after countless moves and several book shelf purgings, I believe it is lost. Possibly it is filling the impressionable head of another silly 12 year old or holding a door open for the sake of fresh air.
Recently I downloaded the count of Monte christo onto my e-reader. Before you tsk tsk please understand the lack of space and the cheapness of this blogger you are reading from. It was 99 cents and took up absolutely no space -WIN WIN- I now own several 1000 odd page goldmines that I wont have to part with anytime soon for the sake of shelf size or lose in a move or use to make paper a mache dinosour with. (dont look at me like that, its possible)
Oh sorry back to the e-book...Its fantastic! This is my first time though it and I am captured by the author's ability to make me feel a part of things. Truly worth your time.

just needed to talk

So tonight I am tired. No that's not the word, although I am physically tired, this evening feels bigger than exhaustion. I'm weary. Worn down by the all the things weighing on my every day life. Home school, housework, meals, parenting, workouts, having to stay up till 11:00 just to find a quiet moment, taking care of others, the peninsula house that we still own, chaos in the cupboards...okay, here your thinking...ummm mamaG...your loosing it. Well perhaps the cupboards are a bit out there! my querie is Why does life (in general) feel so much like chaos? yeah yeah yeah...references to the fall and living in a sinful world, this I know.

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A girl just needs a little space to rant. Even Job did

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Why does it feel at each days close that in one way or another I have failed? (this is a rhetorical question) *sigh* It seems like life has more plot twists that a cheaply written novel, and today the book read disappointment. Tomorrow it will be better. mmm hmmm, I know a good night sleep helps too. Girlfriends just need space to grow...even if it means you have to hear me bemoan from time to time.

Years ago when my husband and I got married, lets say several months into it, he gave me a priceless gem of wisdom. At the time I wasn't up for receiving the gift, years later I see its truth.

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"Mama G! Let me be sad."

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Being newly married and still thinking marriage=bliss, I stood back shocked. Isn't it my JOB to make sure you are happy all the time??? To cheer you up??? To get you out of a bad mood??

Nope. It wasn't. This revelation took years. The role in my growing up family was the cheerful one...the ice breaker, the 'peacemaker,' the happy girl playing the glad game. For some reason I thought it was some sort of unsaid sin to be sad, angry, hurt. What a relief to finally find out that it was okay. Just in case you didn't get that last part,..Its OKAY to be sad, mad, angry, hurt..etc. Jesus did, I can.

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UNDERSTAND, I did NOT just give you permission to through a brick through someones window!

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What you do with it is the key. How you handle yourself, that's a biggie. But for times sake let's just addressing the first part.

I'm sad tonight and frustrated and tired...but this is not a sin, and I feel so free because of it. I am thankful to my hubby for his blunt honesty, and to Jesus for being all those emotions people in Europe and America don't like to address.

Oh one more thing, thanks for listening.

just somthing to think about

So its no secret that I am a shampoo horr. Whenever I run out, a new brand pops off the shelf into my cart. I just love all the variety, from Paul Mitchel to organic and yes even beer shampoo I have made my way around the isle to the point of re-trying brands...oh heaven forbid. Its so difficult to choose, in Africa there were two on the shelf...and NO conditioner. This made my life less complicated, not in America though! My most recent purchase was a new brand called total body nutrition. It smelled like you could eat it! I stood in the isle imagining munching on my own locks until my kids snapped me out of it. I used up a bottle and purchased the next scent the following month, green tea...but then I noticed a strange occurrence. My scalp was developing dandruff and my head felt like it was constantly itchy! My hair even looked a bit thinner. Truth be told, the shampoo wasn't my first line of action. I started drinking more water, taking vitamins, and cutting back on caffeine. Nope my scalp was still driving me nuts. It became obvious to me that perhaps my delicious shampoo was the root of my problems and so I flipped the bottle over....there it was on the label 'made in china' AAAAHHHHH!! Sure the bottle said it was never tested on animals, but I certainly felt like a lab rat. Out went that shampoo! I'm going back to the hair isle a little wiser. Whats that you say? sticking to one brand? No, just avoiding shampoo from china.

gardens and bugs

This morning I peeked out my window to discover that three little bean plants had burst from the soil overnight. I went outside to take pictures of them and discovered a hoard of slugs making their nightly retreat! Aaahhhh! The baby broccoli which was growing so well has been trimmed nightly by these nasty little nuisances, hopefully I took care of the problem..as far as the broccoli goes, I don't mind so much. A friend of mine recently told me that its hard to keep bugs away from.

A jumping spider my daughter found and brought to me,...notice the missing leg? It got played with for quite a while before the shot was taken.

beach

Nancy is getting into the action

Why yes I did spend an hour unraveling this...why do you ask?

Some people would find it weird but seriously it was so fun! oh and no I didn't get it all untangled.

there it is, all my side of the family bundled up in this boy

here is Nancy digging next to unca Dan

You have to admit that this is a TRUE Dan smile! Here is Thomas running into unca Dan
You just can win them all.

today we hit the beach with Dan. I was intending to take lots of good pictures of him..here you see a few that didn't turn out quite as planned. We also came across a pair of sandals that had been there for quite a while. I was keeping my eyes on them since they were just the right size for my oldest. Don't laugh, the only 'treasures' I have ever found on the beach have been foot wear. No glass floats for me. (not bitter or anything)

Just a little FYI

The hats have been postponed until next month considering my baby is going to be 4! Im going to be cranking out another quilt top, so Im not sure how much time (or energy) I will have at the end of the day. Pictures to follow.

star wars

Yeah I'm a geek. Blame it on my brother, technology, or living in a small town and not having any athletic skill to speak of. Tonight we (dan and I) are watching Star wars episode 2. We're analyzing why it was such an epic fail compared to the original three. Episodes 1 through 3 have amazing bad guys! The first time I saw Darth Maul, yeah he was crazy! Then they killed him after two or three lines and one major fight scene. Next comes the bug guy and the arena fight...where he dies. And lastly they have a half robotic whatever who gets killed. See a pattern forming. You start to like the bad guy, think he is all that and then *KWWEEEIIIIKKK* dead. Even Jango Fett only lasted a few scenes before they gave him the light saber treatment. Parallel with the original three where they stuck with Darth mouth breather and didn't kill him till the third. The emperor has his presence in all six but, to me a geriatric with sparky fingers just doesn't raise the fear factor. My major point is a lack of bad guy character development. I'm not saying this would have saved things, just made it a little more palatable.

hat #6

Even I like this hat! Hmmm, perhaps not enough to take on sleepless nights..but I would buy a life like baby doll to put it on. *gasp* did I just type that out loud? No seriously don't worry! I wont become one of those doll ladies who has numerous cats living indoors!! pinkie swear!

tonight

3 lbs. *agonizing stare* nope it didn't change anything, the scale still reads me being 3 lbs. heavier. Greg might like my newly acquired curves but I am not happy about it! That's it!! I'm jogging again no matter how gross and rainy.
Why is it, that the older you get the MORE you have to work out??? Seriously girls, skinny bodies aren't maintainable past 25 without major workouts. Hmmm, pre-children all I had to do was go walking for a few days *boom* back in shape. Now I do 20 minutes of Pilate's in the AM 5 days a week (thank you Em for coming over) and then jog for another 20 min in the evenings. *sad face* YES I am throwing a pitty party. *grumble* oh well cant change tomorrow unless I start today..hello tea shelf and goodbye sugary evening snacking

phew, I feel better now that I jogged. Now don't laugh but I recently jogged a 11ish minute mile!!! That's a big deal for a wheezing asthmatic. Oooh and I just finished a book my sister send me via the Nook e-reader. Loved it! Cross my heart and hope to spy was even better than the first one, I'd tell you I love you but then I would have to kill you. Fun light books with nothing sinister or foreboding to keep a mama up till the wee hours of the morning.

hat #5

I tried a design on this one,...it was supposed to be a star. oh well there is always the next one.

hat #4

This hat took a little longer since it was knit from sock yarn.

things found on the SD card

things I catch myself saying

there are many phrases I have stuck in my vocab that I tend to say over and over, here are but a few..

• get your thumb out of your mouth
• uhh uhh
• don't jump in the chair
• sit down
• please stop whining
• too loud for the house
• no screaming
• be patient
• I love you
• lets snuggle
• shhhh
• its okay
• do you want a snack
• that is not appropriate
• focus
• do you want me to read to you

happy birthday quilt

My baby is 4 later this month. This is the year of the quilt, he picked food. The day has been spent munching on the fabric (literally) and I have the feeling this one will have to be sewn out quickly before its 'eaten' to shreds.

another tooth gone

Tooth # 3 out with the help of dental floss and mommy's ever ready yanking hand.

hat # 3

This design took me a little longer to master but once I figured out the pattern stitch it went fairly fast. Don't look too close, you might see what I mean!

that's,....food?

My brother works at a deli. He also lives in our 4 bedroom compound. That's what anyone would call a 4 bedroom house that contains 8 people, right? After work he brings food home that has been sitting under the heat lights for the majority of the day. I will admit that this food does taste good (yeah, I have tried it) But this morning the diabolical hot case vomit which greeted my eyes was more than I could bear. Should I throw it out or leave it be in the fridge with the risk of it coming alive and killing me in my sleep?

hat # 2

This one is in a yarn I love, soft and downie...since I have so many different kinds of yarn laying around (in a basket) the group of hats will be varied greatly, this one is acrylic/wool. The hat below is lambs pride wool.

Hats for Africa

last night I decided to start on my baby hats for Africa. I spent quite some time searching out infant hat patterns on Ravelry.com and then dove in. Several of my left over skeins are the perfect amount for little hats! For the next month, I will be knitting a hat every night.. and posting a picture of it. (fingers crossed) this is the first one. If you wish to knit a hat to send, just let me know. I will be mailing them out the begining of may.