Articles Archive for May 2008
Cook »
for all our humidity we do have some things that just can’t be beat.
last night’s dinner that brought back my childhood days is definitely one of ‘em.
homemade cornbread made with bacon drippin’s in a cast iron skillet. real cornbread should not be sweet. unless you’re eating it with strawberry preserves on top for dessert. i just forgot to pick up some buttermilk to crumble my warm fresh cornbread into. oh, how i missed out.
fresh homegrown tomatoes (wish they were from my own garden - but, alas, i’ll settle for someone else’s, for now.) straight from the icebox and sliced - still not fond of salt on mine, but i will take a little ranch dressing.
purple hull peas (mine, unfortunately were from the freezer this time, i neglected to buy some from the farmer’s market) - sliced onions, salt, and pepper with a little bacon drippin’s for flavor.
green tomatoes - sliced, dunked in milk and dredged through cornmeal, paprika, garlic, salt, and pepper. fried to a golden brown in, what else?, but bacon drippin’s.
and a side of salisbury steaks just for a little added protein.
served up with a tall glass of freshly brewed sweet tea.
and dessert? why, watermelon, of course.
i’d've made my mama and daddy proud last night.
Much O' Nothin' »
YAY! YAY! YAY!!
last year’s debacle of a winner that made me hate all that was american idol was made right in last night’s show. and, yes, i’m well aware of my absolute passion about such an earth changing event such as AI. and you know what? if you don’t share my passion on such a deep subject… well, to you i say, “GET WITH THE PROGRAM!!” i laughed, i cried, i shared the moment with my honey, and then i relived it this morning with my children who were almost as passionate as i was. really.
YAY! YAY! YAY!!
UnitStudies »
we read about how very few colonists had glass windows in their houses and instead put animal skins or oiled paper over the windows. why oiled paper? we had to find out. we taped regular paper to the window. then put vegetable oil on another piece of paper and rubbed it all over. we let it dry and then a few days later hung up the oiled paper next to the regular paper.
can you tell which is plain and which is oiled?
UnitStudies »
yep, more crafts and more hands on learning!
we watched this native american rain dance video and then made our own by following this tutorial. and then i dealt with rice being poured all over the house as my 3 year old and my 1 year old joined forces and destroyed them. oh well.
UnitStudies »
while reading some more about native americans we learned about corn. and then we went to the farmer’s market and bought some fresh local corn (still in the husks). we talked about how they grow, then we cleaned them together and boiled them. we saved the husks and went here to learn about how to make corn husk dolls. and we ate our corn. oh, my! we’re never going back to frozen!!
TheySay »
last night driving back from the park, where the boys wore flip-flops, of course.
my oldest was having a pretend crying fit about some imagined wrong-doing when his younger brother said, “don’t cry on my foot - it’s dirty.”
and this morning, while having a pretend boy battle, the younger brother said to the oldest, “you better fight hard, kid!”
UnitStudies »
we’ve been studying american history and yesterday we learned about indians and their homes. we watched traditional dances (on youtube, of course!) and we looked at their traditional clothes. the kiddos loved this part of our history.
my 3 little indian warriors - notice their war paint (aka my lipstick)
these are our different native american dwellings we made. along with some totem poles, just for fun. we also taped down a (very rough) outline of the U.S. and learned where each type of dwelling was indigenous to. we made longhouses, teepees, a wigwam, a chickees, and a pueblo.
TheKiddos »
for those of you who care, or at least pretend to.
(also known as the christmas letter in may)
the husband is good. the new job is about 3 months strong now. he’s enjoying it, doing a little different stuff than he was at the school. still the low man on the totem pole, but with potential now. hopefully. he’s made a friend at work. that’s a huge answered prayer of mine. i’ve prayed for that hard since his first day.
we are paying our bills. also a huge answered prayer. it’s amazing the difference being able to eat and feed your kids makes on a marriage. i’m not exaggerating.
i’m great.
lovin’ all these monkeys around here. lovin’ schoolin’. i was not very happy about living in the middle of nowhere for a good while. i hated that i’m 20 minutes from wal-mart, target, or any place that i could buy diapers. i hated that i didn’t have a close-knit community. i hated that i couldn’t just “run” to the store in a five minute trip for milk. i hated that we were so far from a church that i liked, our pediatrician, soccer, and dance. don’t get me wrong, i have continued to be thrilled that we own our home for the first time ever and that i have a yard the kids could run in, except for dooky ditch, of course. but i’ve now realized God has given me the desires of my heart. and i didn’t even know it. i like not having the pressure to run to town. i like planning my trips to town better. i like that i have land that i can homestead on, if i so desire. i like that i have much more contentment to not buy stuff, because i don’t have stuff i’m constantly tempted to buy. i’ve realized that it is not a curse to not be a part of any community. it is instead a blessing to have the opportunity to be a part of several different communities. and dooky ditch, well, we’re hoping to gather enough funds to dig it up and figure out what exactly we can do about it permanently. (wanna donate?!)
chikezie…
has fit into our family better than i could’ve ever imagined. i was so scared i wasn’t gonna be a good dog owner (prior experience made this a very real possibility). however, i’m lovin’ him. he’s just one of us, from the get-go. and as our girl says all the time, “him goin’ wif us to town? no, mama? him gonna miss us.” yep. and he does. he plays with kids non-stop during the day, tolerating our babyest amazingly well, and at night sleeps next to me on the couch. that is until he decides it’s bedtime and then he retires to the foot of my bed. he does bark some in the evenings, but that is well-controlled with a leash. the camping trip with him went well. we did learn that at night he has to go to his crate in the van. otherwise, there is no sleep to be had.
daisy doodle the kitty cat is still around.
still tolerating chikeeze (our knickname for him). and still holding her ground with him when he gets too close. she’s taken to sleeping with the kiddos at night, particularly the girl. when we go to check late at night she can be found cuddled up to my girl. so sweet.
and now on to the ”real” kids of the house!
my oldest is 6 (and a half as he will tell you very quickly).
doing well in the homeschoolin’ first grade. i was a little concerned that we should hold him back this year or consider starting our school year in january (that would’ve made him right where i thought he should be), but i’m continually amazed by him and by homeschooling. he’s made strides i couldn’t have imagined just a few months ago. always excelling in math and science (so interested in all things science, particularly how things work - he took apart our free-standing fan and put it back together and it worked!). but reading has been a long and laborious process. oh my the fits and crying. and handwriting. oh dear, the handwriting. and then i wised up and took all pressure off. i just quit. no more reading lessons. no more, “just read this one sentence to me.” no more forced handwriting assignments. i figured if it was anything like all the rest of the developments that kids go through then he would eventually get it. potty-train, eat with a fork, drink from a cup, learn to walk, tie their shoes, ride a bike… i figured reading and writing would come just as those had - in their own time with little altering from me - push them or try to stop them - it wouldn’t matter, it would happen all in it’s own time. and it did. with just encouragement from all of us when it did happen. perfect. he’s reading so well now. and still wants to be read to all the time. and his handwriting improves daily. he just needed patience, acceptance, and time. he’s loving all the big boy stuff, “daddy can we go fishing? daddy can you show me how to use this hammer? can i help peel potatoes, mama?” takes his own showers, worries about his hair “sticking up” each morning - must find his cap! and is still “just so” in most of his ways. it’s very cool to see how big and independent he’s getting each day.
my middlest - 5 years old (my how that age on this one snuck up on me).
ready for kindergarten. in all reality is well past most kindergarten-readiness tests. well past. i can brag. i had very little to do with this. each child is his own person. and God made them each perfect for who they are. he’s reading. has been for some time. knows most of his money stuff, and is learning time. his handwriting is coming right along. he doesn’t like to be read to much, but poor thing, i force him to at least be in the room with us. maybe some of it will rain down on him! his thirst for the Lord is humbling to see. he asked the other night all about “wanting to choose to know Jesus” we read quite a bit from the book of Matthew and did much talking and answering of questions. his heart is so good. he’s a gamer to no end. and treat lover. oh me. how many times a day can i say, “no, you cannot play the ps2 now and no you cannot have a treat right now.”?! argh! he struggles with being in the middle. is needier for attention. and gets it anytime he asks. he’s still a cuddler. but definitely is now tempered with attitude.
especially about and at his sister. good grief! 
not quite riding the bike without training wheels, but not quite sure he really wants to. loves starwars, superheroes, and anything “dudish.” still has fashion sense that is skater/surfer.
the sister. the princess.
3 years old. twirls and dances and sings. wants to do schoolwork and is doing it well now with the boys. preschoolin’ is in full effect. three is a different animal with her. as everything has been. 3 has always been one of the hardest ages with the boys. so far, not so much with this one. i would imagine that will change, but i’ve heard from others that with their girls 4 was a turning point age. the attitude just isn’t there.
i wish i had her optimism. everything is okay. and not just okay, but great. “oh, we’re not going to the park like we planned, but instead going home? yay! home, i love home!” unreal. don’t get me wrong, we have fits, just not as many, and not as severe. she’s just happy to be here. and she’s gotten a lot easier than last summer. i look back at all that she got into and think, man, life has settled with her. she didn’t have the attitude, but, boy, could she get into some stuff. for the most part, that’s gone. she’s completely potty-trained. i never put a pull-up on her anymore, not even for town or naptime, just at bedtime now. still has her paci. must do something about that, but dreading the fight.
asks about all babies all the time. wants to know when she’ll “get to be a mommy” all the time. plays with ”boy” stuff with her brothers, just usually with her own twist - starwars? sure, but she’s gonna be queen amidala. superheros? yep. but she’s gonna be supergirl. she’s the best princess spy you’ll ever see. but she can be found quite often dancing on her own and playing babies all by herself. and speaking of dancing, we’ll be enrolling her in her very own dance class this summer. she’s beyond excited, as you can imagine.
the baby. oh baby!
he’s 2 days from being 14 months old. after overcoming his refusal to roll over, he took off walking at 9 months. who could’ve guessed? after being all-too verbal during those trying colic months he then decided he wouldn’t talk. mama? barely. dada? not really. bye-bye? not at all. now, granted, 2 of mine (the oldest and the girl) were early and constant talkers, but like his middlest brother, seems to just be a man of few words, but much action. who needs all that talk? however, in the last few days he’s starting to try his hand at it. one of the first things i’ve tried to get all of mine to do is find their belly button. it’s just so cute! and to get them to say it. so funny! yep. i now have the fourth child grabbing confusedly near the diaper area and saying “beh-y buh-un.” LOVE it! he will finally blow kisses on demand. sometimes. and will kiss me when i ask. sometimes. he loves “ride a little horsie” and tries to sing it with me. and singing, he hums along and does the head-bopping thing with most music. still bops his whole body to dance with music. he loves peek-a-boo and will try to say it while he’s doing it now. loves playing with brothers and sister at least as much as cuddling with me. tries to jump when his siblings jump - too funny! smiles all.the.time. i really think he may be the happiest baby so far - or at least give his sister a run for her happy money! everybody still loves him. a little rivalry developing between him and his sister, but just the norm. he’s so little. 10th percentile. i kinda wish he had that baby squish - i just wouldn’t worry so much, but it’s just him. he eats everything offered. and still nurses like a champ. way more than i had my others nursing at this point (except possibly my oldest, but still think he’s more than he was). and i have no plans anytime soon to wean. just enjoyin’ it and no reason to rush it. he doesn’t like whole milk, but i give him some everyday in the hopes it will ”take” soon. i know with all the others they went on a milk strike after i weaned them (for up to, like, 3 weeks) but eventually came around. i figure about as much with him too.
runs everywhere he goes.
climbs everything and learned that he gets an adrenaline rush from flipping himself over the arm of the couch. oh my, my scared heart. sleeps some in his crib, but still sleeps way more than he should with me. ah well. i’m a sucker for babies now. now that i know they really don’t stay this way forever. what can i say? he’s getting a little more social. i said, a little. don’t expect miracles if you want to pick him up, touch him, or even look his direction, though. he likes playing with daddy and will even settle some with him, but is very clear about his preference. he wants everything the other kids have and will give us a very pitiful look if we forget to buy him a happy meal like the others (which, shamefully is way more than we’d like to admit. “oh, you mean we forgot to get the baby what we got everybody else AGAIN? we do have four kids now, don’t we?”
any more babies from us? i don’t know. i always wanted at least 5. we agreed to be done. i was fine with being done. my honey was more than fine. watching several people around us get pregnant and… we’re kinda discussing it. kinda. we don’t know. we’re takin’ it one day at a time. we haven’t made a sure decision either way, and i’m content. more? i’d absolutely love it. all done? completely fine. i’m just thankful for contentment right now.
so, that’s us. how’re you?
TheySay »
the setup: we’ve been studying american history.
the setting: the oldest and middlest are playing starwars on the ps2.
the situation: the oldest, “hey, mom, i just shot a clone in the head like abraham lincoln was shot.”
the response: “uh, yeah.” and a quick call to dad.
the dad response: after laughing, “that’s pretty funny. he’s learning history, mama. although, you might want to explain that to him.”
ya think?