Overheard

Me walking into the boys bedroom: Hey, where's Luke?

Lee: Oh, he's under the bed.

Voice from under the bed: no I'm not!

Merry Christmas!!

It is a cold, rainy day and we actually had to wake the kids up! Everyone got dressed and we went downstairs together. After we had a good peek at some gifts we went to Mass and everyone was well behaved. Jake loved the organ today and after Mass he thought he would go tell the organist what a good job he did :)

We are home now and Jojo and Gampy are here and we opened presents and ate some yummy french toast casserole, cheese grits, monkey bread and sausage casserole. We are stuffed and putting batteries in things and untying all the toys, freeing them from their plastic prison cells! Lee says he needs some bandaids because his fingers are sore from untwisting all the ties. Poor baby.

Christmas Eve

Whew, we made it!

We left on Friday for a whirlwinod trip to Knoxville, Tennessee to visit with relatives. We stayed with my Nana and Grandad. My sister and her husband surprised us by coming up for the weekend too. It was awesome to see aunts and uncles and cousins etc...It is something we look forward to all year, even if we do not spend Christmas Day together, just seeing them this time of year is a favorite tradition.

On the way home we stopped at my in-laws, had Christmas eve dinner (tenderloin a la Martha Stewart, yum!) and opened some gifts.

Now we are at home settling the kids down and then doing what millions of parents all over the country are doing: assembling toys!

Lee is busy putting together a beautiful wooden stove/sink kitchen thing for the girls and I am trying to wrap some gifts. Anyone have any ideas on how to wrap a spiderman kickball?

Merry Christmas to everyone!

*sigh*

A good friend just lost her daughter at 25 wks. I am just so incredibly sad for them.

She is doing as well as can be expected and all of the details (scheduling surgery, memorials, what to say to friends and aquaintences etc..) seem to be helping her get through for now.

She has to have a c-section and man, that just seems awful, that she has to have surgery. Another friend pointed out, in a kind thought, that the scar will always serve as a reminder of her daughter. I burst into tears reading that. What a precious reminder of life!

I think about my own 'twin skin' stretch marks on my stomach and the c-section scar. I have not worn my scars bravely and proudly, but I should, shouldn't I?

No matter how big these kiddos get, no matter if they outlive me or if they don't, those scars, those silvery lines are like a natural version of a tatoo, a gentle proof. I am not saying I am hopping into a bikini or buying some crop tops, but I should not feel ashamed of them. I should not feel less feminine or womanly because of them. How ironic that some very physical evidence of my femininity, my motherhood has caused me self-loathing or embarrasment.

Please pray for my friend M and her husband and two young girls.

Good Busy

Things have been busy around here. Busy in a good way, although I do have to stop and pray and remind myself to sit back and enjoy the business, not try to get through it faster.

This year is the first year I have tried very, very hard not to get so wrapped in the to do list that I miss out on the experience of doing the list becasue I am so distracted just trying to check things off.

Mary Clare has been sick (upper respiratory infection) and has had so much mucus that she coughs, gags and throws up occasionally. (sorry for the gross out) She has been so healthy and this really is her first time being sick since we came home. In a way, it has been a blessing because nothing forces you to slow down the pace of family life like a sick little one.

So between poor sick MC and me consciously trying to chill out, these past 2-3 weeks have been wonderful for us all, despite the general seasonal busy-ness Advent. Even with a sick baby, imagine that!

Las Posadas

Isn't this so neat! We are going to this tonight. So today we have read:




Las Posadas is just a wonderful tradition. Plus looks like there will be some good eatin'!

New Diet?

Could someone please fill me in on the new diet where you eat unlimited garlic bread 4 days a week without gaining weight, but actually losing it? I really would love that. Thanks!

Not a big surprise

Your Christmas is Most Like: A Very Brady Christmas

For you, it's all about sharing times with family. Even if you all get a bit cheesy at times.

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

We sure do love the cheese around here.

HT: Margaret

Advent traditions

This is our Advent wreath that is on a table in the living room. This is before I added the pink and purple ribbons to the candles.



This is our North Pole village. My mother in law has maybe 4 sets of different miniature villages like this and she gave us a whole set several years ago. It is a total pain to set up, but the kids really enjoy it. The red stocking is The Jesus Stocking, a new tradition this year

Our Jesse tree sits on our front hall table. Last year I made the ornaments for the first two weeks and then I stopped. This year we will complete the ornaments! We also have a beautiful Advent calender from the Metropolitan Museum of Art sitting on the box that holds the Jesse Tree ornaments.


Another new tradition is our Advent Log. Because our wreath is in the living room, we only light it on Sundays. We have the log in the family room and have been lighting it to say our family prayers at night. Unfortunately, the candles are burning down so fast! I will get some better ones next year.



This is the beginning of our own children's creche. The "Jesus Box" is what Laine calls it! Joesph and a donkey are pictured, and we now have a sheep and 3 wise men too. This week we'll add some more figures.

Important to me

Mary Clare has now been with us for longer than she was not. We met her April 5th 2006. For some reason, I have been waiting for this milestone. It is just important to me. I also think about when I will be 43 and I will have been married to Lee longer than I had not been. Quirky, no?

Anyway, she has changed so much and just making this slide show brought me to tears remembering all we have been through together and thinking on what we missed. This sweet girl has brought so much joy into our lives, I simply cannot imagine our family without her.

I asked the Jake and Ryan the other day, lightly and out of the blue, "So, do you like having a baby sister?"

"Oh yes!" they both immediately said as they were kissing and smooshing her as they tumbled out of the van. That was it. A brief little moment in time that made me catch my breath and squeeze my eyes to try and cement it in my memory.

Enjoy the slide show and be amazed with me.

Nativity Play

Last Friday the Jake and Ryan were in our homeschool co-op Nativity Play. Jake was a camel.

I am pretty proud of this camel costume. My sister gave me the idea to use the foam. Amazing, isn't it? Staples, pom poms and glue and voila! a cute goofy camel!

Ryan was a sheep, a black sheep. The director assured us this was not type casting. He is the last one on the right. His costume was not as fancy, black sweatpants and shirt and a cotton ball mask.

Both boys remembered their lines and I could actually hear them, identify their voices, in the audience. My parents were able to come to the play too. After the play, there was food, of course, and familes decorated Advent wreaths to donate to the Our Lady of Peretual Help Free Cancer Home, a hospice center really. I hope these wreaths will bless all of the residents this Advent season.

Messing with blogger beta

Surprise! yes, it is still me. I have been messing with blogger beta to personalise this little ol' blog.

I also have been wanting to change my blog title. We really do live on a cul-de-sac that has a gorgeous old magnolia tree right in a middle circle. I love that tree and I love having this cul-de-sac where my kids play for hours and hours. The tree also holds our red baby swing that Mary Clare loves to be pushed on.

I do let the kids climb the tree though the grandparents (and maybe other neighbors?) are a wee bit disapproving. It is a tree just begging to be climbed though! I also let the kids ride their bikes around the very flat circle without their helmets. If they go into the regular road around the neighborhood, I make them put them on. Geez, I didn't mean this to become a true confessions of a neglectful mother post, but I am in the mood to divulge.

Jesus Box

We made a stable for a children's creche today. It turned out great and I think we are going to make a wooden spoon Nativity to complete the scene. There are instructions for some intricate pipe cleaner, cotton and yarn people, but the wooden spoons will probably work better for my young crew.

Tonight when Lee came home he was mobbed like a rock star (as usual!) and Laine got her face right up close to him so they were nose to nose and said excitedly, "We made a Jesus box Daddy!"

Lee looked at me and I just raised my eyebrows and nodded. In the ensuing mob/bedtime scene he forgot about the mysterious 'Jesus box".

I just showed the stable to him and he agreed, it certainly is a good Jesus box!

Gettin' Ginkgified

This is our first field day! For our freshman entry we decided to watch the ginkgo tree in the yard across the street. It is a wonderfuly interesting tree and my kids loved learning about ginkgos in general. Even the twins got involved and would remind me to take the pictures. The boys were facinated to learn these trees have been around since the time of dinosaurs. A big thank you to Dawn for hosting this Field Day! Please click on the Field Day button on Friday, December 1st. to see many more autumn nature blogs.

In the south, the leaves don't begin to turn until late autumn, perfect for this Late Autumn Field Day! We decided to photograph the tree throughout the month, hoping to catch the Big Drop. This ginkgo seems to lose it's most of it's leaves very rapidly, within a couple of days. I hope you enjoy our nature photo journal.

Thankful tree

We got the idea for this easy peasy tree from Karen. We made it last week, before we left on our trip. I am taking it down to make room for some Advent stuff but I needed a picture for posterity!

Happy Thanksgiving (better late than never!)

I confess I have never been much of a Thanksgiving fan. I love the fall, it's one of my four favorite seasons after all. Turkey is ok too, but it is not one of my top meat picks. Eating a big meal with family and friends is always a fun pastime, of course.

But still, even with so many good and happy things associated with the traditional American Thanksgiving holiday, I just don't get too worked up about it.

I have a Christmas heart. I have looked at Thanksgiving as stopping point on the way to Christmas. I mark it in the calendar of my mind as the beginning of the countdown. It has simply been one more landmark to begin the journey to Christmas .

This year, however, I sensed a change in the atmosphere of my soul. I attribute the new awareness to several things that all hinge on one big thing, our homeschool. Spending so much time together as a family has allowed me to get more into the rhythm of the year, both seasonal and liturgical.

Also, I am growing in my desire to reflect not only on the things I am thankful for, but acknowledging to whom my thanks should be given. So, I give my thanks to the Lord for all of our material and spiritual blessings and I also give my thanks to so many in my life who have blessed me with their love and sometimes just simply by their mere presence or their generosity in sharing themselves in a blog.

And honestly, can you think of a better way to begin the journey to Bethlehem than giving thanks? This is like a big "well, d'uh" moment for me.

Ah well, better late than never.

My Bestest Friend!

My dear friend , Becky, and her family are coming to stay with us for two nights. She has been my friend since we moved down the street from her family when I was 11. The first time she saw me walking down the street, she though I was a boy! I had a very short 80's haircut, plus I was like a foot taller than she was.

Well, I didn't grow much more and she had a growth spurt so now we are about even. I am still a bit taller though and I can't say that about too many people. In middle school we were close friends, but like many girls that age, we had our share of fights and days of 'you are not my friend anymore'. Ironically, after my parents divorced and my family moved to Atlanta, our friendship not only held but grew stronger. We have not lived in the same city since then and we are as tight as sisters.

Our kids are close in age and our husbands get along too, so we lucked out. We often joke that after they die we will move in together and take care of each other and rock on the front porch
swing bragging together about our many, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren!

We have weathered much together, but the toughest was undoubtedly my reversion to the Catholic faith, leaving a big non-denomination church very similar to hers in her city. She is pretty religious, but not of the Catholic flavor and we had some interesting, emotionally charged talks.

Her youngest son is less than a week older than Mary Clare. She was pregnant with him when we began the process to adopt and she was one of my biggest sources of support and sanity during the whole waiting process. When I told her of our plan to adopt, she confided that although she was pregnant she and her husband were already discussing the possibility of adopting from China in the future. Amazing!

Also, they are HS for the first time this year too and we are planning some fall crafts with the kids tomorrow. I can't wait to see her and Matt and the kids . I know we will stay up into the wee hours, talking and laughing and probably crying too.

Yay!

Dear Friends,

Down at my post of my homekeeping book, Tracee wrote:

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Share...please share.We both work full-time and our little family is OUT OF CONTROL. I'm too exhausted to complete tasks and IF we had a schedule...perhaps it would help.Tell me/us what and when to do it...hey, maybe you could actually make INCOME by doing this...Please help those of us who have no choice but to BOTH work full-time AND raise a family.

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I snorted out my coffee at the thought of me making income helping other people get organized. People who know me in real life who read this blog (Hi, mom!) had similar reactions I am sure.

Tracee, your comment really pierced my heart though because your frustration is so clear. First and foremost please know you are not alone! I have felt many times that I must be a failure as a mom and wife because I simply could not get it together balancing kids, husband and my personal outside stuff too. (I help out with religious apostolates) And I don't even work outside of the home!

Truly, just laying things out on paper like I did for this homekeeping book was a tremendous help. Over the past two years I have definitely gotten better at this motherly balancing act, but I have also gotten to a point where I am not so hard on myself either. I have really worked on not comparing my mothering/wifely style to others and that is soooo hard because I know many women who have more kids and more responsibilities who seem to just effortlessly overachieve!

A good friend recently suggested that I write a personal mission/life statement. At first, I shrugged it off and thought it was a cheesy idea, but the more I think about it the more appealing it is to me. I think I am realising that what really was getting to me is not the cobwebs in my home, it is the cobwebs in my mind. It sounds refreshing to take a step back evaluate my life, who I am and how I am living and what my goals are. Of course, keeping a home that is elegantly simple and a life schedule that is the same actually clears many of those mind cobwebs too.

Not coincidentally, many of those mind cobwebs grew like mad during the Big Wait to Mary Clare's referral. Regretfully, for many months I was just punching the time clock around here. I wish I had more concrete things to share. I do recommend following the links down at that other post plus there is the whole flylady thing and hundreds of different organization or routine building websites and companies.

I will work on somehow posting some of the simple routines and checklists I worked up for us. They are not comprehensive, they are just guidelines.

Thankful Thursday: part two

I was supposed to do this last night, but I am still learning the ropes of the blog carnival thing. However, since it is still Thursday I decided to go ahead with this list. Honestly, being thankful is a discipline I could stand to practice more so this whole Thankful Thursday thing is good for my soul, y'all!

1. bedtime chats and tuck ins
-This would not have made a thankful list a few years ago. I have had my share of bedtime woes, believe me. More recently, probably with in the past year, I have begun to view this time in a new light. I cherish the hugs and kisses, especially from my big guys because they have grown more infrequent during the day. Also we have developed a very special and personal family night time routine that we follow almost every night. This is the time when the kids tell me things that just don't come out during the day. Sure, they are usually just stalling, but I'll take it!

2. our wonderful cul-de-sac
-At times I miss my old house that was bigger and newer. There are several things about our 'new' home that I love so much and I cannot imagine living back at that one. The cul-de-sac is high on the list. The kids play out there all the time.

3. great free podcasts such as this and this.

4. my minivan
-runs great and gets us all where we need to be

5. bunk beds

6. that we live 5 min. from church

7. the entire blog thing

8. squeaky baby shoes

9. my best friend, Becky
-everyone else calls her Rebecca, but I still have the childhood privilege of calling her
Becky, or more commonly, Beck. We have been friends for 20 years. My kids call her
Aunt Birdy.

10. kisses


See Journey of a Mother's Heart for many more great lists. Really, they are very inspiring.

Homekeeping Book

I don't think this will ever be complete. Maybe some homekeeping gurus will weigh in and let me know if my suspicion is correct: organization is an ongoing thing, there is alwasys more to do. I also suspect it gets easier once you have a good system, but maybe that is wishful thinking!

Here is the cover and also some of the dividers.:

I would like to add a recipe section too.

Another thing I have been doing for the past 3 weeks or so is designating a day for certain chores. For example, Monday is Laundry Day, Tuesday is Kitchen Day, Wednesday is Office Day, Thursday is Town Day and Friday is Big Clean Day. For each day I have a plan or checklist (that is in the Book) on what needs to be accomplished. The Town Day thing is tough, I still don't have the hang of making and planning good enough lists so that I am not having to run out to get things at other times. Laundry Day has been especially helpful. I may not complete every single load, but I am getting enought so that we all have clean underwear for a whole week. Be assured, this is a monumental milestone!


I try to keep in my mind that this Book is supposed to work for me, not against me and that I can adjust as needed. Also, if something should happen to me this Book should be able to help whoever needs it to take care of my family and my kiddos.
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I have switched to Beta Blogger and I am not sure if I like it. It seems the upload of pictures is very slow and I have a hard time with layout. Can any readers tell a difference?

The Simple Life

Have you read this book? I read it about two years ago and I was inspired but also very intimidated. I loved the idea of creating a Rule for my life, but I was skeptical about implementing it. Part of the reason my for reticence was laziness to be sure, but another part was the feeling that to do this, to make my Rule, it had to be perrrrfect. It had to be just like Holly's and just the thought of that exhausted me. So I put the book away and thought,"well isn't that nice....for them."

Over the next few months we experienced so much change in our family it was like we were living on fast forward. Holly's ideas kept creeping into my mind. This summer as I was preparing to begin homeschooling I pulled it our again and began to read through it one more time. This time I was looking at it differently. I had a new reason for needing more order in my life and also a renewed sense of purpose to give my children a firm foundation in a living faith. I read slowly and shared parts with Lee. I began to look at how this could work for us. I was able to discard the notion of being just like Holly and to listen to what the Holy Spirit was asking of me.

I have sketched out a Rule for myself and I have not been entirely sucessful in following it. That is ok though, it is a work in progress, just like me! The best thing I have gleaned from the book is the concept of the 5 p's. It is slowly transforming my way of living and prioritizing.

Another recent nudge of encouragement in my quest for simplicity and order have been a series of posts, beginning with Dawn and culminating in Kim's wonderful posts, beginning here.

I will post some pictures of my own efforts soon, I promise. Thank you ladies for inspiring me and Kim, thank you for the generous downloads.

Thankful Thursday

Lisa, at Joyful Chaos, is hosting Thankful Thursdays every week in November. It is such a breath of fresh air to read everyone's lists and composing my own was a wonderful way to start my Thursday.


10 Things I am Thankful For: in no significant order

1. coffee

2. family dinner when Lee is in town

3. living close to my parents and Lee's parents-particularly it is the kids who benefit. having grandparents close by while growing up is priceless

4. wine

5. our children-I debated on listing this because it seems so obvious, but honestly this one could be listed 5 times for each one of the precious little stinkers so really I am cheating a bit lumping them together in one.

6. homeschooling-I am surprised over and over at what a wonderful thing this has been for our family. I know others are even more surprised at how much I really, really love it!

7. our washing machine and dryer

8. my wonderful husband-he not only puts up and does it with a smile, he actually claims to love me! That crazy nut!

9. my faith

10. the cool internet browser and ordering feature my library uses-I can search for books, request them, even from other branches and then just pick them up at our branch when they are ready, for free! Ok, I know it is is really not free, my tax dollars at work and all, but it is great to be getting something for my tax dollars.

Farmer Boy

We have been listening to Farmer Boy, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, in the car. This really is my first intro to LIW too, other than the television show. Although I have always been an avid reader, for some reason I was never into these books as a young girl. Farmer Boy is great for us, because, well, it is about a boy. This is a great introduction for them and perhaps it will whet their interest in the 'Little House' stuff, but I am not going to push it.

So far we are totally enamored with the Farmer Boy audio. Cherry Jones is a great reader and totally draws us in. One thing we all noticed is how much is written about the food! Almanzo is always hungry like a good, hard-working boy should be. The descriptions of food are heavenly,or pure evil if you happen to be dieting! At one point, after a lengthy, detailed description of a ham dinner, Ryan leaned forward and said, "Mom I can smell it!"

Listening to the books in the car is great, even Mary Clare, Luke and Laine are quiet for a bit. we are not in the car as much as we used to be, but still it is a great way to use every single bit of time we are given.

My Ry Guy

Ryan turned 7 not too long ago (10-27). He loves math, sports and playing with his brothers and sisters. When the twins turned 4 and the Mary Clare turned 1, I posted something special for them and I want to keep up the tradition.

Ryan is just 14 mo. younger than big brother, Jake. It is such a blessing that even being different in temperaments they are so close. Ryan really loves sports and has a competitive streak, but he also has a great time playing imaginary games with his siblings.
He loves cuddling and stuffed animals still too. He has a strong sense of justice and a temper to match.

Currently, he is missing his upper two front teeth as well as his lower two front teeth. The upper ones were actually knocked loose about two years ago. The lower two are coming in now and the upper ones should be too far behind. The dentist noted in his x-rays he has a 'very young bone age'. Strange, no? Teeth or no teeth he is one charming kid.

He is a chatterbox and is always making noise. He is busy and active and loud, sometimes he can be like a bull in a china shop. Other times he melts me with his sweet tenderness to his siblings. He still like to climb into my lap, but he barely fits anymore.

His enthusiasm is contagious once it is kindled. It is a beautiful thing to see his wonder and awe for nature. The nature studies we began and particularly the bird unit have really caught his interest. He likes to draw and yesterday finished his own book, "My Favorite Birds" with detailed illustrations.

Ryan is also silly and has a laugh that infects everyone around him. I apologise to all the other moms out there , but he is the kid that gets everyone around him all wound up and rowdy. Good at times, but we are working on appropriateness ;)

Ryan is a child that really challenges me. Parenting him is a gift. He has helped me to know myself better and I have grown in patience and in my ability to experience joy in simple, everyday ways. He helps me to see the absurd and to get physical. He attacks life! I have learned to relate in things that matter to him and he has helped me see the world from a new perspective. That's my Ry guy.

Jake is the cowboy, Luke is Spiderman, Ryan is the

Army Special Forces guy.

For some reason I don't have a good picture

of Laine, but she was a ballerina. I know my

MIL has some cute ones of her though.

Here's Mary Clare walking with Dad to the

pizza party in the cul-de-sac. After the party,

she stayed home with Lee to hand out candy

and I supervised the Trick or Treat Brigade.

Reconciliation

My oldest will be receiveing his first sacrament of reconciliation soon. Today he went to a 2hr. retreat with Lee to learn and prepare. It went well, Lee reports, and Jake has a mature (for an 8yr old) intellectual grasp of God and his relationship with Him.

Knowing Jake is preparing for this has set me to thinking on this sacrament as well. It is not well understood, even by faithful Catholics.

The whole nature of sacraments is so mystical and it was only recently that I could even entertain the thought of a physical sign really being a conduit of such an immeasurable substance, grace. I am not sure how or when the thought that God would not interact with humans in such a concrete, tangible way ingrained itself in my heart. Now it seems very logical, I mean He became matter Himself, being born of the flesh, therefore giving it inherant value. Why would it be so inconcievable that he would not continue to interact with humanity in such a physical presence? At some point I simply rejected that possibility without even realising it.

Confession is good for the soul. Even those who are not Catholic can agree with that. Ongoing self-examination, seeking self-knowledge, is a humbling, but satisfying work. How can we know ourselves if we don't stop and reflect, honestly and truthfully, not only on our acheivements, but also on our failings? How can we rely on God, grow in intimacy with Him, when we don't pause to see where we are falling short on our own efforts? When I am preparing to make a Confession, I reflect on all of this. Sin is real and it seperates us degree by degree from the One who loves us more than we can imagine.

The whole negative Catholic guilt thing has become cliched. In a proper balance guilt is good! Darn right my kids should feel guilty for lying, disobeying, being manipulative or using others, no matter what the "reason". Why shouldn't I feel the same?

Catholics believe that the institution of the sacraments is scriptual as well as traditional. When I go to confession, the priest is there as a servant of God and when he hears and absolves me, it is not him absolving me, it is Christ acting through the priest. In the Gospels, when He heals the paralytic he makes it clear that to absolve from sin is God's ability alone. I can also ask God for forgiveness on my own and I do that as well. The Church teaches, and I believe, that during the sacrament there is a specific transference of grace, that wonderful immeasurable stuff that you can never have too much of.

The result is not only a clean heart, but a clean mind, renewed and full of purpose and hope, because while it is true that sin is real, thorough and complete forgiveness is real too. That is what I want my son to know.

Magic Moment!

My Atlanta blogger friends Lisa and Eammon just recieved the referral of their daughter today. They have been such encouraging members to the Atlanta area adopters and everyone is just so overjoyed that now, finally they will be meeting their daughter, Maisie, soon.

Every time the new rounds of referrals are announced I get so excited and teary. It is like reliving our special moment. The anticipation of actually seeing your baby's face, learning her birthdate!, her hometown!, her likes and dislikes is a moment that cannot compare to any other place and time on this earth. Most of us prayed and waited and worried for years to recieve this confirmation of our newest familiy member and dear loved one.

Even compared to becoming bio-parents, this moment of referral is more emotional and completely exhilirating.

Congratulations Lisa and Eammon!

I have commited a bloggy foul. I answered a meme and despite being so proud to be tagged myself, I forgot to tag anyone else!

God forgive me, I can be so self centered sometimes.

Anyhow, I will tag Anne, Jen F.

10 Random Fact about Meme

10 random facts Meme
I was tagged by sweet Suzanne (who's daughters look like angel cherubs from some renaisance painting) at Gladdest Hours to answer this meme. I am ridiculously pleased to be tagged, so here are my 10 Random Facts about Meme

1. I will not sleep with socks on.

2. I do not shave my legs when Lee is out of town during the winter.

3. I like to buy old, out of print board games at yard sales. My favorite is 'Acquire'. I love it not only for the oh so high powered executive looking business man on the front, but also because it is a fun game. I recently discovered that a fellow Acquire nerd built an online version of this game, Get Hostile It is addictive. People, be warned.

4. I am the handyman of our family. I fix the toilets etc, and I am known as the Pretty Pink Plumber around these here parts.

5. I like to do arts and crafty things and I have a passion for vintage stuff.

6. I always wanted a Barbie mansion as a child, the one with the elevator. I never got it but I know I had more fun playing with my friend Marcy and making homes for our Barbies with stuff like shoeboxes and pillows than I ever would have had playing with the plastic monstrocity.

7. As a girl, I believed that Chevrolet would be a perfectly beautiful name for a future daughter.

8. I vividly remember swinging so high on the swingset when I was 5 that I was terrified I would go all the way around, but still pumping with all of my might.

9. I love spinach and most squash.

10. I always wanted to be an actor and I can make myself cry pretty much whenever I want.

Learning about other cultures

Last night at dinner Lee let out a loud, obnoxious burp. Of course the kids laughed, even MC, and I hid my smile. However amusing bodily noises can be, I feel that as the mom I do have to teach my kids good manners and appropriate behavior. I don't want to be a nagging manners harridan, but I don't want my kids to embarrass themselves (ah who am I kidding, I don't want them to embarass me!) and I want them to understand appropriateness. For instance, boys in the company of other boys may express any manner of bodily noises both real and pretend and all is well and good. On the other hand, these same noises are not appropriate at dinner or most other places really, say Holy Mass for instance.

I decided to take the opportunity last night to share some motherly wisdom with the family after Lee's, ahem, outburst.

"In some countries, burping after a meal is actually considered very good manners." I said

This got their attention and interest immediately.

Lee joined in, "Yes, in fact in some places if you didn't burp your host would be very offended."

There were lots of ooohs and ahhs and a couple of well performed fake burps for me in appreciation for the good meal.

"Sadly, in our culture and in our home, it is considered very bad manners to burp so loudly and obnoxiously." I said fairly sternly looking at all of the kids in the eyes, including Lee.

He just grinned sheepishly and nodded and I knew he understood me and he really is going to try to remember to set the example.

Jake just smiled and cut his eyes over to Lee and said "You better start packing, Dad."

Bird studies

We began a special study on birds last week for homeschool. I was inspired by Elizabeth Foss's example of an in depth 'rabbit trail' unit her family followed. EF is my hero! I love her blog, she has beautiful ideas and her book Real Learning is one of my favorite HS resources.

Anyhow, following her example we set out to attract the birds first. We hung 2 feeders and the boys painted a simple wooded one from Michael's that I hung as well. Every morning last week we checked to see if we had any visitors and we were getting a bit sad I admit. Last winter right before we left for China, we renovated our yard and that included cutting down tons of trees. Our entire property was overgrown with ivy and gargantuan pines too close to the house so we cleared 'em out. We did leave several trees, but I feared the birds were boycotting our feeders in protest to the thinning of their habitat. I didn't really blame them.

On Friday morning I was relieved to see that they have forgiven us! Now we have many birds to observe and feed. So far we have seen; chickadees, white breasted nuthatches, robins, blue jays, cardinals, downy and red bellied woodpeckers and possibly some mockingbirds. The boys are just as excited as I am and we are looking forward to learning more about these wonderfully entertaining creatures.

Yikes, I am now an official crazy old bird lady!

Happenings

I have been a slow blogger lately. Lots of stuff going on, but not much I really feel like blogging about. My sister started a blog and it promises to be interesting. She is a first year middle school art teacher at an 'at risk' school and she is also a newlywed. She has tons of bloggy material!

My best friend from Fl is coming to visit w/ her 3 kiddos and we can't wait to get our babies together. They are only 6 days apart in age. B was pregnant w/ her son when I told her our plans to adopt Mary Clare. She was so thrilled for us, probably one of the most excited people besides Lee and myself. One of the reasons being that she and her husband are hoping to adopt from China as well, something they began discussing right about the time we did, but neither of us knew about the other's interest.

I am also hosting a 30th b-day party for another friend in Nov. We will be breaking out the kareoke machine, Lee is ready to start his vocal exercises now, just to be at his peak for the big night ;)

Oh and the prep for Halloween, costumes(1 ballerina, 1 ladybug *hey it was a free costume people*, 1 bat, 1 spider/super man, 1 army guy) jack-o-lantern carving party. Also our co-op is having an All Saints party with games, food etc.. the catch is dress up as your favorite saint so that means more costumes.

Speaking of costumes, I also have to get/make a donkey and a sheep costume for the nativity play. Maybe I can combine them somehow, there is a story about St. Francis and the Christmas Donkey so maybe one of the boys can be St. Francis and the other the donkey? What about the sheep? Anyone have any ideas on what Saint I can use to go with a sheep? Then I would have 2 less costumes to come up with!

  

  

  

  

  

Kamping with the Kulloms: the Aftermath

We had a great time. Really.

It was so freaking cold at night, but that was really my only complaint. Lee was able to get up there first and set up the tent, that really set my heart aflutter I have to say! I arrived with our stuff which included everything but the kitchen sink. I was even able to bring my coffee maker bc the site had an electrical hook-up. Some might say that is cheating but I say it was necessary for my own health and the health of others that I was able to get my morning dose of speed, er, caffeine.

We roasted hot dogs and had the requisite s'mores and wandered around socializing with the other families. There were over 20 and there were billions of kids. The next morning we started up pretty early and enjoyed our fresh brewed coffee and the sunrise. I had to run home bc while I brought everything, I mean everything, including the kids special glow sticks and extra socks etc....I forgot my own damn bag. But, lucky me, I hurried home and even had a hot shower, hee hee. I was back around 10 and everyone gathered for a nature walk led by some Dads around the water. Our sites were on the Lake Lanier in a surprisingly quiet area and it was very beautiful. Jake found two crawdad skeletons and Laine gathered lots of shells. Luke and Ryan found sticks and rock hideaways. Another family brought a huge canoe and let us take it out, the kids all loved that and I got a great workout!

Saturday night a wonderful priest came and celebrated Mass on the beach for us and then we had a potluck dinner with bar-b-que and a big bonfire. A dad brought out the guitar and we all sang campfire tunes.

Sunday we actually slept later and I made an awesome breakfast of eggs, biscuits and bacon on the campfire. I am so proud! Lee and Ryan left early to get to Ryan's football game and the others kids helped me pack up the rest of the stuff and sadly said good-bye to all of their buddies.

This week I have done 400 loads of laundry, but I finally realized it is our sleeping bags that still smell of smoke. We were all so, so dirty (not so much moi bc I had that cheater shower) and those first showers felt great.

The kids are asking when we will go again and are ready to head out this weekend. I think there will be another trip in the spring so they can look forward to that. Maybe I will be done with the laundry from this trip by then.

Alert! Luke and Laine's preschool calss will be on the radio LIVE!

You can listen to them recite the Pledge of Allegiance at 7:00am Central time. Their class is Mrs. Noble's pre-k 4. Click here to listen live!

Camping this weekend

We are going camping this weekend for the first time, ever. We will be with a group of over 20 families and I think there will be over 100 kids there. This will be one wild weekend!

This is a group from our co-op and I am actually looking forward to it believe it or not, becasue I haven't had time to get to really know many of the other families. In co-op we are busy with te kids so ther eis not much mommy socializing happening. The kids are so excited. I am putting on my happy camper face and preparing for lots of dirt.

Sadly (for her!), MC will not be joining us. She will be having a weekend with the grands. This will be our first time away from her and I am a bit anxious, but she has bonded and attached so well and it has been 6 mo. since we returned home this weekend. Wow! The neat thing is that my MIL is working late on Friday, but my FIL volunteered to still keep her. He will be solo sitting from 12pm tomorrow until whenever Jojo gets home. This is huge people, he actually suggested this. I am busy packing and listing stuff. MC adores Gampy and reaches and smiles for him so I know she feels comfortable and we will not be more than 2 hrs away so we can come if there is an emergency or something.

I think this will be a great weekend for all of us and the grands are looking forward to some special one on one time with Mary Clare.

What do we do all day long?

I started a brief blog to motivate our HS adventure. I have found that by chronicling our days at the end, I can see all that we are accomplishing. So often at the end of a day I was looking around and thinking I am so tired and I have been busy all day but WTH have I done?! Usually it is bc the house is wrecked ;) After doing a 'done' journal for several days I am happy to see we are actually accomplishing quite a bit! Here is is: Homeschool Diaries

Apple Pie Day

We have been trying to make an apple pie for like 3 weeks now, but someone kept fogetting or didn't have the proper ingredients but today we finally did it! I must say it looks yummy but we'll have to wait until after dinner to check it out. I found an awesome peeler,corer, and slicer at a garage sale for less than a dollar! That spiffy tool made it pretty easy to put a pie together.

Also we started Nature Journals today. It is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi so this makes today an auspicious day to set out to discover and learn about the wonderfulness of nature. We decided he will be the patron of our nature and science studies.

here is the book we used to get our creative juices going. It is great for beginners like us and has simple drawing exercises to get you started.
The examples are inspiring too.

*******A Great St. Francis Quote********

"What a man is in the sight of God, such he is and no more."

*******Mary Clare Trivia***********

We chose the spelling of Clare not only to differentiate from my cool cousin (the great photographer) but also in honor of St. Clare of Assisi, who co-founded the Poor Clare religious order with St. Francis.

A Day Outside

MC loves the swing and to play outside. Here she is pushing her car. The cutie pushing Mary Clare is our neighbor Grace, who happens to be from Guangdong too!