Winter Alpha Omega Publications Sale !

Alpha Omega Publications is having a Winter Sale. 20% off everything !
January 31, 2011 Only!
We have used Switched on Schoolhouse, Horizons and Life Pacs. My kids have loved them all. Currently my elementary aged kids use Horizons for Math and my first grader uses the Horizons Phonics and Reading. Plenty of practice problems. Lots of color on the pages to capture their interest. We have used Horizons for the last 8 years with great success. I hope we will be able to use it for the next 7 years, until my "baby" is grown up into the middle school years.
I will be definitely checking out the sale and my shopping list for the next school year to see what kind of deals I can find.

New Year and a New Calendar

I like calendars. The pretty pictures. The memories. Over the past ?? years our calendars have been lovingly created by my mom. A couple of the years, there was a deal I couldn't pass up online, so I made one that way. But every Novemberish mom asks me to make a cd of all the pictures that year. Not an easy feat for me. As the number of pictures I have taken have declined and it would seem some years all the photos would be one or two or maybe 3 children. A couple would be left hanging out there? ? ? I really do love them all. There are just seasons. Like the girl who just is too embarrassed to ever have her picture taken any more.

But the past few years, these calendars have been more for wall art than functional for us. With seven schedules and lives to keep up with, the calendar gets crowded. I have searched and tried a lot of systems. I normally would find one that would work for a season and then I would start searching and praying again. The paper clutter always being such a burden.

Over a year ago, my Fun Mom and I went to Ireland. When we returned, she still had left over spending money! ! Imagine that. She had enough to get an Apple Itouch. Affectionately, renamed Me-touch! I watched her with her toy for a year. Pretty cool little gadget. Talked with a friend, learned a little more about aps. Started thinking....

Then this delightful friend sent me this link. All about using Google calendars for homeschooling. I didn't want a smart phone. Too thrifty to spend the money every month for internet access. However, I was really wanting to empty my hands and not have my bulky calendar. Using an Itouch for a calendar, that convinced me. So my back to school shopping including a very expensive calendar. Over Thanksgiving break I lost my school binder. The one with transcripts, grades and records. UGH ! ! Got me motivated in researching and learning how to use Google calendars for school. In the course of this research I discovered I could save their school records in Google documents! Imagine that. I back up records, but sometimes there is a gap.... Still playing with this idea. Still need to tweak this a bit here and there. But I am learning to not be afraid of all this technology and find a way to make it work for me and my family.

I fell in love with this new techno calendar concept. Enough now, my kids can access their school assignments and schedule on their devices. They can't change anything! They can look ! Of course, they love their "toys" and don't want to lose them. Not like a piece of paper called an assignment sheet. Really like this idea. But it gets better.

Different colors for different kids. Dad's schedule, mom's schedule. I can select which calendars I want to look at. I can choose which calendars to share with each child. But I also created a couple of special calendars. Can't remember where I read this idea but it stuck and I am loving it. I now have a calendar of possibilities. When I find out about something fun to do and don't know if we will. I put on the "Possibilities" calendar. I can hide it if it is cluttering up my screen. But I don't have to hold onto all those extra papers! Then I was collecting a list of prayer requests. Some I was having difficulty to remember because they were for a surgery date in a month, or a meeting in 2 weeks. Then I thought, a "Prayer Request" calendar. I can have repeat for as long as I need to. Plus, whenever I glance at my calendar, I am reminded to pray.

Assignment sheets that can't be lost. Calendars that can be accessed anywhere there is internet service. Reduced paper clutter. Plus, entertainment on the go for Flutter Nutter. He loves to play Angry Birds and Xs and Os (Tic Tac Toe).

Rejoicing !!

I have been sick and dragging for a week now. This morning I made myself get up. Along with getting up, I was online checking school closings. Not that school closings affect us. It is a balmy 65 degrees in our school today and we need not worry about wind chills or icy roads since we home school. But we do have outside activities that cancel based on the school districts around. Of course it is not just a quick check. 2 minutes ends up in 30 minutes and then an hour. Cleaning up email, cause I haven't read email in 2 days. Clicking onto facebook to get updates on the lives of those I love. One of those updates stirs my heart with such joy, I need to take a minute or two or three to share.
When I can't sleep I pray. Not feeling well much lately, my sleep has been affected at night most of the last week. I have prayed. The subject of many of these prayers have been a sweetheart of little girl named Bethany. Just over a year old. Just having learned to walk. After watching my 5 all go through the milestones, I can imagine her little toddler frankenstein walk and waddle. The joy on her face as she discovers all that she can get into. The stumbles and falls that come with this new ability. Then the heartbreak of seeing her momma's post. Sweet Bethany is in the Burn Center. Several phone calls crying with my friend, I have known since junior high. Knowing the agony of a mommma's broken heart and all I can do is cry with her. Wanting to swoop in and rescue them from it all and not being able to. There is only One who can do anything. He is with them all the time and I cry out to my Heavenly Father on their behalf. Sweet Bethany fell against the glass doors to their gas fireplace. Not into the flames, the glass door. She landed with her palms against the glass door. We know now, these glass doors can reach 250 degrees and hotter. A trip to the ER sends them to the Burn Center in another city. My friend is surrounded by pain and suffering. Her little princess is is agony, but she isn't the only one. Pain and tears like I cannot imagine from many more than just sweet Bethany, it is the burn center. I can only pray for comfort, peace and healing. Dressing changes, and more dressing changes. My friend learns how to change these dressings herself and they get to go home. Lots of back and forth to the burn center. Talk of surgery. Talk of skin grafts. More tears. More pain. More dressings. My friend sobs to me, "I just want my baby's hands back." How easily we take for granted that little chubby fist and its tight grip on our fingers. The joy of playing patty cake and clapping to music. The soft skin and feather touch as the little hand touches us. She may not have fingerprints. A little of humor as Bethany is still Bethany and proves she is still capable of getting into things. God's mercies are new every morning. And then, the dressings come off and no surgery, no skin grafts need to be done! What joy!! All I can say is praise God. Thank you God for healing her little hands. For sparing my friend the agony of her little princess going through surgeries and skin grafts. Lord, please be with the other little ones suffering in the burn unit. Comfort them. Heal them as well Lord.
In an effort to educate people about these fireplaces, my friend is joining with another of her friends, who is currently going through the same thing. They have started the Bethsiah Project. There is a link in the margin.

64 Degrees and it is Dec. 30 ! !

I am so loving the weather today.
With two sickies in bed with Strep. I have every window and door open today. The house smells of lysol, bleach and the ham in the oven.

I kicked the healthy children outside to play and they all have played out front for much of the afternoon. Street hockey is the theme for the day. When they need to rest they go straight for the legos. Gus is happy as well. He has been tormenting Hockey Player while he tries to play street hockey! He grabs the street hockey ball and goes running. All he needs is a pair of skates. Great defense.

I should have the camera out, but then they will just want to pose and the magic will be lost.

My Favorite Quoteable Today !

"Flutter Nutter I need Jesus!
Bring me Jesus !
Bring me Jesus Now! "

Everyone needs Jesus right? Fun Mom is laughing. She think what I have just hollered dramatically and as enthusiastically as a fire and brimstone preacher is "just wrong!" Why? Cause Jesus is smelly and needs a bath.
Jesus goes everywhere with us. Flutter Nutter loves Jesus so much.
I am washing fleece so it is a perfect time to bathe Jesus!
It is Jesus' fault Flutter Nutter will need lots of orthodontics. Flutter Nutter likes to suck on and chew on Jesus. He puts as much of Jesus into his mouth as possible. He has done this since he was babe. And the orthodontist was the one who discovered the problem a year ago when we had the older ones in her office. She took one look at him and asked us what he sucked on? I thought she must possess some super powers, how could she know? I told her he sucks on his BLANKIE. (Yes, Jesus is a blankie! ) She looked at me incredulous. She said, "Nuh uh." I said, "Oh yeah! He shoves as much as he can in his little ole mouth and sucks on it. Fortunately, he has never suffocated." Light bulbs and an aha moment for the orthodontist. I asked her how she knew. She pointed out how his teeth don't touch anymore when he bites down. Sure enough. I just thought he had a great goofy grin that wrapped itself all over my heart. And he does. What to do? Not much, she is going to make money off of us. She told us it was up to us if we wanted to take the blankie away and have to pay for therapy in addition to orthodontics! Gotta love an orthodotist who is a mom to a large family as well! !

Before you think I am being sacriligeous or blasphemous. Please meet Jesus. We all need Jesus. But sometimes, it is nice to have Jesus here on Earth to wrap yourself up in. Flutter Nutter has just that.

Mom's Reflections...

I have tried really hard to take the wisdom of those before me to heart.
Especially, "enjoy the children because they grow up all too quickly."
It is true they do grow up quickly and I have found the more children I have the faster they grow up. It wasn't too long ago I looked at my middles and wondered where the preschool/toddler days went. I realized the addition of baby after baby left me with blurry memories. Now I am losing those very same days with my youngest. The olders are bigger and busier and I find myself in this fight against time to gain time with each of them while they are at this very moment. Then there is the struggle with my own selfish nature of just wanting a quiet moment for myself, a nap, a moment to stop and truly look around. There are times when I get the chance to stop and take a deep breath and I realize my surroundings have changed. It is no longer summer, the leaves are falling off the trees and then I blink and I am running for hats and scarves because of the bite in the air.

Lately, I have been savoring the sweetness of Little Princess. Her desire to comfort and serve others. She loves giving back rubs and scratches. She is learning new domestic arts, which she really enjoys.
Savoring the preciousness of Flutter Nutter. He is quick to say thank you without prompting, flatter his momma with no prompting, just the pure love and joy in his heart, and his innocent honesty when he is reflecting on things.
Hockey Player has been renicknamed this year around the house. I affectionately call him "Man-Child" and/or "Mowgli". If you can't remember where these names come from, take sometime to review Jungle Book. In the blink of an eye, Hockey Player has grown. He is no longer a boy, but not quite a man. He is clipping those apron strings from mom and gently sending me packing. He does still dote on me in his own ways. But he is becoming a man. He even has hairy toes now! That sends me in shock...I remember those precious little baby feet, the ones I kissed and tickled. Now they are strong feet, feet with a purpose and destination. In them, I see strength and manliness and my momma's heart aches with the truth, the days with this man-child are numbered and quickly passing.
Fun Mom leaves me all twisted with joy and anxiety. Her aunt once said, God made babies and little children, cute and adorable so we would continue to care for them and enjoy them. (Even if they flushed hot wheels and animal figurines down the toilet...my addition) But God, also made them to grow up and in that process allowed them to become annoying and irritating enough that as parents we didn't mind clipping some of those apron strings and giving them a good positive shove out of the nest. I am enjoying walking alongside Fun Mom during these years. The conversations we are able to have. We are moving away from the time where everything I say she just takes in and accepts. She asks questions, she reflects, she ponders, she makes observations. There are more and more adult conversations between us. There are the moments when "the littles", as the younger siblings are called, provide humor to us, that only the two of us get and we can look at one another in amusement and smile. A special time, where we are both enjoying their innocence and yet sharing in the private joke. The beginnings of a friendship, that I hope and pray survives the coming years to the time when we are mostly past the role of mothering and daughtering. In the midst of these precious moments, she does something so shocking to my system I am reminded, she too is growing up. Another apron string has broken and the struggle for independence and adulthood is still enduring and I have to let go just a little bit more.
Then there is Daddy's Buddy. He has had a tough autumn. Lots of changes in this boy. No longer little. Impatient to be like his big brother Hockey Player. Slicing those strings with mom with great warrior-likeness to only come running back for a brief moment or two. Even those moments are getting farther apart. He has lost his first tooth and for him that means he has arrived to Big Kid status. He has his own personal struggles. Ones we are learning alongside with him about and how to help him overcome them. Part of that overcoming involves in our interaction with him. He responds best when he is spoken to as an adult. Everything is very mature and grown-upishness with him. This Christmas he keeps making plans to fill everyone's stockings, even though Santa does it. He is planning and organizing when all will get done. He has taken over the responsibility to make sure Christmas happens. Decorations, check; menu, check; presents, check; calendar countdown, check and so on.
It seems all too quickly, I have only one little one left in my nest, Flutter Nutter, and he is very content to stay little. You might even say he has Peter Pan syndrome. The others are all leaping from the nest and trying to soar. How does a momma stop to even sleep when she knows very well, that the time is coming when one by one her little ones are going to take off soaring and if she even blinks, she will miss it?

Geminid Meteor Shower

Ever so slowly I am reading through our astronomy book by Jeannie Fulbright. Last night at the hockey rink while Daddy's Buddy was going through drills, Little Princess, Hockey Player and I read about comets, meteors, and asteroids. At the end of the chapter is a chart giving approximate dates for meteor showers throughout the year. Instructions to go to a website were also included. Thanks to technology, I did a quick internet search and discovered that very night there was to be a meteor shower. Now it will continue for a few more days...till the 16th, if I remember correctly. But God's timing is perfect, because we didn't have to be up at a certain time this morning. With excited kids who asked if they could sleep in, we made our plans.
If you get a chance to head out in the cold, cold night this week, do so!
Hockey Player, Little Princess, Fun Mom and I headed out just after midnight to escape the city lights. It took us a while to position ourselves in the right direction. Hockey Player wasn't able to keep his eyes open long enough. One of the disadvantages of having had a game earlier in the evening, and a tournament the past weekend. He was pooped. The girls and I weren't disappointed. Beautiful !
We opted to head home before the shower peaked, but sleep was calling. We were blessed with the opportunity to watch the shower as we headed home.

It appeared to me the shower was coming from the south. Though one of the employees at the observatory said to keep our eyes towards the northeast. ?? ?? But the best vantage point was just looking straight up! If only it wasn't so cold, I would have reclined on the ground, instead of hovering in the suburban with my face pressed to the glass. I did eventually roll the windows down and stick my head out the window while the motor and heat were running. When the clouds thinned, we could see the meteors traveling through the sky, with one or two suddenly falling towards the earth as a shooting star! It was breath taking.

Unless Hockey Player begs to try again this week, we won't head out again. Sleep is crucial for this momma to function. But definitely worth the loss of sleep last night.