This is going to be more challenging than I thought...

Robin walked up to me in the kitchen and asked me, "Mom, can an 'I' make an 'E' sound?"

I said, "Not really Robin.....I guess there's some words that don't always follow the rules, but usually an 'I' will make a sound that's appropriate for a long 'I' or a short 'I' sound..."  And then I proceeded to think of words that followed the rule and that didn't follow the rule....to make it short, I spent about 5 minutes on a simple explanation of the basic rules of the English language....Robin listening fairly intently the whole time.

Then he walked away and showed me the word he was trying to figure out.

The word he was referring to was a Japanese word....so my whole explanation went out the window.....

This is going to be more challenging that I thought....

H :)

And this pic is taken first thing in the morning....no makeup and hoods up to disguise crazy hair...on both accounts.....love that boy.

I'll take a compliment when I get one...

So a friend stopped by the other day and was looking at pics on the fridge.

I was doing stuff in the kitchen and wasn't really paying attention to which picture she was referring to when she said, "Wow, you've changed a lot since this picture...I mean, you've really lost a lot of weight, you look great now."

Still not paying attention to which picture she's talking about I think to myself, "wow, I wasn't even trying to lose weight, but I tend not to put terribly unattractive pics of myself out displayed for all to see....(most pics are just head shots with the rest of me covered up behind a child, a guitar, or some other large object, like a couch or something) so maybe I don't look as bad as I thought I did....maybe I have lost some weight without even trying!  Wow, that would be nice...."  (and yes, all of these things actually run through my head...)

So I turn away from the kitchen counter, and use my most modest voice..."well, I haven't really been trying, but maybe I've lost a little weight....my clothes were fitting a little looser the past couple of days...." and then I stop mid-sentence. 

I finally notice which picture she's looking at.

Then I exhale a sigh and say to her, "Well, I hope I've lost some weight since then....I gave birth to Katie two weeks after that picture was taken...."  Dang it!!

H :)

Post Christmas Poem...

     My Pop keeps a journal, he has for about twenty years now.  My sister, her husband, and 7 month old baby girl head home to Boise today, and the 2010 family Christmas is finally over (it takes us a while to celebrate these things) and now it's time to get back to life.  So, in memoriam of this past Christmas season Pop wrote this down in his journal and said I could share it with y'all....consider yourselves lucky....I've never had a peek in those books...EVER! :)

‘Tis Monday post Christmas and all through the house,

My daughters are camping with respective spouse.

Stringed instruments litter the top of the table

Finding space for used dishes, we’re no longer able.

The DVD player has seen too much use

And furniture suffers from grandchild abuse.

With chocolate and alcohol the main stay of diet

I watch as the chaos replaces the quiet.

The tree Christmas Day was wisely dismantled

For fear of a fire had it been candled.

And what are my thoughts at the sunrise this day?

To celebrate Christmas… there’s no better way.

 H :)

Homeschool 101: The Rules

Katie is 4, Robin is 6.  Just putting that right out there now.

Robin wanted a glass of milk.  Then he wanted to know how to spell milk.

I said, "Sound it out, buddy."

"M...e....i.....l.....l."

"No, Robin,"  so I said it slower..."mmmiiiilllllkkkkk"

He tries again, "M....i.....l....l."

I look at him and sound it out again, putting an extra emphasis on the "K" sound at the end of the word.

Again, he says, "M....i.....l.....l"

One more time, I think...."mmmmiiiiiillllllkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk."

Robin looks at me and starts again, "M....i....l......"

Then, very frustrated Katie pipes up with "K!  Robin, there's a K at the end!!"

So, Homeschool 101: Rule #1: Keep the yappy little sister's trap shut while older brother is figuring stuff out.

H :)

There are days when I'm reminded why we stopped at two kids...

I love my kids....that's been established, right?

I adore them, they make me laugh, they challenge me in ways I never thought possible.  I used to think I was a patient person before I had kids....I almost prided myself on my ability to be patient and keep my cool under any circumstance....yeah, I can almost hear God chuckling right now....knowing His master plan in giving me my darling little bundles.

I'm not really sure at what point we made the decision to halt the production of Yount offspring....but today is one of those days I'm glad there are only two little buggers galloping, jumping, sliding, scooting, racing, climbing and shouting under my feet.

- God sent the animals two by two on the ark....I think that was the idea for my little animals too. 

- Drumsets come with two drumsticks....so do chickens....

- They can only gang up on each other.

- Two little faces fit perfectly in the mirror when it's time to brush teeth.

- We have two toilets on the main floor....no one ever wants to be the one to run upstairs and they ALWAYS have to go at the same time....it's like a synchronized urination station...

- The middle seat in the van fits two booster seats...

- Two parents...two hands, two feet, two sets of eyes, two sets of ears (the better to hear the shouting with)

- He burps....she farts....both ends are covered....

- And my greatest reason for sticking with two kids I remembered tonight....the mixer only comes with two beaters....

H :)

Um, yeah...homeschooling.

I took Robin to school on a Monday for the last time today (at least for the next few months). 

This is going to be a challenge.

We've decided to start homeschooling in January, the 3rd to be exact.  Robin is a great kid.  He has too much energy and too much imagination and he lacks listening skills and grumbles when I ask him to brush his teeth....but he's an amazing kid. 

His enthusiasm is inspiring, his ideas are creative and keep me laughing, he is always absorbing what I do (not necessarily what I say) and he grumbles about brushing his teeth....but will rush up the stairs to protect his sister from the imaginary creature she is terrified is waiting behind her bedroom door. 

He has a heart of gold, that is being molded, shaped, wounded and pruned.  Jesus asks us to come to him like a little child, and I know He gave me Robin especially for me to see and know what that looks like...(wipe eyes....keep writing)

Robin is too smart for his own good.  Two days ago he was literally bouncing off the walls, furniture, doors, stairs....and the living room was taking a particularly bad beating.  I asked him twice to settle down and at least stop hopping around on the furniture.  Then he flopped on the arm of the couch and fell and rolled and bounced off the cushion.  So, that was it.  He lost furniture privileges.  These are the days when he gets to be a ground dweller.  Anytime he wants to sit or lie down he does not get to use furniture at all....I even make him sleep on the ground.  I have only used this punishment one other time about a year ago....it's worked pretty well so far.

I walk into the kitchen and find him laying (quite comfortably) across the kitchen counter, head resting on the bar, watching TV...technically he's not on the furniture, so I guess he's safe....for now.

This is how his mind works.  He will be with me all day.  I think I may be in for some trouble.

So many factors have gone into our choice to homeschool.  I'm not really up for defending them at the moment, I'm noticing it's a pretty hot topic of conversation.  But I do want people to know how genuinely excited both Robin and I are for this new adventure.  He's counting down the days.  He will miss school and a few friends, and we've enjoyed his teacher-we just know that this move is right for him.

I think I'm more worried about my abilities to teach him....I once argued with Sean that New England was a state, not New Jersey.  I can't have anyone talking to me if I have to add more than 4 numbers in my head, and I usually have to sing the ABC song whenever I'm trying to alphabetize anything.

This week I get the wonderful privilege to pick the brains of many of my girlfriends who homeschool...I get to read from piles of books they have loaned me...and I get to decide what program will work best for our situation.  And I get to think about what on earth I will actually do on that Monday morning when my sweet little energetic, crazy, imaginative, goofy six year old boy is sitting across the kitchen table from me.

Eeek!  I'm so excited!  I get to be a nerd with my kid....maybe he'll even learn to play the ukulele 8-)

H :)

So, I gotta get this down...because I have a life too you know...

Sean and I are busy early tomorrow morning helping to facilitate a marriage seminar at one of our church branches in Spokane.

We decided to have the kids crash at Grandma's tonight mostly because we have to leave the house at 6:45 in the morning...

So, tonight is one of our date nights and since I spend most of my time documenting stuff the kids do and I rarely write down stuff Sean and I do together, I thought I'd take a note.

We dropped off the kids at grandma's after the itty bitty's were stuffed with happy meals and content for at least a few seconds with the new cruddy McDonald's toy.  Sean and I each had a quick burger and then headed off to church, where Jesus, courtesty of the Holy Spirit proceeded to kick my ever-lovin' tookus on trusting Him.  Yeah....talked about it this morning in small group and then tonight at church....I'm a little dense but usually that means he would like me to learn a lesson in all that.  I think I'll sit up and listen now.

So, thoroughly raked over from church we had planned to meet up with my sister for some birthday dessert, but apparently when she turned 23 she can't stay up past 7:30, and bailed on us....(it's okay, still love ya bunches Sara-lama-ding-dong, but couldn't help but get a smidge of a jab in there). 

Sean and I headed over to our favorite date night retreat....Walmart.  We thought we'd walk up and down the aisles and see what sounded good to eat, plus check out the Redbox selection and you just might spot something entertaining at the Walmart. 

Tonight I'm thinking we might have been entertainment for others though.  I was walking around with Ben and Jerry's in one hand trying to find snow pants for the kids when I lost my husband.  So, I decided to hang out in the "unmentionables" area because generally I'll find my hubby somewhere around there eventually...
No snow pants were found but I did find my husband, with a carton of Chunky Monkey something or other under one arm and a can of Spaghetti O's (ugh, I think I just gagged a little just thinking about it) under the other.  We decided to keep wandering and Sean thought Walmart would be a good place to work on perfecting his Justin Bieber hair toss impersonation....so I'm laughing hysterically with melting ice cream, at my pop icon wannabe husband, in the underwear aisle at Walmart on a Friday night.....yep, that sounds about right for most of our date nights.

The mechanical bull wasn't taking quarters tonight....so in the end we just headed home to bury ourselves in blankets and drown in some java chip mochachino (I don't even know what I bought anymore) ice cream where no cartoons are allowed and we can just lay low like vegetables.

Yeah, typical date night...and it's good stuff.

H :)