Breakfast Line Up
Craft Time
All the Grand kids... Sam, Caitlyn, Ethan, Caroline, Andrew, Allison, Noah
Calm Before the Storm August 12, 2008
I posted a little bit ago of my kids going to my parent’s for a camp… well, guess what??? I’m kidless!! I love my kids more than anything, but let me tell you how quiet my home is and how low my pulse and BP are right now. I am really looking forward to this week to get ready for school for next year. I have scoped out every Half Price Books in the vicinity… Dayton, Indianapolis, and today, Cincinnati… I heart that place! The clearance section especially… Brian was laughing at me today because I was determined to make it to, yet another HPB store and I did. Today’s coupon was 50% off one item… I think the gas $$ to get there was probably tripled that of the book I got, but hey, it was a book on my list to get!!! Yay!
Today was Brian’s day off so we did a little indulging… ummm, Panera for breakfast, trip to Cincy which included the following: shopping at the Kenwood Mall, HPB, an iphone for hubby (”needed” for work), and dinner at Cheesecake Factory. We do not indulge like this all in one day, but today was special.
Special??? Why you ask??? Well, Brian just became an editor for Relevant Magazine. A huge deal to us. Its something he’s been dreaming of for a long time. He just found out on Friday and it was a day to celebrate. He will still be a pastor here in West Milton, but will be working remotely as “managing editor” hence the iphone. Life will be crazy for awhile til he figures out a balance, but he definitely is up for the challenge.
So school will start soon after we pick up the boys from “camp”. I’m getting excited and nervous, but am looking forward to another year with my guys. We’re finally get the hang of this crazy ride after two years under our belt. I’ll post our curriculum choices later.
Golf July 29, 2008
Noah just completed his second golf camp of the summer. It was a wonderful experience and he learned a lot. On Sunday they ended the camp with a tournament and cook-out. We had a blast. Brian had the privilege of being Noah’s caddy which made him very proud. Brian use to caddy here when we first started out our new lives together out in AZ. So he was quite ready for the challenge. Noah did very well. His greatest hole was number 4. Perfect shot and perfect putt. I will get a video up soon, but for now you’ll have to settle for this pic 
A Plea or Post, You Decide. July 26, 2008
Not sure if this is more of a plea than a post.
So as many of you know, we’ve had our house up for sale since early spring. I really don’t remember exactly… its just been long. I know for some, that’s not super long in this market that we’re seeing these days, but to us… with three boys… sleeping in one room… its been long. We used the third bedroom as our school room this year and it worked out great. But Noah is getting huge and every night before Brian and I go to bed, we have to check in on them because they have a pyramid bed… Ethan on top and then Sam and Noah on the full on the bottom. The dude is all over and Sam is falling out most of the time. The last time we checked Sam was lying normal on his back and Noah’s head was on Sam’s belly… Noah is 2 1/2 times heavier than Sam, if that tells you anything. Sooo, even though we love our little home, we are so ready for a larger one to house these fun and crazy guys. And hopefully one that will see them through friend’s sleepovers, girlfriends, graduations and so on… we don’t intend on doing this again anytime soon, needless to say.
So here’s the plea part… we have a second showing on Tuesday night. Its a younger woman interested who is taking her parents through to get their approval. But the clencher is her dad builds houses… yikes! So we would really like his approval since the daughter is in love with our house already. Please pray it passes the parent’s “fine-tooth comb” test and we can get some things rolling. I would love to start school in our new home. I know God has everything planned out best for us, but this way would be great.
If it doesn’t happen this way, I am fine with that too. I know God is molding us to be flexible and to test our kids patience as well. We have our dream home picked out and its just sitting there waiting for us. Even though that’s how we see it, God could have other things in store for us. So who knows what will happen. It reminds me of the verse about being content in all things. Here’s the message version of Hebrews 13:5…
“Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote,
God is there, ready to help;
I’m fearless no matter what.
Who or what can get to me?”
Summer July 10, 2008
Ethan and my niece, Allison
Hi, sweet readers of OCC, not to be confused with OCD although I’m guilty of that too! Summer is whizzing by and blogging isn’t on the “to-do list” found on my kitchen counter… sorry! Here’s a super quick look into our life this summer.
- Noah enjoyed a week long beginner golf camp… his instructor secretly told us he was the most advanced in the class… watch out, Tiger!
- Annual Orme Hilton Head vacation… beautiful, restful, playful, joyful… what more can I say??
- Many visits with my sweet friends… Becky, Rebecca, Ruth. Thank you for your hospitality!
- Continual updating our “for sale” home… more paint, more landscaping, more decluttering, more trips to Lowes…
- Brian did two weddings, one that I was able to go (kid-less) and enjoy the rehearsal dinner, wedding and reception… although I was husband-less… since he was running the show!
- Yes, we’re still homeschooling -loosely- this summer… just some hands-on, impromptu lessons with craw fish, snakes, butterflies, hermit crabs, frogs, weather, horticulture, and much reading.
Now here’s what’s still to come!
- Big fishing trip to TN for Noah, Dad, and Papa…
- Church camp for Noah
- Newport Aquarium for Sam & Ethan
- Birthday parties for friends and family
- VBS with our dear friends in Dayton
- and drumroll…drrrrrrrrrrrrr….. my parents are contemplating holding a week long camp for all their grandchildren (7) the second week in August called Camp Al-Joy… (Allan + Joyce) at their home in Indianapolis. They are planning relay races, crafts, fishing, special snacks, Bible stories, Indy Zoo and bonfires. What would I do all week without my children??? Suggestions are welcomed… I would be clueless, honest!
Hope you are finding God and his touch through this summertime.
The Old Schoolhouse Planner July 6, 2008
My friend Steph is giving away a planner from TOS… very gracious of her! Here’s a link to her site for the contest…
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Sisterchicksteph/553743/
And the Winner is… June 2, 2008
Even though I was pulling for all of you… the winner is, Ruth!
Congratulations!
Thanks to all of you who participated.
Sharing the Love a.k.a. GIVEAWAY May 28, 2008
I’m proud to announce my first ever blog giveaway… and I think its a great one! So all you homeschoolers or even if you’re not and would like to use it with your kids, share the love and let your friends know!
The KIds’ Nature Book; 365 Indoor/Outdoor Activities and Experiences has been a great companion for me this year in homeschooling my boys. I get warm fuzzies each time I go to pick it up! Its just “one of those books” for those of you who are book people like myself. If I was having a “not so good” day with schooling, it was one that I went to for inspiration. It has activities for each day of the year. The only activity I wouldn’t recommend is on June 2nd, it says to “Get a Pet”… we already tried that this year and it didn’t work for us… sorry, Marley 
Amazon says, “In a straightforward, common-sense fashion and approach , Milord presents the world of nature in daily increments. A project or activity is offered for each day of the year, and each week is given a theme around which the projects focus. Some of the activities are simple events that could take place in the home (e.g. preparations for a nature display area, or reading a story or poem which ties in with the week’s events). Other activities require visits to parks, beaches, or other outdoor areas. And still other activities can be successfully completed in one’s backyard. The initial section includes information on how to use the book, how to respect the wildlife which is being observed, and preparations which should either be taken or made in order to properly observe and work with nature.”
I love this book and I think you will too. It will be on my homeschooling shelf for many years to come.
If you wish to enter, please leave a comment with your name, of course, and you’ll be entered in the drawing. Contest ends at midnight on Sunday, June 1st. I’ll announce the winner on Monday! Good Luck!
Great Mother’s Day May 15, 2008
I had a wonderful Mother’s Day with my men. Yes, it was cold and rainy, but I was feeling the love! I worked in our Kid’s worship service at church and was blessed by the guys in my small group time. The leaders like to “stick” me with the boys since I “know how to deal with boys better”, but those boys are so sweet and boy, do they give all the right answers. (Could I use “boy” one more time in that sentence??) After church we headed to eat with just Brian’s parents. His brother and sister weren’t able to come so we got the parentals all to ourselves which doesn’t happen often. The rest of the afternoon was spent chilling out at their house which made for a great day all around.
I wanted to share a little interview with my boys that I stole from Claire. I thought it was super cute so I did it too. We spent a few days last week with my parents in Indy and my mom interviewed the boys with questions about me… I won’t list all their responses… I chose the cutest ones.
What is your mom’s favorite song? “Hallelujah”
How old is your mom? 10 (Thank you, Ethan)
What does Daddy call Mommy? Jenna
What does Mommy call Daddy? Honey
What is your mom’s favorite color? Pink (actually, its yellow)
Why does your mom love you so much? 1)Because she likes my blue eyes 2)Because she had me as a baby
What is your favorite thing to do with your mom? School (Wow, I’m impressed)
What makes your mom so pretty? 1)Because she’s a girl 2)Her face 3)Her shoes, pants and shirt (Stacy, you can guess who answered that one!)
How does she make you feel better when you’re sick? She’s a nurse and knows what medicine to give me
What is her favorite TV show? 1)American Idol and Survivor 2)Rachael Ray (we don’t have cable, go figure?)
When are you most proud of your mom? When she traced a turtle for me
What does your mom do best? Draws
Where does your mom work? 1)She cleans the house when we have a showing 2)She works at church with Daddy (I do??)
How do you show her you love her? 1)I hug her 2)I tell her 3)By doing good in school
Hope your day was blessed too!
Happy Mother’s Day
