Yah, We Had Spring Break This Week!... :P

As you can tell from my lack of posts that not much new has been happening since our big trip west. That is until this last week...

It all started with Sami a week from last Sun. when she suddenly became sick with a horrible cold and ended up staying home from school for 3 days, 2 of them with a temp. well over 100 degrees. I was a little concerned about getting it but when the weekend came and all was well and Sami was on the mend I figured we had dodged the bullet...Boy was I wrong! Jozie started us off on Fri. night and by Sat morn. had a temp. of 104 point something or other. I was a little concerned but gave her some Advil and within an hour it was down to normal so I took them out to a movie (we went to see Over the Hedge with some friends from our homeschool group) and then to Michaels for a craft day they had that was free for the kids. Well, by the time we got home both kids had raging fevers and were dead to the world laying on the couch in all their snot and coughing. Fun. I didn't take them to church on Sun. so I could prevent farther infecting other peoples children and we had Mon. off from school. Tues. morning I woke up in pain. Pain in my head and sinuses and just aching all over my body. I laid on the couch all day. We didn't have school on Tues. either. Wed. I was feeling a little better and so was Joz but Luke seemed to have taken a turn for the worse when he was feeling better the day before. So, we ended up not having school Wed. either. Today, for the first time all week, we seem to all be feeling better but because of the lack of laundry and housework that happened over the last week we haven't gotten any school work done because I have been cleaning, laundering, and packing for a trip that I am going on tomorrow with the ladies from the church. So, I guess we had our spring break this week and next week while Sami is out of school we will be continuing our education in regular fashion.

What a great Spring Break! :)

Love my Rocket Dogs!

I did get to do a bit of shopping in Omaha. Lisa and I always have a great time bargain hunting while I am there and this time we hunted out the Goodwill's and other thrift stores in the area. My favorite one was the Goodwill Outlet in "South O". I guess it was in the ghetto, it wasn't much different than being in Gary! :) Anyway, everything there was on it's way out so you paid by the pound for it! I could have went nuts in that store! My theory is that if you had like $50 - $100 dollars as a clothing budget to go in there and get clothes for your family for the year! There were a lot of really nice things in there, even some with tags still on them. I did read a review of one in Illinois - because I was looking for one around here - that wasn't too good. I guess it must just be like all other stores. We must have lucked out and got to a good one. The clothes were all thrown into these huge plywood bins that you had to sort through - I had a gallon of hand sanitizer! It was actually kinda fun. Jozie and Sara ran around finding things they thought were cute and throwing them into their own cart. It was cute to see Jozie with another girl for a few days in a row. I don't think they fought at all the whole time we were there! I knew I didn't have a whole lot of room in the trunk of our car so I didn't go hog wild - but could have gotten more along the lines of things the kids could grow into if we had the room!

I got my Rocket Dogs finally! My loving husband gave me some money for valentines day because he knew I would be shopping in Omaha with Lisa (my sister-in-law) and I found the perfect gift from him to me...LOL :) I got the Jigsaw model. I love them and I have a hard time not picking out my clothes to match them! LOL At least they go good with jeans so it's not that hard to do. :)

We're back!

Well, after 2 days of being snowed in and the third day of the expressway still closed, we finally were able to make it home on Sunday. There were tons of cars in the ditches along with several semi trucks and tankers rolled over, smashed, and on their sides. The roads were dry though and the sun shining so it was a good trip overall.

We spent a day in Watertown - the kids stayed with Grandpa and Grandma - and we toured the hanger where Bob will be taking classes and he liked it a lot. There were quite a few airplanes there that they actually get to work on and classes are from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Mon. through Fri. with no homework unless he has a test to study for. They do all of the FAA testing right there at the school so once you are done with the classes and testing you are ready to go straight to work. They have a great job placement program with more jobs available than graduates each year. So basically, if you are good, you get the pick of where you want to go or what you want to do. Even if you aren't that great you are almost guaranteed a job when you graduate. That is a wonderful thing!

We looked at apartments that we applied for and are waiting for results from our applications on them. I wasn't exactly thrilled about one, it was really small but pretty clean. Which is rare for income based housing. The second one that we applied for was a townhouse style apartment. It had a fairly large living/dining area, a small kitchen (sorta galley style), and a half bath down stairs and then three bedrooms and a full bath upstairs. Not a whole lot of storage. We ended up applying at income based housing because we don't expect to have jobs immediately when we move there. Bob will also not really be able to work full time while he goes to school full time...probably. We will have to see once he gets started. We also applied for a Section 8 grant but that takes about 4 months to get and we want to be out of here as soon as possible. We've been kicked out again and told we need to be gone by the first of April. Happy Spring...

It was nice to see Bob's family. The kids loved spending time there with their grandparents and cousins. We had Christmas Dinner with Bob's sister and her family and his mom. Excellent food and a great time with family. That was the day that it started snowing like crazy in SD. When we got to his sisters at about 10 that morning there was no snow and by the time we left around 4 in the afternoon there had to be almost a foot of snow on the ground. We ended up staying at Bob's dad's house an extra night because the roads were terrible and it snowed all the way through Iowa where we needed to drive. So we didn't get to Omaha until Mon. at about noon.

We had a wonderfully relaxing time in Omaha but unfortunately because of the weather we weren't able to see the school there that we wanted to. The kids had so much fun with their cousins they didn't want to leave. Poor Jozie had a stomach ache for the next 2 days because she just didn't want to be in the basement with only her brother again.

We are finally starting to repack our stuff to move again. Where too, we really aren't sure yet. The plan is Watertown or bust but sometimes our plans don't happen the way we want them to. In that event we may be forced to go and live with Bob's brother until we can find a place of our own but we REALLY hesitate to do that because as we look around us here that was what this was supposed to do and here we are "temporarily" two years later still looking for a place of our own. I don't want the same thing to happen with his brother too. Though the house across the street is for rent to own. $1050 / mo. $3000 down would include the first months rent. The only problem is we have never had that big of a commitment to anything and we aren't sure we could do it. It's more than we could imagine at this point, especially since we don't have jobs in the area. I guess it's one of those wishful thinking situations...

Our big problem is our credit. We have one major credit card that is our problem, but nothing major, it's under $10,000 (which is way too much for us but from what I understand it's not that great as far as debt is concerned). There are a few other small dental bills and a phone bill that has been in dispute since before we were married because Bob's roommate took advantage of the fact that the bill wasn't in his name...So, my question is, what would bankruptcy do to our already horrible credit? I don't know anything about it but I do know that some friends in Michigan were in way over their heads - to the point that their house was repoed by the bank and sold under their noses to the guy down the street before they had moved out. They declared bankruptcy and within months they were buying another house and a used car. How is this possible? The first question that these people ask you is if you have had a bankruptcy and I have always assumed that was a bad thing but how does that make my friends situation make sense? I don't understand. I am at the point that I know it's not right but if it would help us get out of the mess we are in - I am desperate. We need to get in a good place for our family and we believe that Bob going back to school would be the break we need. We lived here for 2 years in a basement, I can certainly live in a small apartment for 2 years if it meant something better for our future.

Snow, snow, and more snow...

Just wanted to give a short update about our trip. We won't be home today. This is the second major storm that we have been through on our trip. The first one was in SD last weekend and we were unable to leave for Omaha until the roads were cleared on Monday. There was no snow when we got there and when we left there was about a foot. Today we planned on going home this afternoon but again, the snow came. It started last night with rain, then freezing rain, and this morning when we woke up there was about 6 inches of snow with ice under it. The schools and day cares are all closed and the interstate, which we need to take to go home, is closed both west and east. So, here we sit. I'm using the kids computer in the basement just waiting to be able to go home. But we probably won't be able to leave until tomorrow...at the earliest! So, when I get home I will give more details on our trip.

Jamie, I tried to comment on your blog earlier this week and couldn't so I just wanted you to know that I am thinking about you and praying for you still.

Bloggy Break!

We are taking the kids and going to SD to see Bob's family and check out the school that he wants to go to in the fall so I will be on a bloggy break until March 1. I will update you when we get back from our trip.

Later! :)

Fun Monday

Something to brighten your not-so-exciting-Monday! I found this while surfing today and thought I would share it with all my fellow blogging flautists! :) This guy, Greg Pattillo, does the beatbox while he is playing his flute! Makes me want to pull out my flute, dust it off, and try this out! Although it's been so long since I have actually played my flute, I doubt I could come close! :) I wonder if he plays the piccolo also...that would be cool to see too! Anna, wouldn't that have been fun for Solo and Ensemble?! I wonder what the judges would have thought! LOL

Peanut Butter and Paper Hats

We have been eating Peanut Butter from the number starting "2111"! I heard about the peanut butter recall a few days ago but didn't worry too much about it because we get our peanut butter from Sam's Club in the huge economy size container and they weren't mentioned in the recall. With so many people in the house it is a staple! The kids even had peanut butter and banana sandwiches yesterday for lunch and I didn't think much of it until today when I figured what would it hurt to check the number. Sure enough, there on the side in hardly distinguishable numbers was "2111...". I called ConAgra to find out what I should do and they said I still have to send in the lid with the number on a piece of paper. So, we throw out what little is left in the 6 lb. container and hopefully get a full refund. I doubt anyone will be getting sick anytime soon because nobody got sick through the first 5 lbs. but just to be on the safe side, we will be getting new peanut butter the next time we get groceries! :)

Now, on to the paper hats! :) Luke has been folding a lot of paper airplanes lately with Daddy. They got a book of them for Christmas and Luke just loves to do anything with paper, from folding, to painting, to drawing. So, in his paper folding craze this week, he has discovered - all on his own - how to fold a paper hat! He's been making hats for the dog, and for Papa John, and for Daddy and all his and Jozie's dolls and stuffed animals. This morning I mentioned that he could make a bigger one out of old newspaper so now his fingers are black from folding them! What a kid, at least he is content to fold old newspapers and doesn't require special colored paper - yet!

Snow Angels and Buster

Well, today was another snow day for the local schools and since Sami was home, it was pointless to get the kids to do any amount of school work. Yesterday I told the kids we would do something fun for school and Luke says, "Fun? I'll tell you what would be fun! It would be fun to throw all of our school work in the trash!" So, I skipped school work for the day, hoping that tomorrow will bring a better attitude with the new snow! :)

We spent some time outside this morning shoveling out, here are a few pictures of the kids in the snow...

Luke thought it would be a good idea to bury his sister in the snow, so did she until he decided to bury her face too!

Here's my Snow Angel :)

Luke doing "man's work"! - Bob is way in the background with his favorite toy, his snow blower!

Jozie and Buster playing tug in the kitchen.

Buster. He is freaked out by things in front of your face - even the camera - so he gets this look on his face and starts getting crazy. He is a Boxer but his ears and tail were not cut as a baby. His other parts were though so there will be no little Busters for this family!

Bullets:

Things have been rather slow around here so I don't have much to say. Here's a few bullets about what's been up lately...

• We are planning a trip west to visit Watertown, SD and see what the town is like and some apartments we are applying at. That way if one becomes available we can say if we want it or not. We will be visiting Bob's family in Springfield, SD and in Omaha, NE. Whatever we do it will be nice to get out of here for a while! :)
• John got a dog. I haven't taken pictures of it yet but the kids adore it. It's a boxer named Buster and he's 2 yrs old. I can't say I am that thrilled with him, hence the lack of pictures. It plays pretty rough and chews on your hand if you get it to close to his mouth when you are playing - I have 2 bruises on my fingers from where he bit me while he was playing. It's even growled and snapped at me a couple of times which really makes me not want the kids around it. He seems to be pretty good with them so far but can also get rough with them.
  
• I went ice skating again but this time without my kids with the young adults group at church. Of course there were only 6 of us that showed up and 3 of them were an hour late but at least the ice wasn't half melted like the last time. This time I actually skated but wasn't thrilled with the condition of the ice being that it was full of gouges and it almost made your teeth rattle while you skated across it, I almost tripped a couple of times because of them! I think they need to invest in a Zamboni...Isaac said he was going to skate backwards and pe*e (so some weirdo doesn't google that word and come here, eew...) but then decided that would leave too much of a yellowish streak so he didn't. He's quite a character!
• We are supposed to get a lot of snow over the next couple of days...great. I guess I do remember saying I WANTED snow a time or two but now that it's here I want it to go away...what ever happened to Phil's prediction of an early spring!??!
• Kristin and I started a Tae Bo class at our church last week. We had 2 other ladies show up with more promising to come this week. I have to do it alone this week because Kristin went to the UP for a week. It's fun but neither of us have actually done Tae Bo before. We are starting out with the foundations video that teaches you to do all the kicks and punches then we will work our way up from there.
• I'm thinking of redoing my blog because of this blog post from Rocks in My Dryer that I read recently. I may just end this one and start a new one with all new names for my kids and no pictures of faces....we'll see. I'm still thinking about it because it's not like my blog generates that much traffic that I worry about who reads it. I do have Site Meter and I check it on a regular basis and find very few strange lurkers.
• We are going to a Valentines Day party with our homeschool group on Thursday. There are 65 kids on the list - that equals a lot of valentines! The kids are excited about it, they had a ton of fun last year.
  

Which Jane Austin Heroine Are You?

You scored as Fanny Price. You're Fanny Price from Mansfield Park! You are quiet and feel alone most of the time, and you don't usually speak out. Because of your quiet, sweet nature, you are sometimes used as a most unfortunate scapegoat. Fanny Price 85% Elinor Dashwood 70% Marianne Dashwood 70% Elizabeth Bennet 65% Catherine Morland 65% Anne Elliot 60% Emma Woodhouse 55% Which Jane Austen heroine are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Amie, who are you?

Here's the website, I don't think blogger likes the code that this one is published in...
http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=84984

Fun Contest! Free Stuff!

There's a contest going on at Five Minutes for Mom! Enter here for a chance to win a be-u-ti-ful piece of jewelry from Ali's Originals! Good luck! :)

EARLY SPRING IS ON IT'S WAY!!!

For the first time since 1999 Phil has seen his shadow! Not that I put much stock in this old German superstition, but just the thought of early spring gets me excited! Go Phil! Hooray for early spring!

"Phil Says Spring is Right Around the Corner!

Phil's official forecast as read 2/2/07 at 7:28 a.m. at Gobbler's Knob:

El Nino has caused high winds, heavy snow, ice and freezing temperatures in the west.
Here in the East with much mild winter weather we have been blessed.

Global warming has caused a great debate.
This mild winter makes it seem just great.

On this Groundhog Day we think of one thing.
Will we have winter or will we have spring?

On Gobbler's Knob I see no shadow today.
I predict that early spring is on the way."

*From the official site of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.

*UPDATED*

I am tagging Kristin because I noticed she updated her blog this week and SHE HAS NEVER BEEN TAGGED! :)

I am Weird.

I was tagged...

THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with 7 weird things about you. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 7 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 7 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

1. I am a germaphobic...I give my kids vitamin C EVERY day, we use hand sanitizer whenever we leave a public place, I HATE McDonald's play areas because they are germ pits! and I really don't want to work at a day care because most of the kids there are sick most of the time.
2. I like asparagus. And most other green veggies, even brussel sprouts.
3. I hate basements. I'm NOT afraid of them, I'm just so sick of living in one I never want one in a house that I may own.
4. I don't remember the last time I had a candy bar. I like them a lot I just don't usually eat them. Thinking about it makes me want one though.... :P
   
5. I only get my hair cut about once or twice a year. Not that I couldn't use a haircut more often, I just don't take the time to do it.
6. My kids say there's nothing weird about me, that I'm perfect! They must want something or THEY are weird! :)
7. I pack rat craft supplies. I find things that I want to do or have an idea and go out and get it or I find things on sale or clearance that I can't possibly live without so I buy them. I end up with a bunch of things that I really don't need or will never really use but I can't get rid of them because I might need them SOME day.

So, there it is...not exactly that weird but its done. My tag ends here because I think everybody else I know has been tagged.

Ice Skating at Deep River Waterpark

So, moving on to more interesting things... :)

We got to use our new skates last week! :) We went early in the afternoon with some friends from our homeschool group only to be told we couldn't skate because the ice was melting - something about the cooler malfunctioning. But we could come back after 4 when they had the problem fixed. The kids were all pretty disappointed but that was short lived because we ended up going to their friends house for a couple of hours just to play.

I decided to take advantage of the free passes that they gave us and took Sami with us at around 7 that night. The ice was pretty full but the kids had a great time anyway. Sami and I didn't skate long because our skates were hurting our feet and I didn't really feel like falling on my camera. I had it with me in the bag because I didn't want to set it down and have it stolen. The kids skated for about an hour and a half and made a few new "friends" among the other other children. Luke even did this time but he made sure to get his "friends" name, unlike Jozie who just likes to have someone to socialize with, never mind what her name is! :) I guess that's just a small detail that can be covered some other time!

Jozie saying hi!

Jozie with the "skater" - instead of walker...

Luke with the sakter.

A rare moment...

For Jamie and Jodie...And Amie :)

A couple of weeks ago Jamie wrote about our "younger days" with a picture that she doesn't remember why she had labeled "Steve". I told her that I knew the answer to her conundrum and since then, her and Jodie have been waiting for that answer. Today the much anticipated explanation has arrived! Just a couple of words...Lake Ellen Youth Camp 1992...

No more words should be necessary - they would only bring further sickness! LOL

I also found a picture for Amie. We were so young and beautiful...and THIN! Not that Amie looks much different, still as fit and trim and beautiful as ever! But Look how skinny I was! And I always thought I was FAT! I NEVER wore - or even owned - a swimming suit my whole high school or college career...if only I had known then what my kids would do to me!

National Honor Society induction ceremony, Spring '95.

The Museum of Science and Industry

Yesterday we took the kids to the free day at the museum. It was wonderfully uncrowded - we must have went on the right day! We saw most of the sights but missed a couple that I know the kids would have loved. There just wasn't enough time in the day to see it all.

I was pretty impressed with the U-505 Submarine exhibit. There was an atmosphere of respect when you went into the exhibit hall where the submarine actually was. It was filled with history on how the sub was captured and was dedicated to all of the men and women who fought in WWI and WWII. We took the inside tour of the sub and I was awed by the conditions that the men spent 90 to 100 days in. Unfortunately, they didn't allow pictures of the inside of the U-505. Jozie took a pretty nice picture of the rest of us right before we left though!

Jozie liked the chick hatchery where she was filmed by some foreign TV crew. They had this huge camera on a tripod which they moved just to get a better shot of her watching the baby chicks emerge from their shells. Both kids were fascinated by them and there were quite a few eggs in there that were in the process of hatching. There was another incubator with new chicks in it too. The hatchery was a part of an exhibit on genetics and cloning. We didn't spend a whole lot of time explaining it to the kids seeing that we don't believe in cloning or genetic engineering anyway.

Luke liked the Zephyr. It was a train that we got to tour and take a "ride" in. The whole thing swayed slightly and vibrated while the tour was going on and we got to sit with other passengers and listen to their conversations about the history of the train. Of course the history bit was more than he really cared for but he had fun anyway.

We took the coal mine tour and ended up with a private tour! The tour in front of us was full so we had to stay behind and wait for the next one. We were a little disappointed because we had to wait longer but when we ended up being the only ones it was pretty cool. Luke liked this exhibit too because we rode the underground train in the mine.

The one thing that I really wanted to see was Body Worlds 2 but it was $12 each! I could see spending almost $50 to see one exhibit, especially when the kids wouldn't have appreciated it that much. I was a little afraid that Jozie would get freaked out by it anyway so maybe we can get my mom to watch the kids one day and go just the 2 of us.

Oh, I almost forgot the Toy Works. It was an actual robotic toy factory inside the museum. The kids decided that the souvenir that they wanted was a toy so we spent the $5 and they got to see their toys assembled from beginning to end and they also had their names and the date laser engraved on them. They are "Gravatrons" which is basically a high-end top. They were fascinated with all the things that the robots did and when the last robot put their toy into the slot that they took it out of it waved good-bye to them. So cool! :)

My sweet husband let me order Chinese take-out for supper because it was my birthday and I didn't want the pizza everyone else was having. Nobody else really likes Chinese anyway so I don't get it that often. Thanks, Honey! :)

Waiting in line...

The Gravitron factory.

Luke with the Zephyr.

Jozie with the Zephyr.

*Sorry about the bad pictures, our camera doesn't like poor lighting... :( We didn't get many good pictures this time around.

The One Flaw in Women

By the time the Lord made woman,
He was into his sixth day of working overtime.
An angel appeared and said,
"Why are you spending so much time on this one?"
And the Lord answered, "Have you seen my spec sheet on her?
She has to be completely washable, but not plastic,
have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable
and able to run on diet coke and leftovers,
have a lap that can hold four children at one time,
have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a
broken heart
-and she will do everything with only two hands."

The angel was astounded at the requirements.
"Only two hands!? No way!
And that's just on the standard model?
That's too much work for one day.
Wait until tomorrow to finish."

"But I won't," the Lord protested.
"I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my
own heart.
She already heals herself when she is sick
AND can work 18 hour days."

The angel moved closer and touched the woman.
"But you have made her so soft, Lord."

"She is soft," the Lord agreed,
"but I have also made her tough.
You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?", asked the angel.

The Lord replied,
"Not only will she be able to think,
she will be able to reason and negotiate."

The angel then noticed something,
and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek.
"Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model.
I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."

"That's not a leak,"
the Lord corrected,
"that's a tear!"
"What's the tear for?" the angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy,
her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love,
her loneliness, her grief and her pride."
The angel was impressed.
"You are a genius, Lord.
You thought of everything!
Woman is truly amazing."

And she is!
Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.
They don't take "no" for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,
yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss
can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideals.
They give moral support to their family and friends.
Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

Anonymous

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,

IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

So, the real message here is:

· Women know how amazing you are!

· Value yourself as a woman - today, tomorrow and
always!

* I got this as an email from friend.

A Homeschool Resource Meme

It's been some time since I have been tagged so here goes:

1. One Homeschooling book you have enjoyed: So You're Thinking About Homeschooling: Fifteen Families Show How You Can Do It by Lisa Welchel. She was the speaker at the last women's convention I went to with my church in MI. She was not only very funny but a great inspiration to continue my homeschooling endeavors.
2. One homeschooling resource you wouldn't be without: Our local library. There are so many things that I have gotten there that have convinced me that you don't need to buy it all when it's there for free. Especially when there is something that I am considering buying and want to check it out first.
   
3. One resource you wish you had never bought: ABeka Kindergarten 5. I started Jozie with K4 when she was 4 and thought the natural progression would be K5...I was wrong. K5 was almost the same as K4 but it went a little faster and added some more "meat" into it. Had I realized this at the beginning, before I got it, I would have gotten first grade instead!
4. One resource you enjoyed last year: My homeschool group, HSLife. We went on so many field trips that we never would have thought about doing on our own and had a great time learning new things with them. We have also made a few friends that we are sure to have for a lifetime.
5. One resource you will be using next year: Well, if we do end up being able to homeschool next year, we will be changing our curriculum - again! I have decided to be eclectic in my approach next year and I have found a new history curriculum that I am really looking forward to called Truth Quest History. It looks like a lot of fun for the kids and pretty easy for me. I just didn't think what they were doing this year has enough and want them to get more out of it.
6. One resource you would like to buy: I'd like to have a laptop computer for each of the kids so they can work online and not have to fight over the computer with each other and me! :)
7. One resource you wish existed: I'd like to have a free pass to travel for homeschooling! Where everything you need from gas to lodging to entrance fees are waived because what you are doing is for the education for your children. Hey, nobody said that I can't dream! :)
8. One homeschooling catalog you enjoy reading: does the library catalog count? :)
9. One homeschooling website you use regularly: ebay! I find most everything I am looking for, even though I don't always buy them. :)
10. Tag other homeschoolers: Ok, Jamie tagged me and she tagged the only other homeschooler, Amie, that I would have tagged so if you are a homeschooler and you are reading this than you are tagged and leave me a comment so I can see your Homeschool Resources! :)
    

Not Much New Here.

I haven't actually posted a "real" post in some time. I guess we just haven't had much new. We are keeping busy with school. The kids are as crazy as ever since Christmas break and we STILL haven't gotten back to "things as usual". We wonderful weather for Christmas break so they were outside almost every day and now that it has finally snowed we are all itching to be out in it! I even got a couple pairs of ice skates at the local thrift shop that looked brand new for only $5 a piece! that will save us the rental fee for when we do go skating - now I just have to set a date and do it! Maybe tomorrow...

We did have a birthday party for Kristin and I a couple of weekends ago. Kristin turned 21 and I will be...um...25? :) Well, anyway, the age is irrelevant here, we had a bunch of our friends over and used a birthday party as an excuse. We had a GREAT time with our new friends from SLWC. Though we did take quite a few pictures, Risa isn't in any of them. I HATE pictures of myself so I try to be the one behind the camera, not in front of it! So There isn't really a point to posting any of them since you wouldn't know any of them anyways. John didn't really want us to have the party to begin with and almost left the house because he didn't want to be there but later told us that he was glad we did it and that he stayed because he got 3 new guys for his cell group at church and he really enjoyed their company...so much so that Isaac - one of the young adult "bachelors" - has been here quite a bit over the last couple of weeks. It's nice to see that the "older" men in the church are taking interest in the younger ones. Thanks John!

Oh, Bob did install the scanner yesterday so as soon as I find the pictures that I want I will post the promised "steve" explanation... :)

The Muppets

I came across this while I was taking a different quiz that ended up being sorta goofy but I LOVE the Muppets so I thought this one would be fun to take. When Levi and I were younger we used to watch them all the time and argue about who was our favorite! So here I am...

You Are Scooter

Brainy and knowledgable, you are the perfect sidekick. You're always willing to lend a helping hand. In any big event or party, you're the one who keeps things going. "15 seconds to showtime!"

The Muppet Personality Test