Long Overdue Thanksgiving Post...

I wanted to post about our Thanksgiving Celebration, but time
got away from me! So here it is...

We went to Dan's parents' house to celebrate Thanksgiving this year...The food was delicious! We all brought some side dishes to help out, but my mother-in-law did most of the work!

Everyone was there - Even Dan's sister & her family - We were so happy to have them there, including James, their Exchange student from Korea (he kept hiding from when when I was coming around with the camera, but I did manage to get him in one picture).

My kids had so much fun playing with their cousins...we don't get to see them a lot because they live over an hour away & they have a very busy social schedule! Becky also got to see her 2nd cousin Michaela who lives on the same street as my in-laws...This was a big bonus considering that in that family, Becky is the only girl cousin out of 7 kids! (Although Dan's sister is pregnant with their 4th child - maybe it'll be a girl!)

Here are all of the cousins (except Joshua who was asleep)

PS: Jake was a little superstar on his first Thanksgiving ~ He dazzled everyone with his cute baby tricks including: Peek-a-boo, so big, & he also says "Thank You", which sounds kinda like "Da-goo" ~ But still, he's only 10 months old! Everyone was impressed...

What's In My Head?

Just sitting here waiting for the results of my MRI...Most of the dizziness has gone away ~ but if I move my head quickly, when I lie down & when I try to exercise & bend over to touch my toes I feel it...Other than that, though, I feel great! I don't feel that there will be anything seriously wrong, but it will be nice to get the official results for a definitive answer. I guess that this is the one time in your life that you actually want to hear someone say that "Yes, it's confirmed, there is absolutely nothing in your head!" :)

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We are spending Thanksgiving with Danny's family this year (we alternate every other year) and are looking forward to having a very nice time with them...I love Thanksgiving because we always go to one of our mothers' houses, (so I usually only have to bring some side dishes and/or desserts), have a great day visiting with our family & then get sent home with leftovers so I don't even have to cook the next day either! Woo-hoo! :)

This week we are reading a book called Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende and Harry Devlin this week as one of our read alouds ~ It is in the Five in a Row curriculum that we use as a supplement, so we will be doing some activities from it today ~ If I feel really energetic we might even make the recipe from the back of the book for Grandmother's Famous Cranberry Bread! (We'll see...)

Bowling

Yesterday a local bowling alley had a special Homeschool Day ~ They had FREE bowling & FREE pizza & sodas! It ended up being a great day, even though it didn't start out that way...

We were running about 15 minutes late & didn't know anyone else from any of our local groups we participate in who were planning on attending this event...But I perservered, for the sake of my children, and entered the bowling alley pushing Jake in the stroller & Becky & Matthew on either side of that. (Did I mention that Jake had a stinky diaper which I should've just changed before we went in, but we had already gotten halfway across the parking lot when I remembered that Jake had thrown his bottle across the van while we were driving & I might need it while we were inside so we had to turn all the way around & go back & get it & by this time the kids were like "Mom, we're already late, hurry, hurry...so I forgot about the diaper momentarily until we got inside & I smelled it!?!) Okay, anyway, we get in & the "party" was "all the way at the end & down a few stairs". So I try to be cool like Danny is when he just picks up the stroller with the car seat attached & Jake in it & everything - Well, I'm just not that cool - I must have picked it up in the wrong place, the car seat unclicks halfway, Jake is now sideways but I managed to get him safely down the stairs stroller & all, reclick everything & act as if I have everything all together (PS: All of this is happening & NO ONE notices me~What if I was having a real problem or something!)

Okay~We are now in the Party Zone ~ I almost lost it with the stroller incident but managed to hold back my tears & go to get the kids their bowling shoes ~ which I might add are pretty stylish now with velcro & all, they looked pretty new and everything ~ (compared to the nasty ones we used to have to wear when we were kids!) Matthew was so thrilled~He said he wants a pair of shoes just like them of his very own. (Cute moment ~ making Mom feel like everything she went through so far today was worth it~Good thing we have those moments for encouragement, huh?) I go back to the counter & the lady asks me if I pre-registered (which the flyer never mentioned we had to do & the lady who talked to me on the phone never mentioned either) I said "No" & she says "No problem - No one is on Lane 54 you guys can go there..."

So we proceed (stroller & all) to look for a size 6 bowling ball and can only find an 8 - It'll just have to do...We find a ramp to push the stroller down to the lanes (see I'm not a glutton for punishment - no more of the trying to carry the stroller down stairs for me!), we get to Lane 54 & Voila! Two ladies (who don't even seem to have any homeschoolers with them) are on the lane already - I find a guy who works there & he says "No problem, we'll just add your kids in with them, unless you're uncomfortable with that?" So, they get added & take their first turns - They did okay but I am still stressed out bc when I went up to help each one bowl their turn, I could hear Jake scream bc he couldn't see me (& bc I still hadn't changed his diaper!) (Note: Tears are beginnig to surface again) Then these two "ladies" are nowhere to be found - So we're waiting patiently for them to come back & take their turns so my kids can go again!

In the meantime, pizza is served ~ Matthew is chanting "I want pizza, I want pizza", I still have to figure out how to change poor Jake's diaper, not leave my kids alone & not fumigate the place with a dirty diaper, while everyone is eating their lunch! I managed to get the diaper changed & go get sodas for the kids & as I was doing that I ran into someone we knew from when Becky went to Christian School who is now homeschooling her children! Yay!! I felt a big weight off of my shoulders & then I almost cried tears of joy! (Once the tears are already there & just being held back~they can come for any reason, ya know!) Anyway, God is just so good! He knows just what we need right when we need it! I managed to get all of my stuff & the kids over to our friends' lane & there was an open lane right next to them - The kids were able to have their pizza & soda, bowled two games, Jake fell asleep & Becky got to hang out with her old friend Pattie! It ended up to be a great day after all!!

Happy Birthday Jimmy!

Just wanted to say that my baby brother is turning 32 years old today!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIMMY!

What's Up With This?

Did you ever have something that just baffles your mind? Here's my latest thing...I have been purchasing & using a variety of different laundry detergents lately (partially because of whichever brand is on sale & partially because I am conducting my own personal study on something that I have noticed...)

Exhibit A

Exhibit BAll of the brands I have used over the past two months have similar instruction labels on the bottles ~ I'll rewrite the text for you below as it is blurry in the picture. They all seem to say the following:

For Best Results:

1. Pre-Treat items with tough stains - pour detergent directly onto stains and rub into fabric.

2. Select the proper wash temperature and fabric cycle. Follow the garment label instructions.

3. Fill to line 1 for regular loads. Fill to line 2 for heavily soiled or large loads.

So here's what baffles me about all of this...On the actual cup there are three lines!! Exhibit A above shows the picture of the label - Note the diagram on the label, which clearly shows you where Line 1 & Line 2 are...There is no mention of Line 3!! However, I tried to show you in Exhibit B that there does exist a Line 3 ~ Now, please tell me this ~ If Line 2 is for large loads or heavily-soiled loads - What's the deal with Line 3? Is it for really, extremely heavily-soiled loads? Is it there for people like me who like to take risks? Well, I like to live on the edge and am somewhat of a rebel, so let it be noted that I have been filling my detergent cup to Line 3, despite the fact that there is no mention of Line 3 on any of the instruction labels on any of the detergent bottles I have sampled...Seriously, in all reality, it is probably just that the detergent companies know that we will all fill it to Line 3, even though it's not mentioned because since they only mention Lines 1 & 2, we feel that by filling the cup to Line 3, we will get our laundry that much cleaner & they know that we will therefore use up our detergent that much quicker!

A Few Things I'd Never Thought I'd Say...

Here are a few things that I thought I'd share ~ things that I never dreamed I would hear coming out of my own mouth... (I have decided to keep a list of these things as they happen from now on, so I can remember them & post them at a later date because it's a crack up...)

"Matthew, put down that Giant Kermit, you're scaring your friend!"
(My mother-in-law gave Matthew a huge Kermit doll - it's as big as he is & he loves it, but he was chasing his friend all around the house with it the other day!)

"Becky, finish your meat, you can't have any pudding if you don't eat your meat!"
(Actually Danny said this one - No he wasn't singing a Pink Floyd song, we really were eating meat for dinner & really having pudding for dessert!)

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Today we are picking up one of my friends and her son and going to a local MOPS group meeting. The speaker today is a mother of four who is also a homeschool mom. I am very interested to hear what she has to say...Plus, its a nice break from the kids & I just love getting together with all of the other moms & visiting!

To sleep, perchance to dream...

Ah sleep...that wonderful luxury which simply seems to evade me lately! I just got Jake back to sleep and now I am totally awake! So, here I am blogging at 1:00am...I am always trying to make the best use of my time. Jake is cutting his top two teeth & is not a happy camper! I wish they'd just pop out already (poor little guy). I myself haven't been feeling well lately...I have a stuffiness in my left ear (already went to ENT & he said I have nothing in my ears...) [please hold back your sarcastic comments people~I just quoted Shakespeare for goodness sake!] ; vertigo sometimes with nausea; and some headaches. I am going for an MRI test this Friday to see if there is anything causing this problem. The ENT said that the dizziness should go away on its own within a week or so (but could last for several weeks). So who knows - I am just doing the best I can to endure this - I hate not feeling like myself. Somedays are better than others~Yesterday was good~today, not so good...

On Friday we had a good day and went to our homeschool group's Thanksgiving Feast! What fun! Rebecca dressed up as a pilgrim girl (there were a few others, mostly there were Indians). Everyone brought food and we had time of fellowship, they had a time of worship & we literally had a feast! Matthew had so much fun running around with a bunch of boys he met - I asked him on the ride home if he had fun & he said "Yes!" I proceeded to ask him what he was playing & he said "Mom, it was so much fun ~ We played catch me". Well, that explains why there were a bunch of young boys running all around & trying to catch one another~Got it now~Catch Me~Oh well, as long as they had a good time. Rebecca got to see some of her new friends again & she had a good time as well.

Here are some pics of my little pilgrim girl & the king of Catch Me himself...(sorry the pics are a little blurry~the battery was dying...but you get the idea)

Get Your Motor Running...

Happy Birthday Marines

Happy Birthday Marines.

Today the United States Marine Corps celebrates its 230th birthday.

On November 10, 1775 two battalions of Marines were established by the Continental Congress. They served as security and landing forces aboard Navy ships. Their first landing was made in 1776 when marines captured Fort Nassau in the Bahamas from the British. After the revolution and facing an uncertain future they finally became the United States Marine Corps.

Just a few places Marines have served around the world: Mexico, North Africa, Panama, New Orleans, Harpers Ferry, Cuba, Shanghai, Bellau Wood, Argonne, Nicaragua, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Inchon, Chosin Reservoir, Danang, Khe Sanh, Hue City, Grenada, Beirut, Kuwait, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

I would like to salute all of the Marines who have served during peace and war. They have all sacrificed a portion of their lives for their Corps and Country. We should always remember those who never made it back home…

Semper Fi…

Happy Friday...

Well, I don't have any inspiring stories this morning ~ I still don't feel totally awake yet! I am just going to go make my coffee right now so maybe that'll help! Anyway, here's a brief post on things going on around here...

We had a "park day" yesterday to try to meet some more girls who homeschool and are around Becky's age. It was a really nice day and about five other families came out and we all had a great time. The kids all played well together and Becky is encouraged about making some new friends ~ Plus, my children all slept (some are still sleeping...) so well last night from being out in the fresh air all day! It's a win/win situation! We're meeting everyone there again in two weeks...

Next week we are going on a field trip to an art museum where the kids will be broken down into age groups and do a hands-on activity...Sounds like a lot of fun...We will also be attending another HS group bowling day to meet even more people in this area who homeschool , as well as attending a "Thanksgiving Feast" celebration next Friday ~ So far there will be 26 adults & 60 children participating in that event.

Well, I am off to make that coffee & hide the Halloween candy before the kids wake up ~ This way, maybe I won't hear Matthew ask for it until at least 9:30am or something! :)

HAPPY FRIDAY & HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

I'm Back...

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I'm back! I feel like life is just flying by...We've been doing Co-Ops, field trips, play dates & all of our other normal activies. Becky has been taking horseback riding lessons & is enjoying it so far...We had a wedding this past Saturday & Jack & Mary babysat for us - The kids had such an awesome time ~ They got to go to a b;day party for Mary's niece & nephew who live near us - They watched a movie & got to stay up late...Sunday was my baby niece's 1st birthday so we went right from church to her house for a party, then home for a little bit & back to church (I had nursery duty that night).

PS~I'm glad for those of you who got to enjoy the extra hour of sleep this past weekend with daylight savings time & all, but for those of us who have little ones ~ it's not so great...For some reason Jake has been waking up at 5am, taking a bottle & then going back to sleep for a few hours...As if that's not bad enough - sunday morning I was not a happy camper when I woke up & the clock said 4:00am! (I know, technically it was the same physical time, but it still doesn't make it any better seeing 4:00 on my clock!!)

Yesterday was a very busy, but great day...The kids & I left the house at 8am so I could get coffee & drop them off at my friend Jackie's house...They played & baked cookies & cupcakes for our church's Harvest Party last night. Jake & I went up to Paramus for the last time for his exit exam with the helmet place. He had to have final pictures taken & have his head recasted (not fun!), but we got through it & he's all finished with his DOC band therapy! Yay!! Now we just have to get him used to not having the helmet on. (I think it saved him from a few good bumps on his head in the past...)

When Dan got home we went around the neighborhood and got a LOT of candy...Then we went to the Harvest Party at our church...Here's pics of the kiddies...We have a Little Angel, an Army Guy (even though Danny told him a million times he was a Marine, Matthew insisted that he was "An Army Guy" like his little action figures) & a little green dinosaur...