Rats.

I broke my streak.  I was busy all day with Maddie's 5th grade Luau.  Then girls home early for last day of school.  Helping them get ready for their party.  Then I watched Duck Dynasty with my hubby.  So I guess I forgot.

But luckily with the magic of Blogger, I can set the date for yesterday and make it look like I blogged!
photo credit

Household Happenings

I'm still on track for a blog everyday in May.  I'm really proud of myself.  I haven't been following all of the writing prompts (sadly because they would take more time than I've got) but I like knowing they're there.  Here's some happenings via camera phone.  

1.  Will thought Vinny needed a friend.  

2. After watching lots of High School Musical with Elle, Will decided he's on a basketball team.  

 

 3.  We got so much rain in the last 24 hours.  Constant pouring and thunder and lightning.  The kids couldn't resist.  Our yard was a lake.  

4.  I washed an onion with my towels.  Not a fun surprise.  

Before and After: Owl

Totally forgot about this yesterday.  Pretend it's Monday.

From my Grandma Harris's owl collection.  Just updated.

Maddie, Track Star

The track season is over!  Tyler and I are thrilled, but Maddie is quite sad. She has really enjoyed every minute of running practice and meets.

This last weekend (during my doula training {sad face}) was the championship meet.  Not all kids made it to this level, but Maddie did in all 3 running events.  She didn't make it in shot put--let's be realistic here.
 
So in all of Shelby county, she got 4th in the 1600 and shaved 7 seconds off her best time. And in the 800 she also placed 4th and got another PR.  Her relay team got 1st place, with Maddie bringing up the rear and crossing the finish line.

I am so proud of her.  Maddie runs with her heart.  She's very good at pacing herself during the long runs and then giving it her all at the end.  I am so sad I missed it, and also sad that Tyler forgot the video camera.  She's going to do some running camps over the summer and they are really trying to get a cross country team together at the middle school.

Our team took 1st place over all.  Go Tigers and Go Maddie!

Grateful Sunday

I am feeling so grateful right now.  

This is Brooke's Birth Art.  Is this not beautiful?!

• A HUGE thank you to my mom who dashed over here to take care of my kids while I spent the weekend at the doula training.  She cooked, and cleaned and entertained.  She and Wyb are best of friends now.  
• Another big thank you to Tyler who also survived the weekend without his wife.  He did all day Friday with kids and all day Saturday with Maddie at her track meet (she did great!  more on that) and today too.  
• My  new friends (and 2 old ones) from the doula training.  It was a wonderful experience.  I also feel so excited to go out there and help some woman have a better birth experience.  I might blog more about the training itself and what the certification requires.  Just know that I am thrilled.  

I hope these ladies don't mind that I've put their faces on my blog, but they feel like sisters now.  

This is Elizabeth and Brooke practicing a squat pose.  It just looked so cute.  

Elizabeth is my dearest friend here.  I am so very grateful for her friendship.  

Doula Day 2

Day 2 of my doula training is complete!

It's been such an amazing day, I am so privileged to be working and learning with such amazing women.  I have loved every minute of it.  

Let's just hope I can remember a particle of what I've heard.

And now I have homework to complete; I don't think I've ever enjoyed that thought so much.  

Art by Pablo Picasso believe it or not.

Let's Doula It!

I didn't want to break my blogging streak, but I am running off to my first day of the doula training workshop.  I am so excited.  First on the program is the breastfeeding class.  At least I have plenty of experience with that!

A Boy and his Cat

So here's the deal about the cat.  

 I don't really have a problem with cats.  I had a great cat (Sammy) growing up and and I've always liked the look of fat cats basking in the sun. They make the place seem more homey. But the problem is, I am not a big fan of pets.  Pets just need care, and at the moment I am maxed out with things that require my care. I don't like pet hair on my food and clothes, I'm not crazy about the smell, plus Will is pretty allergic to animals and Tyler and I can't pet them without eye irritation.  

  

But I saw an ad on our town's FB page about a free barn cat to good home.  A couple people commented and wanted to help, but nobody was interested.  There was an offer to take him to a shelter.  So oddly enough, I thought, I could do an outside cat.

The kids were delirious with excitement when Mr. Vinny came over.  The college-age kid who had him said he was moving but that he was fine being outside.  Vinny got down and scampered into the woods and we figured we'd never see him again.  

Well turns out, Mr Vinny (named after Jersey Shore apparently--help me) is almost the best cat ever.  He stuck around, LOVES the kids, is so patient with Elle and even Wyb, super affectionate.  I was hoping he'd be a true barn cat and keep mice away and snakes and maybe even raccoon but his downfall is, he's lazy. Not only does he not go after critters, he and a raccoon were hanging out on the front porch bench together!  Oh well.   

So that's our cat.  

And this is my super-cute boy.  Once again happy after a run-in with roseola.  Add that to our list of diseases.  Oh that boy was miserable.  

 I love this picture so much I could die.

Preschool Program and Graduation + rant

Monday was Will's music program and "Graduation."

First was the program--it was really cute and all the kids did a wonderful job singing their Baptist songs.  I wish Will would sing half as well for Primary...

 Then, the graduation ceremony.  Complete with caps and gowns.  And converse.

 These were his 2 teachers and more loving wonderful ladies could not be found.  I was so hesitant about sending him to preschool (technically Mother's Day Out) but I was very happy with their program and curriculum.

Now off to Kindergarten, which is a whole other can of worms.  Feel free to stop reading now while I complain discuss my hesitations about sending Will to school.

1.  I am not against public school, or formal schooling.  
2. I know teachers are extremely hard working, loving and mostly have their hands tied. 
3. apparently I am an odd-ball when it comes to schooling philosophy

Ok, about 2 weeks ago I took Will to our elementary school's "story time" for incoming kindergartners.  First we went on a tour then to the library the story time and information for parents.  And here's my opinion on the whole thing:.  

First, the tour started in a kindergarten classroom.  There were no toys (blocks, kitchen etc) there was nothing on the cinderblock walls, there were no windows, there were no easels, markers, art work, carpets, there were no tables ( just desks) with math worksheets on the desks, no bathrooms.  Only florescent lights. I immediately got a pit in my stomach and thought "I can't do this, this goes against everything I believe about early childhood education! I can't send my free-spirited, happy-go-lucky boy here!"  Even jail cells have windows and bathrooms!

The rest of the tour consisted of  more dungeon-like rooms and much bragging about the school's technology.  I am sorry people,  I don't need more suggestions of apps for my children.  I don't want to know how much time they play games on computers at school.  And how the standardized testing works.  Did you know the kindergartners have to take standardized tests now?  Guess what that means for teaching?

Then they show the kids a movie in the library (there was one book read).  Cause that's what school is pretty much about.  Tests and movies (Elle watched Monsters Inc today by the way...)  

I was just so bothered by the whole experience.  Will didn't seem too phased by it; he mostly wants to ride the bus.  I seem to be the only one having issues with the whole experience.  

I really think kids should spend most of their time outside.  In the sun and wind and even snow.  They should be touching and exploring and experiencing things first hand, not just from a screen.  You know that part in Anne of Green Gables (movie) when the new teacher shows up and suddenly the music is cheery and the kids are outside, sketching, learning about nature?  That's pretty much how I feel.  Let's compare for fun, shall we?

Our good school:

 What I would like:

A Montessori or Waldorf style class room.  Preferably with garden or farm chores.  

There are no Waldorf schools here and only one Montessori and it doesn't matter because we could not afford it.  So I am back to thinking about homeschooling again.  And yet, after praying and pondering, I didn't really get a strong conviction that I must homeschool him.  Maybe he's capable of thriving in that kind of environment and it won't ruin his spirit (it would sure ruin mine!).  I didn't go through this with the girls because they went to very different kindergarten environments--places I felt were comfortable and appropriate for little learners.  

So there I am.  I think we are just going to try it out, as sad as that makes me feel.  He's excited to go to real school and he's a good learner and student.  He'll probably do fine, but I look at this as the end of his childhood.  The more kids don't "play" the more they lose the ability to do it.  Already so many of his friends can't figure out how to play unless there's a video game console in front of them.  They are lost when they come to our house!

At least I have this summer with all my kids home.  We had a brainstorming session of what our days will be like.  It was fun and I'm looking forward to the time with them all.  

A Blog a Day in May: Happy

Day 14, Tuesday: Ten things that make you really happy

Since my phone's storage was maxed out I had to unload 3 years worth of cell phone pics onto my computer.  It was really fun to look back, so I'm twisting the challenge for today to

Ten pictures that make me happy :

  Memories of eating outside at our old house.  Even though I love our land here, I miss the green soft grass and the absence of major creepy-crawlies.

June 2011

 This was our B&B room that we rented for ONE night in southern Indiana.  The Cornerstone Inn.  My kids still talk about this trip and how much they loved it.  And the food there.

December 2010

A pre-Wyb family picture.  Oh how I miss my old self.  

June 2011

 But this tiny baby was worth it.  I miss having a tiny one.

April 2012

 Will's redneck self.  Tyler took him to a monster-truck event last May and he saw some other boys apparently dressed in boots, jeans, belts, (nascar) jackets and hats.  He wore this look faithfully for months.  He still is a jeans and cowboy boots kinda guy.

May 2012

"Call me"

May 2012

Daddy playing peek-a-boo can be really scary!

June 2012

Will packed a snack for my mom's trip home.  In case she got hungry.

Oct 2012

Maddie in the sand.

March 2013

Dying silk scarves

March 2013

Before and After: Dresser

First I want you to know how impressed I am with myself for doing this 2 weeks in a row!  Go me.

This week's project is a dresser for Maddie.  It seems we are always short on dresser space with growing kids and growing wardrobes.  Maddie had been using a small antique dresser we bought off ebay when she was a baby.  Long before anyone had heard of Craig and his list.  Since then, I had been scouring the area for suitable fix-em-up real wood dressers with no luck.  Then I realized that we have the perfect fixer-upper in our garage!

before

Back story:  my parents gave us an old solid chest and Tyler promptly chopped off the legs and used it to store his tools in the garage.  Now, I was not happy about this, it was my parents' dresser, and I think even my grandparents'.  But every time I approached him about it, he put his foot down and said no--it was now looking pretty shabby.  Well, this time I put my foot down and said I'm taking it.  Maybe it was my failed attempts at finding anything better that he finally gave in.

during

He made a new bottom/legs for it and I painted.  I used my ASCP and since a review was requested, I'll give one: meh.  That's it.  I think it's awesome for certain applications, I think people can do amazing things with it (that is not me) but I just wanted a white dresser and wasn't going to get all fancy.  I wish I had used something else now because I feel like it took quite a few coats for good coverage, I sanded anyway and then I had to wax it and I really hate the waxing part.  Maybe things work better when you buy all the expensive brushes, but I didn't want to get the expensive brushes.  I'm cheap.

after

  It's not actually done-done because I want to get these drawer pulls:

And since I haven't done that, the nickel ones are filling in for now.  

So there you go.

The garage dresser is now Maddie's dresser and her little dresser is now Wyb's little dresser and then Elle is next on the list.  

Stay tuned!

Mothers Day 2013

Happy's  Mother's Day

My day has consisted of:

• sleepless night due to sick baby
• all day crying and misery from sick baby
• being late to church (well actually we were on time) and having no place to sit
• a primary kid saying my wedding picture (part of music lesson) was ugly :(
• a disastrously messy house
• kids fighting
• seeing my first black widow spider

Luckily my thoughtful husband got a DQ ice cream cake to drown out the sorrow.  

I'd say a typical mother's day! Haha.  Luckily I have a good sense of humor.  

I hope mothers everywhere have been surrounded by the ones they love and the ones that love them.  That mothers everywhere have gotten hugs and kisses and homemade cards and yummy things to eat even if we had to make it ourselves and clean it up.  And still if the day wasn't how we would have wanted we can remember the blessing it is to be a mother and have precious spirits in our charge.  

And there's always next year...

A Blog a Day in May: Sell Me

Day 11, Saturday: Sell yourself in 10 words or less

First 10 words that came to my mind:

nice

practical

multi-faceted

disciple

mellow

laughing

interested

musical

eater

family-oriented