Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

There were no market visits, unless you count Webkinz Extravaganza, and I am not sure we even ate any pork, but that rhyme has been in my head so there you go.

We had a great trip to Michigan. It's the first time I've been to the lower peninsula in about 3 years, I think. If I recall correctly, I was there last for my sister-in-law's baby shower. We've been to the Upper Peninsula, where my parents live, and Todd and the girls have been to Glennie, where Todd's parents have their cottage, but since my folks moved away from the Lansing area, we just haven't been back that way.

It was so good to be there, and so hard, too. I didn't realize how much I missed it, and how very strange it is to go home but have no home to visit. Since my parents moved, and sold their house, there isn't any place for us to go, you know?

We were able to spend a night at my grandmother's farm. Well, it's really my Uncle Jerry and Aunt BJ's farm now, but you know what I mean. It was fun to stay there and have the girls spend a little time where I grew up. They were not very happy with my for taking them away from Grammy and Papa in Dearborn, but I really needed to go up there. Unfortunately, Aunt BJ was out of town, but we got to hang out with Uncle Jerry, and saw my Uncle John, too, and my cousin Mike. You just never know who will turn up at the farm!

Here is a picture of Uncle Jerry holding the Snort, who is wearing the outfit Aunt BJ got for him:



Here is a picture of Grandma's multi-colored cabinets. The peanut clusters always lived over on the left. Aunt BJ very kindly still keeps some there.



See?



Here's the dining room, with the farm table. I can't tell you how many hours I spent there, talking with my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, cousins, and various other relatives who might have been there at any given time. The farm was, and still is, a central gathering place for us.



Here is my grandmother's bird feeder. My aunt and uncle keep the birds fed. We've seen some pretty cool birds at the farm, including sandhill cranes in the corn fields.



Here are some of grandma's grape hyacinths. Does anything say "Grandma Rosen" like the smell of grape hyacinths?



Well, maybe the red tulips. :-)



Here is an aerial picture of the farm, taken in 1999, the year my grandmother passed away.



My aunt and uncle keep my grandparents' coffee cups in the kitchen window. For some reason, the sight of them made me cry.



Here is the pond, also affectionately known as the Tractor Wash. My family loves to have hot dog cookouts by the pond with a bonfire. A small, impromptu gathering of whoever can show up is often around 40 people, so it's good to have an outdoor venue.



Look! Science! Anyone know what kind of critter made this mound?



And here are the girlies, talking to the cows.



Believe it or not, I used to go up in the haymow and stack hay bales! We had to wear long sleeves and jeans because hay is quite prickly. I remember sneezing hay gunk for a week after a day in the mow. Ah, good times.



Once we left the farm, I cried, and we drove to Aunt Donna's house for lunch. She works from home, so we were able to hang out with her for a little while. After that, we went over to the LeBarons' house. They have been friends of my family since we moved to Laingsburg when I was getting ready to go into 2nd grade. Jim & Luann are my parents' best friends. Their daughter, Camille, was staying with them while her husband was in Iraq. Her daughter, Alia, is just beautiful. She was born a couple of months after Isaac. I made sure to get pictures of the babies together (you know, for their wedding reception someday - ha).

We had a lovely visit with the LeBarons, and then we headed back to Ann Arbor for dinner with Todd's family. ON our way, we drove down our old road to see our first house. Here it is:



Beautiful, isn't it? Well, as beautiful as a brick ranch built in the 60's with wonky windows can be. We loved living there. Every year, we've driven by our old house, thinking that if it were ever up for sale, that would be our sign to buy it and move back home. It's never happened, and I'm pretty sure it has new owners again. I guess we missed our window. Drat.

The rest of the weekend was spent doing Hollmann things. We had a family picture taken, which was fun, and went to Webkinz Extravaganza in Ann Arbor on Saturday. Here are all the cousins together:



And here is a picture of Emma, the Snort and me in the airport, waiting to go home:



Here's Abbie, hanging upside down in a chair at the airport. No clue why she's doing that.



I know I should have more pictures of the rest of the weekend, but I don't have them ready right now. Really, I just wanted to reminisce about the farm. I posted a lot of pictures, eh? Let me just tell you - not NEARLY as many as I was going to post. Consider yourself fortunate. And thanks for remembering with me.

Today has been a good day!

Today, I got to get my hair cut and highlighted, my eyebrows waxed, and the girls' hair cut. We are, after all, having a family portait done with Todd's parents this weekend while we are in Michigan, and I felt a need to be blond. So now I am! Woo hoo!

Also, between Tonna and me, we figured out how to get the Ergo carrier on my hip for Schmooey. It was not nearly as complicated as the video made it seem, although I don't really think it's a one-person operation. The instructional video showed the demonstrator doing it all by herself, but I think it was done with mirrors. I am pretty sure I could not do it myself. It was amazingly comfortable once I got the baby in it on my hip. Good to know, because we're going to Michigan, you know, and I think we might not need the stroller. It would be lovely not to take it on the plane. (Don't worry, Susan - I will still be done with it before you need to fetch Baby Ethiopia.)

In this, my own little corner of cyberspace, I would like to offer a book review. My very good friend Jenny told me about a book called Llama Llama Mad At Mama by Anna Dewdney. She said it's her two year old daughter's favorite book, and she was delighted that her husband surprised them with it the other night when he came home from work. I stopped by the book store last night to take a peek at it.

The story is about a little llama who goes shopping with his Mama Llama. Mama promises him a treat when they are done, but in the meantime, he has to try on clothes, shoes, and socks, and sit through grocery shopping at Shop-)-Rama (think Super WalMart). Somewhere in the middle of the grocery aisle, the little llama loses his patience and throws a fit. Not just any fit, either. He throws juice out of the cart and it explodes on the floor. He throws the pasta out and the bag bursts and it flies everywhere. Mama Llama, a fine example of the virtue of patience for mothers everywhere, tells Llama Llama that she isn't excited to be shopping, either, but they have to do it, and she is happy because at least she is with her baby. Then they clean up there mess, and the little one agrees to shop with Mama, so they can get their errands done.

I have to tell you, I was not terribly impressed. If I were the Mama in the story, the ending would have read something like this:

"Mama Llama smacks that Llama
With this book for all the drama."

I don't think I like reading about toddlers throwing fits. It didn't do much for me. I can see how the rhyming text and pictures would appeal to little ones, but I'd rather read about Sheep in a Jeep any day.

Now that I've had my little llama rant, I would like to end this post on a positive note and say that I've spoken with everyone I wanted to see in Michigan and we're going to see lots of fun family and friends while we're there. (Do you like my use of alliteration?) We get to stay at my grandmother's farm, where I grew up, and then see my Aunt Donna and our very good family friends, the LeBarons. I am so excited. I will be sure to post pictures when we get back!

Pirate Translator

Over on the right, you really must try out the Pirate Translator Widget. It's a lot of fun. I have been laughing myself silly over some of the things it says. It's good preparation for National Talk Like A Pirate Day, which is September 19. I know, I know, it's only April, but I do like to plan ahead!

See there, that was hysterically funny!

In order to participate in National Talk Like a Pirate Day, you will need your official Pirate Name. Try this name generator.

Here's mine:

My pirate name is:

Captain Bess Cash

Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. You're musical, and you've got a certain style if not flair. You'll do just fine. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Once you have your official Pirate Name, you will want to name your Pirate Ship. I liked "Hades' Baleful Barnacle," probably for the alliteration.

I don't know why I find all this so entertaining tonight. I think I need to go to bed. I would like to point out, though, that as I'm typing, Todd is giggling his way through his own Pirate Name Generation and he's Dirty Todd Cash - the pirate everyone else wants to throw in the ocean to get rid of the smell. Bwa ha ha ha ha!

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak!!!

There was a ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK at my bird feeder today! Why am I shouting, you ask? It's the first time I've seen one since I moved to North Carolina nearly 10 years ago, that's why! I looked in my bird book, and he really shouldn't be here - the range for these lovely birds extends from the western-most part of North Carolina, in the mountains, and northward. I don't know if he will stay here, or not. I'd be inclined to say he's just visiting on his way to parts northerly, but it IS the middle of April, so shouldn't he be getting ready to hatch some babies?

Could be that spring is later up north and that he was just taking a break from migrating to his spring home. That's fine with me! I was delighted to see him at the feeder, and would welcome him for however long he'd like to stay. If the missus would like to join him, and they'd like to raise a family nearby, that would be lovely!

Another fun discovery we've made recently was that the blue jays in our yard! I haven't seen them come to the feeder yet, even though I bought one especially for them, but we see them quite often in the trees, and that's enough. I know blue jays can be mean, but they are a little touch of Michigan for me and I like them.

A few weeks ago, I heard a bird song that's been driving me nuts in attempting to identify it. It starts with a lower tone, then a high trill. It reminds me of someone trying to say "tant pis!" which means "too bad" in French. While I was out walking the dog, I heard the song in my neighbor's tree, just above my head. I got a good look at the bird, and went back to the house to pull out my bird book, and voila - I learned that it was an Eastern Towhee.

I love birds. Well, the outdoor kind, that is. I don't want one in the house. I hated my grandmother's zebra finches and am not sorry they are no longer with us, the noisy little beasts. We have a nice setup for our feeders, so that we can see them from our kitchen window while we're sitting at the table. We have a pretty good variety, too, and everyone in the family likes to look at them. Do you like to watch birds at your house too?

Look Mom, Two Teeth!

When my parents were here for the girls' birthdays, Abbie lost her first tooth, and Isaac got two! We didn't even know he was teething. I put my finger in his mouth one day, and there was a tooth! Then, two days later, I felt the other one. I nearly cried. I am in such denial that my baby is getting bigger every day. Never mind the fact that he's pretty much outgrown his infant car seat - the new, improved version that was supposed to hold him until his first birthday. Never mind that I had to buy him 24 month clothes for his 7 month old self. Sigh.

Ballet for Tots

Recently, Emma has been teaching Isaac ballet with renewed fervor. I hear things like this:

"Tendu, piqué, piqué, close." (He giggles a lot when they do piqués. I think it's the high-pitched tone Emma uses, and also the way she bonks his foot on the floor.]

"Plié, Zacky. Keep your arms down. Perfect!"

"Whatever makes you hold on to the barre is fine. Even if you need to shake it." [We have a Bella Dancerella barre. If you've not experienced a Bella Dancerella video, count your blessings. That annoying song gets stuck in my head every time I even glimpse the barre. There it goes again...... ack.]

Isaac, of course, adores his sisters, and anything they want to do with (to) him at this point is just ducky with him. Below, please see pictures of these educational sessions.

Here he is in his "bridal" outfit:



Dancing with Emma Sister:



Did you know you can learn ballet before you can walk?




Look, Mom, aren't I lovely?




Now that we're done, I believe I shall eat my skirt.

Tagged... Again

My very good friend Susan has tagged me for another meme. This time you get to learn 10 things about me, you lucky, lucky reader!

Here are the rules: You have to tag 5 people and you can't tag the person that tagged you. You leave them a comment on their blog letting them know you are tagging them and why. Also, direct them to your blog for instructions. It is also asked that you notify the tagger when you post your list so that they can enjoy reading the responses.

Here are the 10 facts about Beth:

1. I am from Michigan, and never lived anywhere else until I moved to North Carolina.
2. You might have known I was from Michigan, but did you know that I argued adamantly with my 5th grade teacher against the existence of North Carolina? I was quite sure that since there were Virginia and West Virginia, that there were also Carolina and South Carolina. She showed me the map. I told her the map was wrong. And now I live in NC. Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor?
3. I was the drum major of my high school band as a senior.
4. I was a member of the Michigan Marching Band for 3 years while I was in college and twirled a flag. I performed in the Gator Bowl and in the Rose Bowl (national TV - now aren't you impressed?). I used to be able to show you which tiny dot I was in the block M picture but I don't remember anymore. (I still have a flag in my garage.)
5. I majored in linguistics in college. I can explain to you many fascinating things about language that you never wanted to know (but you really should - want to know, that is). About schwa [/ə/], for example. Unlike Susan, I never used my degree to get a job. (Most people don't know what linguistics is.)
6. I ran track and cross country in high school - I was a passable distance runner. Not so much with the sprinting. I tried short sprints because, well, they were short and I was lazy, but learned that I do much better with endurance running.
7. I am very good with spontaneous song. Abbie has inherited this gift from me.
8. I want to be a speech pathologist when I grow up.
9. I have more Webkinz than my children. I name most of them after characters from children's literature. The exception is my family of Googles, which all have names beginning with I - Imogen and Ichabod, the little ones; Ivanhoe (the dad); and the mom will be the pink Googles, due out in June, I think, and her name will be Isolde.
10. I am an excellent speller. I used to like to think of it as my spiritual gift, until someone told me I'm probably a visual learner.

There you have it! Let's see, who to tag... Audrey, Aubrey, Jessica, Sarah, and Stacey. Have fun!

Happy Birthday, Girlies!

If I was a good mom, I would probably make separate posts for each girl's birthday. However, I am combining them into one to save time.

Emma turned 8 on March 26th. Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday, or maybe the day before, that she was a toddler. Now she's 8 going on 18. She wanted Carraba's for her birthday dinner - yum! Here she is with her birthday sundae:



Abbie turned 7 on March 28th. It's amazing to me that she's so grown up! She can read and write and sing. She's so good at gymnastics, for her first time out. Abbie decided on Chinese food at home for her birthday dinner. She's a girl after my own heart.



Our friends Ian an Tonna came for both girls' birthday dinners. Isaac loves Tonna. She comes and hangs out with us on Tuesdays and Wednesdays - she is our nanny in name, but we think of her as family. And Ian too since they're married. :)



Ian very kindly assisted Todd in assembling all the Playmobil the girls got for their birthdays. Apparently there are many, many little stickers involved in Playmobil. I'm so glad it was my job to buy it, not put it together!



Isaac wasn't too sure what was going on, but he loved Grandpa's pocket watch! All the babies in our family love that watch. Emma used to say, "Grandpa, is-a you watch in-a you pocket?" Oh, it was so cute. But, I digress. Between the pocket watch and his cut-off thumb (long story involving a table saw), he is a favorite with the grandkids, especially while they are teething.



Webkinz are the hot thing at our house right now, and the girls received several. Here is their birthday collection:




The really fun thing we did for the girls' birthdays this year was mining for emeralds! We went to the Emerald Hollow Mine at Hiddenite, NC. My dad heard about it on the National Geographic Channel. He, Abbie and I all love rocks. (Do you have a special rock? If not, you need to read this book.)

Anyhoo, this mine is the only emerald mine in North America open to the public. We thought since we were going on a Friday, it wouldn't be that busy. Boy, were we wrong! There was a huge line of people waiting to get in when we got there, because you have to pay for and fill out permits to be able to prospect for gems. By the time we got up to the check-in place, they were out of equipment for digging and panning, so our only option left was sluicing - you take your buckets o' dirt and sit in front of troughs with running water, and wash through your dirt to see what rocks you might find.

We started out with $5 buckets, and found some tiny emeralds and some other interesting things. Then, my dad decided we needed to have better rocks so he got a bigger bucket called a "Gem Cutter's Dream" or something like that. That was fun - we found some hugh quartz crystals, and a really cool cluster of amethyst crystals. That made Abbie's day! She loves amethyst. After that, we got a couple of "Ruby and Star Sapphire" buckets. We found quite a few rocks that looked like they might be worth something.

Here is Isaac in the backpack (a steal from a consignment shop for $43 - woo hoo!):



He was such a good boy! He even took a nap while Grandma wore him:



Here we have Abbie and Grandma sluicing:



And Emma and Grandma working hard:



When we got the "Gem Cutter" bucket, we were all finally sitting next to each other, sharing the dirt. I would send my little screen down for more dirt, and as they were putting it in, the girls would pick out the big rocks. "Look what I found!" they would shriek. I finally had to make them PUT THE DIRT IN MY SCREEN and let me have it. I don't mind them taking rocks, but come on! At least let me have the fun of playing in the dirt!

We brought home everything we found, and my dad got himself a rock book and a magnifier, and had a grand time sorting through all the rocks, identifying what he could and sorting them. He took them back to Michigan with him, so that he could take them to a geologist/gemologist at a jeweler's he trusts. We had sapphires, rubies, emeralds, citronite, something blue I can't recall just now, quartz, and amethyst. I know there was other stuff too, but those are the main ones.

Come to find out, everything we found is "specimen grade," which means it's fun to play with and great to study, but we won't be making any money from our rocks. That's just as well, because the girls love to play with them. He left the larger quartz crystals here, along with Abbie's amethyst. He has a rock saw, a tumbler and a polisher up north, so this summer when we go, the girls can see the rocks he's cut. He even has some of my grandfather's old findings so they can make some jewelry from the rocks. I'd really like to see them each get a necklace, at least, with the small emeralds we found. They might not be precious in anyone else's eyes, but I know they will treasure them.

That was a really fun trip. My folks had wanted to take the girls on an adventure, rather than just bringing more stuff, and it was wonderful. Last year we went to the beach, and that was cool - the first time we'd ever been to the beach in NC, after living here 9 years! I hope we will come up with another adventure for next year, too.

Check this out!

I am a bit of a language/linguistics freak. I need to mention that before I post this link.

I was looking for a way to do a schwa in HTML, so I could describe the sounds Schmooey is making. I found this site and was so excited! It's the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) in HTML! Whee!!!!!!!!

I majored in linguistics in college, and phonetics was my favorite area of study. What's really cool about the IPA is that you can transcribe any word, in any language, and know how to pronounce it. It doesn't matter what their alphabet looks like or if you have a clue how to speak it, if you know the IPA. Nifty, cool stuff, that.

So, lest I keep you in suspense - I know you're dying to hear what Isaac's been saying - he likes to say /bəf/ a lot, preferrably with a fair amount of spit involved on the /f/. He has also started saying "wahwah" when he's not terribly pleased with a situation, and his favorite seems to be "vavavavavavava" as many times in a row as he can do it. He sounds a little annoyed when he talks, actually, but I think he is just vocalizing loudly to make himself heard above the din of his sisters.

He is such a boy. He loves to lean over and shake the magnifier arm on my Ott Light. He has discovered that it's really cool to shake a bottle of water and watch the water slosh around. And, he can roll places to get things he wants now, so he's technically mobile - thankfully we keep his stuff pretty close and he's easily entertained so he hasn't gotten into much yet.

Also, he is nearly sitting up! He does really well if we set him up like a little tripod, until he gets excited and reaches for something. Then there is a distinct list.

I don't think I'm ready for all these new developments. Emma keeps telling me he's growing up to quickly. She has no idea.

Ack (Otherwise known as "What's on YOUR Desk?" Meme)

"What's on YOUR desk?

You can tell a lot about a person by the state of their desk and what they keep on it. So, share what's on your desk. You can take pictures, take an inventory, or do both. Don't have a desk? That's okay, just give us a glimpse into the space where you pay bills, write letters, grade papers, study, or work on the computer.

When you've finished your photos or inventory, post it on your blog and tag five more people to do the same. Don't forget to share the rules with those you tag and ask them to share their posts with you when they are done."

Audrey tagged me again, and while I think it's really fun to be tagged for memes, I am terribly embarrassed by this one! I have to post a picture of what my desk looks like. I'd like to say that this has been an abnormal couple of weeks with the baby having the flu and all... but I'd be lying. My desk always looks like this, except for when I get a wild hair and clean it all up. Then it looks really good for a day or two. Then it looks like this picture again.



On the left you can see the printer and scanner. My camera case is over there (sans camera) and a stapler. I have a stack of CDs, mostly Classical Kids that I'm trying to load into iTunes. There are a few Mary Kay samples and a business card case. There are papers everywhere. The ones on top were intended for valentines that never got made. I have Todd's little photo album that needs new pictures. I have very annoying baby keys that need to GO AWAY. I have a calligraphy marker. I have a little hand towel with Abbie's hand print from 2005 that she made me in preschool for Mother's Day. I see a mechanical pencil and a recipe card, and the Epson PictureMate printer (which I love, BTW). Then, extending on to the back of the couch, I have some MK labels, my Franklin Planner hole punch, and some empty print cartridges from the above-mentioned PictureMate.

There you have it! Thanks Audrey! I don't know what this says about me and I probably don't want to know...

I'm tagging:

1. Jessica at Trivium Academy
2. Stacey
3. Susan at JAM & Cheese
4. Mom2legomaniacs
5. Aubrey

Have fun!

Here is the original meme-er.

I'm not really missing

I don't mean to take so long between posts. Really, I don't. I have all these grand plans, you see, that involve taking pictures and actually loading them, and then the posts just don't happen! I decided to come and post a quick update, even though I don't have the pics just yet.

Last week was less than fun. Isaac had the flu - real, live, tested-positive-in-the-nose influenza. I don't know which kind, and I can't remember if the doctor told me. It doesn't matter that much, anyway - the baby was sick. He seemed fine Monday morning, but by the time he got up from his first nap he had a fever, which shot up to over 102. Off to the doctor we went, and he ended up having the flu. This caused me to panic quietly, as I have not had such a small baby be that sick before, but the pediatrician was wonderful. He prescribed Tamiflu for the rest of us (Schmooey being too young) and told me to keep the wee boy hydrated. He was clearly concerned, too, that such a young little guy would have the flu.

The good news? It really wasn't horrible. Zacky was definitely sick, but his fever stayed pretty low after that first day. That was a good thing, because he gagged and yakked all over me every time I tried to give him any Tylenol or Motrin. I got Tylenol in a couple of times, but only by sheer luck. He was able to keep nursing with no trouble, which was great. And now, he's really mostly better. I'm even thinking that we might still be able to go see my sister this weekend, even though I have basically canceled the trip in the interest of not exposing her 5 week old twins to the flu. (Everyone else there has had the flu shot. It's not that we don't give a hang about the rest of her family.)

So, last week the girlies spent a great deal of time watching TV and playing with their Webkinz. Emma was the next most ill, but she only had a fever for one night and after that was mostly fine, just a little tired. Abbie never got sick. Todd and I had a cough, and I was really tired, but whether that was flu or sleep deprivation is anyone's guess.

This week we are all much better, anyway. Tonna, my good friend and nanny, is on vacation. This is the third week without her. She usually does the laundry, among other things. I have been desperately trying to keep up with it, but somehow it's just never done. I think it's been breeding. It knows that she's not here and I can't keep it under control, so it's flaunting its ability to over run the house. Well, I have news for it - she's coming back next week! Ha!

The girlies and I have started our Birds lapbook from Hands of a Child. I'm going to have to see if I can get into lapbooking. I love the idea, but in reality, I'm not so good with longer term projects. I would like to do a lapbook in one day and have it be done. However, it's a very nice Charlotte-Masony project, in that you learn small chunks of information at a time and then do short activities for the lapbook. There are only 19 activities in this one. I just can't see this going on for 19 days, but what the heck. We have a great selection of birds at our feeders, and lots of books to read about birds. We can go outside in our yard and listen to all kinds of different bird songs. We really like birds around here. I suppose we can like them intentionally for 19 days. You think?

One of the cool things we did for science recently was to put an earthworm in a jar. We found a half-dead worm (nearly dehydrated after seeking respite from drowning on the sidewalk after a rain storm), took it home, and put it in the jar according to the directions in the MFW 1st grade teacher's manual. Well, mostly according to the diections - I didn't have any sand, so we used vermiculite. So, we covered the jar and tried not to peek too many times, but that worm never did anything. I told the girls to let it go, thinking that either one worm was just not going to show up in our jar (even though it was a small jar) or it had gone from half dead to all dead and we were out of luck.

So today, I looked at our jar, and there were TONS of worm tunnels. We even saw the worm on the side of the jar, digging merrily away. I was so excited! I showed the girls, so proud of our first-aid efforts to rescue the worm..... and then they informed me that they'd put a new worm in the jar. Humph. Well, it was still cool. Todd took a picture for me and I will try to post it soon... heh.

And, if you promise not to tell.... we've been playing a lot of Webkinz games! Even Todd and I are into this. I am now the proud owner of 4 pets: Imogen the LilKinz Googols, Millicent the LilKinz Horse, Eilonwy the Cow and Jenny Linsky, the black cat. I also have Hen Wen, my LilKinz pig to adopt on Saturday when it's really March - she will be the pet of the month so we will get all kinds of extra cash and prizes. Woo hoo! Todd and I are decorating Medieval rooms. Eilonwy is sleeping in mine. I also have a ballet room for Imogen, a country room for Millicent, and a royal cat room for Jenny Linsky. I have a garden for food and a yard for playing. I have an atrium that I'm starting to decorate. I am collecting a few other things for trade or possible future rooms. If that doesn't tell you that I've spent WAY too much time on the Webkinz site, then you're probably playing more than I am and we need to enter a recovery program together. The girls and I have made a deal that we won't log on until after 4pm when there are extra "events," but you know, yesterday my favorite game was the game of the day so I could earn lots of extra money and today there will be a hot air balloon on sale in the Curio Shop so..... maybe the post-4pm plan can start tomorrow.

All right, I'm just rambling. My boy is hungry and we haven't yet started school. It's lunch time, for goodness's sake! I will be back, I hope, with pictures soon.

Breaking News: Copywork brings major crisis for 7-year-old

This morning, we started school with math. That went over pretty well, especially since they only had to do one page with a whopping three problems. I got out their mini-offices that we used last year, since Emma tends to wait until Abbie completes her problems and copy the answers.

Then, Abbie went on to do her MFW phonics, and Emma was supposed to do her copywork. I don't ask a lot; she writes the date, her name, and one or two sentences from Farmer Boy, since that's what we're reading right now.

First, she wrote the date in deplorable handwriting and asked me if it was all right. I told her she'd have to redo it. This brought on tears.

Then, the pictures of letters and digraphs in her mini-office proved to be too distracting to allow her to complete her copywork, so I removed hers. More tears.

I told her we had to do school, whether she thought it was fun or not. I offered to let her work on her addition facts lapbook and then come back to the copywork. She informed me, through her pitiable weeping, that she did not wish to do either one.

I had her go to her room and lay on her bed with her blankie and bear until she feels better. That was approximately 45 minutes ago, and I've seen no signs of her coming out. I wonder if she's asleep?

I think that's a large part of the problem. I came to the conclusion last week that the girls are going to have to give up naps, because they don't sleep very long anyway and this way I can put them to bed earlier. Apparently earlier isn't early enough - we will have to work on that. I knew the transition into no naps would be rough, and that's why we haven't done it before. I can't take the whining.

Ah - I see my Bean in the doorway. I hope she's decided that we can complete school now. I wanted to go get some knitting needles today, but school has to get done first. Here's hoping we get to go later!

Book Meme

Look, look! Audrey tagged me for a book meme! I have never been tagged with a meme before, and I'm very excited.

Book Meme Rules:
Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
Open the book to page 123
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the next three sentences.
Tag five people.

My nearest book is Midnight Folk by John Masefield.

'Piney,' he said, 'my liver's like a shifting backstay. It takes me across the brisket instead of supporting my vital organs.'

"He was a broken man on his return, my Pa. ..."

Now I'm off to find 5 lucky people who haven't been tagged with this meme yet. Heh heh heh.

Grammar Police

I have a confession to make.

I am a card-carrying member of the Grammar and Spelling Police.

It drives me bonkers to read a blog (or anything else) with spelling mistakes and poor grammar. It takes all my self-control not to post corrections. I can't stand it. I even sit in church (shhhh!) and wish that the pastor would have had me do some editing before he got up to speak in church, most Sundays. (I know this means I have some serious attitude adjustment to do. God and I are working on this, I promise.)

Phew! I feel better, having that off my chest. I was just reading a blog in which the author used "except" instead of "accept" several times and couldn't take it anymore. I had to fess up.

I think I need to read Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation again. It will do my spirit good.

Look At These Babies!

When my parents were here for Christmas, my dad picked up a picture of Abbie (dressed in pink and flowers), and said, "Wow, Isaac really looks like Todd!" I said, "Yes, he does, Dad, but that is a picture of Abbie." He said, "Wow, Isaac really looks like Abbie!"

That conversation inspired me to get out my baby books of the girlies and see who I thought he looked most like. Truly, their hospital pictures are hard to tell apart. If I look at them now, I can see them each in there, but eit was hard to tell who was who, except for the backgrounds in the photos, particularly right after we had Abbie.

I thought, just for fun, I'd post pics of all three of my angel babies so you can judge for yourself. Please indulge my little stroll down memory lane. Something about Schmooey has made me quite nostalgic.

Here is a picture of Emma at around 3 months:



Here is a picture of Abbie around that age:



And here is Zacky-doodle, as he is fondly known, at close to the same age too:



I think he looks like a nearly perfect blend of the two girls, but when I look at lots of baby Emma pictures, I think he looks more like her now. Who knows what I will think in a few more months? They were all so cute, I can hardly stand it. And, no, I am NOT biased; my babies were the cutest ever. So there.

And here, because I am determinedly taking you with me on this little journey, is a gratuitous picture of Emma reading a book with her daddy.




Doesn't that just melt your heart?

Adventures with Chocolate

This is chocolate.




This is your bed and clothing after you've fallen asleep with chocolate in your back pocket.



Chocolate which you weren't supposed to have anyway, and which caused your mother a great deal of work to get it all out.

Sigh. Let's at least hope the child is thankful not to have big brown stains on her "princess quilt."

Look at Schmooey Go!

Schmooey went to the doctor last week for his 4-month checkup, and he is doing very well. He was 27 inches long (from 25" at 2 months), 18 lbs 9 oz (from 14 lbs something), and his head is 45 cm around (up from 42 cm). He's in 9 month clothes now, and looks huge to me. I thought, since he is most likely my last baby, that God would allow him to grow up a little more slowly. Not so, as it turns out.

Last week, in addition to going to the doctor, he found his toes, and showed us that in spite of doing very little "tummy time," he can flip over just fine from his stomach to his back, thankyouverymuch. When Grandma and Grandpa were here for Christmas, they got to see him roll from his back to his tummy, but he has not done it again - he really doesn't care for being on his stomach at all. He will go approximately 2/3 the way over, then stick his leg out to stop himself. He wants to see what's going on, but not from his tummy.

Mom put me on my tummy, and I am NOT pleased.



Why must she do this? Can she not see that I am tired and naked, for goodness' sake?



Little does she know that I've figured this whole thing out. She is no longer able to torture me this way.



Oh, look! Toes!



(I do have better pictures of him grabbing his toes, but they were a little more... revealing, shall we say. :-)

This would go perfectly in my kitchen.....

And since my mixer has stopped working, it would be poetic justice if I won, don't you think?

A Cowboy’s Wife is having a contest on her food blog! You can win a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer and she’ll ship anywhere so everyone is eligible!

The Prize:

Hamilton Beach 4.5-qt. Eclectrics Stand Mixer, Pineapple Yellow

The winner will receive a brand new
Hamilton Beach 4.5-qt. Eclectrics Stand Mixer, Pineapple Yellow!!

About the mixer:

From Hamilton Beach’s “Eclectrics” line, this all-metal stand mixer comes with a host of accessories - a Flat Beater for cakes and cookies, a Dough Hook for bread and a Wire Whisk for whipped cream or pudding. The 4.5-qt. stainless steel bowl comes with a Pouring Shield that helps prevent splattering while in operation. The pouring shield has a built-in chute for adding ingredients. Powered by 400 watts, the stand mixer has a two-way mixing action to ensure all ingredients are incorporated into the mix. The quick-release, tilt-up head assists when removing the bowl. 9 x 14 x 14-in. When you’re ready for a kitchen re-do, don’t call in the carpenters! Instead, “counterscape” your kitchen with Hamilton Beach’s retro-designed, affordably priced electrics in happy, sun-saturated colors. Their “Eclectrics” line includes updates to those classic appliances from the 1950s. All of their “Eclectrics” are available in six colors: Apple Green, Moroccan Red, Pineapple Yellow, Intrigue Blue, Sugar White and Licorice Black.

Weekly Report

This week was our first week back at school since before Christmas. We were not terribly consistent before then, so now that the baby is a little older, I'm hoping to get back into a more regular routine.

This week, we started our My Father's World 1st grade curriculum. This involves phonics for Abbie, along with Bible, science and art. Up to now, we've been reading a chapter from Genesis and Proverbs each day, which we will continue - the Bible in MFW is history, and projects.

We also started using Professor B math this week. I purchased it last year when I was struggling to teach Emma with MFW 1 math, and then completely forgot about it. I pulled it out and set the girls to work on the computer CD. We're starting from the very beginning so that we understand the methodology, but I expect to push through the first parts rather quickly. We're also going to add in Singapore Math 1B, but I have to order that still. We were using Rod & Staff 1st grade math, but the girls really didn't care for it. I've been meaning to make the switch for a while. The new year seemed as good a time as any.

We did our second week of WriteShop Primary, as we are a test family and we've only completed 1 week to date. This week, the topic was "I Am Special." We made sentences talking about things we like to do, wear, and eat using our pocket chart, and discussed how the sentences formed complete thoughts (as well as how they didn't, before we added the object nouns). We also read Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie for our non-fiction book about a famous person. (Okay, perhaps not the world's most famous person, but it's what I had in the house. I was not up for a trip to the library with all 3 children this week.)

We completed four lessons in First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind this week, and learned about proper names for aunts, uncles and cousins. That was fun as the girls enjoy talking about family. We used our relatives' names for our copywork.

We've also been reading Farmer Boy, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It's the third in the Little House series, and the girlies are enjoying the books tremendously. Emma got the The Little House Cookbook for Christmas, and has asked to make exciting things like fresh tomatoes with sugar and cream. Sounds interesting, doesn't it?

We were supposed to start Drawing with Children, but I must confess that I have been unable to locate the book. I will execute a search this weekend and start it on Monday. I purchased some sketch books on sale at A.C. Moore this week to use in our nature walks, which we will begin now that we're officially starting science with MFW. I'm hoping the girls will enjoy seeing their art skills improve and be able to utilize them in their sketch books.

For his part, Isaac showed us he can turn over from his tummy to his back, and discovered his toes. He also seems to be rebelling against sleeping, which is a bummer for Mommy. He had his 4 month checkup this week, and weighed in at 18 lbs 9 oz., measured 27 inches long and has a head circumference of 45 cm - 95th percentile all the way! We don't make them small around here, that's for sure.

That's about all the excitement for this week. I'm going to try to add some pictures in later.