Shady Lady: My World Behind Big Shades

Eye in the Sky

2010-08-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

This blimp was released above FOB Shank, in Afghanistan, at the beginning of August. It constantly surveys the area for "bad guys". All incoming has virtually stopped. I can breathe a little easier, just a little, knowing this.

Wardrobe Wednesday

2010-08-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

Princess went through a period where she wanted me to choose her clothes for the day. Things are beginning to shift now that her skin is so much better. She is excited about choosing her clothes again. This of course gives me some interesting ensembles for Wardrobe Wednesday. She's usually pretty good about somewhat matching things, but this time...hmmmm...I'm not sure what she's going for here. It is definitely interesting!!

Head on over to Heathen Family Revival, our Wardrobe Wednesday sponsor, to see what they're up to.

Liquid Gold

2010-08-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit

You guessed it! We call chicken stock liquid gold. It makes the most amazing soups, stews and sauces. I used to buy chicken stock in the store because I thought it was very complicated to make and that I would have to waste a whole chicken to make it. Not true! Believe it or not, it's practically free! If I had known this sooner, I would have saved myself a lot of money.

This amazingly rich stock is made from things you likely throw in the garbage. In my freezer I keep a Ziploc bag filled with onion, celery, carrot and other veggie ends. You know what I mean, right? The stuff you toss when prepping dinner. Yup! Take these and toss them into a Ziploc bag and store them in your freezer.

Every so often I make a whole chicken in the oven. After dinner, I pick all the meat off the bones. I take the bones and put them in a pot, add some of the veggie ends from the freezer, fill the pot with water and a good splash of raw organic apple cider vinegar. Bring it to a simmer and when foam starts to form on top, skim that off. Let it simmer at a very low temperature for about 24 hours. Strain through a colander, cool in the fridge and jar up in some freezable (make sure they say they are freezable) jars.

This highly nutritious liquid will amaze you! Yes, from kitchen scraps you have something useful, healthful and yummy! Give it a try!

Poor Puppy!

2010-07-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough time over the last few days, with three vet visits in three days. We still don't know what happened. On Monday the Puppy Princess had a very swollen face. We took her to the vet where they told us that she likely got stung by a bee. After a shot of an antihistamine, they sent us home.

The next day the swelling in her face was reduced, but her neck was swollen and she displayed other icky symptoms. We took her back to the vet where they gave her another antihistamine shot and sent us home with more antihistamines. That night she wouldn't eat dinner. The next morning she wouldn't eat breakfast. She seemed much worse. Oh...and her ear developed an infection. Back to the vet!

They kept her for observation and blood work. They were able to get her to eat some canned food eventually. The blood work showed nothing. : / They started her on an antibiotic, told us to continue the antihistamine and keep her quiet for the day.

We still don't know what happened for sure. Our best guess is that she was eating some sort of poisonous plant and got stung by a bee. Last night she slept well. This morning she ate and took all her meds. She looks like she is returning to normal!

What a relief!!

Wardrobe Wednesday

2010-07-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

Going for the preppy look? Princess sure can pull it off! This is one of the few outfits that still fits her. Looks like we'll be hitting the summer clearance sales. As it turns out, we'll need summer clothes in October because...

...we're going to Disney World! Again!

Head on over to Heathen Family Revival, our Wardrobe Wednesday sponsor, to see what they're wearing.

It's Not Autumn

2010-07-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

"Mommy, the leaves are changing colors!" The only problem is that it's the middle of July, I told Princess. The leaves should not be changing colors.

Yeah, the grass is changing colors, too. :-/

Yes, you are experiencing my brown thumb in all its glory. These are the times that I have that extra wish that the Lizard King was around. After talking with a friend, I learned that new lawns and trees need a much longer watering time than established ones. The sprinkler times are adjusted and we're keeping our fingers crossed that the grass and trees become green and vibrant again. Wish us luck!

Unschooling Royalty

2010-07-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

Okay...I'm a little nervous to click "Publish Post" on this one. After all, I disappeared for a month and a half and then I drop this bit of information! I mean, I haven't done a very good job of maintaining this blog lately. But really, part of that was this inner bloggy turmoil. Oh well, deep breath, here goes!

You may have noticed that recently I've mentioned unschooling once or twice. Again and again the thought of starting a separate unschooling blog popped into my head. Well, I finally took the leap. What does this mean for My World Behind Big Shades? Well, I'm not exactly sure. At some point, I may switch over to the other blog completely or I may just keep things separate. I supposed we'll have to see how things play out.

I hope you'll join me over at Unschooling Royalty. Although we are royalty, (after all we've got The Lizard King and Princess, so I may as well be Queen Shady Lady, right?) you all know we're not formal. So stop by anytime, no formal invitation necessary!

Royally Yours,
Queen Shady Lady ;)

Home Sweet Home

2010-07-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I sort of fell off the face of the earth, well, the bloggy earth anyway. I just haven't been in much of a bloggy place. I haven't been posting or reading. It's not like there hasn't been anything going on around here. A LOT has happened and I have so much to share and I really want to get back to regular posting. Maybe today can be the start?

Let's catch up! What have I been doing for the last month and a half?

We packed the house over a period of months. My sister was amazingly helpful, coming over weekly to help. She totally rocks! The Lizard King came home on leave on Thursday, June 24th and the whirlwind began. He got to see the house for the first time, which was so exciting! The next day, play structure construction began.

Here is the house, well, some of it anyway.

You will have to wait to see the rest of the house another time. There is still so much more to do! We moved on the 26th of June and spent every day LK was home working on the house. Before we knew it, it was time for him to head back to Afghanistan. That was an adventure as well! LK was on the KLM flight that turned around over the Atlantic. He did make it safely back to Afghanistan...eventually.

Now I need to rewind just a bit. Before LK came home, before we even closed on the house, we hired an attorney. We tried to handle things on our own with Needy Evie, the evil ex-wife. I told you about her here and here. I did all the work and gathered all the information, copied it and mailed it to the attorney. Needy Evie was served. She had until June 29th to respond. On June 28th she called the attorney's office and said that she wanted to come in and sign the papers stating that we were done paying her alimony. We were stunned. Could it really be that simple? After all these years and all the grief she has given us, would she really go down without a fight. We had a hard time believing it, but it was true. She signed!! The attorney overnighted the papers for LK to sign. This week the judge signed the papers, too. It is done. It is over. After 10 long years, Needy Evie is out of our lives for good.

Now I am working on unpacking and making a home for us. The Lizard King will be home on September 18th, Princess' birthday. We have so much to look forward to, but more than anything we are looking forward to being together as a family.

So, what's up with all of you?

LIFE is Good!

2010-06-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

Princess and I spent the weekend (Thursday through Sunday) at the LIFE is Good Unschooling Conference and we had an amazing time! If was fun and fabulous and I can't wait until next year! I told the Lizard King that I really want him to join us next year and even though it is just across the bridge in Vancouver, WA, I want to stay in the hotel next time. It was such an incredible experience and I kept wishing that I didn't have to head all the way home each day. Princess is excited at the idea of staying there next time, too.

The energy was amazing. Having so many unschoolers gathered together was just incredible. I hear there were 600 people there. Wow! I don't even know how to describe how cool it was. We talked about unschooling and celebrated it. We learned more about it and shared what we know. We met new friends and friends from the bloggy world. It was so cool meeting Colleen, The New Unschooler (who isn't so new at it anymore) and Mandy from Second to the Right. I sat in on presentations and circle chats while Princess had a blast in the funshops playing her Nintendo DS, learning about Pokemon, making a variety of crafts, blowing bubbles and so much more.

I also discovered that there are quite a few unschoolers at Village Home. Who knew?! After talking with a few of them, I was inspired to propose a support group activity to the program committee at Village. They are working hard to put together the schedule for next year. If you are a VH unschooling family, look for Unschooling Rocks! Roundtable when the schedule is published...assuming it is approved... ;) fingers crossed!!

And for all you unschoolers out there, I can't encourage you enough to attend LIFE is Good. You will have an amazing time.

A Little Whine?

2010-05-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

I don't even know how to start this post. That's probably why I haven't posted in so long. I am feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Building a new house is really awesome and incredibly challenging when I am the one who has to stay on top of everything. There have been so many mistakes that I caught and at least one that I missed.

The one that I missed will cause LK a lot of work and I'm kicking myself for missing it. Of course he doesn't think it's a big deal, but I feel frustrated about it. He is so darn easy going. Thank goodness electrical work comes easy to him. The electrician who wired our house didn't seem to have much of a plan. A few light switches were placed in the strangest and most inconvenient of places. The Lizard King will be relocating three of them.

The house is so close. It looks like we should be closing on time and moving at the end of June. I've been packing for weeks and there is still a lot to do. We're getting down to the wire so I feel the need to step things up a bit. My sister is coming over tomorrow to help...again.

On top of all the house stuff we are dealing with Needy Evie...you remember her, the evil ex-wife. Well, after 8 long years of alimony it is coming to an end. Did you think she would go down quietly?! Absolutely not!! That's not her style. Now we have to prove that we have paid her everything. In my naive hope that she would be reasonable, I didn't save all the proof and have spent the last month on the phone with the bank (and other sources) gathering all the proof. After a little trip to Kinko's I have copies of everything which I will highlight and send off to our new attorney. Yes, we had to hire an attorney to handle all of this. Fun times.

On top of all this, I'm just missing LK. It's been nearly 13 weeks now and we've got another 3 weeks 3 days to go. Princess is missing her daddy so much. This time being so long has been so much harder on all of us.

Well, I think I've reached the end of my whine. If you made it this far, thanks for listening. I hope to be back again soon!

Lizard King and Unschooling

2010-05-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

A long time ago I made a list of all the qualities that I was looking for in a man. I had been through so many bad relationships. I was going to find the perfect man for me or I had no interest in having a man. I came across that list no too long ago and was reminded that the Lizard King met each and every requirement on my list.

I feel so blessed (yes, I still use that word;) to have such a supportive husband. It seems that no matter what I decide to do, he is always behind me 100%. He is amazing. Always has been.

As I sat reading The Unschooling Handbook two or three years ago, I would randomly share eye opening ideas with LK as I encountered them. It all made so much sense to both of us. The more we read the more we were fascinated and knew that this was our path. When I decided to try doing more schoolwork, a slightly more traditional style of homeschooling...slightly...LK was supportive. And when I realized that it wasn't working for us and dropped the schoolwork, LK was behind me all the way.

There are two reasons he is so supportive of our unschooling choice. 1. He sees that it works and not only that, it works well. 2. LK was a bit radical in his day (as was I), a little rebellious and liked doing things his way. Unschooling is his last little bit of rebellion.

Whatever his reasons, I am grateful to have such an amazing husband...now if I could just have him at home, life would be simply grand.

Bloggers Without Makeup

2010-05-16T22:32:00.000-07:00

I'm following this meme from Kelly over at Heathen Family Revival. This is something that poses a bit of a challenge for me. I grew up wearing makeup. I started at 12 or 13 and wore makeup practically every day of my life up until about a year ago when the influence of my non-makeup friends got me to stop wearing makeup. I was makeup free for a long time, maybe 6 months or more. Then one day we got dressed up for a night out and I put on the makeup and thought that I looked so much better. Now I'm back to wearing makeup again.

The day before I read Kelly's post, Princess and I had a conversation about makeup and I pointed out that a lot of our friends don't wear makeup. Princess suggested that I try not wearing any, too. I skipped it the next day and Prnicess told me that I looked beautiful.

I don't want her to think that she needs to wear makeup. The point of this meme is to show our kids that we are beautiful just as we are. Can I find a way to see myself as beautiful without?

I was going to take a new picture of me without makeup, but I've been wanting to post this and just haven't taken a new picture. I found this one and looking at it, huh, I think I look pretty good.

MIA but I had to share

2010-05-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know, I've been missing for a while. We are dealing with ~~the psycho~~ ~~the evil one~~ ~~Needy Evie~~ some personal issues and I just haven't been in a very bloggy place. Still, I had to stop in here and share the latest in Princess news. Most of you know that we are unschoolers (after taking a short detour last year). This time around I have truly embraced this life and I love when little things happen to remind me how beautifully this all works.
At Village Home, our amazing homeschool resource center, they are doing the Great American Spell Check fundraiser. When they first announced it, I asked Princess if she wanted to participate. She told me she would think about it. Yesterday the email reminder of the deadline arrived in my inbox. I asked Princess if she had made a decision and told her that she needed to make a decision now because the Spell Check event is next week. She decided that she wanted to give it a try!

I printed out the word list and read her each word so that she could write them on a piece of paper. We have never done a spelling lesson or anything like this before. Princess got 33 out of 50 words correct, including the words more, floor, coat and steep. We have 17 words that we will work on when she decides she wants to. We talked about what she missed and I think she will likely spell more words correctly on Tuesday. I just think it is so cool that she is doing this and that her spelling is so good!

I know I've said it before, but I just have to say it again...unschooling rocks!

Happy Un-Birthday Princess

2010-04-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

We were invited to a birthday party. I asked Princess if she wanted me to make a gluten free cake to bring with us. She's not much of a cake eater so I wasn't surprised when she said no. That was all fine and good until the cake came out. I messed up big time. I should have just made the cake...but I didn't and Princess cried and she cried.

I told her that we would make a cake when we got home. We baked it and frosted it and I was ready to cut it and eat it, but Princess had other plans. How can you make a cake and not decorate it?!

And of course if there's a candle it has to be lit. I sang a beautiful Happy Un-Birthday to Princess and she was ecstatic. You're probably wondering how she liked the cake. Uhm...yeah...she didn't. I'm still baking a cake for the next party we attend.

My Sister, My Friend

2010-04-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

We have had lots of ups and lots of downs, but when it comes down to it my sister is always there for me. She is coming over every week to help me pack the house. Last week she even came over and packed while I had an evening out with friends. She does so much for me and I don't think she knows how much I appreciate her. I wish that I could do more for her.

She has asked me to be maid of honor in her wedding next March. We went dress shopping for my dress and to get some ideas for Princess' flower girl dress. I hope that I can do as good a job as she did when she was my maid of honor. She was amazing!

Helping My Child Heal

2010-04-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember an earlier post My Child's Pain from the end of last year. We tried so many things and nothing worked...until we tried something called NAET. There are many who think this is a scam, but the woman providing the treatment is a member of our Village Home community and I decided to trust her. She was certain she could help Princess to heal. Within weeks, Princess' skin began to improve. Within two months her skin was almost completely healed. She continues to have some minor skin issues and we haven't been able to eliminate the itching, but the difference is incredible.

The NAET practitioner also suspected that Princess had Celiac Disease. We had her tested and confirmed that this was true. Princess has been off gluten for a couple of months now. This may have helped further her improvement, but I do want to say that the gluten avoidance started after we witnessed improvement from the NAET. I am sold on NAET with our practitioner, Shelley Lowrie. Are you local? Contact her here! We are still working with Shelley to completely eliminate all of Princess' skin issues. I love when I find an alternative that really works!!

Wardrobe Wednesday

2010-04-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

Back in September I showed you the rain boots that Princess and I were getting. I've worn mine on rainy days or to muddy locations. Princess, however, has worn her boots EVERYWHERE she goes. No matter what she wears, no matter what she does, you will find her in those boots.

Boxes

2010-04-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

What do you do with a pile of boxes? Why you play of course! After all they are not just boxes...they can be a bounce house and a slide and a fort and anything you can imagine...

...even a stage.

It's a Jungle Out There

2010-04-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

But it's no match for me! I took down a zebra and a lion. Check me out. I rock.
Happy Friday and have a beautiful weekend!!

Wardrobe Wednesday

2010-04-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

It appears that this little pink princess ensemble is traditional knight-wear. Princess convinced me to let her wear this same outfit two days in a row because she needed it for the knight game she is creating. On day three I regretfully informed her that after living in this outfit day and night (yes she slept in it, too) she would have to wait for it to be washed to wear it again. Somehow she has survived.

Head on over to Heathen Family Revival to see what they're NOT wearing today.

On the Sweeter Side

2010-04-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

Back in January, I posted the way I make real salad dressing. I told you that you can change up the spices and herbs for a variety of tastes. The other day I wanted something a bit sweeter. I took the base of olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and sour cream and added dijon mustard and honey. I tossed the dressing with lettuce, pumpkin seeds, raisins and feta. OMG it was yummy!!

Give it a try!

Finding Myself

2010-04-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

Since this post I have been working very hard on being the mom I used to be and I am thrilled to share that things are improving. I am speaking kindly to Princess and we are playing together more. We are laughing more and having fun. I have to work hard to stay on this path. I am still not perfect, but I am not striving for perfection. I asked Princess how I was doing and she told me that I "get all check marks", that it's all good now. It still isn't easy and I must remember to fill my cup so that I can continue to be the best mom I can be. Thank you all for your support and encouragement.

Wardrobe Wednesday

2010-04-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love a man in a toolbelt?

I do. :)

Head on over to Heathen Family Revival to see what they're wearing.

Jump Rope

2010-04-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

Three years ago, Princess wanted to buy this jump rope.

I didn't hesitate, but I did wonder how things would go. Princess was perfectly happy to flip the rope over her head, let in land in front of her, and jump over it. She was jumping rope and she was ecstatic. Then the rope made its way into a drawer and there it sat for quite some time...until recently.

Princess is a determined little girl.

I love the determination. So is this unschooling phys. ed.? ;)

House Cleaning

2010-04-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

I hate to clean. Whenever I am able to afford it, I hire a housekeeper to clean bi-weekly. Before I met the Lizard King and I was younger and single, I had a housekeeper. Whenever we have been able to afford it, I have hired a housekeeper. The thing about housekeepers, at least the ones I've hired, is that in time the quality diminishes. I become disappointed and disillusioned.

When we had our house in Georgia six years ago, I cleaned it myself. Somehow it wasn't so bad. I started thinking about why and realized that I had some good tools. It's all in the tools, especially when you don't use chemicals.

Since the build started I have been searching the internet looking for natural cleaning products that I can make myself. I started with stainless steel cleaner and polish because we're getting stainless steel appliances. I was amazed at how well a combination of Dr. Bronner's liquid soap and baking soda mixed to an icing consistency cleans stainless steel! And guess what I used to polish...olive oil! We have a stainless steel dishwasher in our rental and it looks amazing!

In my own nerdy way, I have begun to collect cleaning tool ideas on my Amazon wishlist. I've got myself a collection of lambswool dusters at a variety of lengths, a heavy duty steam cleaner, a ceiling fan duster, a microfiber blind cleaner, a handheld vacuum, and the thing I am most excited about...a new vacuum cleaner. Isn't it purty?! I'm actually getting excited about cleaning. Freaky!!

It's that time again!

2010-04-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is April which means...it's time for my annual joke. You know the one, don't you? It's a guaranteed eye roll from the Lizard King. If you don't remember it, don't worry. I'm here to tell it today and you can be sure to catch it again next year. Okay...here goes!

If April showers

bring May flowers

What do May flowers bring?

Do you remember the punchline?

Have you figured it out yet?

I learned this joke in first grade and I tell it every April.

Yes, LK rolls his eyes every time I tell it.

PILGRIMS!!!

The Mayflower

Of course in first grade, I didn't get the joke.

See you all next year!!

Wardrobe Wednesday

2010-03-31T08:06:00.000-07:00

At holiday time the Lizard King decided to do a little something for his people at work. Wouldn't hoodies make a nice gift? I contacted a local company and had the sweatshirts made up in your basic gray. Of course Princess and I had to have our own...and of course they had to be...PINK!

Art Museum...finally!

2010-03-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

Yes! We made it to the art museum and what a fun time it was. No cameras allowed, so we have very few photos. After the scavenger hunt, we played an eye spy game. I had to close my eyes while Princess described, in detail, a piece in the room. Then I opened my eyes and tried to find the piece. Princess loved this game and we went from room to room, playing it again and again.

We really had a fun time and I have to say that we are so lucky to be able to do field trips our own way. There was a school field trip going on while we were there. I kept looking over at those kids, watching their expressions and their body language and feeling sorry for them. We were having so much fun examining each piece, looking for the items on our list. These kids were ~~ignoring~~ listening to lectures about various works. I'm not positive, but I think that Princess may have gotten more out of our little field trip.

When we got hungry, we left the museum and crossed the street to the park where we sat on a bench and enjoyed the beautiful and warm Spring day while having a snack.

I've compiled another list of art work to find the next time we visit the Portland Art Museum.

Random Spelling

2010-03-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

Recently, Princess started spelling. When I ask her a question, she responds by spelling the answer. At times she'll ask me to give her words to spell, starting easy and getting progressively harder. I'm not sure what prompted this, but she's having a ball with it. There are times that she is uncertain about a word, but with a little help she finds her way through. Some of the words she figures out surprise me. Perhaps she's caught the bug from her momma. I'm such a spelling and grammar ~~nerd~~ goddess*.

I truly believe in this unschooling path we're on, but it rocks to be reminded how beautifully it works.

*I am not responsible for any typos.

Spring Prose

2010-03-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

When I was very young, the beauty of Spring inspired me to put pen to paper or voice to tape recorder. I forgot about this poem, but an old friend never has. In fact, he introduced this gem to him wife and they often reflect on the brilliance of it by quoting it at least once a year in the Springtime. We have found each other on Facebook. I love Facebook for finding old friends. This year, my friends' wife posted the poem on my Facebook wall. I will give you all the great pleasure of experiencing the beauty. The poem is of course entitled, Spring.

I love spring!

Spring is everything.

Flowers grow.

You use a hoe....

I love spring!

Those are very wise words we should all remember. Don't you think?

Mario Time!

2010-03-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

I know I'm the mom...but I thought this rendering totally rocked!

Wardrobe Wednesday - New Baby Edition!!

2010-03-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

Does this count as a Wardrobe Wednesday? I think so! After all it is a wardrobe accessory for a baby, right? This is the blanket that I knitted for our grandbaby. It is a nice neutral green because they decided not to peek at the 20 week ultrasound. From this point forward Princess and I can spew all the pink we can find all over this baby because...IT'S A GIRL!! (I think she looks like her daddy.)

Head on over to Heathen Family Revival and see where it all started...Wardrobe Wednesday, that is.

Hoarding

2010-03-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Rachel at Reservation for Six I decided to share a little bit about my little hoarder. Although she hasn't reached the stellar heights of Rachel's daughter, she's also a bit younger so I'll give her some time.

The most recent attempted aquisition was a piece of velcro. The upper tab of velcro on her coat kept grabbing her hair, so I cut it off. Emotions ran high when I asked her to throw it in the garbage. She was devastated because...wait for it...it was pink. gasp!

She likes to save the boxes that her toys come in because she likes the pictures on the box. We have a special place in the garage where we keep such treasures. I call it the staging area. After enough time has passed these objects move from the staging area to the recycle bin.

We are moving to a new house and we've purchased a super cool new play structure. Princess still wants to keep her crappy swingset that we plan to sell for the bargain price of $25. We'd actually give it away for free, but I don't want to deal with the no shows that result from free listings on Craigslist. Oh, but wait. We'll be putting the swingset into the ~~imaginary~~ storage unit where we will keep everything that we won't be taking to the new house. I just hope she never asks to see the storage unit. I'll be in big trouble.

Indiana Jones

2010-03-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

Indy and Marion have joined the ranks of Luke and Leia in our house. The acting is just as bad, but the content has inspired some conversation and some pretty deep conversation at that.

We have talked about alcohol, the effects and dangers if consumed in large quantities. We have talked about Nazis and World War II. We have talked about geography. We have learned that asp is another word for snake. All these things are questions that Princess asked. We have only talked briefly about these things, but it was an introduction to the topics which we can explore in more depth when Princess expresses that interest. For now, I think that at age 6, an introduction will suffice.

The Build

2010-03-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

When we were in Mexico, the Lizard King came up with a brilliant idea. He asked Princess if she would draw him a picture each time we went to the new house. She thought that was a great idea, so we headed out to the store to find a sketch pad. Each time we venture out to the house, we set her chair up on the hill above the house. It is a perfect vantage point.
We are attempting to get out to see the progress three times a week. I am also taking lots of photos so that LK can keep up on things. He can also inspect the work...virtually. After our second visit, he informed me that the rebar (I have not idea if I even spelled that right) looked good. Whew! I was worried about that.

Look! We have walls! Well, a couple of walls...

EDIT!!!
We were last at the house on Wednesday. This evening, we went out to see the progress and were stunned to see this.

Getting Real

2010-03-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

It's time to step up and get honest. I am not a horrible mother, but I have been behaving horribly for far too long. The Lizard King has been away for almost 9 months and it has been hard...much harder than I imagined it to be. I feel silly complaining. I mean, after all, he is the one who is in Afghanistan. Princess is without her Daddy and she's only six. Still, this is hard for me. And rather than make things easier for Princess I am making it harder.

I am absolutely convinced, especially after our time in Mexico, that Princess' eczema is emotionally triggered. The thing that I didn't realize was that it isn't only the absence of LK that is causing her stress. It is the absence of her mother...me. Yes, I am here, but I am not the mother I always was. I am not a patient person, I never have been,but with Princess I always had heaps of patience. I believe that children have value and deserve to be treated with respect. For entirely too long, I have not been living that.

For far too long I have been speaking to Princess like she is a worthless piece of garbage. I have created this sad, empty little girl. I am destroying her spirit and her soul. And I'm not sure how to stop. It is not only me who sees this. Freckle called me on it the other day. I need to figure out how to stop this. I need to figure out how to build my sweet little girl back up.

There are many things that I have to change. First I need to cut back on the amount of time I spend online because it feels like she is bothering me and disturbing me whenever she tries to interact with me. I chose to have this child. I chose to homeschool. I need to be there for her. It is about her, it is not about how much time I can spend online and believe me, it is a lot. My laptop is always open. I am always searching for something.

I need to spend more focused time on Princess...things like the art museum that will happen next week, but also during our time at home. I need to find my patience again. I'm not sure how to do that. Freckle has offered to help. I am grateful for her honesty. I know I can do this. I know I can find my way back to me. Yes, having LK gone is hard but I need to build my daughter up in the process, not tear her down.

I know that this bloggy community is so supportive, but telling me that it isn't that bad just isn't true. It is that bad. I even asked Princess about it and she told me that it is half and half. Half is good and half is bad. It killed me to hear that, even though I know it to be true. I am not striving for perfection. I just want to be the mom that I used to be.

Wardrobe Wednesday

2010-03-17T16:14:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love this jacket. A friend bought this for Princess when she was about a year old. Needless to say, we had to put it away for a while. It finally fits and Princess will finally wear it because she gets that it's more about fashion ~~than me trying to get her to wear a jacket~~. She so has the attitude down, doesn't she?!

Head on over to Heathen Family Revival to see what they're wearing today!

Art Museum...not

2010-03-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

I bet you are expecting to read all about our fabulous day at the art museum, right? Well that is not going to happen today. I am sick. Curl up in a ball and sleep all day sick. Waves of nausea washing over again and again sick. It was awful.

Princess was amazing. She wanted to know how she could help me. My sweet 6 year old wanted to take care of me. I told her that the best thing she could do for me was to watch TV, play the Wii, play her computer and her DS...and let me sleep. She was awesome!

The nausea seems to have passed and I am left with achiness and I'm still tired. My sister and her fiance' are downstairs playing with Princess and making her dinner. There is one blood relative who I can count on. Through our differences, we have always been there for each other...and I am grateful.

Arty Scavenger Hunt

2010-03-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

Princess and I are going to the Portland Art Museum tomorrow. This is Princess' first ever visit to an art museum and she is very excited. In order to create even more interest, I have designed a scavenger hunt.Within the parentheses are the names of the permanent collection sections/displays. I think this will make the visit even more fun!! Princess really likes the idea of the scavenger hunt.

Painting with flowers of pink, blue, red and white (European)
Man with a mustache (European)
Woman with a black hat (American)
The Man with the Green Eye (American)
Naked Man (Contemporary)
Clock (Contemporary)
Stripes (Contemporary)
Mask (Native American)
Necklace (Native American)
Something Pink (Northwest)
Mount Hood (Northwest)
Rocket (Photography)
Someone wearing a colorful sunflower (Prints & Drawings)
Woman with a bun wearing a red jacket (Prints & Drawings)
Man with curly hair (Prints & Drawings)
Silver cup (Silver)
Silver tea set (Silver)
Silver pitcher (Silver)

There is also an Eye Spy game we will try if we have time. I will close my eyes and Princess will describe one piece in detail. After she is done, I have to open my eyes and find the piece she described.

I think this promises to be a fun day for both of us!

Climbing the walls...

2010-03-12T18:49:00.000-08:00

with a little help from a friend.

This friend is the person Princess calls sister. I don't know where she got the idea, but she believes it with every part of her being. Princess has known her "sister" since she was 8 or 9 months old. The bond and relationship they have is amazing. I guess family doesn't necessarily require blood ties.

Hoot! Hoot!

2010-03-11T18:38:00.000-08:00

Lisa at 5 Orange Potatoes makes THE cutest little critters I have ever seen. She is a homeschool Momma with her own Etsy shop where she sells these cuties. I have been following her blog for some time now and what an awesome blog it is!! I have gotten so many ideas and learned so much from her. A while back she had a giveaway and Princess and I won!!

Check out our Hootenanny! Isn't she so cute?! She came in a fabric bag with a tag listing everything about her. Her favorite colors are pink & purple. She loves Star Wars, wants a set of drums to play music for her Hootenanny family, and loves to be a Princess. Go figure!! She is the perfect Hootenanny for our Princess! ;) Head on over to Lisa's blog and check out her Etsy shop, too! Thanks so much Lisa! Princess LOVES her little Hootenanny and has incorporated it into her imaginitive play.

Wardrobe Wednesday

2010-03-10T20:52:00.000-08:00

Princess, the fashion diva, modeling the latest in tourist wear.

Head on over to Heathen Family Revival to see their latest fashions.

Mexico

2010-03-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

I shot so many photographs and it is so very hard for me to choose which ones to post. I wanted to share a glimpse of all the things we did. The shots I didn't take were the best times, when we were just hanging out in the condo, being together.

The weather was perfect. Mid-seventies and low humidity. It was amazing!

We did get out and do some sightseeing.

The Aquarium at La Isla

We finally made it out to Chichen Itza. It's about a two hour drive and we went through downtown Cancun. This is outside of the tourist zone. This is only a little of what we saw. Driving down the highway, we saw people who had structures (I couldn't get photos of these) they lived in built a few yards from the highway. It was rather shocking to see. Here are a few shots of downtown Cancun.

Then there is Chichen Itza. It was amazing!!!

Old time tic-tac-toe?

This is the only structure where climbing is permitted. The steps are extremely narrow, but the perfect size for Princess' feet.

The beach! We couldn't go in the water because it hurts Princess' skin (eczema), but we had fun!!

We ate out one night. Bubba Gump...run Forrest, run!

Can you believe I even got some Shady Lady shots?!

Lizard King & Shady Lady Flashback

2010-03-07T18:16:00.000-08:00

Princess and I are home. I've been unpacking, doing laundry, getting the house in order and all the things we do when we get home from vacation. We are, of course, missing the Lizard King. I have a ton of photos from Mexico to sort through and choose which ones to post here. I hope to do that soon.

For now, I wanted to share this old photo I came across. This is our engagement photo. Yes, this is the Lizard King and Shady Lady almost a decade ago, back when LK had red hair and I looked a hell of a lot younger...sigh.

We're here!

2010-02-23T19:56:00.000-08:00

Princess and I arrived in Cancun yesterday afternoon. We were exhausted after waking up at 4:30am to catch the 5:30 shuttle to the airport. It was, of course, amazing to see the Lizard King again. I love how we fall right back into "us" again.

The view from the condo. Isn't it beautiful?!

We went shopping for supplies today. Besides food for the next couple of weeks, I wanted to buy some baking soda for doing laundry. After finding the Spanish words for baking soda in the dictionary, slaughtering the pronunciation and finally showing the store employee the dictionary, she led me to the location. I'm guessing they don't use baking soda the way I do. It's my all purpose cleaner, my laundry booster, I use it to exfoliate, and so many other uses. I buy the giant Costco bag. Costco Cancun didn't have it. I bought enough for maybe 2 loads of laundry.

LK cooked dinner tonight. Shrimp & Chorizo with peppers, onions and cilantro with sour cream (which was different than US sour cream), salsa & steamed corn tortillas on the side. It was so good!! Yes Freckle, white cabinets like yours, but these ones are shiny white! Ooh! I know you're jealous. ;)

We finished the day with a rousing game of "Guess What I Am!", one of our favorites.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring...

Random Thoughts

2010-02-20T22:45:00.000-08:00

We leave for Mexico in TWO DAYS!!! Laundry is done and we are almost totally packed. I can't believe that we're going on vacation again. This is so unlike us. Jamaica in September, Disney World in December and now Cancun. It's crazy! This is the last vacation for a while. I foresee the next vacation being a staycation.

We can't wait to see the Lizard King. It still overwhelms me sometimes how much I love him. Being apart for so long is the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

I wandered away from unschooling for a while. It was immensely helpful in showing me that unschooling is the right path for us. With my whole heart and soul, I truly believe in unschooling. It is an amazing thing. I am grateful to my friends in real life and my bloggy friends who have helped me to find my way back to unschooling.

I want to know why some family relationships are so difficult. (I'm not talking about LK or Princess.) I also want to know why I trust relationships too soon and divulge my safe place, rendering it not so safe anymore. Then I wonder if I just shouldn't care and then deal with the repercussions.

I just discovered "Heroes", the TV series from back in 2006, on Netflix on Demand and am totally addicted.

We break ground on our new house the Monday after we return from Mexico. Princess wants to be an architect when she grows up. She and I will be setting up chairs to watch the process and progress.

I recently discovered that I am an introverted extrovert. Now I have to figure out how to find my balance. It is something that I have been struggling with lately.
When we were in Florida, I thought I would blog everyday but we were exhausted. I plan to blog from Mexico, but we'll see what happens. I don't know that I'll be reading everyone's blog everyday. I know you all will understand my absence. Right?

EA Active, Princess Pajama Edition

2010-02-18T13:28:00.000-08:00

Princess has started the EA Active workout. She loves it! I hope that my working out will be an inspiration to her. My real hope is that she will develop a love of working out/fitness, something I never have. Look at her, she's so intense!

Wardrobe Wednesday - Time to Accessorize

2010-02-17T08:25:00.000-08:00

This is Princess' second watch, the first watch was digital and this one is way cuter. It may not be pink, but it does have Princesses on it.

Princess is such a ham! I wanted to point out her necklace in this photo. It's an amber necklace, used to help teething pain. No, you don't chew on it! The oils from the amber release into your skin and provide healing benefits. Princess is getting her 6 year molars AND has her first loose tooth!

And how can a Princess go to Cancun without a proper pedicure?! It just isn't done.

Now that Princess is properly accessorized, let's get going! Head on over to Heathen Family Revival to check out what their cool kid is wearing. They've always got some entertaining things happening over there.

The Wagon and The Killer Bra

2010-02-16T13:37:00.000-08:00

Yup. I fell off the EA Workout wagon. Princess got sick, then I got sick and it got really easy to not work out. In the past this would lead to years of not working out. Enter Freckle, my very dear friend, who kicked my butt (literally) and got me back to working out.

Since it had been about three weeks since I worked out, I scrapped my 30 day challenge and started over. This time I decided to kick it up a notch and moved up from easy to medium. Medium, for me, is tough. My butt hurts. My calves hurt. It's awesome.

Enter the killer bra. There is some running involved in the 30 day challenge workouts. During my last workout the underwire in my bra started stabbing me right between my boobs. I swear, it was going for my heart.While running, I tried shoving my t-shirt under my bra. It kept coming out. I shoved it back in, but it just wouldn't stay. The wire kept stabbing me over and over. In the shower I discovered that the freaking thing actually drew blood! I'm not sure, but I think a sports bra may be in order.

Princess Lessons

2010-02-14T21:10:00.000-08:00

We went to Staples, my all time favorite store, to buy some packing tape and big fat markers. I can't just walk out of Staples without wandering around. You see, I have this office supply addiction. I can't help myself. So we're wandering around and we found a box of chalk...a simple 99 cent box of chalk. Who knew this would lead to so much fun?!

Princess decided she wanted to play school. She was the teacher and I was the student. (I have no idea where she gets this stuff!) She gave me math problems. I got them all right!! Then she taught me about patterns.

I learned the order of things.

Then we played an architect game. Princess drew things step by step and I was to copy her. She wants to be an architect when she grows up. She drew a house first, then this tall building.

I copied her house, but at some point I turned my paper and my roof ended up on the side of the house. I had no idea I did this until Princess asked me why I put the roof there.

I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants.

OMSI

2010-02-11T22:22:00.000-08:00

The Freckle and Shady family at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

We played and explored.

We watched an informative, but scary dinosaur movie.

(Please excuse the crappy photos. I forgot my camera...again. Thank goodness for cell phones!)

Barbie & Tchaikovsky

2010-02-07T22:42:00.000-08:00

Bet you never thought you'd hear those two names in the same sentence. ; )

Did you know that Barbie could inspire a love of classical music? Princess has just about every Barbie movie ever made. One of her favorites (okay, it's Barbie, they're all her favorites) is Barbie in the Nutcracker. Through this movie, Princess has developed a love for Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker music. At the last Scholastic warehouse sale, Princess and I found Nutcracker: The Music Game for the bargain price of $5.

Princess is having a blast working her way through the game, while enjoying the beautiful Nutcracker music. Me? I have to say that I'm having fun with it, too. My favorite part of the game is figuring out which instruments are used in each piece. The box says it's for ages 4-104. The 6 year old and the 45 year old both love it!

Percussion

2010-02-02T21:27:00.000-08:00

Princess wants a real drum kit. For some reason the pots, pans and other miscellaneous items just aren't cutting it anymore.

Afghanistan in Pictures

2010-02-01T21:40:00.000-08:00

Some bloggy friends asked for more photos from Afghanistan. These are in no particular order.

LK having a baaad day...by the way, everything there is made out of plywood. Nice desk, huh?

Some Bosnian guys who work for LK

Locals working

mail helo

Transport via helicopter for contractors is the only and safest way.

Walls around the FOB are thick.

Building a snowman

Offices...yes everything is plywood and tents.

Full Circle

2010-01-31T21:34:00.000-08:00

In the beginnng, when I started this blog, we embraced the (slightly radical) unschooling life. It was working well for us. Princess learned to read without being taught how to read. She is an amazing reader. She learned so much and she loved it.

Then one day I decided to change things. We still kept it pretty relaxed and it worked. For a while. Until it didn't.

I began to feel stressed and I dumped that all over Princess. I have been struggling with this for the last couple of months. The more I pushed, the more Princess pulled away, spending more and more time playing Wii or computer games or Nintento DS or watching TV or DVDs. We've never set limits on these things and Princess has always found balance. But the more I pushed, the less balance there was.

A couple weeks ago I emailed Colleen at The New Unschooler because well, she's not so new at it anymore. Her words were so helpful, but the simple act of emailing all that I had been feeling caused a major shift in me and in Princess. We are now coming back around, full circle if you will, to (slightly radical) unschooling. It works for us. Princess and I are both so much happier. This may not be the path for everyone, but for us it seems to work quite well.

The dog has gone and lost her mind

2010-01-30T23:48:00.000-08:00

This is Sophia Rose. Yes, she gets a little excited when people come to visit, but all in all she's a good girl. Yesterday, however, she went a little insane.

While Princess and I were upstairs getting ready for the day, Sophia Rose was downstairs shredding an empty carton of heavy cream. This adventure was followed by shredding a used (EWWWW!!!) tissue. As if that wasn't enough, when Princess and I went out to run some errands, Sophia Rose dug through my basket of stuff, that I take with me almost everywhere, to find a Clif Bar with chocolate in it. She ate the whole thing. Chocolate is poison for dogs. After calling the vet, my dog guru friend and researching on the internet, I determined that the level of chocolate was low enough not to worry.

Did you think she was done? Oh no, no, no! Once the chocolate panic/drama was over and I was finally relaxing, I turned around to find the dog standing on the dining room table!!! What the heck?!?! Can we get back to our regularly scheduled dog now? Please?

Do you see it, too?

2010-01-29T20:12:00.000-08:00

This is on a children's toy in the Village Home nursery. Freckle and I got hysterical when we noticed it. Are we completely childish? Well, maybe just a little.

Crossword Creativity

2010-01-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

Princess loves crossword puzzles. I've found picture crosswords online that are fun, but sometimes I can't find ones with pictures and the word clues they use simply aren't helpful for my 6 year old.

I found the perfect solution at TheTeachersCorner.net! Once I made a crossword for Princess, she insisted on making one for me.

Wardrobe Wednesday in Afghanistan

2010-01-27T20:33:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what to wear for that unexpected Afghanistan snow storm? Something tells me the dude in the shorts was completely unprepared.

Head on over to Heathen Family Revival to see what they're wearing this week.

Doorknobs

2010-01-24T21:20:00.000-08:00

The Lizard King and I had our annual argument. At the first construction meeting for our new house one of the choices I had to make was which doorknob style we wanted. I chose lever style.

Here were the metal choices. (excuse the cell phone quality photos)

This is the metal I chose.

I love the way the dark metal plays against the white background.

I'm not sure how it happened, but one thing led to another and before we knew it we were arguing...via email. It ended quickly when I asked if this was, in fact, our annual argument.

What was your last argument about?

P.S. Thank you, Freckle. You know why. ;)

Wardrobe Wednesday - Sick Day

2010-01-20T10:46:00.000-08:00

We have made it through the whole cold and flu season...up until today. Princess doesn't feel well at all. She even wanted to stay home from Village Home classes. That is unheard of! Poor baby. :( We'll stay in cozy jammies and take it easy.

Head on over to the Heathen Family Revival to check out what their little princess is sporting today.

Challenge: 20,000 people donate $10

2010-01-16T17:08:00.000-08:00

Remember when I told you all about my friend Danny and his non-profit that he started? Well he has got a challenge for you!

Click here to visit the website.

Click here to visit the challenge blog post.

Find Each One For Us All on Facebook.

I donated $10 to this cause, but I wanted to do a little more by spreading the word. Imagine if everyone donated $10!

45 @5:02pm EST and Wardrobe Wednesday

2010-01-13T09:10:00.000-08:00

Not just older, better. At least according to the beautiful email from the Lizard King. He rocks my world.

For Wardrobe Wednesday details, click the badge on the right to head on over to Heathen Family Revival and get the low down.

This week for your viewing pleasure, I present Princess in the first sweater I've ever knitted to completion.

It should fit her for quite a while! Of course it's pink! What do you expect?!

Going Home

2010-01-12T17:45:00.000-08:00

A while back I was ~~bitching~~ ~~whining~~ blogging about wanting to go home again, to stop moving from rental to rental, to own our very own home...a place for Princess to grow up, a place to make memories, a place to live for ever and ever and never stop.

Well guess what?! =)

Yup! It's pick your own stuff new. They break ground in March.

Mexico Exploration

2010-01-10T18:59:00.000-08:00

The Shady family is going to Mexico!! We meet the Lizard King there in 43 days. LK's best friend has a condo in Cancun and we are using frequent flyer miles for Princess' and my flights. The only cost with this trip is food and some spending money. Who knew a trip to Mexico could be so affordable?!

In preparation for our trip, we are learning about Mexico through DVDs, books, crafts and a lapbook. Fun!!

Look what I found:

Lapbook Links
Hill of Fire book with a related lapbook
This great site and this site
and a Magic School Bus site with more volcano information (relating to Hill of Fire)

and this treasure trove from the library, with more on the way!

We'll be spending two whole weeks in Mexico in order to keep LK out of the country. Spending less than 35 days in the states allows us a big tax savings.

LK's next leave will be at home here in Oregon. Stay tuned...soon I will share what we will be doing in June when he comes home. And we're hoping for a visit from Tatt-man (LK's son), his wife & the new grandbaby in July once LK is home on leave and we're settled in!

The Knitting Pirates

2010-01-09T21:17:00.000-08:00

My two best friends, HerbiFaery and Freckle.

Is this not the coolest t-shirt ever?! We are ~~such dorks~~ so cool!

Wardrobe Wednesday

2010-01-06T11:37:00.000-08:00

Poor puppy! It seems Sophia Rose has developed an infection. She is on an antibiotic, which she loves because she gets to have peanut butter.We're also applying ointment to the area (which she hates with the fire of a thousand suns), thus the lovely fashion accessory, to keep her from removing the ointment. She looks so sad, doesn't she? I can hardly get her to go outside. Seriously! I think she's embarassed.

Head on over to Heathen Family Revival to check out their fashion statement.

Real Salad Dressing!

2010-01-05T19:55:00.000-08:00

I stopped buying salad dressing 2 years ago when I changed the way I eat. I have yet to find a bottled dressing that contains ingredients I am willing to consume myself, let alone feed my family. We've been sticking to oil and vinegar, using a variety of vinegars, but still...it gets kind of old.

On Christmas eve, Freckle invited Princess and me for dinner and festivities. I stood by and watched very carefully as she made dressing for the salad. Wow! That's it? That's easy enough. Of course, I made some of my own adjustments, but MAN! is it good.

I don't think it's a secret, but I'd better not share unless she comments and says that it is okay. Of course, my recipe isn't exactly the same as hers, but the base is the same. So Freckle...is it okay to share? If it is, I'll post in the comments so be sure to comment and subscribe.

Oh...a quick update on the workouts. Today is the 5th and I have officially worked out for 5 days! The EA Sports Active 30 day challenge works you for 2 days and then you get a day of rest. Well, my day of rest is walking on the treadmill while watching Netflix Instant on TiVo. Thanks to Sherry over at Living and Learning and Secret Mom Thoughts and another show suggestion from Lisa over at 5 Orange Potatoes. Thanks, ladies!

Healthy eating and living to you all!

Kwanzaa

2010-01-02T22:12:00.000-08:00

This year at Village Home we learned a little bit about Kwanzaa. Princess was intrigued. She wanted to learn more and to celebrate the holiday.

On the internet I found a lot of fun activities here and here and a lapbook here. I copied and pasted the pages from this

http://www.primarygames.com/storybooks/kwanzaa/start.htm

to make a mini book.

We made a paper kinara and "lit" the appropriate candle for each of the seven nights of Kwanzaa.

We did worksheets that Princess loves to do.

We learned about Dr. Karenga, the founder of Kwanzaa.

Unscrambled some Kwanzaa words

(Why is Blogger doing this? Does anyone know?)

Our mkeka (straw mat) for placing the symbols of Kwanzaa.

Our unity cup

We learned the meaning of Kwanzaa colors and talked a little about slavery.

And read this book.

Princess loved learning more about Kwanzaa and our (very basic) celebration.

Get up off your a%#!

2010-01-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

Who knew that eating crap all day, every day could do this?! Oh...wait...I did. I don't like New Year's resolutions, but yesterday I got on the scale ~~for some bizarre reason~~. I knew I had gained some weight because my clothes weren't fitting quite right. How did this happen?!

It seems my food intake ~~went to hell~~ hasn't quite been pristine since the Lizard King left the country. Okay, fine. I need to get back to my healthy Weston A Price/Nourishing Traditions way of eating. Done. Maybe it's even time to pull out my copy of Eat Fat, Lose Fat. Done.

Now to figure out how to incorporate a workout into my daily life. You see, I have this love/hate relationship with exercise. First off, I hate to wear shoes. Putting on big, clunky sneakers is a big deterrent to my working out. Going to a gym is out. That takes even more motivation than putting on sneakers. So not going to happen!

So that leaves a home workout. Perfect! I've got lots of fun workouts here. I have this awesome, gym quality, treadmill that I got for free (thank you Law of Attraction). I have the Wii Fit, but that started to get boring. I hated having to choose each exercise and wait for the ~~annoying bitch~~ narrator to finish talking. So what else is there?

I was out on my new favorite shopping site, Amazon (Amazon Prime rocks, by the way. Two day shipping!) and discovered EA Sports Active. The reviews were great, so I decided to give it a try. It was FUN! There are workouts, continuous workouts, that are put together and are customizable. You can create your own workout. And there is the 30 day challenge with 3 levels.

I did one pre-designed workout and loved it. Then I put the box away and hadn't touched it since. That is until today. I put new batteries in the Wii Balance Board (not required for this workout), pulled out the EA workout box and decided to try the 30 day challenge. I loved it! It was really fun and no annoying ~~bitch~~ narrator! Yes, you have a "personal trainer", but I wasn't annoyed by her at all. The music is cool and you can even choose what type of music you want in the 30 day challenge. The scenery changes and, for working out in cartoon world, is pretty. You'd think that would be enough to inspire me, right? Right?!

Unfortunately, no. I have even been known to work out for a year and then suddenly stop for five years. So people, I know you workout fanatics are out there, motivate me! Inspire me! Help me find a way to keep going! Ready, set, go!

A New Year...

2009-12-31T19:22:00.000-08:00

...with so many things to look forward to. Each new day, with so many things to be grateful for, to appreciate. I am focusing on that today.

The Lizard King is in Afghanistan and we will be celebrating this day apart. Rather than focus on that, I will focus on how his being there short term will benefit us long term. I am grateful that he has a job. I am grateful for what that job is doing for us.

All the debt that has been hanging over our heads for years and years, as a result of his divorce, is on a downward spiral. We will be essentially debt free by June. Yes it is hard to be apart, but once LK is home we will be able to really live for ourselves. We will have time together everyday. We will have weekends together. We will have our own home. We will be working to support only ourselves. LK can stick to his ~~computer nerd~~ regular desk job and save the home improvement, back breaking and repair work for us in our new home.

2009 has had its challenges, but those challenges are on the way out. Here's to a beautiful 2010. Happy New Year everyone!!

Climbing Rocks and Falling Snow

2009-12-30T12:38:00.000-08:00

A local gym - Club Sport - home of the biggest rock wall, hosts a monthly climb for homeschoolers called "Homeschool Rocks". This is Princess' second time climbing. She was more hesitant this time than the first. The first time she made it all the way to the top! This time not so much, but she still had a blast!

We had our first snow! The city was a mess. Our friends who had come over for a playdate had to leave early in the hope of avoiding the mess. Too late! The 30 minute drive took more than 3 hours! My sister was let out of work early. It took her more than 4 hours to get home! Thank goodness they all got home safely.

Sorry to say, Portlanders just don't know how to drive in the snow and the city doesn't know how to handle it either. We generally don't get much snow here. Yesterday, we got about 3+ inches!! Woo hoo! I'm a Philly girl, so 3 inches isn't all that impressive really but things are different here. So again...woo hoo!

My Child's Pain

2009-12-28T09:45:00.000-08:00

This is the girl who used to be my daughter. She was beautiful and happy and perfect. This was at the end of July.

By August her skin started to change. It was just in a few places. You can see it on her inner arms. She still looks like a beautiful, happy girl.

By October her skin looked horrible. This is part of why I stopped blogging. My daugter doesn't look like herself anymore. Her skin is a mess. I had stopped taking photos of her. In time I started getting used to the way she looked and took lots of photos, trying to get one that looked okay enough to post. If you look at the December photos I posted here you will see and you'll notice in almost every photo she is scratching.

You see a very different little girl here. My daughter now looks ill, like something is wrong with her. Everyone around us sees it. It hurts my heart to see her like this. She is not the happy, beautiful, perfect little girl that she used to be. She is itchy and scratches all the time. She is stressed. She tells me that the eczema is the worst thing that has ever happened to her.

Through the last few months I have tried homeopathy alone to deal with this. We have tried removing possible allergens. We apply jojoba oil twice a day. Still there are countless flakes of skin everywhere. The homeopath says it could take six months or more to heal with homeopathy. Princess' skin has improved in some ways. There are no more painful and seeping wounds. But it is now covering her entire body head to toe. Her skin is so dry it is scaly and rough. Her hands look older than my hands. She has scabs from scratching. I can't keep watching her suffer this way. I wish that I could take this onto my own body. I don't know what the right answer is. Steroids scare me. There are a few more things to try and we have an appointment today with someone. I also plan to call a pediatric dermatologist, but am a little hesitant. I will call and see what they have to offer.
Being a mom is so hard, especially with something like this. Am I doing the right thing? Is naturopathy the right thing? Is homeopathy the right thing? Are there other solutions? Do I use a combination of things? Do I turn to icky, horrible steroids? I know how awful steriods are. I've used them before and I avoid them now because of my experience. And steroids will only mask the problem by treating the symptom. We need to find the cause.

I'm getting advice, so that's not what I'm looking for here. I have friends who care so much and are trying to be helpful and supportive. I am so grateful for them. I guess I just needed to put it out there.

Thank you for listening.

Winter Lapbook

2009-12-27T09:31:00.000-08:00

Our winter exploration has indeed turned into a lapbook, simple though it may be.

You'll have to look at the next two photos laying down. I shot them landscape, blogger turned them. Weird!

What's up next for this royal household? Kwanzaa exploration and a search for my funny. It seems to be missing. If you've seen it, please contact me. I am offering a reward for any clues leading to the recovery of my sense of humor.

Winter

2009-12-24T22:12:00.000-08:00

The Lizard King is safely in Afghanistan. Princess and I are getting back into our routine. The house is a wreck, but I'm slowly getting things in order.

We have spent the last few days reading winter stories, doing winter worksheets, projects and learning a bit, too.

We made a real crystal snowflake using these instructions.

We read the Ukranian Folktale, The Mitten in this little book we found on the Enchanted Learning website.

We colored a mitten and animals found on the website, too so that we could act out the story ourselves.

I turned our Math-U-See workbook into Winter math with some snowflake stamps. We really like Math-U-See. The math worksheets I found online were simply math problems with snowflakes on the page. This just seemed more fun.

We've done crossword puzzles, played Tic-Tac-Snow, found our way through a maze, a picture hunt, we read The Snowy Day and this activity to go with it. We read Winter Waits and It's Winter. And who doesn't love to color a winter picture?!

We are turning this exploration into a lapbook. I'll be sure to share the photos once we're done.

Happy Winter everyone!

Disney World!

2009-12-23T19:10:00.000-08:00

After a long day of flying from Portland to Orlando (through Atlanta) we finally landed around 11pm. We got our luggage and boarded the Magical Express to go to our hotel and see the Lizard King for the first time in three months. It was a 30 minute drive that seemed to last forever. Nearing our hotel, Princess and I were on the edge of our seats. As we pulled up in front of the hotel entrance, I was scanning the area for LK. Then I saw him sitting on a bench (on the edge of his seat) waiting for us to arrive.

As soon as the doors to the bus opened Princess and I descended the steps and LK came running. He picked up Princess, holding her tightly to him, wrapping an arm around me and pulling be into the embrace as we all cried. It doesn't happen often, and it always amazes me when he tears up.

By the time we got to sleep, it was 2am. We had a 9:15 reservation to have breakfast with the Princesses. That so didn't happen. Princess rolled over and continued sleeping when we tried to wake her at 8:30. We let her sleep. Fortunately we were able to reschedule (after calling everyday, hoping for a cancellation).

I didn't take as many photos as the last time, but got lots of Princess with character she met.

I asked Princess what her favorite thing was about Disney World. She told me that was a really hard question. She liked the rides and Kim Possible spy missions at Epcot and of course, seeing Daddy.

Hanukkah 2009

2009-12-21T20:11:00.000-08:00

This Hanukkah was especially wonderful. Getting to spend all eight days, all day and night, with the Lizard King was amazing. He is on a plane now, heading to Dubai and then on to Afghanistan. I thought I'd share the week in pictures (beginning with day 2 since you've already seen day 1).

This year I did something that I've wanted to do for quite a while. All of the presents were wrapped in fabric and tied up with fabric ribbon. Surprisingly, I found it easier to wrap this way. And the fabric is easily reused. Way cool!

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7 (Three Musketeers Barbies)

Day 8

This dollhouse is awesome! It comes with EVERYTHING!

We also had our traditional Hanukkah dinner with a bit of a Thanksgiving twist to make up for the missed Thanksgiving dinner together. LK makes the best Thanksgiving stuffing and the best Hanukkah Latkes. YUM!

Next update...Disney World!

And we're back!

2009-12-11T22:32:00.000-08:00

Look what we found in Disney World!!!

Hello everyone! Yes, we are back. We arrived late last night, exhausted. We had a blast in Disney World and I want to share it all with you. We have jumped right into Hanukkah, so the Disney update will have to wait.

Tonight was the first night of Hanukkah. We lit candles and sang the blessings.

We couldn't find the real candles, so we pulled out the electric menorah for tonight. We are hoping to find candles tomorrow.

Then came present time.

Yes, every girl's dream...a purple light saber.

Princess is very much looking forward to doing battle with her friend, Blue Eyed Boy at their next play date.

It's Finally Here!

2009-12-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

We're off! We land in Florida at 11pm and board Disney's Magical Express to our hotel and finally to see the Lizard King. I can hardly believe the time has finally arrived. Yippee!!

A True Friend

2009-12-03T07:30:00.000-08:00

One of my best friends sent this to me the other day. You may have seen it, but I had to share.

1. When you are sad,

I will jump on the person

who made you sad

like a spider monkey

jacked up on Mountain Dew!!!

2. When you are blue,

I will try to dislodge

whatever is choking you..

3. When you smile,

I will know you are

plotting something

that I must be involved in.

4. When you're scared,

we will high tail it out of here.

5. When you are worried,

I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse

it could be until you

quit whining, ya big baby!!!!

6. When you are confused,

I will use little words..

7. When you are sick,

Stay away from me

until you are well again.

I don't want whatever you have...

8. When you fall,

I'll pick you up

and dust you off--

After I laugh my rear off!!

9. This is my oath...

I pledge it to the end.

'Why?' you may ask;

-- because you are my FRIEND!

***********************

Friendship is like peeing your pants,

everyone can see it,

but only YOU

can feel the

true warmth.

**********************

Wardrobe Wednesday

2009-12-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

A little something cozy this Wardrobe Wednesday. Princess asked for slippers like mine. I did a little search and found these. They aren't exactly the same as mine, they're better! You all know why, right? They're...wait for it...PINK!

Head on over to Heathen Family Revival to see what they're wearing.

Barenaked Hanukkah?!

2009-12-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

~~Yes~~ No, that is isn't how LK and I plan to celebrate this year. The Barenaked Ladies have a Hanukkah song! I am so downloading that MP3, just as soon as I figure out how to do that. Of course, I'll need an MP3 player...oh wait, my phone is an MP3 player, but then I have no idea how to upload songs to it.

In the meantime, Princess and I will stick to singing the dreidel song! For those of you who want to sing along, here are the words.

I have a little dreidel
I made it out of clay
And when it's dry and ready
Then dreidel I shall play!

(Chorus)
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
I made it out of clay
And when it's dry and ready
Then dreidel I shall play!

It has a lovely body
With legs so short and thin
And when my dreidel's tired
It drops and then I win!

(Chorus)

My dreidel's always playful
It loves to dance and spin
A happy game of dreidel
Come play now, let's begin!

(Chorus)

Today we read The Hanukkah Story by Marilyn Hirsh, which recounts the Hanukkah story. We loved it so much we ordered a copy of our own. It is out of print, but we found an old copy on Amazon.

Hanukkah Exploration

2009-11-29T21:56:00.000-08:00

We leave Friday afternoon to meet the Lizard King in Disney World! I can hardly believe that the time is so close. We will spend 5 fun-filled, much needed, days together. (Have I mentioned this already?) We fly back to Portland on the 10th and Hanukkah starts on the 11th.

I have spent a good part of the weekend searching for Hanukkah activities to entertain us this week and during the week of Hanukkah. I found a site were you can design your own BINGO cards! They even have a Hanukkah theme! I found a Hanukkah lapbook here along with links to other sites with even more stuff! The one thing I couldn't find was a picture (easy) crossword puzzle, so I made one myself. :)

Today Princess chose the crossword puzzle and Hanukkah Bingo.

We made cornstarch clay, using this recipe. We used the clay to make Hanukkah decorations and a couple snowmen. Princess and I are wondering if we'll be able to paint the clay. We'll find out once everything is dry.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T07:30:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of Thanksgiving (and part of our Thanksgiving week extravaganza), Princess and I made a list of the things we are thankful for. In addition to things I am thankful for, I added some affirmations. I guess I'm thankful for affirmations, too!

I am trying to stay upbeat and positive. The fact that we will see the Lizard King in 8 days helps. But Thanksgiving is our holiday. It's a big deal. We cook the meal together. He has his part, I have mine and there are parts we do together. We have people over. LK wants to do our own Thanksgiving while he is home. I'll just focus on that.

I am thankful that Freckle has invited the Princess and me to her house for Thanksgiving day. I am thankful that I will see LK in a week and that we will get to spend 2 1/2 weeks together. I am thankful that his next leave with coincide with the Passover seder. I am thankful for my wonderful family and friends. I am thankful that I get to be a mom and that I will soon be a grandmother. I am thankful to my sister and her fiance for watching Princess and giving me some much needed time off. I am thankful we have reconciled with Tatt-Man and his wife. I am thankful for good health in me and my family. I am thankful that I have you all reading my blog.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Wardrobe Wednesday

2009-11-25T08:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day. I was sporting a long sleeve t-shirt with a short sleeve t-shirt on top. I'm not sure what has happened to my hot blooded little girl who was almost never cold. Now she is cold all the time. Yesterday I gave in and pulled out her winter wear, even though it had to be in the 60s. When we got home from our errands, including a stop at the library, she wasn't quite warm enough to remove the gear.

Yes, that is a Star Wars book that she is reading. Star Wars is very big in our house. Can you guess who her favorite character is?

Santa believes in Hanukkah!

2009-11-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

As a kid, I never believed in Santa. I was proven right when friends of my parents told me that if I really believed there would be a present for me the next morning (Christmas morning). When I woke up there was nothing. So, HA, I was right.

In my last life I worked with a gal who was Jewish. She grew up thinking that Santa hated all the Jewish kids.I didn't want that for Princess. A couple of years ago I tried to explain to her that there really is no Santa Claus. She looked at me like I had completely lost my mind and told me that of course Santa Claus is real!

I needed to take a different approach and decided to embrace the idea. Last year was the first time that Princess wanted to go see Santa. She had to ask him if he brought presents to the kids who celebrate Hanukkah. Santa informed her that he absolutely did.

This year Princess could hardly wait to go see Santa. She couldn't believe that he wasn't even at the mall yet! Mind you, this was the beginning of November. We needed to go earlier this year because we are leaving on the 4th for Disney World and Hanukkah starts the day after we get back.

Princess sat on Santa's lap and told him what she wanted, but she forgot to tell him that we celebrate Hanukkah. She was very concerned. I told her not to worry that Santa knows everything, so I'm sure he know that. She was quite relieved. In fact, I'm pretty sure Santa has her present ready and waiting for her.

Oh, and for you locals, the real Santa is back at Washington Square Mall this year. Check this guy out! That beard and mustache are real!

Thanksgiving Week

2009-11-23T13:56:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Sherry at Living and Learning, I set out to create a fun-filled week of Thanksgiving activities. I am shifting my thinking now that we are on our 7-week break from Village Home classes. I have also decided to stop teaching classes there so that I can devote more time to Princess.

Here are some things I found for us to do this week.

Thanksgiving math worksheets

Thanksgiving activities and more activities from Enchanted Learning.

Thanksgiving riddles, who doesn't love a good giggle?

First Thanksgiving printable book

I've also created some fun crafts, including paper chains, paper turkeys and more!

It should prove to be a fun-filled and thankful week!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

A Baby!!!

2009-11-20T11:35:00.000-08:00

Can you guess who this is?

You all know about Needy Evie, she was number 2. Have I mentioned number 1? The Lizard King was married twice before finding ~~perfection~~ me. The first time was at 20, the second at 22...so young. Now while Needy Evie has worked her magic, manipulating their two kids to have nothing to do with us, Number 1 did not.

Yes, LK has a son from his first marriage. Let's call him Tatt-Man. Tatt-Man is 27 years old and married. LK was the only one to attend the wedding, almost 2 1/2 years ago, because well...we just didn't have the money for all of us to go. Then there was the "falling out" after the wedding.

A few weeks ago, thanks to Facebook, Tatt-Man's wife "friended" me. We started talking and working on the men. LK was easy. Tatt-Man was a bit more of a challenge. It worked though. I have spoken to Tatt-Man and his wife twice on the phone. Things are looking good!

All this back story is leading up to the answer to the question above. Tatt-Man and his wife are having a baby!!! I am going to be a grandmother. Princess is just tickled that she is going to be an aunt at age 6. LK, well he is just over the moon that he is going to be a grandfather.

I just wish that Tatt-Man and family didn't live so far away. Sometimes distance isn't such a good thing. We'll have to do our best to be involved, long distance grandparents. Baby is due March 5th. We can hardly wait!

Mommy, there's only Christmas...

2009-11-15T13:39:00.000-08:00

At Target the other day, walking past the card area Princess looked at the banner above and said, "Mommy, there's only Christmas. Where's Hanukkah?" I found the little section of Hanukkah cards and pointed them out. This, however, was not good enough. While there is a Hanukkah section, there is no Hanukkah anywhere in the banner above.

Yesterday at Michael's we walked in and Princess said, "Mommy, there's only Christmas." I told her that they probably don't know how special Hanukkah is. Princess still felt sad.

It is so sad that a holiday we feel is so special doesn't get any recognition in the abundant decorations in every store we enter. Princess feels sad and I feel sad for her. How do I explain that this is just the way it is? Why is it okay that this is the way it is?

A few years back I was shopping in a small local store during the holiday season. After paying, I wished the clerk "Happy Holidays!". The ~~snotty b*#@h~~ clerk responded with a very pointed, "Merry Christmas." What the heck? Was my sentiment not good enough?

Don't get me wrong, when people wish me a Merry Christmas I take it in the spirit that it is meant. But, why must people assume that everyone celebrates Christmas? Where are all the Hanukkah decorations? Does this only happen here? I swear I remember Hanukkah decorations 14 years ago in the Philadelphia area. Why does our holiday, my daughter's holiday, get no representation?

Now, hoping that my sentiment is good enough, Happy Holidays!!! And here is a little bit of Hanukkah...

Early Chapter Books

2009-11-11T22:54:00.000-08:00

Meet Mercy Watson, an entertaining little pig. I have been on a quest for simple chapter books for Princess. This quest is not an easy one. We have read all of the Young Cam Jansen books, some of them more than once.

Princess enjoys the experience of reading chapter books of her own. There are some chapter books that she is almost ready for and truthfully she could read them, but she is intimidated by the length.

Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo (the one who wrote The Tale of Despereaux) fits the bill. The chapters are short, there are lots of pictures and the story is very entertaining (not at all dark like Despereaux). Princess was laughing out loud.

There are six books in the Mercy Watson series.

Check them out! They're fun!

Wardrobe Wednesday

2009-11-11T00:02:00.000-08:00

I love Famous Footwear. There are so many great, quality shoes at bargain prices! It's even better during the "Buy One Get One 1/2 Off Sale". I took advantage of this little sale to get myself a cute new pair of shoes.

My half off pair? I decided to get myself some slippers that won't wear out after one or two seasons. I hate throwing things away. I got the most amazing Sorel slippers and yes, they were half off.

To learn more about Wardrobe Wednesday check out The Heathen Family Revival!

Where to begin?

2009-11-08T19:45:00.000-08:00

It has been such a long time since I have posted anything, blogger went and changed on me! It's all new and they didn't even check with me first! Sheesh! For one, I'm a spell check junkie and I can't find the flippin' spell check! Help!

Thank you to all my bloggy friends who have emailed to check on me. You guys are awesome! I've decided it's time to claw my way out of my hole and find my way back to the bloggy world. There have been so many things along the way that I have wanted to share, but the thought of back-tracking, well...it is not going to happen. I will start fresh from this point forward.

As is so common in our little family, things have changed again. LK feels safe at the FOB in Afghanistan and we have decided that he will continue to work there. Our plans to spend 7 weeks with him in South Carolina have changed. The new plan: we are meeting in Orlando at Disney World to spend 5 wonderful, fun-filled days. After Disney, we fly back to Portland and will have a week and a half together before he deploys again. Unfortunately, my plans to meet up with some bloggy friends near Greenville just can't happen. :(

For now, we are very much looking forward to seeing each other at Disney on December 4th. Disney twice in one year! How cool is that?!

And now I will leave you with a few photos of our beautiful Princess.

2009-09-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your kind birthday wishes for Princess. Her birthday party was so much fun for everyone. I realized how much I rely on the Lizard King. There were so many things that he would have thought of that I forgot. I miss him so very much.

I know I have been very absent from posting here and reading the blogs I regularly read and for that I am sorry. I am dealing with a lot of overwhelming emotions. I hope you can understand.

Looking at my Google reader I have 68 posts to catch up on. The thought is overwhelming, but I hate to miss any posts. I may have to this time. We'll see.

I know that today won't be the day and we leave for Jamaica on Tuesday. I may come back to a couple hundred posts.

Thank you all for hanging in there with me. I will be back to my old self one of these days.

6

2009-09-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

At 10:53am today, Princess turned 6! I can hardly believe that 6 years have gone by and that this very grown up little girl is sitting right in front of me. She is such a beautiful combination of the Lizard King and me. We are truly blessed to have such a special person as our daughter. We learn more and more from her each and every day. She has changed our lives more than we could ever imagine.

This is the first (and only) birthday that LK has missed. This is a hard time for all of us. He and I were just emailing about Princess' birth day and LK said that it was a great day. I responded that it was life changing. (Well, duh!) LK then said, "I sometimes wonder where we would be had she not come along. Not just physically, but emotionally. She definitely did complete the family." I responded, "She certainly did... Life would be so very different without her. I truly believe that we would still be together and happy and in love, but we would not have grown into the people we are now had she not come into our lives."

Happy Birthday, Princess! Daddy and I love you more than we could even begin to say.

Did I mention Jamaica & Afghanistan?

2009-09-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

On September 22nd we are joining our friends as they renew their wedding vows in Jamaica. The Lizard King was just home for a visit about 2 and a half weeks ago. The plan was that he would meet us in Atlanta and we would fly together to Jamaica. We were all looking forward to spending a whole week together.

The Lizard King emailed me on Monday with bad news, ugly news and good news.

The bad news: he was leaving for Afghanistan in a week. Yes, my bloggy friends. They need LK's expertise in Afghanistan. They asked him to go over. It will be a shorter trip and he assures me that he will be safe.

The ugly news: he will not be able to go to Jamaica with us.

The good news: he is spending a long weekend with us.

He arrived yesterday evening.

Right now I am trying to focus on the "I get to spend time with my husband" part. I'll think about the Jamaica vacation without him later.

Wardrobe Wednesday

2009-09-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

Oregon rain is on it's way. I love this time of year.

We live about six blocks from Village Home (our homeschool school) and we don't have activities that we have to drive to after we're done classes. Won't it be great to walk there and back?!

Of course we'll need some good rain wear if we're going to stay dry and there is no way we're carrying an umbrella. As if!

So I had this brilliant idea. Princess and I should get matching rain wear. Of course this was easier said than done. Can you believe they don't make Hello Kitty rain coats for adults?! They don't even make pink rain coats for adults. Sheesh!

I settled on matching (sort of) rain boots. And yes, they are both Hello Kitty!! I had to order mine because they didn't have them in the store, but they should be here soon. Yippee!!

My boots:

Princess' boots:

How cute will we be?! I love it!!

Perhaps by next week I can post a WW photo of the two of us all decked out in our new gear.

Want to join in on the Wardrobe Wednesday fun? Just click the Wardrobe Wednesday badge on the side bar to get the low down.

Monday Gardening Club

2009-09-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted for the Monday Gardening Club. I have learned a few things this year about gardening. My yard has a lot of shade trees and although the things I planted grew like crazy, they didn't produce like crazy.

I have four huge tomato plants. This is my first harvest. There are a few more that will be ready today.

I have 8 squash plants and have harvested...hmmm, maybe a dozen or so squash. I have 4 jalapenos and may have harvested 10 so far, but there are more growing. I've got a few peppers growing, but I'm still waiting for them to finish and ripen. Lettuce did well, but it's done now. Chard did well and it's still growing strong.

Next year, if we're still in this house, I need to rethink what we plant. This has been a great first garden and learning experience. If the Lizard King was here, I would probably try a winter garden. Perhaps another winter.

Telling Time

2009-09-03T20:22:00.001-07:00

I am a total book addict. A few times each year Scholastic Books has a warehouse sale. I am sure to go to each and every one. The most recent sale was last week. Princess and I had just been to the last warehouse sale only in mid-June, but yes, we simply had to go to the August sale.

We left with a box full of books. Almost all of them are for Princess to read to me. They are all books she selected herself and she is so excited to read them to me.

One bonus find was the Talking Clever Clock, a fun way to learn to tell time. I had no idea what it sold for. We paid the bargain price of $17.50, half the price marked on the box and less than half the price on Amazon! What a deal!

Spider Lapbook

2009-09-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

Our spider studies have come to a close. As has become our new custom with studies like this, we finish with a lapbook.

I found a lot of the mini books here, just page down the list to spiders. Enchanted Learning has some of the pieces we used, too. SpiderRoom.info has a wealth of information and great pictures. Be sure to turn your sound down. The animated spiders talk.

I have to say that finding resources for this lapbook was the hardest so far. We did have lots of spiders around the house and yard we observed which is always a great bonus in a lesson.

Princess decided on a colorful spider for the cover.

Since she is just learning to write, Princess isn't comfortable writing long answers. Here we found the definition and pasted the answers with the vocabulary words.

For shorter answers she is happy to write.

She really likes to make the number 8!

Princess enjoyed answering the questions at the end of this mini book.

Here she wrote the short words and I wrote the long ones.

These are spider defenses and offenses.

Here Princess labeled the parts of a spider.

Who doesn't love a little poetry?

Sorry for the sideways photo. Blogger is acting funky.

Anyway, here we have spider life cycle cards.

These were my biggest challenge by far.

I finally took the life cycle from SpiderRoom.info and

made them into sorting cards.

Sorry for the funky photos. I think maybe I need to wipe my lens. ;P

One Man, Trying to Make a Difference

2009-09-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

Facebook is a pretty cool tool. It has connected me with friends from 3000 miles away in my home state. I'm a Philadelphia girl, well, suburbs anyway. I lived there most of my life, but I haven't been back in a long time.

Today a friend who I have known since I was about 4, friended me. His name to me is Danny, even if he goes by Dan now. I went to check out his profile and see what was happening in his world. What I found was a big surprise.

You see, I find it so bizarre to find that my childhood friends have become grown-ups. Of course they were adults when I left at age 30, but somehow now they/we have become grown-ups. Weird!

This one friend, in particular, is really stepping up. His home town of Yardley had been repeatedly hit with floods. Within an 18 month period the town was hit 3 times.

His personal experience has been the inspiration for Each One for US All, a non-profit corporation in the making. The logo and website are being designed. The paper work to form the non-profit are in the works. From what I understand, this is a daunting task.

I encourage you to go and read Danny's blog. I will post a link to the website when it is complete. It is certainly a worthy cause.