I haven't posted about the books I've been reading lately. The last 2 I read were so fantastic and so much to think about that I haven't written down my thoughts yet. (The Help and Crazy Love) AND, since those were so great, nothing else has really drawn me in lately. I am reading The Strictest School in the World sequel to the boys at night and we're about 1/2 way through it. On my own I'm reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (yes, that's really the title) and that is holding its own against the previous giants of literature that I mentioned. It's a novel written as a series of letters in post WW2 London/Channel Islands (not the Southern CA ones, the England ones. And no, I didn't know there were England ones until I read this book.)
The premise is an author is looking for a new subject for a book, because she's tired of writing about THE WAR as that has consumed every aspect of life for the past 5 years or so and she happens to meet via letter this group of individuals who lived through the German occupation of Guernsey. The literary society was started as a ruse to fool the Germans, and then they found that meeting together and discussing literature helped them forget about the war for a short time. So the author starts corresponding with these people and they have fascinating stories to tell that all end up weaving together.
One thing I like about it (and what I liked about The Help) is it seems to be written with historical accuracy and transports me to that time and place. I can't imagine having to make a choice to send my children away to live with strangers in England, knowing the Germans were coming to occupy your town, having to hide pigs from the Germans in order to have a treat to eat, coming up with a recipe for potato peel pie because there was nothing else to eat -- no butter, sugar or even salt.
The delivery of the information keeps me interested. Because it's letter to letter, things are peeled away, like leaves on a head of lettuce. You get bits and pieces of the different characters and events until the entire puzzle starts to come together. The other difference is because it's written in letter form, there are natural stopping points all the way through. I don't feel like I have to consume the story in one sitting. I'm 1/2 way through and should finish tomorrow. In my library box I have a Bones novel waiting for me -- one of the newer ones. I wonder how it will compare.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
I posted this on facebook today :
I overheard Caleb telling his friend, "My dad is a Marine. He kills people." then he went on to say, "he beats people up and farts on them."
Maybe that's how he kills them?
Oh my, that boy is like nothing else! He then continued to tell his friend, "Then he beats them up and poops on them!" Poor Jillian replied, "I don't like violence."
Maybe that's how he kills them?
Oh my, that boy is like nothing else! He then continued to tell his friend, "Then he beats them up and poops on them!" Poor Jillian replied, "I don't like violence."
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
bye bye love. . .
So I've been weaning myself off of Zoloft. There hadn't been a good time to do it before now, and I figure if I do it now and the experiment turns out to be a bust, I have time to get back on them and get "normal" before we go to Egypt. I didn't ever really have any side effects from being on Zoloft (except for vivid dreams) and I'm finding the bad thing about not having side effects from the meds is that when you wean off of them you don't magically feel better. ;)
Here I was thinking that my laziness was a side effect and when I weaned off of the Zoloft I would have more energy, have less cravings, be more disciplined, and be all around a more fabulous person. ;) Now I'm finding out that I actually am the same person, I just get irritated more quickly and more often, lol. So I haven't magically become a better housekeeper, an earlybird, or find myself exercising compulsively. Darn.
I have gained weight over the past four years (about 25 lbs), but it would be hard not to gain weight when pre-Zoloft I could hardly eat anything and threw up from anxiety every other day and burned all my nervous energy by pacing around my house all day long. I also hit the "magic 35" this year, so maybe my metabolism left me along with my sanity.
Today was the first day I didn't actually take a pill in 4 1/2 years. I never once missed a dose -- never (one of the perks of anxiety). One of the reasons I decided to wean off completely was that 3 times last week I realized in the late afternoon that I hadn't taken my crumbs for the day (I have been decreasing my dose slowly over the past year and I'm down to less than 1/4 of a pill and I'm not the best pill cutter, lol) and I was thinking that it would be a good time to stop altogether. No major changes in my life at the moment: no babies on the horizon, no deployments or moves in the next 12 months -- it's been a while since my calendar has been clear of those events. And if I'm drug free, I won't have to think about trying to get my meds while traveling in the Middle East. Of course I'd rather hassle with getting meds than be a crazy woman running around in the desert. Thus, the experiment.
So far I haven't had any withdrawal symptoms, and had felt rather satisfied by my progress and was telling Josh last night how marvelously it was going . . . and then bam! Today I started getting the electric shock feelings in my head if I moved too fast and bits of numbness in my face. Blech. So my new plan is to take my crumbs every other day for a bit and see if that is better.
Maybe I have to wait until the drug is completely out of my system to reveal all my wonderful attributes that have been masked by the Zoloft these past 4 years. Yeah, that's what it is . . .
Here I was thinking that my laziness was a side effect and when I weaned off of the Zoloft I would have more energy, have less cravings, be more disciplined, and be all around a more fabulous person. ;) Now I'm finding out that I actually am the same person, I just get irritated more quickly and more often, lol. So I haven't magically become a better housekeeper, an earlybird, or find myself exercising compulsively. Darn.
I have gained weight over the past four years (about 25 lbs), but it would be hard not to gain weight when pre-Zoloft I could hardly eat anything and threw up from anxiety every other day and burned all my nervous energy by pacing around my house all day long. I also hit the "magic 35" this year, so maybe my metabolism left me along with my sanity.
Today was the first day I didn't actually take a pill in 4 1/2 years. I never once missed a dose -- never (one of the perks of anxiety). One of the reasons I decided to wean off completely was that 3 times last week I realized in the late afternoon that I hadn't taken my crumbs for the day (I have been decreasing my dose slowly over the past year and I'm down to less than 1/4 of a pill and I'm not the best pill cutter, lol) and I was thinking that it would be a good time to stop altogether. No major changes in my life at the moment: no babies on the horizon, no deployments or moves in the next 12 months -- it's been a while since my calendar has been clear of those events. And if I'm drug free, I won't have to think about trying to get my meds while traveling in the Middle East. Of course I'd rather hassle with getting meds than be a crazy woman running around in the desert. Thus, the experiment.
So far I haven't had any withdrawal symptoms, and had felt rather satisfied by my progress and was telling Josh last night how marvelously it was going . . . and then bam! Today I started getting the electric shock feelings in my head if I moved too fast and bits of numbness in my face. Blech. So my new plan is to take my crumbs every other day for a bit and see if that is better.
Maybe I have to wait until the drug is completely out of my system to reveal all my wonderful attributes that have been masked by the Zoloft these past 4 years. Yeah, that's what it is . . .
Sunday, August 23, 2009
schooly thoughts
So I figured out that I was not providing enough writing practice for Calvin and I wasn't staying on top of assignments that I had given him so I purchased this (geek alert: I am way too excited about my success with inserting a clickable link, including where the link is going to take you if you hover over the word.)
Meaningful Composition should provide daily assignments, and direct, step by step instruction so he gets clear guidelines (which he likes) and I don't have to deal with tears (which I like). Win-win-win.
This year I've been experimenting with having all 3 boys in the same Five in a Row (FIAR) book each week. Yes, Calvin is in the age range for Beyond, and in fact that's what I had him doing last year, but trying to do 2 levels didn't work for me. It didn't get done regularly and then no one was getting the benefit of FIAR. There are plenty of FIAR vol 1-3 books that he hasn't rowed (vol 4 too!) so I've decided even if the books and lessons are on the young side, there is still benefit to be gained from it. I've said over and over again that I learn things every time I row a book and I'm a 35yo woman with a college degree so I think we can make it work for a 10yo.
So far we've had 2 great weeks rowing Daniel's Duck and The Bee Tree. Daniel's Duck week went along with the county fair and this past week we learned so much about bees. They are amazing creatures! I could write an entire post about all I learned about bees and how they basically dehydrate nectar to make honey and how they have this internal clock that tells them exactly what jobs they are supposed to do on which days of life and how they spend the first 3 weeks of life working around the hive as "house bees" and the last 3 weeks of life collecting nectar and pollen as "field bees" because the only live for 6 weeks and how worker bees are all female and the only difference between them and the queen is that the queen was fed royal jelly during the larval stage of her development . . . anyway, like I was saying, plenty for a 10yo to learn.
For the rest of school we're doing Bible Study Guide for All Ages first thing in the morning. That takes about 30 minutes and all the kids are enjoying that. Then we do FIAR and talk about the daily lessons. That's probably another 30 minutes. Then the kids move on to their independent work. Math U See (MUS) for both Calvin and Carter, then Calvin has to do 30 minutes of independent reading and 30 minutes of piano practice and Carter has reading lessons with me after he finishes his math. Then he's done for the day.
Calvin has been taking WAY too long with his math because he's doing long division and he's just too slow with his multiplication facts. I'm going to start requiring him to do 5 MUS online drills per day and write down his fastest time. I'll set a goal time that he has to beat eventually.
I don't have any writing incorporated into Carter's school at the moment. He did copywork last year and I will implement copywork again (copying their Bible verses) for Carter and Caleb once they start AWANAs in a few weeks, but I want to really focus his energies on reading for a few weeks. He's so close to becoming a fluent reader and I want to keep up that momentum.
One other thing I want to add to their school is Arabic language lessons. I'm not sure how to do this, but I'm thinking of letting them watch Arabic kid tv on the computer each day. I also have Rosetta Stone that Calvin could do, but I really have to get our current schedule running smoothly before I add anything else. That was a mistake I made last year -- starting everything at once and then getting overwhelmed and dropping it. This year we started with Bible Study, the next week added FIAR and reading, last week we added Math, this week we're adding my Arabic class . . . hopefully we'll be able to keep all the balls in the air.
Meaningful Composition should provide daily assignments, and direct, step by step instruction so he gets clear guidelines (which he likes) and I don't have to deal with tears (which I like). Win-win-win.
This year I've been experimenting with having all 3 boys in the same Five in a Row (FIAR) book each week. Yes, Calvin is in the age range for Beyond, and in fact that's what I had him doing last year, but trying to do 2 levels didn't work for me. It didn't get done regularly and then no one was getting the benefit of FIAR. There are plenty of FIAR vol 1-3 books that he hasn't rowed (vol 4 too!) so I've decided even if the books and lessons are on the young side, there is still benefit to be gained from it. I've said over and over again that I learn things every time I row a book and I'm a 35yo woman with a college degree so I think we can make it work for a 10yo.
So far we've had 2 great weeks rowing Daniel's Duck and The Bee Tree. Daniel's Duck week went along with the county fair and this past week we learned so much about bees. They are amazing creatures! I could write an entire post about all I learned about bees and how they basically dehydrate nectar to make honey and how they have this internal clock that tells them exactly what jobs they are supposed to do on which days of life and how they spend the first 3 weeks of life working around the hive as "house bees" and the last 3 weeks of life collecting nectar and pollen as "field bees" because the only live for 6 weeks and how worker bees are all female and the only difference between them and the queen is that the queen was fed royal jelly during the larval stage of her development . . . anyway, like I was saying, plenty for a 10yo to learn.
For the rest of school we're doing Bible Study Guide for All Ages first thing in the morning. That takes about 30 minutes and all the kids are enjoying that. Then we do FIAR and talk about the daily lessons. That's probably another 30 minutes. Then the kids move on to their independent work. Math U See (MUS) for both Calvin and Carter, then Calvin has to do 30 minutes of independent reading and 30 minutes of piano practice and Carter has reading lessons with me after he finishes his math. Then he's done for the day.
Calvin has been taking WAY too long with his math because he's doing long division and he's just too slow with his multiplication facts. I'm going to start requiring him to do 5 MUS online drills per day and write down his fastest time. I'll set a goal time that he has to beat eventually.
I don't have any writing incorporated into Carter's school at the moment. He did copywork last year and I will implement copywork again (copying their Bible verses) for Carter and Caleb once they start AWANAs in a few weeks, but I want to really focus his energies on reading for a few weeks. He's so close to becoming a fluent reader and I want to keep up that momentum.
One other thing I want to add to their school is Arabic language lessons. I'm not sure how to do this, but I'm thinking of letting them watch Arabic kid tv on the computer each day. I also have Rosetta Stone that Calvin could do, but I really have to get our current schedule running smoothly before I add anything else. That was a mistake I made last year -- starting everything at once and then getting overwhelmed and dropping it. This year we started with Bible Study, the next week added FIAR and reading, last week we added Math, this week we're adding my Arabic class . . . hopefully we'll be able to keep all the balls in the air.
I guess it's fitting that I can't sleep tonight . . .
since I couldn't sleep the night before I got married either. Not that there's anything exciting keeping me awake tonight, my brain just won't shut off. Plus, I can never get comfortable as I'm trying to fall asleep. I keep shifting my arms and turning my head from side to side. I wish it were as easy for me to fall asleep as it is for me to fall back asleep in the morning. If that were the case, I'd love going to bed every night.
But no white dresses or flowers for me tomorrow, although I will be at church. I'll just be corralling 3 kids on my way in the door and looking for my husband in the sound booth instead of at the end of the aisle. I definitely traded up.
But no white dresses or flowers for me tomorrow, although I will be at church. I'll just be corralling 3 kids on my way in the door and looking for my husband in the sound booth instead of at the end of the aisle. I definitely traded up.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
My review of Bible Study Guide for all Ages
I thought I would share how BSG has been working for us after using it daily for 3 weeks. I purchased the kid worksheets -- one set for each kid. I have one using Beginner, one Intermediate, and one Advanced. I did not buy the main binder or other supplemental things.
I like that after breakfast we can sit down at the table and each kid has a sheet to work from. Before trying BSG I did read alouds from Catherine Vos' Child's Story Bible and our chronological Bible. That system was fine, but there was a lot more squirming and climbing on me (the youngest still climbs on me and squirms during our FIAR lesson, so although getting older has helped, it's not the entire solution.) The climbing on me made me cranky and I didn't like all the interruptions. Using the worksheets has been enjoyable for all of us, especially because everyone is sitting in their own seat.
Each kid's sheet has map and review work on one day, and digs deeper into a particular scripture passage on the next day. We do one side of a sheet each day. Each kid has their own pack of colored pencils or crayons. One of us reads the passage aloud, then we work our way down the sheet answering questions like: Name the 12 sons of Jacob, or what are the 4 divisions of the New Testament? There are also instructions to find and mark places on the map and to find people on the timeline.
The second side of the sheet is divided into boxes. We reread the scripture from the day before piece by piece, then do the associated work in each box. Depending on the level, they color in the items that pharoah gave to Joseph, draw lines to the correct items or write them down in the blanks provided. I really like that they are all working using the same information, but at different skill levels.
I'm able to sit at the table with them and share in the reading and read the instructions to the youngest and assist the older 2 as needed. We talk about what we're looking at and learning as we move box by box through the story. I'm finding that the boys are enjoying the process and retaining a lot.
I thought the summary cards for the books of the Bible looked really interesting, but I haven't branched out and purchased anything else yet. We are still using this scripture memory system as part of our Bible Study time.
I like that after breakfast we can sit down at the table and each kid has a sheet to work from. Before trying BSG I did read alouds from Catherine Vos' Child's Story Bible and our chronological Bible. That system was fine, but there was a lot more squirming and climbing on me (the youngest still climbs on me and squirms during our FIAR lesson, so although getting older has helped, it's not the entire solution.) The climbing on me made me cranky and I didn't like all the interruptions. Using the worksheets has been enjoyable for all of us, especially because everyone is sitting in their own seat.
Each kid's sheet has map and review work on one day, and digs deeper into a particular scripture passage on the next day. We do one side of a sheet each day. Each kid has their own pack of colored pencils or crayons. One of us reads the passage aloud, then we work our way down the sheet answering questions like: Name the 12 sons of Jacob, or what are the 4 divisions of the New Testament? There are also instructions to find and mark places on the map and to find people on the timeline.
The second side of the sheet is divided into boxes. We reread the scripture from the day before piece by piece, then do the associated work in each box. Depending on the level, they color in the items that pharoah gave to Joseph, draw lines to the correct items or write them down in the blanks provided. I really like that they are all working using the same information, but at different skill levels.
I'm able to sit at the table with them and share in the reading and read the instructions to the youngest and assist the older 2 as needed. We talk about what we're looking at and learning as we move box by box through the story. I'm finding that the boys are enjoying the process and retaining a lot.
I thought the summary cards for the books of the Bible looked really interesting, but I haven't branched out and purchased anything else yet. We are still using this scripture memory system as part of our Bible Study time.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
my grid
Here are the highlights, the breakdown is below:
Basically TV has given up the 10pm hour so there's much less to get excited about this fall.
New shows I'm excited to try:
Glee, Modern Family, Community, CougarTown. Where are the dramas? Blech.
Returning shows I'm happy to have back:
NCIS, 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, The Office (even though it let me down last season). . .
And here's the workout I have designed for my DVR:
Monday 8: How I Met Your Mother and House
9: Gossip Girl
9:30: Big Bang Theory
Tuesday 8: NCIS and SYTYCD
9: NCIS-LA (giving it a shot even though I didn't like the NCIS goes to LA episode last year)
10: The Forgotten (it gets one shot)
(this is a rough night)
Wednesday 8: ANTM and SYTYCD results show -- IF I like Hank or The Middle (2 ABC sitcoms) I'll just grab the SYTYCD results off the internet.
9: AKK! I have Modern Family/Cougartown, Glee, and Law and Order: SVU all during this hour. I might have to sacrifice SVU since I know I'll be able to catch them in reruns. If the sitcoms don't pan out, I'll switch over to taping SVU
10: CSI: NY probably -- not my fav though
Thursday 8: I have a conflict at this hour too. I will watch Bones, but then I have to decide between Survivor: Samoa and Flashforward. I heard intriguing things about FF, so I have to at least watch the first episode. Especially since it was described as a Lost type show. I also am having to skip Parks and Recreation, oh well.
9: The only shows that interest me are The Office and Community. HEY! Where is 30 Rock? OK, just found out that 30 Rock will follow The Office, but not until Oct 15th.
Friday 8: Law and Order. Still a fan, even if it annoys me a lot.
10: Numbers -- I think this is the first show that I have on my schedule at 10. This Jay Leno thing has totally killed 10pm TV.
Sat 10: Ooh, I just figured out I can watch SVU repeats on Saturday night. That solves my Wednesday night crisis.
Sunday 8: Amazing Race, of course!
10: Maybe Cold Case -- I still have 6 epis on the box from last spring that I haven't watched yet.
So to sum up, there really aren't that many shows I'm excited about. Cable shows I'm loving right now: Drop Dead Diva, Psyche, 10 Things I Hate About You, Greek (starting in 2 weeks!) and that's all I can think of off the top of my head. This doesn't count the home improvement genre like Bang for Your Buck, Renovation Realities, etc.
Basically TV has given up the 10pm hour so there's much less to get excited about this fall.
New shows I'm excited to try:
Glee, Modern Family, Community, CougarTown. Where are the dramas? Blech.
Returning shows I'm happy to have back:
NCIS, 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, The Office (even though it let me down last season). . .
And here's the workout I have designed for my DVR:
Monday 8: How I Met Your Mother and House
9: Gossip Girl
9:30: Big Bang Theory
Tuesday 8: NCIS and SYTYCD
9: NCIS-LA (giving it a shot even though I didn't like the NCIS goes to LA episode last year)
10: The Forgotten (it gets one shot)
(this is a rough night)
Wednesday 8: ANTM and SYTYCD results show -- IF I like Hank or The Middle (2 ABC sitcoms) I'll just grab the SYTYCD results off the internet.
9: AKK! I have Modern Family/Cougartown, Glee, and Law and Order: SVU all during this hour. I might have to sacrifice SVU since I know I'll be able to catch them in reruns. If the sitcoms don't pan out, I'll switch over to taping SVU
10: CSI: NY probably -- not my fav though
Thursday 8: I have a conflict at this hour too. I will watch Bones, but then I have to decide between Survivor: Samoa and Flashforward. I heard intriguing things about FF, so I have to at least watch the first episode. Especially since it was described as a Lost type show. I also am having to skip Parks and Recreation, oh well.
9: The only shows that interest me are The Office and Community. HEY! Where is 30 Rock? OK, just found out that 30 Rock will follow The Office, but not until Oct 15th.
Friday 8: Law and Order. Still a fan, even if it annoys me a lot.
10: Numbers -- I think this is the first show that I have on my schedule at 10. This Jay Leno thing has totally killed 10pm TV.
Sat 10: Ooh, I just figured out I can watch SVU repeats on Saturday night. That solves my Wednesday night crisis.
Sunday 8: Amazing Race, of course!
10: Maybe Cold Case -- I still have 6 epis on the box from last spring that I haven't watched yet.
So to sum up, there really aren't that many shows I'm excited about. Cable shows I'm loving right now: Drop Dead Diva, Psyche, 10 Things I Hate About You, Greek (starting in 2 weeks!) and that's all I can think of off the top of my head. This doesn't count the home improvement genre like Bang for Your Buck, Renovation Realities, etc.
Starting my research . . .
It's that time of year! When I compose my list of must see vs. must miss TV. So far there are three sitcoms I have high hopes for:
Community, Modern Family, and Cougartown. Now when I first heard about Cougartown, I swore I would never watch it, base on the horrible title. But after seeing Courtney Cox in the previews, it looks hilarious.
Modern Family is also winning me over with the previews of Al Bundy as the over the hill husband of a much younger woman, the gay couple with a kid, and the couple with the dad doing the High School Musical choreography. Since I don't watch commercials as a rule (DVR's 30 second skip is the best invention ever) I haven't seen too much of them, but when I land on them they always catch my attention and I skip back to watch them.
I don't know much about Community, but the fact that it's by the people who made 30 means I'm in.
Another new show I'm excited about coming back: Glee. I loved the premiere back in May and loved its blend of comedy and music. I can't even recall what other new shows are out there, I'm going to have to get my grid together and figure out how it lines up night by night.
Fall starts early this week though with Project Runway. The first time that I've been able to watch it as it comes on instead of catching a marathon when we get a free month of Bravo. Thursday night -- make it work!
ETA: On an unrelated TV note, as intrigued as I am by Octomom's 8 babies, I refuse to watch the show tomorrow night on principle. I hope it gets horrible ratings so no one else tries to pump out babies in an attempt to get their own reality show. Poor babies.
Community, Modern Family, and Cougartown. Now when I first heard about Cougartown, I swore I would never watch it, base on the horrible title. But after seeing Courtney Cox in the previews, it looks hilarious.
Modern Family is also winning me over with the previews of Al Bundy as the over the hill husband of a much younger woman, the gay couple with a kid, and the couple with the dad doing the High School Musical choreography. Since I don't watch commercials as a rule (DVR's 30 second skip is the best invention ever) I haven't seen too much of them, but when I land on them they always catch my attention and I skip back to watch them.
I don't know much about Community, but the fact that it's by the people who made 30 means I'm in.
Another new show I'm excited about coming back: Glee. I loved the premiere back in May and loved its blend of comedy and music. I can't even recall what other new shows are out there, I'm going to have to get my grid together and figure out how it lines up night by night.
Fall starts early this week though with Project Runway. The first time that I've been able to watch it as it comes on instead of catching a marathon when we get a free month of Bravo. Thursday night -- make it work!
ETA: On an unrelated TV note, as intrigued as I am by Octomom's 8 babies, I refuse to watch the show tomorrow night on principle. I hope it gets horrible ratings so no one else tries to pump out babies in an attempt to get their own reality show. Poor babies.
Getting ahead of myself . . .
I saw on my Egypt friend's blog that they just got back from a 2 week trip to Morocco so now I have the travel bug. I checked out travel guides on Jordan, Egypt, traveling the Middle East on a Shoestring, and the 2009 Eurail guide. Oh, and I ordered the brand new Lonely Planet guide to the Middle East on Amazon that will arrive tomorrow.
I always have just as much fun planning a trip than I do taking it (probably more!). And especially since I can't fathom being able to fly overseas and take crazy buses and trains all over Europe and the Middle East, for now reading is safe entertainment.
I finished the Eurail guide and realized we have to save mucho bucks if we decide to travel at all in Europe. Limited access train passes will cost 2k and that doesn't include lodging. Yikes! Good thing we're starting to save already.
It was funny reading the guide about the Middle East: "you may not want to visit during Ramadan because people aren't allowed to eat or drink during the day and it makes them cranky." Other facts of interest: people of Jewish faith aren't allowed visas to travel to Saudi Arabia, there are a few countries that require Western women to cover completely (except for hands and faces), and lots of tipping is expected in every country except Yemen.
And this warning regarding traveling with children: "As for hotels, you are going to want something with a private bathroom and hot water, which will normally preclude most budget accommodations." Um, yeah. I think private bathrooms and hot water are a must.
I always have just as much fun planning a trip than I do taking it (probably more!). And especially since I can't fathom being able to fly overseas and take crazy buses and trains all over Europe and the Middle East, for now reading is safe entertainment.
I finished the Eurail guide and realized we have to save mucho bucks if we decide to travel at all in Europe. Limited access train passes will cost 2k and that doesn't include lodging. Yikes! Good thing we're starting to save already.
It was funny reading the guide about the Middle East: "you may not want to visit during Ramadan because people aren't allowed to eat or drink during the day and it makes them cranky." Other facts of interest: people of Jewish faith aren't allowed visas to travel to Saudi Arabia, there are a few countries that require Western women to cover completely (except for hands and faces), and lots of tipping is expected in every country except Yemen.
And this warning regarding traveling with children: "As for hotels, you are going to want something with a private bathroom and hot water, which will normally preclude most budget accommodations." Um, yeah. I think private bathrooms and hot water are a must.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Bob's big . . .
Bob came downstairs last night after getting ready for bed. He had put 5 pullups on under his underwear (he's out of pull-ups, they were leftovers he found in the stash under the bed). Sorry the video is sideways -- I haven't figured out how to rotate it yet.
And yes, that IS what he said. LOL!
And yes, that IS what he said. LOL!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Crazy bird creature
Caleb saw this furry creature at the fair and immediately wanted to go say "hi" to him (if I were his size i would have been scared of a huge crazy purple creature, but whatever). So Caleb walks right up to him, gives him a hug, and the creature had a blast playing with him and putting his head in his mouth. The fair photographer even came over and asked if Bob could pose for a few pictures for the fair publications. Unfortunately, the creature costume smelled and since the creature was rubbing all over him, the rest of the day Bob smelled like the stairwell of a Berkeley parking garage ugh. But it was worth it for these cute photos. 
My baby learned to ride a bike today
We were sitting out front, watching the parade of kids head home from school and Caleb spotted a kid on a bike. In an accusatory tone he said, "HEY! That kid is littler than me and he's riding a two-wheeler!" I told him, "You could ride a two wheeler if you wanted to." And he did.
"
ETA: He just came in and said, "I'm done riding my bike for now. I just want to chill out."
"
ETA: He just came in and said, "I'm done riding my bike for now. I just want to chill out."
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Ugb ay yd. erei.p icabyo iam.v
My keyboard sometimes suddenly stops typing regular letters -- I was trying to type fun at the Dodger/Giants game but that's what came out. I thought it was funny, so I left it.
Waiting to catch the train to AT&T park.
Hey batter, batter!
Waiting to catch the train to AT&T park.
Hey batter, batter!
Monday, August 10, 2009
And that is why . . .
I homeschool.
It's 8:10. When I woke up 10 minutes ago I could hear the last few stragglers pass my window, rushing so they weren't late for the first day of school. Of course my 3 guys are still tucked up in their beds -- Bob sprawled out beside me, the other 2 snuggled together in the bottom bunk. It's peaceful around here on our first day of the school year. No rushing around looking for backpacks and lunches, racing through breakfast so we're not late. Last night we didn't eat dinner until well after 8 because we were grilling chicken over coals in the campfire (and doing potatoes buried in the coals) and it took FOREVER. But we weren't stressed that the kids were staying up too late on a school night. We ate when it was ready and Josh still played guitar for them when they finally went to bed around 10. Freedom.
Today the kids will wake up when they're ready, we'll have breakfast and Bible study and then maybe clean the kitchen together (or they'll clean while I get the FIAR stuff ready). Then we'll read Daniel's Duck and do our Social Studies lessons. Carter and I will do a reading lesson together, Bob can scribble on his PreK worksheets and Calvin can practice piano. After lunch we'll go to the chiropractor (Carter) and then hit the library. Another day of "school" completed.
It's 8:10. When I woke up 10 minutes ago I could hear the last few stragglers pass my window, rushing so they weren't late for the first day of school. Of course my 3 guys are still tucked up in their beds -- Bob sprawled out beside me, the other 2 snuggled together in the bottom bunk. It's peaceful around here on our first day of the school year. No rushing around looking for backpacks and lunches, racing through breakfast so we're not late. Last night we didn't eat dinner until well after 8 because we were grilling chicken over coals in the campfire (and doing potatoes buried in the coals) and it took FOREVER. But we weren't stressed that the kids were staying up too late on a school night. We ate when it was ready and Josh still played guitar for them when they finally went to bed around 10. Freedom.
Today the kids will wake up when they're ready, we'll have breakfast and Bible study and then maybe clean the kitchen together (or they'll clean while I get the FIAR stuff ready). Then we'll read Daniel's Duck and do our Social Studies lessons. Carter and I will do a reading lesson together, Bob can scribble on his PreK worksheets and Calvin can practice piano. After lunch we'll go to the chiropractor (Carter) and then hit the library. Another day of "school" completed.
Friday, August 7, 2009
culinary deliciousness
I made the BEST baked chicken nuggets today -- enough for the slew of kids running in and out of my house. I was making them for lunch for the boys and then Mr. Hospitality (Bob) yells to all his friends, "You can eat with us!" lol
So I cut up chicken breast into bite sized pieces, dredged them in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, italian seasoning and garlic powder. Then I made a "buttermilk" dip using plain greek yogurt thinned with a little milk. The final step was to coat the chicken pieces in pulverized cornflakes and bake them on preheated stones to 425 for 15-20. The three step coating made the crust extra thick and crispy. Next time I would add a little more salt and pepper to the flour and maybe try a spicy or chili version with cayenne, paprika and chili powder. Yum!
So I cut up chicken breast into bite sized pieces, dredged them in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, italian seasoning and garlic powder. Then I made a "buttermilk" dip using plain greek yogurt thinned with a little milk. The final step was to coat the chicken pieces in pulverized cornflakes and bake them on preheated stones to 425 for 15-20. The three step coating made the crust extra thick and crispy. Next time I would add a little more salt and pepper to the flour and maybe try a spicy or chili version with cayenne, paprika and chili powder. Yum!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
mango related to poision oak . . .
You learn something new every day. I found out that mangos contains urushiol oil, the same oil found in poison oak that causes my skin to blister and itch.
If you google: "mango allergy poison oak" there's way more info than you ever wanted to know about the itchiness of these two plants. ick.
If you google: "mango allergy poison oak" there's way more info than you ever wanted to know about the itchiness of these two plants. ick.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Ashley Stockingdale = annoying?
So I hop in the tub with my next book With this Ring, I'm Confused: light, chick-lit about a girl planning her wedding with lots of funny disasters, very much in the Shopaholic/Bridget Jones style. I had heard that the author was a Christian and I was 1/2 way through the first chapter and I thought, "maybe it's just a clean romance, not a christianese type of romance" and then it happened. On the last page of the first chapter, the main character says to herself, "Turn the other cheek. That's what being a Christian is all about." The statement would be annoying enough by itself, but the fact that it's in response to a bossy sister-in-law who has taken over the wedding plans to the point of picking out the bride's dress and choosing the theme of Gone with the Wind makes it even more ridiculous.
And then starting in the second chapter we have Christian Mad Libs. Looking for the perfect man? Insert veiled reference to God, including the use of the capital "H" in "He." Playing music in the car? Make sure it's Chris Tomlin, so we know you're a Christian. Now if the author had incorporated a particular song, where the lyrics would be applicable to the situation, that would be fine. It's just the insertion of a Christian artist for no other purpose that seems forced.
I was already annoyed with the book because the premise of the first chapter was so ridiculous -- like any bride, Christian or not, wouldn't throw a hissy fit if their sister in law insisted on having them walk down the aisle under a sword arch manned by groomsmen in confederate soldier uniforms. Um, hello. And who would be ok with the sil designing southen belle gowns for the bridesmaids? It's your wedding, don't suffer in silence! The fact that the main character didn't fire her "wedding planner" on the spot made this book suspect, the rest put it over the top.
Now there's drama w/the ex boyfriend. I may give it another chapter or 2, but this book is on thin ice. :P
And then starting in the second chapter we have Christian Mad Libs. Looking for the perfect man? Insert veiled reference to God, including the use of the capital "H" in "He." Playing music in the car? Make sure it's Chris Tomlin, so we know you're a Christian. Now if the author had incorporated a particular song, where the lyrics would be applicable to the situation, that would be fine. It's just the insertion of a Christian artist for no other purpose that seems forced.
I was already annoyed with the book because the premise of the first chapter was so ridiculous -- like any bride, Christian or not, wouldn't throw a hissy fit if their sister in law insisted on having them walk down the aisle under a sword arch manned by groomsmen in confederate soldier uniforms. Um, hello. And who would be ok with the sil designing southen belle gowns for the bridesmaids? It's your wedding, don't suffer in silence! The fact that the main character didn't fire her "wedding planner" on the spot made this book suspect, the rest put it over the top.
Now there's drama w/the ex boyfriend. I may give it another chapter or 2, but this book is on thin ice. :P
Saturday, August 1, 2009
progress!
I ran for 1 hour today -- down Farragut to Aguajito, and then down around El Estero park and back, including running all the way up Farragut hill. A new run route while Josh was out at Spirit West Coast. That's the even bigger progress. :)
Listened to Crazy Love by Francis Chan while I was running. It's one of the most convicting books I've ever read. I have to take some time to process it all and probably re-listen to it when I finish to capture it all.
Listened to Crazy Love by Francis Chan while I was running. It's one of the most convicting books I've ever read. I have to take some time to process it all and probably re-listen to it when I finish to capture it all.
A Carter gross out . . .
Not at the same level as the Bob/chapstick fiasco, but still nasty:
Heather Evangelista made cupcakes for Alex's birthday and we were hanging out on their front lawn and the kids were playing. So Carter comes over to ask me a question and he's chewing on this wierd looking gray gum.
I ask him, "what is that?"
He says, "it's the wrapper from my cupcake. I'm trying to get out all the chocolatey goodness."
EW!
And then another mom tells me that when he had a cupcake at her house he chewed up the paper and eventually swallowed it! You'd think I don't feed them or teach them any sort of manners, huh?
Heather Evangelista made cupcakes for Alex's birthday and we were hanging out on their front lawn and the kids were playing. So Carter comes over to ask me a question and he's chewing on this wierd looking gray gum.
I ask him, "what is that?"
He says, "it's the wrapper from my cupcake. I'm trying to get out all the chocolatey goodness."
EW!
And then another mom tells me that when he had a cupcake at her house he chewed up the paper and eventually swallowed it! You'd think I don't feed them or teach them any sort of manners, huh?
Message to a friend . . .
A friend on facebook sent me this message:
"I thought of you the other day when I was thinking about "kids who turned out well." Your mom and dad did such a good job raising you and your sisters to live authentically while following the Lord Jesus.
Any thoughts on how to do that with my own kids? What are you doing the same? Anything different?"
I decided to put my answer to her here because I want to remind myself of my goals when the going gets tough. :)
As far as what my parents did to turn out great kids? lol. Thanks for the complement! You know, so much of it is just by the grace of God. I know they prayed for us and I always knew they loved us and would be proud of us as long as we did our best. They also emphasized being able to take care of ourselves and to be leaders, not followers. One time when I was in the 6th grade I wanted to go see Rocky 4 with some girls from my class at Rockridge theater -- on the bus. Instead of saying, "no," my dad told me I had to figure out how we would get there -- figure out which bus, what times, etc. Then the day before he took me on a "dry run" where he was just a spectator and watched me figure it out for myself. We rode the bus, had to make connections, figure out where to catch the next bus, and how to get back home . . . when I didn't know if I was going the right way he didn't correct me, I had to ask a stranger (just the way it would be when I was with my friends).
When I went to the movies the next day with my friends, none of them had a clue what they were doing, but I did. I marched them all to the right bus stop and knew exactly what number bus we needed to take. I was the leader that day! Now that I have a 10 year old, I can't believe my dad let 12 year old me cruise around Oakland with a bunch of dumb 12 year old girls, but I love him for it. I guess the lesson I take from it is I want to equip and empower my kids for whatever it is that they need/want to do even if it's more work for me.
My goal is to raise them to be independent, self-sufficient, hardworking, loving people. They do a lot of work around the house -- laundry, dishes, vacuuming, cooking, etc. All these fall under our school category of "life skills." My desire is to foster close relationships between them -- brothers as best friends. Homeschooling and military life really helps with that. When they aren't treating each other well, they need more practice spending time together and less time with friends. ;) We talk about "Team Chartier" a lot. We're all working together for a common goal -- the success of our family. We stand on the sidelines and cheer for each other at sporting events (instead of playing with friends on the playground), we work together to pick up the house before dad comes home from work (ideally, lol), when dad gets paid, we all get paid -- they get commission because they do whatever I ask during the week (instead of paying for specific jobs) and that helps our family to succeed so they get a cut of the "profits." lol
For homeschooling curriculum, I use Five in a Row as my core and love it. I've researched TONS of different curriculum, methods, etc and for us, I've decided that less is more. I don't have any desire for my kids to grow up to be the smartest people -- I want them to be sharp, but I don't care if they know Latin or can compete in the National Spelling Bee. I'm most concerned that by the time they graduate they are great readers, can communicate what they have learned by writing well and can teach themselves anything else they want to know/learn.
It sounds funny to say this, but my philosophy of homeschooling has been greatly influenced by the show "Are you Smarter than a 5th grader?" even though I've only seen it once. I realized as I was watching that the entire premise was that 5th graders know all these facts that successful adults like drs and lawyers have forgotten. So why are we wasting our time teaching things that aren't important in the long term? Obviously you don't need to know the types of clouds to be a successful adult. If a successful adult wants to know what the different cloud structures are, he or she can look them up. So I resolved to worry less about what they were learning and more about teaching them how to learn and enjoy the process.
If you want to know more about what I do for homeschooling, feel free to ask. Just be forewarned that we're not big academics. I'm more concerned that they are treating each other well. I also feel like boys need more time to be boys and to play and more concentrated focus on studies will come as they get older and mature. One thing that I love are the Seeds Family Worship CDs: http://www.seedsfamilyworship.net/ (you can also download them from itunes, amazon, CBD, etc)
They are scripture set to music -- but they sound more like something you'd hear on christian radio, not like the stuff they had when we were kids, lol. The boys listen to them and are memorizing scripture without even realizing it. That is the stuff that will stick with them for life.
Ok, I've rambled on long enough. Thanks for letting me share with you!
"I thought of you the other day when I was thinking about "kids who turned out well." Your mom and dad did such a good job raising you and your sisters to live authentically while following the Lord Jesus.
Any thoughts on how to do that with my own kids? What are you doing the same? Anything different?"
I decided to put my answer to her here because I want to remind myself of my goals when the going gets tough. :)
As far as what my parents did to turn out great kids? lol. Thanks for the complement! You know, so much of it is just by the grace of God. I know they prayed for us and I always knew they loved us and would be proud of us as long as we did our best. They also emphasized being able to take care of ourselves and to be leaders, not followers. One time when I was in the 6th grade I wanted to go see Rocky 4 with some girls from my class at Rockridge theater -- on the bus. Instead of saying, "no," my dad told me I had to figure out how we would get there -- figure out which bus, what times, etc. Then the day before he took me on a "dry run" where he was just a spectator and watched me figure it out for myself. We rode the bus, had to make connections, figure out where to catch the next bus, and how to get back home . . . when I didn't know if I was going the right way he didn't correct me, I had to ask a stranger (just the way it would be when I was with my friends).
When I went to the movies the next day with my friends, none of them had a clue what they were doing, but I did. I marched them all to the right bus stop and knew exactly what number bus we needed to take. I was the leader that day! Now that I have a 10 year old, I can't believe my dad let 12 year old me cruise around Oakland with a bunch of dumb 12 year old girls, but I love him for it. I guess the lesson I take from it is I want to equip and empower my kids for whatever it is that they need/want to do even if it's more work for me.
My goal is to raise them to be independent, self-sufficient, hardworking, loving people. They do a lot of work around the house -- laundry, dishes, vacuuming, cooking, etc. All these fall under our school category of "life skills." My desire is to foster close relationships between them -- brothers as best friends. Homeschooling and military life really helps with that. When they aren't treating each other well, they need more practice spending time together and less time with friends. ;) We talk about "Team Chartier" a lot. We're all working together for a common goal -- the success of our family. We stand on the sidelines and cheer for each other at sporting events (instead of playing with friends on the playground), we work together to pick up the house before dad comes home from work (ideally, lol), when dad gets paid, we all get paid -- they get commission because they do whatever I ask during the week (instead of paying for specific jobs) and that helps our family to succeed so they get a cut of the "profits." lol
For homeschooling curriculum, I use Five in a Row as my core and love it. I've researched TONS of different curriculum, methods, etc and for us, I've decided that less is more. I don't have any desire for my kids to grow up to be the smartest people -- I want them to be sharp, but I don't care if they know Latin or can compete in the National Spelling Bee. I'm most concerned that by the time they graduate they are great readers, can communicate what they have learned by writing well and can teach themselves anything else they want to know/learn.
It sounds funny to say this, but my philosophy of homeschooling has been greatly influenced by the show "Are you Smarter than a 5th grader?" even though I've only seen it once. I realized as I was watching that the entire premise was that 5th graders know all these facts that successful adults like drs and lawyers have forgotten. So why are we wasting our time teaching things that aren't important in the long term? Obviously you don't need to know the types of clouds to be a successful adult. If a successful adult wants to know what the different cloud structures are, he or she can look them up. So I resolved to worry less about what they were learning and more about teaching them how to learn and enjoy the process.
If you want to know more about what I do for homeschooling, feel free to ask. Just be forewarned that we're not big academics. I'm more concerned that they are treating each other well. I also feel like boys need more time to be boys and to play and more concentrated focus on studies will come as they get older and mature. One thing that I love are the Seeds Family Worship CDs: http://www.seedsfamilyworship.net/ (you can also download them from itunes, amazon, CBD, etc)
They are scripture set to music -- but they sound more like something you'd hear on christian radio, not like the stuff they had when we were kids, lol. The boys listen to them and are memorizing scripture without even realizing it. That is the stuff that will stick with them for life.
Ok, I've rambled on long enough. Thanks for letting me share with you!
tired of . . .
-Bob whining and crying (yes, he's overtired. I'm overtired too and can't get together the energy to put him to bed, thus the whining continues. He just told me he's having "issues" eating and I need to feed him because he keeps biting his fingers instead of the food. I guess he's REALLY tired, huh? Oh, and over sugared too. Between shakes and birthday cake and candy giftbags and treats from friends, it's been like Halloween around here. Meltdowns included.
-my itchy poison oak. It's blistered all over my knee and keeps spreading even though I haven't scratched it at all.
I guess that's it. I'm bored, but I'm too tired to do anything about it, so I have to stay bored and tired, lol. And there's no good food in the house cause we just got paid and I haven't gone shopping yet. We've been scratching the bottom of the barrel for the past few days -- potatoes in pasta sauce? Check. Roasted cabbage? Check. We're out of milk or I'd have cereal. Blah.
Tomorrow Josh is supposed to take ALL the boys to Spirit West Coast for the day and I'm hoping I feel up to doing something fun by myself. I know I'm beat from cleaning the house almost non-stop the past 2 days, including all the bathrooms, vacuuming the stairs, and moping the entryway -- oh, and putting carpet cleaner down on the floors and spreading it around with a fork, lol. Good times.
BTW, the Candy Spelling book "Stories from Candyland" is horrible. Totally disjointed and the entire point is to talk about random things that have a vague link to Tori so she can express her displeasure with her without looking like that's the entire point of her book. Which it is. I made it through the Intro and the first 4 or 5 chapters (they are all stand-alone vignettes of tediousness), but I think I'm out. I'm also passing on the Bones airplane crash book. I looked it over and looked at Amazon and it was rated WAY lower than the other books, so I'll move on to the next one. That just leaves Sister's Keeper and the With this Ring book, but I'm too tired to read and nothing good is on the box. :P
-my itchy poison oak. It's blistered all over my knee and keeps spreading even though I haven't scratched it at all.
I guess that's it. I'm bored, but I'm too tired to do anything about it, so I have to stay bored and tired, lol. And there's no good food in the house cause we just got paid and I haven't gone shopping yet. We've been scratching the bottom of the barrel for the past few days -- potatoes in pasta sauce? Check. Roasted cabbage? Check. We're out of milk or I'd have cereal. Blah.
Tomorrow Josh is supposed to take ALL the boys to Spirit West Coast for the day and I'm hoping I feel up to doing something fun by myself. I know I'm beat from cleaning the house almost non-stop the past 2 days, including all the bathrooms, vacuuming the stairs, and moping the entryway -- oh, and putting carpet cleaner down on the floors and spreading it around with a fork, lol. Good times.
BTW, the Candy Spelling book "Stories from Candyland" is horrible. Totally disjointed and the entire point is to talk about random things that have a vague link to Tori so she can express her displeasure with her without looking like that's the entire point of her book. Which it is. I made it through the Intro and the first 4 or 5 chapters (they are all stand-alone vignettes of tediousness), but I think I'm out. I'm also passing on the Bones airplane crash book. I looked it over and looked at Amazon and it was rated WAY lower than the other books, so I'll move on to the next one. That just leaves Sister's Keeper and the With this Ring book, but I'm too tired to read and nothing good is on the box. :P
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