The fam

Here we are....new family pic, such as it is. Hey, it's a miracle I made it in FRONT of the camera, and you want all of us to actually be looking AT the camera?? Maybe in about 5 years.

This was taken on the old man's my sweet husband's 40th Birthday. I shouldn't poke fun because I'm not too far behind...but I'M NOT THERE YET....

This was a fun day (despite the depressed husband) and a beautiful day, which you can't always guarantee in mid-October.

Irony

Going swimming while preparing for a flood. There just seems to be something wrong about that.

Of course Baby doesn't seem too bothered by it.

What On Earth Were You Thinking??

Since stepping on a nail in the barn, Brother has been taking oral antibiotics--thick, cold, pink stuff that apparently doesn't taste real great. He takes this nasty dose 3 times a day, so he's getting pretty tired of it.

Yesterday, I handed him a syringe of the delightful stuff and he acted like I just handed him a syringe full of pond slime. So I told him if he plugged his nose, he wouldn't taste it.

He didn't believe me.

So I reached up and pinched his nose shut and encouraged him to "just do it." After a little arguing about it, I pinched his nose and said, "Ok, get it done, ready? 1.....2.......3....."

And at that point, he pushed the medicine out of the syringe as fast as he could. He just forgot one thing. HE FORGOT TO PUT THE SYRINGE IN HIS MOUTH.

He has it pointed at himself, but holding it about 8 inches from his face.

He shot it out with so much force it splattered off of his neck and shoulder onto a sizable portion of the floor and THREE walls.  I just stood there, baffled by what just happened.  He looked up at me, shocked by what just happened.

And although I didn't find the humor of it at the time, now I see...IT WAS REALLY FUNNY!!

Let's just hope he doesn't have aspirations to become a doctor someday....

MAY-HEM

What did we do in the month of May?

The kids started to mow the yard this year, and although they are doing a great job, it did engulf in flames....ok, not really, but the clutch did burn up and bunches of white smoke started coming out of the back of it while Brother was mowing. That prompted a discussion about fire safety that started like this:

ME: Brother, do you know what to do if your clothing would catch on fire?

BROTHER: (with an "I can't believe you don't know the answer to this question, Mom" look on his face) Uh, take them off?

The discussion didn't get much better when he decided it would be best to run as fast as you can because everyone knows when you blow on a candle really hard it puts the flame out....

We've been going on whole-family bike rides lately, but DH thought the best place for Baby would be in the backpack carrier. I'm not too thrilled about it, but I must say she sure did enjoy herself. (And we have another child bike seat now.) 

 

We (ok, not me) added another swing to the swingset so all 4 kids can go at the same time. There's officially no more room on the swingset, so I guess no more children for us.

The kids had been studying about the Underground Railroad, and earned a trip to the Mayhew Cabin, a stop on the Underground Railroad. We went with some other homeschooler friends and they all had a blast playing there and going thru the tunnel a gazillion times that afternoon.

We saw this brilliant rainbow just to the East of us and the kids wanted to go find the pot of gold. For a while there were 2 rainbows, but of course I wasn't fast enough to catch that on film.

How do you know when you've put off doing the laundry too long? When your children are buried alive by it. Seriously. Drama Queen fell asleep on the floor next to the hamper in our bedroom, and apparently the mountain toppled over on top of her. (She didn't even wake up...although we didn't want her to smother so she got pulled out in short order. Just imagine that coroner's report, "Victim was smothered by a pile of dirty laundry...")

If the kids wake up before me, they will climb into bed with me and I will read them a book. On this morning, I had to get out, but Brother decided he could read one to Baby. Aren't they precious?

How do you know when Chatterbox is driving us all crazy with her non-stop talking?? When your 4-year-old comes to supper like this. Yes, she enjoyed her entire meal in silence...a rare occasion at our house.

The weather was barely 80 and the kids couldn't wait a second longer to get out the Slip and Slide. They played all afternoon and came in with a S-U-N-B-U-R-N.  Oops. I suppose any responsible Mother would have thought about sunscreen. 

One of the highlights of the end of the school year for our kids is our Homeschool Track and Field Day. This year was no exception. For some reason my kids seem to be particularly skilled in the Sack Jump. Do you supposed there's some life-skill that will translate into??

Officially, my parents are now empty-nesters as my youngest sister got married. Boy does that make me feel old--she was my flower-girl...she was 2 and a half. Yes, I got married when I was 12. (That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.)

I got a good picture of my kids at the wedding...I just don't know why people say all of my kids look alike........lol

DH is finally seeing his dream of building a shop become a reality this summer. But he's finding out even when you hire most of it done, there's still a lot of managing that needs to be done.

Brother is playing T-ball again this summer, and loving it. They won their first game, and when I told him it doesn't matter who wins, it's just about having fun, he responded with, "Well, Mom, the other team can just have fun, but I want to win."

And last but not least, our most exciting event of May was when Brother stepped on a nail in the barn and nearly drove it thru his foot. Of course this happened on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, so on Sunday when it kept swelling and the top of his foot felt hot, we took him to the ER. I think he's on the mend now, but he has enjoyed milking the attention for all it's worth. (And yes, this is the nail, although that is NOT blood, it's actually red paint. Looks pretty realistic though, doesn't it!) 

And that's been our May. Hopefully June will be a nice, quiet month....although around here the chances of that are highly unlikely. And with the threat of widespread flooding here looming again this year, I'm betting June will be interesting one way or another.

A Happy Home (and Mama)

Last weekend I went to homeschool conference. This is like the 4th time I've gone and each year I love it more. It is so refreshing to spend two days with some of my best friends, with no children, and learn something in the process! I always glean at least a few new ideas to try either in our homeschool process, or my home. This year, I came home with a whole BUCKETFUL of ideas, thanks to Carol Barnier.  And the most brilliant in the bucket is this...... (That's ok, click on it for a closer look if you need to.)

Yes, TIE the scissors TO the spot they are supposed to stay. Nothing makes me more frustrated than when my son cannot find his scissors....and in Kindergarten, you need your scissors A-LOT.  So, THANK YOU, Carol Barnier. And not just thank you, but rise-up-and-call-you-blessed thank you!  You have made our home and this Mama much happier!

PS: Yes, I have threatened his life if he EVER cuts that ribbon. And we all know how well he likes to cut stuff....

One Year Anniversary

We are getting close to THE one-year anniversary. WHAT? You don't remember?? Here, let me refresh your memory...

Oh yeah. Remember now? Uh huh.

April 6th of last year was the day my heart nearly stopped when Drama Queen bounded down the stairs with Big Brother sportin' her new haircut.....read about it here if you need a good laugh.

On a side note, sometimes I have to laugh when I think about the things that have NOT freaked me out as much as that one incident.....like Emergency Room visits and massive widespread flooding a half a mile from our home....

Anyway, I recently found this old photo

and had to laugh. I had forgotten about the whole hair-cutting thing that happened when he was like 2, with my sister. Obviously he didn't get to cut it ALL off, but HELLO, this should have been some sort of sign or something! And look, he used school scissors in both incidents....aren't they supposed to ONLY cut paper??

On a brighter note, Drama Queen's hair has grown out nicely, and no one has developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or anything! Just take a look...

And believe me when I tell you, when someone shares their own hair-cutting story with me, I just laugh and say, "Don't worry, one thing is for sure, it WILL grow back."

Why Moms Need A Vacation

Reason #1: Death-defying acrobatics from a swingset that nearly cause your observing Mama to pass out.
Every family has to have one. You know, the child that keeps the Dr.'s Office in business. I just didn't think it would be our girly-girl, the one who can't leave the house without a skirt on.

Reason #2: Brainy ideas that come from the King of the family.
You know, things like hanging my children over a 20-foot deep cistern so they could see the kind of thing Joseph (of the Bible) was thrown into....or....

 ....the suggestion that we could save $300 a year on toilet paper if we would buy the cheapy-cheap-o stuff. The stuff that doesn't really qualify as toilet paper.  (Tracing paper, maybe. Toilet paper, no.) Don't worry, I checked--we don't even spend $300 a year on toilet paper.

Reason #3: Household messes
I should probably be thinking this is really cute and creative. But this is the phrase that keeps repeating in my head, "Exactly who is going to pick up this mess?"


Reason #4: (Slightly Different) Household Messes
In answer to that last question, I know exactly who is going to be cleaning up this mess.

Reason #5:  Not ever being able to leave the house (without the circus.)

I have 4 children. Only 3 can dress themselves, but those 3 insist on dressing like this...

To say the circus has nothin' on us would be a grave understatement...in so many ways.

Reason #6: Dieting.
No photo.
'Nuff said.