Mom - go see:

The website for the Neshoba County Fair.  Scroll down to the picture near the bottom of the home page.  Remember this?

Well, honestly, I'm not sure if that was the year we were there or not.  But, probably?

Okay, y'all, thank you for indulging me in a memory.  We weren't regular visitors to the Fair.  We aren't now.  But my mom used to be quite involved in the Republican Party in our state, and we were there the year that President Reagan was running for office.  (1980, when he ran for President, not the earlier election when he was unsuccessful in obtaining the Republican nomination).  Anyway, I wasn't that "involved" in political things at that time.  I was still a kid, and pretty much just went where my mom took me.  But I do remember hearing President Reagan speak that day.  I don't remember what he said, but I remember being there.  He arrived/left in a helicopter and the whole atmosphere surrounding his being there and speaking was electric, even for a 9'ish year old (stop.  quit doing the math in your head to figure out how old I am.  stop.  that's enough).  I remember thinking that it was a big deal for him to be there and for him to care enough about votes from our state to do some real old-fashioned campaigning at Mississippi's Giant House Party.
 
The Great Communicator.  He truly was.

It's Aliiiiiiive!

Mr. Computer has been retrieved from the fix-it place after a week of being held in limbo.  They didn't actually get to it until yesterday, but it's not like I would have been able to do much with it myself.  I was too nervous about taking it apart on my own.  Thankfully, there were no major problems from the gatorade.  Just some clean up was necessary.  So, yay!

I have lots to share, but I'm not sure when I'll get around to it.  Pictures from my dad's new toy that is in a slip at the Rez, pictures of some hand-made puzzles that Dad and Mom created, stories of playing with SueSue and Amy at the pool, and more and more.  But first, we've got to get Jmk back home from his short fishing trip (I am SO looking forward to some yummy sea critters in the freezer).  And, we've got to get the oldest wee one back to 100% before I can get back to the business of blogging with pictures.

Poor thing came down yesterday afternoon with one of those fever viruses that come out of nowhere and go right back to nowhere within a day.  At least for Poodle, they do.  Toot keeps his "24 hour viruses" for about 2 days.  But, anyway, she is just about past the fever part, so that's good.  Unfortunately, a high fever like that tends to give her a touchy stomach.  So, she and I slept on the couch, because it's a lot easier to clean up an "oops" in there than on a bed.  Sorry.  That was gross.  TMI?  Anyway, after we get everyone home and well, we'll get some pictures up to share.

We had a sweet moment this morning that I wanted to get down so as to assist my faulty memory banks.  Tooter woke up wanting "Cay-cakes!  Soorups!" for breakfast.  Which, for the toddler-impaired translates to "Pancakes and syrup".  So, I got him situated at the table with his fare, and got a weakened Poodle situated on the couch with some plain pancakes.  (She only got a few bites in, but did finish her berry smoothie, so yay her!)  I was fiddling with something in the office, and she came in with a piece of one of her pancakes and told me that "I got sick last night and didn't feel good and I threw up and then you slept on the couch with me but I didn't throw up any more but I got sick and you took care of me, so this pancake is for you, Mommy".

That was the best bite of pancake I think I've ever had.

Gatorade + Computer = Heartburn

Ugh. And until we hear back from the computer repair "dude" (who actually isn't my brother this time, because quite frankly, he has a life and doesn't have time to run around fixing computers all day!), said heartburn will continue.

I'll spare you the details. There are WAY too many woulda coulda shoulda's involved. Short version is that Tooter was not on my good list yesterday afternoon. It was a total accident that was avoidable, but we won't go there. However, if I don't answer an email quickly, you'll know why. I have access to Jmk's computer during the evenings, but that's all for now.

And, you know, that's not a bad thing. I will say that being on a computer diet today really wasn't too bad. It was weird and..... noticeable, for lack of a better descriptive word. But it was nice to not spend all day trying to fit in "checking my email" around all the other things I needed to be doing. It made me begin to think of some habit changes that I'm going to need to make come Fall and the commencement of Kindergarten.

Living computer light for the next few days - and like Jmk and Robert both told me: "it's just a computer". And it is.

Coversations with Tooter

Background information:  Tooter is quite a picky eater, and pretty much eats pasta at most meals.  With that groundwork laid for you.......

Me:  Tooter, what do you want for lunch?
Toot:    Wunch!
Me:    Yes, baby.  What do you want to eat for lunch?
Toot:    Pathta!
Me:    Ah...  Shocker.
Toot:    No!  Pathta!

The Zoo and their Keepers

I have had to come up with a picture of myself for an essay thing that I have done recently. And, we are really overdue for a family picture. So, my darling husband with the patience of a saint helped me coordinate clothes for everyone, and my dad took some pictures of us (way to go GaGa!) before church this morning. Mom was kid-wrangling. Tooter, poor thing, was running fever (which I didn't notice until we had gotten thru with the song service), so that explains his lack of desire to smile.

I realize that there's a lovely substation directly behind us. BUT, to get the beautiful wooded area behind the church, we would have had to look directly into the sun.

And, as you can see, that caused a great deal of squinting for us all, but especially for poor Poodle. Toot didn't even bother looking up. Smart boy.

I don't know if they'll let me use the family picture, or if I'll need to use an individual picture. But, for now, it's nice to have an updated family picture until we can get around to having a "real" one made - one of these days. Oh, CAB, why do you and your camera have to live so far away?

More Lovely Words

Background for the story:
Poodle gets together some random "things" (mothers of little girls know what I mean) to bring with us to the store yesterday morning.  I explain to her that she can certainly bring them, but in an effort to circumvent the whining that might occur in the parking lot, I tell her upfront that she won't be bringing them into the store.
Oh, the humanity.  She trots herself off to her room and throws the various and sundry things into a toy bin in her room.

Mm-hmm.  So, I take said things immediately away from her (I think they're still on top of the fridge), which sends her immediately into a crying fit to make sure I realize just how mean of a person I actually am.  (Lovely behavior, eh?)

Then, Tooter comes bopping into her room and says with much concern:
"What hahppen?  What hahhppen *****?"  (insert Poodle's name there)

Oh, dear.  This was the first time he did that, and the brotherly concern, mixed with the my surprise to hear the words from him, mixed with the oh-so-pitiful situation got me so tickled I had to leave the room so no one would see me laugh.

Eh....  she'll get disciplined next time.  I just get so distracted when he actually talks and says things that are comprehensible that some things fall thru the cracks.  Go Tooter!  Keep on talkin', boy! 

Christmas In July

MooMoo and GaGa met me and the kids at Toys R Us this morning.  GaGa played with the kids while M and I picked out "school toys" for Tooter.  a.k.a. "Toys that he will get to play with while Poodle is doing kindergarten'y stuff but ones that don't require Mommy's help in order to play with them".  You know - like Matchbox cars and Tub O' Dinosaurs and Mini Train Sets and that kind of thing.  The kid loaded UP.  The trick, from what I've been told, is that he only gets to play with said toys when school is happening, so that they don't get old-hat quite as fast.

The really cool thing about all this is that MooMoo is really pro-regular school.  It's not that she doesn't think HS is a good idea.  She sees its purpose and has seen some really great kids come out of the HS "system".  It's just that she has such a close relationship with the public schools in our area.  Both because we all attended them and because she's been writing a local newspaper column for......  oh, good grief, 20 years or so that deals specifically with all things related to our local school district.  So, she's on first name terms with so many teachers and coaches and administrators.  She knows the good quality people we have in our area and she appreciates what they could do for my kids.

But, in spite of that, she and my dad want to support our endeavor this year as much as possible and make sure that both kids are getting the time and attention they need.

Mom and Dad, it really means a lot that y'all did this - it means a lot in a lot of ways.  I'm so grateful.  Thank you so much for supporting us in this not-as-common path that we're taking this year.  You may not have taken the route that we're taking, but you only wish success for us.  Thank you!  I love you both!

Popsicles Abound

We eat quite a few popsicles around our joint - there are days were popsicle time happens twice.  I know, I know.  High fructose corn syrup abounds!  But it's so hot that most of it drips down on shirts and hands before it ever makes it to mouths.  Plus, with this cool popsicle mold thingy that SueSue got for the kids a couple of summers back, we can freeze up actual fruit juices which are still fun, but not quite so....  high fructose corn syruppy.


Anyway, last week, we had the pleasure of having baby Audrey at the house for a couple of days while Robert was feverishly working on a website launch.  She didn't seem to mind one little bit that we have plethora o' popsicles around here.  I mean, how cute is that little face?  This is one of her rare moments where she looks like both her dad and her mom.  Usually she picks a parent for the day.


To keep the whole Audrey-themed post going, here is one of the wee lass for the grandparents.  Since she has graduated to one nap a day, I'm able to put all the kids down for nap time at the same time.  Audrey felt pretty comfortable on the couch in the master bedroom.  (It's a low futon type couch - and I surrounded it with pillows to keep her safe.  No worries).
But when I saw her lying there, she just looked so big.  She's growing so fast, and it reminded me of how fleeting the time of childhood really is.  And not just "being little".  But the innocence and open-eyed wonderment that goes along with being a child.  Of course, when you're in the trenches and dealing with the inability to reason or the incessant whining of a two year old or the constant reminders to pick up shoes or etc., the childhood period can feel interminable.  But it takes one moment like this to put it in perspective, if only for a little while.


If I could only get to this place in my head when my own popsicle pirates are pushing all my parental buttons, I'd be perfectly set!    Pow!   (The sentence felt like it needed one more "p").

Verbal Update

Tooter is coming along with his speech.  He's still quite behind the average for children his age, but he is progressing slowly.  i.e. He may not be talking up to level, but he's moving in the right direction!

A couple of days ago, I was going from the kitchen towards the pantry and ran into a stool or a cabinet or something.  (I'm always doing that).  And then I let out a barrage of "ow ow ow ow's", which of course is necessary when one bangs one's toe.  Or shin.  I don't remember exactly what I did.  Tooter then came running out of the office room and said:
"Mommy, I sahee.  Ah ooo okay?"

No lie.  He said all of it at one time!!!  Jmk was there - he can attest to it.  Granted, I doubt anyone else would have been able to understand him.  But he said it!  And he had the most concerned look on his precious little face that made my owie disappear like magic.  It was a nice moment.

I guess he really will be talking before he goes to college.  ;-)

Our Math Is Here!

Yay! Okay. This post is going to make some say "WHAT?", it will make others say "I knew it!", and everyone else will likely be a combination of the two. We're homeschooling this year! As in honest-to-goodness Poodle is going to be in Kindergarten homeschooling. And as you can see, the arrival of our math curriculum is exciting for me. Granted, I'm a goofball Math major, but the idea of being able to watch her start to understand numbers and their relationships just gets me all giddy. Maybe you're wondering why we're homeschooling when Poodle isn't "supposed" to be in Kindergarten this year, because of her late birthday. Reasonable question. She turns five just weeks after the cut-off date to enter K5, but she really is ready to start Kindergarten. And she is a little sponge who, quite frankly, gets hyper when she gets bored. So..... after a LOT of prayer and talking with each other, Jmk and I decided to HS "for real" and get her school started. This doesn't mean that we will HS forever and ever, nor does it mean that we won't. It doesn't mean that our schools in this area are lacking, because they are good and filled with with quality teachers and administrators. It means that for this year, we are going to have Kindergarten at home. And if it goes well, we may just have First grade at home. And if that goes well...... you get the point. This is their education we're talking about. This is important, and what goes in to the children's heads is as critical as what goes into their hearts. So we take this very seriously and intend to evaluate our situation every year to make sure that they are getting the proper soul food and brain food.  

While homeschooling is growing in both acceptance and understanding, I think the biggest concern most people still have is covered by the umbrella term of "socialization". This means different things to different people, and trying to allay all concerns at once would take a post that is much longer than I have time to type or anyone else has time to read. But rest assured, Poodle will have plenty of friends and will have ample opportunity to experience "playground politics", albeit with the guidance of adults to facilitate when possible. We aren't going to become anti-regular school, because the kids may enter regular school when they're older. We don't know where the Lord will lead our educational journey. There are many good things that come with regular school, be it public, private, or church/religious. We are just choosing to go this HS route for now, and see where it leads us. It's a huge commitment as well as a change in lifestyle. But, with all the responsibility comes a freedom that I hope will prove to be edifying. Sort of like with our country. The more responsibility we take as citizens, the more freedom we will enjoy.  

For my HS friends out there, this is what we'll use this year for curriculum:  
Five In A Row for Language Arts, Social Studies, History, Art.  
Math-U-See for Spanish. (ha! kidding. It's really for Russian Civics).  
Apologia for Science, but I'm still trying to figure out how much "real" science is necessary at this age. Still trying to decide whether to begin with Astronomy or Botany or Zoology.  
Music is easy - music is everywhere! 

What I'm still trying to make a decision on is something to help me with Bible Study. I'm leaning towards Rod and Staff or Sonlight, and just need to make a decision. I need to narrow down my phonics choices. And I need to find one good idea book for crafts and fun things like that. This IS Kindergarten, and Coloring Inside The Lines and Gluing Buttons To Various Inanimate Objects are very important subjects. I, however, am not the crafty type, and will need some creative assistance. I'll channel Ashley Hemleben (a family friend who is one of those Kindergarten teachers that everyone wants their child to get as a teacher) as much as possible, but let's face it. I'll need help. Any and all advice and suggestions are welcome. I really just need to spend an afternoon at some book stores. 

We'll stay involved with our homeschool group(s) for field trips and fun times and will mostly make "school" a part of every day life. I'm trying to be as non-naive as possible about the challenge that it's going to be. The advice that I continue to hear over and over is  
1) Pray often and every day.  
2) Don't push too hard.  
3) Don't underestimate abilities.  

We'll get started officially just after Labor Day. But I suspect that we'll actually be getting started before summer is out. New things are fun, and this will all be very new to each of us! Your prayers are so very much appreciated, and if anyone has any questions or concerns, I'm here. And I'm ready to discuss! (And thank you so much to everyone who helped us in making this decision - your guidance, thoughts, prayers, and advice were all much appreciated!)

New Family Member

Custard and GiGi have a cute, cute, cute new cousin. My brother David just got a basset hound/beagle mix pup from the Humane Society in Birmingham. She is SO cute. This pic doesn't do her long ears justice, but they are they longest flippy-floppy things you've ever seen. And she's soooo long in the body. Sweet girl, too. Great with the kids!

My mom and dad came over with David when he brought Babe over to meet us. Of course, we combined the visit with burgers on the grill. Any excuse to grill works for us!

Jmk is totally crushed out on this dog. I'm telling you - if he thought David wouldn't notice, he'd so steal her. We'd be a two dog house in a minute. I'm completely expecting him to show up with a basset one random day. He loved her!

Poodle is so funny about smaller dogs - I don't know if it's because they move faster around her or what, but she spent the first 15 minutes of Babe's visit up in my dad's arms. Granted, she felt comfortable enough to ham for the camera, so she wasn't too concerned. I just don't understand the smaller dog thing, because her SueSue has three smaller-than-Custard dogs (Corgis), and Poodle loves those cuties. She doesn't seem to have any problem with them. ::shrug:: Who knows!

But, Toot was all about running around with Custard and Babe. Let me tell you, that little girl had Cus's number from the get go. She definitely didn't check up for a minute with him. Of course, he's not exactly a big, scary dog to begin with. But by the end of the visit, he was following her around the yard, letting her call the shots. She had him whipped. It was pretty funny.

You did well David! She is a total cutie patootie, and I hope y'all have a lot of years together. Now, bring her back over this afternoon! :-)

Quotes from Poodle

Poodle:  Mommy, when is God going to bring me a boy to marry?

Me:  I don't know honey.  But you know you can't get married until........

Poodle:  Until I get out of college.

Me:  That's my girl.

We all went over to MooMoo's and played blueberry bandit this past week.  Put a couple more bags in the freezer.  Thank you!!!

Don't they remind you of grapes on a vine in a way?  It's pretty to me.  :-)