TGIF!!!

We are officially done with our first week of school. I could have picked a better week. Next week would have better, but what kind of fun is that? On top of starting school, the kids had VBS at our church this week. We also had veggie co-op. I figure it's good practice for us when our extras kick in. It also led to some quality naps, let me tell you what.

We started off light.We only did language arts and math. Next week we add in history and science. I am looking forward to that. I was going to start with a history lap book, but I changed my mind. See why I plan in pencil? Instead we are going to start history with America: The Story of Us. I borrowed the DVD from my friend K. The History Channel has study guides for each episode. We aren't necessarily going to follow the study guide, but we'll do some of it. I am looking forward to the discussions. After reading some different views on the history that I learned, I am looking forward to the series. Some of it may jibe, but some may not. That should be interesting.

I bought my supplies for the science experiments. I only really needed a 100 watt light bulb. I have every thing else. We are not doing science during a co-op week. Just one more thing to shove into 3 days, instead of four. We will, however, do origami. Since we have to make an aluminum foil "hat" for the light bulb to keep from burning ourselves, our first origami projects are hats. We are going to make two different kinds. I am going to try to find origami to either coincide with science or history. Or not. I'll probably change my mind 14 times.

The big project that I started today was cleaning out the kids' dressers and closets. Mercy me. I've already done that once this year. You should see the pile of clothes stacked in the corner of my kitchen. You really shouldn't because it is a mess!! I unpacked a box so I would have somewhere to put it all. I'm glad I did. I found 7 pairs of jeans and two shirts for the boy. More importantly, they fit! Today started our tax free weekend. I have printed every coupon for every store I can. I have made a list so I don't forget what the kids need. I have coupons for shoes, clothes, underwear, and socks. I also have a plan. Yeah, we know how that goes.

Because I don't think we are busy enough, want to know what I did? I signed the kids up for some free workshops at Lowe's. Am I out of my mind? DO NOT answer that!! I didn't sign up for alot. I just signed up for a couple I thought the kids would like. And they're free. And the Lowe's I signed up for is right across the street from the frozen yogurt place and Five Guys Burgers and Fries. There is a method to my madness. Now if I could figure it out, wouldn't that be great?

I have bored you enough. I am on to researching field trips. I'll let you know what I come up with. Wanna go with us?

Have a great day.

See Her?

That's my niece, DD. I love her and I miss her. I wish she could come live with me, but Big Sis is selfish and won't let her. Big meany.

Have a great day.

To Do List

I am a list maker. I usually make them in my head which could explain why I don't always get everything accomplished that I want to. School is about to start. I'm excited even if the kids aren't. We are about to register for dance. Just one more day until that happens. That helps put the lesson plans in better perspective. I've ordered the curriculum we need. I have changed a couple of things and I'm going to switch some stuff around. We are also going to try to work piano lessons into our already busy schedule. If it works, I'll be calling my friend N to see if she can work us into her busy schedule. That means there are some things I need to get done before all the crazy starts. Here's what I've got so far:

• I need to make stock. I normally make all my own. I usually make chicken and turkey, but I am also going to dabble in some veggie stock. Sometimes I have some veggies left over that may not look very appetizing, but if I boil them up, yummo stock. I have some turkey and chicken bones waiting on me. Great, now I have to clean out the freezer.
• One reason I make my own stock is because I crock pot. Stock makes a really great flavor base. It can make a pot of lentils just that much better. I need to get my recipes together and go through them so I have them in one place. I am going to peruse my favorite websites for some new recipes.
• I need to get back to making a menu. There are a couple of days we will need to be out of the house relatively early. I need to get my kids fed before we go. If I have a menu, I can plan quick and easy on our busiest days. My kids will be happy and I won't have to drive thru. That makes me happy.
• I need to start making some time for me. Good thing making time is so easy. I was hoping by saying that out loud it would make it come true. Did it work? I usually get up with hubby in the morning, but so do a couple of our kids. It's on from there. Now they need to go back to their room. The early hours are mine from now on.
• I need to relax. If we get it done when it's on the schedule, great. If not, it's ok. That's why I plan in pencil. Do our best. That's all I can expect from us.
• I need to get back to couponing. Having been gone as long as we were, I got out of the habit. I've already started and have a nice little stack to start the great pantry stock up again. What's funny is that most of it isn't for my pantry, that's just where I keep it. Saving money is just another hat I wear. That's funny because I have way too much hair to wear hats. 

I'm hoping that because I've told you all, I can make this happen. Wish me luck. I am gonna need it!

Have a great day.

Ala-BAM-a, Part 1, With Pics

Not just talking about the state. I'm mainly talking about the battleship. And the USS Drum, the submarine. Hubby and I have driven by the USS Alabama many, many times on our way to Texas over the years. Every time we did, we would always say, "We should stop." But when you have limited vacation time and it's a two day drive both ways, it's hard to make the time. We stopped this time, by golly. We decided that when we were driving back, we would take a day or so to just hang out. What better place than Mobile and the USS Ala-BAM-a. And that's how we said it every time. After not seeing hubby for 5 weeks, we needed some time to be a complete family. We also needed some time to decompress. It was awesome.

We are not seasoned travelers like many of our friends, but we have our quirks. For instance, we prefer to always stay at a Hampton Inn. It's the free, hot breakfast that really does it. One word should say it all: waffles. When someone who has never made waffles looks at the waffle iron while it beeps loudly and annoyingly, my happy family calls out "Flip it!" Turn it over, beeping stops. Hubby is the king of the waffle iron. Now I have a craving.

We stayed in downtown Mobile. It took us 5 minutes to get to the ship. It was easily navigated and we even found our way back easily. Love it when that happens. We walked to restaurants and shops downtown. And we had a balcony. It was easily one of the nicest rooms we have ever stayed in.

 The room was huge. We had plenty of room to spread out. And we made ourselves right at home, let me tell you what. I had to get pics before we turned it into our space. You know I mean trash the place. We were very good. There were no wild parties and nobody broke anything. When we reserved the room, we asked for a balcony. We were hoping for one with a view of the bay. What we got was one of downtown Mobile.

That actually turned out to be just fine. It was really neat to see the mix of very old buildings, not so old but old enough buildings, and very modern and tall.

 Hubby and I were very drawn to the white building with the writing on it. We don't know why. We just really liked it.

 The top of this building looked like it was made of glass. We wanted to go up there and see the view. Ok, not me so much, but as long as I looked out and not down, we were all good.

This is the coolest building. We don't know what it's for, but the very top floor had us wondering. If you look you can see lights on the top floor on the far right. There are people up there. The first night we were there, we could see several silhouettes. And then someone was taking pictures. We could see the flash. The next night there were people there again. You could see them gather on the balcony. We waved in case they were watching us, too. If you looked down at the street, you could watch people coming and going to or from a night on the town. Some people should just stay home, you know what I mean? We couldn't help but laugh at some of them.  

 The pics just do not do justice to the sights. This building was very pretty all lit up. Not sure how I cut off the top, but that was the best part. See how I am.

Whenever you take a vacation to a city that has a lot of tourism, you should get a map. We got this one at the front desk.

They were also at the battleship and a couple of the places we went downtown. They proved to be invaluable. It listed the attractions that were close, shopping, restaurants, golf courses. Downtown Mobile also has a free trolley to take you almost anywhere you want to go. The maps tell you how far away, or, in our case, how close things are. We wound up with three of these I think. Many of the roads in downtown are one way. It also showed that. That came in handy when hubby took a wrong turn.

And this we got from the nice lady at the gift shop at the battleship. She was a little tightly wound for some reason, but get her talking and she loosened right up.

Sorry the picture is crooked. I forgot to turn it. But, every time I go to crop a pic, I lose it. It just disappears. Not that that has anything to do with this blog. I'm just working through some frustration. This is a vacation guide to Mobile. Get one for whatever city you visit. Great information in this thing. It made us wish we had a few more days to spend.

We want to go back. There was so much we didn't get to do. We would probably stay at the same hotel. We had the best time. It was great to get to spend some time and just wander with no real schedule. We need more of that. And it's nice to know we can make it there in just a few hours. Lots of places we want to go, but if you are looking for a good time, I suggest Ala-BAM-a.

Have a great day.

Rodeo Pics

We went to a rodeo while we were in Texas. I will spare you the retelling because, really, it doesn't need to be told again. Go look it up. If I was smart, I would link it. I just might go back and do that. Anyway, my camera died while we were there, among other things. All you really get is the opening and the view of some of the animals while we teetered precariously on  a metal walkway. The big girl took the pics from up above the animals because I couldn't do it. I was scared for my life on that walkway. There are also some pics of the kids before hand. I didn't have time to crop these so sorry about the quality of some of them. That and my picture gallery thingy where I upload them is being wacky.

 A skate park. This little bitty town that celebrates Jim Bowie has a skate park. Well, ok then.

 The baby and my niece at the top of a climbing thing at the park where we ate. I really don't like those, specially when there's concrete underneath it. Get down now. Thank you.

 I couldn't even look down. I tried. Once. That was all it took. Thank goodness the big girl said she would take pics. When I say rickety, I mean RICKETY!! Scared for my life, scared for my kids, scared for the people that actually had seats up there.

 Beautiful horses. And just for you, Hillside Hollow, a butt shot. It's a little blocked by the fence, but there you go.

The bottom right hand side of this pic is the bulls. It was taken as we were descending the steepest stairs I have ever been on in my life. They were rickety, too. The big girl did a great job. What she didn't get, because I was so scared when it happened I almost pushed her off the stairs, was all those bulls starting to fight. They are alot closer than you think. I could have reached out my hand and touched them. If I would have let go of my death grip on the railing. That didn't happen til my feet hit the ground.
 

 More bulls. I need to say it. Can you believe there was more bull crap in one place than I usually spout? Hehehehe...

 Ok, here's the deal. The top left of this pic is the announcer booth. See the guy in the burnt orange shirt? That was the announcer. Good thing since he was at the booth. My point, though, is that was where we were on the rickety walk way. See all those people sitting above the chutes? Yeah, that's where we walked. When the horses and bulls bucked in the chutes, I cannot imagine how much that thing moved, nor do I want to imagine it. A good breeze could have blown that darn thing down.

 We had the best of both worlds: a rodeo and a parade. I like the way they roll.

 That is the most beautiful flag. Ever. Followed closely by the Stars and Stripes.

 The announcer booth again. Good grief, I have goosebumps just thinking about  the walk way.

 The parade coming in. So many people and horses. I thought it was cool to see people riding with their kids. Their little bitty kids. Some could not have been older than 4. Some as young as 7 were riding by themselves. Go on with it then.

 What good are pictures at the rodeo if you don't get one of the bull fighter? They are no longer referred to as rodeo clowns. This guy was great.

You might notice that the stands in the back ground are almost empty. That's because it was the sunny side. Who wants to sit in the blazing evening sun when it's at least 105 outside? Not me. Or anyone else that crowded our side. It did thin out when the sun went down.

We had a great time. It was small, but the real action was the next night. One night was enough for us. We yelled and hooted and hollered. We got to spend time with family. That was the best part.

Have a great day.

Summer Days

Summer for us usually means we see hubby less than we normally do. Between the afternoon rains, which we loving refer to as bill payers, and the havoc they play on the phone lines, summers are busy time for him. But, on the occasion he actually gets home at a decent hour, this is what we like to do.

We love having him home with us. We are not afraid to put him to work. Somebody has to toss the kids around in the pool and it might as well be him. Besides, they get great air when hubby tosses them. Not so much with me. Hope your summer is awesome!

Have a great day.

Into the Groove

It begins. All the school year prep, all the extra's prep, all the questions about how much is too much. Can we do dance and piano lessons? Should we? Can we work one more thing into the schedule? Ready or not, here it comes.

Our school year, at least the first couple of weeks, is planned. We are starting late for us. There is much to be accomplished this year. Isn't there much to be accomplished every year? This year, although we are still doing some subjects together, I have a feeling I will be teaching three different maths. The baby is a 2nd grader, the boy a 5th grader, and the big girl is an 8th grader. The big girl's math is on disc, but that doesn't mean she won't need help occasionally. She's starting Algebra. I am so excited, regardless of whether she is or not. I like the upper level maths. I need to work closely with the baby and make sure she understands the concepts presented. The boy is a math genius. He will do fine, but I still need to keep an eye on him. Some of you may not know this about my boy, but he tends to get in a hurry. Sometimes he trips when he runs ahead, sometimes he whacks his head on a battleship (that's a later blog), sometimes he makes silly addition and subtraction errors. Those last ones will mess up his school work something fierce.

History this year is a series of unit studies and lap books. Our first one is about colonial times. I'm trying to focus more on American history this year. They all come with a list of books and additional resources. I've made a list of books I want to request from the library. I even checked to make sure the library has the ones I want. I told you I'm a freak. I did the same thing for our science. I'm adding an official reading time to our day. That way I know the kids will actually read the books I check out.

We are using a general science concept this year. I have a great experiment book we are using for science. It breaks them down according to concept. The first section is heat. It explains what heat is, then there are 6-8 experiments showing different ways heat works. Pretty darn cool. And, of course, there's all that additional reading. I've made a list of supplies and books. The other topics covered are air, gravity, water, chemistry, and a little physics. I also have a ton of experiments that I down loaded for free. We are going to do at least three experiments a week. If we get them all done in one day, bully for us. If not, we don't. Which ever section the kids want to do first, we'll do. I'm rooting for the kitchen alchemy section. That's kind of my concept for making dinner. Throw a bunch of stuff together and see how it reacts. As long as it doesn't explode, we're all good.

All of the kids are taking a spelling course I downloaded. The big girl doesn't really need it, but it wouldn't hurt for her to take it. I like the way it's presented. It's quick and simple, but I think effective. We'll see anyway. The baby is going to work on reading comprehension as well. She has great skills, I just want to make sure she keeps them. The boy is going to finish the grammar and reading comprehension from his LifePacs from last year. The big girl wanted to do some creative writing. She has always been a great writer and I like that she wants to develop that talent more.

I'm adding arts and crafts this year. The kids have all expressed an interest in origami. I think that's awesome. Because I'm a sucker, and I want to learn about origami as well, I ordered a book. I've been looking at them for awhile, and I finally found one I like. I found a book of origami fashion. You can make dresses and purses and shoes and who knows what else. They're not life size. That's not the one I got. That would drive the boy straight out of his ever-loving mind. I just thought it was cool. I think I might see if I can find an origami unit study somewhere. There's an idea. Who knows, maybe we'll start an origami club. Hmmm...

I see my crock pot being brought out from under the cabinet more often now. It is starting to feel unwanted. When we quit all of our extras, when we thought we were moving, it didn't get used much. We were home. I was unfocused so to get me to remember to put something in it and have it ready for dinner was not happening. I am excited that we are going to dance again. When we get registered, I will see if we have time and money for piano lessons. There is an opportunity, maybe, for a girl scoutish type co-op for the girls. I may see if there is interest in a boy scoutish co-op for the boy. No camping, though. Not enough Hilton's or Hyatt's around here. We still have book club once a month for the boy and the big girl. The kids want to start going back to chess club. Add that back to the schedule. Of course, there are field trips. I have lots of ideas for those. What was I saying earlier? How much is too much? I guess we'll find out.

Have a great day.