Dear Hormones,

Why do you hate me?!?  If only you were where you are supposed to be and in the right amounts.  I could lose weight easier!  I wouldn't be (as) moody.  I wouldn't go 3 months with out a period and then feel completely sick when you decide it is time to release the mother of all periods...You do this to me all the time!  What is your deal?  You could at least warn me a little.  I even thought I had you figured out:  some what regular periods in the Fall/Winter..not so much in the Spring/Summer, but then {BAM!!!}-WRONG!  Let's do it backwards in 2012 and make me think you are "evening out".

You and I have never been friends.  I am not sure why.  I mean, what did  I ever do to you?  From day one of puberty you have been like a plague in my life...I do thank you though for the truce you called long enough for me to fulfill my one true dream in life: to be a mommy.  Thank you for that. (You apparently missed the memo that I would have liked very much for that to have happened again...I thought the prescriptions drugs meant to help with that would have worked again but you were just too stubborn.)  Motherhood has pretty much rocked...except when you make me moody crazy mommy.  Really when I think about it, it is ALL your fault.

So I am coming to you to ask you to make 2013 a little bit easier on me if you could.  Surprise me--no SHOCK me, this coming year by doing what your are supposed to do.  I will be 37 this year.  37.  The way you torture me has gone on long enough.  I don't like the number 37 (not a fan of the odd b-days) so I really need your help as I prep for this birthday (on May 31st...I am giving you more than enough warning).  Don't make me be all hormonal on that day unless it is good for a very good reason.  You got that?!...please I am begging you...

Thanks for almost nothing.  Heheheh... :)  I had to joke a little...it is supposed to lighten the mood of the letter...Did it help?  But seriously-think it over.  We may just make a great team if you would just try a little.  Think it over.  I am sure you will let me know one way or the other.

Sincerely,

Me

A post for me to remember: Jake blowing on my computer...

The other day we were finishing up homeschooling and Jake was very eager to be done.  I said to Jake: "okay get on my computer." (that is what I say when I want him to pull up the Internet on my laptop.  He is getting ready to start a research paper and presentation on Caesar Augustus  and I wanted him to bookmark a couple of sites that might have some information about him.).  I was looking down at something...maybe I was logging a grade or checking math-I can't remember but I hear him blowing...I wait for a minute wondering why he isn't opening up my laptop and pulling up the Internet since he is SO ready to be DONE!  I look up finally and say: "Jake why aren't you getting on my computer?"  (it sounds weird to say it that way now that I type it but that is our computer lingo...).  He looks at me and says: "Oh I thought you said blow on your computer!"  Whaaa???? (You love "Despicable Me" as much as we do if you pictured a minion as you read that whaaa?.  If you didn't catch that go and watch it immediately!!!)   I start laughing and then he starts laughing and we just can't stop.   You had to be there but even as I am typing I am chuckling.  He said he thought maybe I wanted to get the dust off my computer or something.  We remembered to tell Daddy about this funny moment we had...right before we said our evening prayer...Wrong time to tell him because we started laughing all over again and had a hard time stopping for the prayer.  Jake said the prayer and we both had to muffle a few laughs.  You know those things that are only funny to you and that person and that any time you think about it it starts all over again?  It was one of those...Luckily Heavenly Father has a sense of humor and I am sure he was glad our homeschooling day ended in laughter...there are days were it doesn't end on such a high note.

 I wonder if we will read this in 20 years and laugh all over again as we remember it Jake. :)

These are a few of my favorite things Thursday: First attemp at Mercury glass, Home EC 101, A house to rent, & Tickets to NH....

There are 2 things I am loving this week:

1. Krylon Looking Glass spray paint (I tried it on a ugly old lamp...lets just say it isn't photo ready...)

 Guess where I got this craft idea?  If you guessed Pinterest you are correct!  After canning potatoes the other day we had a few jars we couldn't used because they had chips on the rim.  So I tried to make them look like old mercury glass.  It was a fun experiment...It didn't come out perfectly but that is what happen when you don't read all the directions because you are too excited to wait. :)  I get the process now and will be doing this again...

 I tried it 2 ways for the fun of it. Spraying the inside:

 and outside....I like them both for different reasons.

 2. Home EC 101-Jake learns to can and sew...I love homeschooling and I love that my 11 year old son doesn't think it it too girlie to do these things.  Everyone needs to know how to do these things-especially in this day and age!

 His first stitches on the machine...Not bad at all dude!

 Nee is his teacher because I don't sew...I know I just said that everyone should know how to do it.  I have sewn...just not much.  I am going to get some lessons myself. :)

Jake actually sewed an apron for Nee.  I had to leave and didn't get a final results picture but I will.  He did a great job

3.  We just looked at a house we may rent.  Cross all your fingers and toes, and PRAY for this too work out.  Three years is tooooo long to go with out your families own space....

4.  Nee and Papa G love us so much that they bought us tickets to go to New Hampshire in Jan. to see the new member of the family!...Cross you fingers he will be there when we get there.  Tina-the count down is on for baby #5!!!  I am excited (and maybe a little jealous) for you! And so thankful for great parents!!!!

What are some of your favorite things this week?

Prepping...

 We are Mormon so we have been preppers before prepping was cool.  Take 2 Mormon woman + 10 lb bags of potatoes on sale for $1.59= CANNING POTATOES!!!!  My mom and I canned 21 quarts of potatoes today and will be back at it on Wednesday.  We made a plan for the 5 turkeys we got on sale that are in the freezer too...Those will be next on the list of things to can.

 Jake was wondering why it is called canning when you put them in jars.  He said: "So really your are jarring."  He thinks he is so funny. :)

 We also made up some semi-homemade hot cocoa mix (cocoa, creamer, & powdered sugar) for the ladies we visit teach. 

I have big plans to do some serious canning over our Christmas break...

Not waiting until the new year...

I can't put it off any longer.  I feel like a slug...especially after our Thanksgiving pig out session feast.

The Plan:

1.  Today shop for foods that will help us all eat better.  Family Home Evening will be  discussing the plan with my guys who will also be doing it with me.  They have no choice.  This is going to be a team effort.
2.  Break out the Weight Watchers books, calculators, etc....again. And do it for more than a week.
3.  Exercise Monday-Friday.
4.  Cut out soda.  Diet soda is gross.  Not sure when we all become addicted to soda but it has to go.
5.  Do it. 






 No more wishing. We are starting today.

What I am thankful for...

*My family & friends, their love and support.
*My country, those who founded it, those who have fought for it, and those who still love it.
*My freedom, our forefathers who wisely clarified what those are, and those who have fought for it and those who still do.
*My Savior.  Need I say more?
*My life-the good and bad parts because they all teach me.
*All the things the Lord has given my family.
*Dog sitting for the Martin's.  Their queen size bed is soooo comfortable...It makes me miss my queen size bed.  Only a little longer until we will be sleeping in it again....
*This list could be a mile long but it is time to get ready for our turkey day meal. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Sometimes Ron Paul gets is right...

He did during his farewell speech to the Congress.  In it he said:

“Expect the rapidly expanding homeschool movement to play a significant role in the revolutionary reforms needed to rebuild a free society with constitutional protections.  We cannot expect a federal government controlled school system to provide the intellectual ammunition to combat the dangerous growth of government that threatens our liberties.”

 I guess I should have given Ron Paul more credit.  He is dead right on this one.  

This (click on "this"...it supposed to be a different color so you would know that but my computer isn't cooperating...) is where I got this information (actually I got it from a fellow homeschooler and then I went to the site she referenced....).  I don't know much about the is sight so the opinions expressed on it may or may not line up with mine.  But I totally agree with this one that Ron Paul made. :)

Dog days & leaf joy...& Back to reality...A 2 for 1 post.

Dog days & leaf joy:

Yesterday Jake told me he needed a mental health day and asked if he could just play outside with the dogs all day long.  He told me he would work extra hard at his school work tomorrow (which is today) to make up for it.  I told him he could and he was so excited.  Little did he know that I had only planned on us doing one day of school this week (since it is Thanksgiving week).  I let him think I was the best mom in the world by letting him take the day off. :)  I could only narrow it down to 38 pictures...

I was about to take a picture when Sadie decided to jump on my lap...This is the picture that came out of that moment...

 I love this action shot of all three of them playing together....

 Pure doggy happiness...

 Penny winking at me...

 Sadie is not photogenic...she moves too much and too fast so I was happy to actually get a few shots of her!

And now back to realty:

Now it is the next day and he has accomplished a minimal amount of work...Any other homeschooling mom out there have a child who thinks you are being mean when you force them to do what they are supposed to do, since you have given them all the opportunities in the world to chose to do it on there own but haven't?  Yes that is a run on sentence.  We even came to the library to help him "focus".  It is hard to yell at have a serious discussion with your child in public...I sent him away because beating your child is frowned upon in the library...just kidding I don't beat Jake but the stink eye, speaking quietly while staring him down, and explaining that it isn't being mean to tell him he has to do something he doesn't want to do wasn't working.  The "whole give them an inch & they take a mile" fully fits Jake at this moment...I am making him go find a chemistry book (since he wants to do chemistry so badly) and I am going to have him find a book he really wants to read and thinks looks interesting.  Then I am going to punish him by not letting him read it!!!!  Withholding books and reading seems like a great punishment!..(not really but sending him a way was the best I could do in the library and him standing a little ways a way and staring at me was not far enough a way...) And I am going to make him do school tomorrow too.  And I am going to make him scrub the toilets, and sleep outside and wait here he comes with a book....

Ahhh...he feels bad and after looking for a chemistry book with no avail he stumbled upon a "Bear" book.  Have you ever read any of these books?  They are by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Jane Chapman.  They are so sweet and bear is adorable.  It is a peace offering for not listening and having an attitude.  How sweet.  I had him pose with the book to mark the occasion of him understanding the error of his ways...Now he is back looking for a chemistry book because right after taking the picture and me saying "thanks for the book now lets get some work done", I look up and he is starting to read it!!!!  NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Focus!






It is now time to do your work not distract me with a cute little book so you can get out of math!!!!!...Wait he is back.  He is excited because he used the computer to look up where said chemistry books may be (I had to tell him how to spell chemistry that is apparently why he could not find it before..) and he is excited that he found 3 books in Juvenile and 1 in teen that look promising.  He is excited to finally check out some chemistry books!!!

Hehehe...My plan (it just became one...) is working perfectly.  I am making him excited to learn!  I made him look up the books on the computer by himself (he needed help for a minute because he didn't notice that some of the books were adult-which would be above his reading level), then he had to ask the librarian where to begin to find them (I wasn't about to pack up all our spread out stuff on our table...and he needs to know how to do it.).  And then he found them!  He came back excited to show me and ready to read them!!!!

I then told him my "plan".  I told him I taught him to be excited to gain new information and to look up books at the library on his own. I told him he couldn't read the books now because he had to take responsibility, to be patience, and prioritize.  He looked at me and said: "I don't get it".  He was just joking so know he is doing his math happily:

I turned a negative into a positive teaching experience!  Go me!...Wait a second.  He won't stop wiggling his tooth...I have to tell him 72 times to stop wiggling  his tooth and focus!!!  AWWWW!

Back to reality....