Bring it on!

Wowzer, wowzer, wowzer! I have really missed blogging lately and have been trying to get back on here. So here I am!

So much has been going on around here. Halloween was a ton of fun with our sweet babies despite the fact that I fell and apparently twisted my ankle something fierce. All I know is it is swollen, bruised, and super sore.

This past week we have been remodeling our bedroom. We took everything out and painted the walls a beautiful blue. We still have to cut and paint the trim before installing it but the room already looks amazing! I don't want any more white walls in my house whatsoever!

Now on to something that I am super excited about. The kids, eh, not as much. As many bloggers probably already know, November is NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month. The kids and are participating for the first time this year and I can't wait to see what the kids write about! There is a preset word minimum for adults of 50,000 that I hope to achieve but I have adjusted both of the kids goals. Sage is expected to write a minimum of 24,000 words and Raiden's goal is 15,000. That doesn't sound too difficult for a 13 and 10 year old, does it? I'm hoping that next year Sage will be able to make the 50,000 word goal! You may want to say a little prayer for us. We're getting started a bit late! (the story of my life)

Bring it on!

Sweet Dreams

Yesterday evening I took the kids on a little trip to Target. Over the past couple of weeks I have been trying to make Sean's and my bed toddler-free. I am proud to announce that my efforts were successful. But not without resistance. Kaitlan usually finds some reason to get out of bed. Even if it's just lying on the floor instead of her bed. I don't get that. Her bed is so much softer than the floor. One night she even told me that she couldn't get into her bed because there was a robot in it. Seriously? I don't know where she comes up with this stuff. So, the reason I dragged the kiddos to Target at 8:30 at night. I told KK last week that if she starts sleeping in her own bed like a big girl I would buy her a new baby doll. That's right. I am not beyond bribery one bit. I also owe Pandora Radio and Sleepytime Tunes a *huge* thank you! Raiden even falls asleep quicker with the awesome, soothing music they play. Now KK has a new Dora doll and Sean and I have our bed back. With the occasional early morning snuggler which I am not completely opposed to.

Sweet Dreams

Liar

Okay, so I lied.

I have told myself that I am happy when I am oh so obviously not happy. I actually feel as though I am falling apart inside. Medication can't keep the negative thought from entering my head. It can't keep the 'what-ifs' away.

I don't feel that I am a difficult person. I don't ask for a lot. I know that I am unable to make my husband happy right now, though. I think he has basically given up on our marriage. He is just waiting for me to leave. I have tried to work on myself but it doesn't seem to be enough. I want my relationship with God to be first and foremost. I need that. Sean on the other hand seems to push God away more and more.

Neither of us are being good examples to our children either. I think they see that, too. It makes me sad.

We are in a bad place right now. I am going to try to hold it together, though. I am going to pray. I am going to trust in God and seek his guidance. I have to make my marriage work. I know this is His will.

Liar

Faster than you think

School starts around here in just over three weeks now. I believe I almost have the kids curriculum finished.

Almost.

I'm getting excited, though!

We're going to give preschool a shot this year as well. Boy am I nervous about that! Little miss KK is such a firecracker and so so smart. I feel like I need to do something to keep that little brain stimulated. It's going to be so much fun!!

ABC pages are printing as I type this.

We are doing a free preparatory program that I found online. And who doesn't like free! It's called Brightly Beaming Resources. I love this site. It just makes no sense to me to pay so much for school and curriculum when you can learn plenty for free or very cheap! Even for my older kids. The library is full of books. Wonderful, paper books. The kids will be reading plenty of classic books. Some that I don't even think I've read yet! I guess I better get on that. He he

I am using a site that seems to loosely follow the Charlotte Mason method. It's called Old Fashion Education. I love it as well! Our math program is free also. The only things left to get are science and a Texas History curriculum. Both Sage and Raiden want to do Texas History and I found an awesome curriculum for just over $100. I'm sure Rai will want to go over it again at some point and it will also work great for Kaitlan.

I am getting much more confident in my ability to home school the kids. I still want to focus on our work a lot, but want to try to branch out more and add some activities that we may have missed out on last year. We already signed up for 4-H and need to get started on building a rabbit hutch.

Rabbits. Oh boy.

Okay, I have got to get back on task! I want to make sure I have everything ready when the day comes. Wish me luck!!

Faster than you think

Tea Time with Daddy

I thought this was so super cute. KK pulled out her little tea set and asked Daddy to have some tea with her. With all that cuteness, I had to pull out the camera!

Tea for me

 tea for you

and more tea for me

 

You have to mix it up, Dad

This is fun!

I think it's good now

Cheeeeers!!!

drink it up

That was some good tea :)

Tea Time with Daddy

Proud Mommy Moment

This weekend I had a proud mommy moment. Only the thing is, it isn't even my kid.

Almost four years ago we became friends with a family who we met as they were the leaders for our son's Cub Scout den. They actually have two sons that are in the den. The older of the two is a few years older in age, but participates in the same den due to the fact that he is autistic and basically on the same level as our 9 year old boys.

I tell you, this kid is awesome! He is so super smart and I love his affinity for telling the complete and utter truth. 

So I guess you want to know why we're so proud, huh? Well in his 13 years of life, he has never slept over at anyone's house besides his grandparents. Really just his granddad's. He is such a Pop-Pop's boy! This past Friday my friend H and I took our kiddos to CiCi's for lunch and I was asked before we left if both boys could stay the night. H and I looked at each other with wide eyes. 

Of course they could stay!

That evening we did a kid switch. They also have two daughters so Sage stayed over there while the boys stayed at our house. We had a great night of PS3 playing and then all three boys crashed in the living room. 

He never once asked to even call his mom. 

Both of us were so proud of him! It's a big step with any kid, but it was a huge step for my man C. He has tried once before at another friend of ours home a year ago and was calling to go home within a couple of hours. 

I have to say that I am so honored that he trusts us enough to actually make that leap. He wants so badly to be like other teenage boys. He is such a sweetheart. I hope we can have him over again sometime soon.

Proud Mommy Moment

Fun with Government

Doesn't everyone love a day at the DMV?

Yeah, neither do I!

But that is exactly where I spent most of my Tuesday this week. In an attempt to renew my extremely overdue driver license, I headed down to the local Department of Public Safety office. I couldn't believe my eyes when I rode up at about 9:30 and the line was out the door! Fourty-five minutes later I was back out the door. Apparently you need three forms of identification here when you want to renew. I don't ever remember that from times I've renewed my license in the past. So how many forms of ID can one person have? Not too many from what the DPS agent tells me.

So back home I went, searched for my high school diploma and went up to the DPS for the third time. Oh yes! The third time. I went up on Friday and was turned away due to lack of identification. The lady wasn't real clear that time so I wasn't real sure how many items I had to have. Well it was three. I'm really beginning to dislike the number three now.

Now with my social security card, my old license, and my high school diploma  in hand (I also brought my marriage license just in case) I stood back in that month long line which was actually inside of the doors at this time. Woo hoo! So I stood in line. I gave them my three forms of identification. Then I sat for 2 more hours just to get yet another awful picture on yet another form of identification. 

Don't laugh. Please.

That is definitely the face of a tired, sick woman who has been at the DPS for hours on end. And yes, my picture that was taken approximately 10 years ago was almost as bad.

Why do I look so mad when I'm at the DPS office?!

I'm just very thankful that I now have a legal Texas ID and can buy a margarita or a glass of wine when out with my husband or friends. Although. I will be back once Dallas County courts get caught up on their paperwork and I can go get my actual driver license. Oh joy. 0_0

Fun with Government

Ready for the change

I don't get people who do things with the intention of other people not knowing. That sounds so vague. I know. Really, I don't get people that do things that are not bad and still want to hide it. If you wanted to hide it, why do it in the first place?! I guess I need to explain, huh?

Some friends had invited me out and I accepted since it was my birthday weekend. They all were going to get Glamour Shots done and go out dancing after. First of all, I'm a stay at home mom where all of these other women are working moms with only one or two kids so I'm the odd man out so to speak. And I am often left out. Being that I am usually left out, I was pretty excited to be invited along. I know, I sound like a giant loser. It's kind of like being the in-between kind of kid who knows all the cool kids and gets to hang out with them for a while until my dad loses his job and I can't afford the coolest shoes anymore so I don't get invited to hang out as much any more. No, I'm not trying to gain sympathy either. I think I used to be a friend of convenience since we all have boys that are the same age and they are all in Scouts together. We used to be closer. But not so much since I started home schooling and one of them has gotten divorced so they all think it's okay to go out almost every weekend. I don't think it's okay. 

Fast forward three weeks later after we all received our pictures. 

There was one of the women that I have always been closer to than the others. I only bought a picture of myself and not any of the group but my friend (we'll call her Sally) had received the group pictures from another one of the girls and shared them with me. Well, the only ones I received were of us all in a white men's button up shirts fishnet stockings and heels. Not my idea but I thought it would be cute so went along with it. Well what do we all do with pictures nowadays? We post 'em on Facebook! I posted my single picture and the two group pictures I received just to get a call today from Sally asking me to take the group pictures down. She said that her son may be president one day and she doesn't want that on the internet. 

Then why did you do it in the first place!!??!!

I told her that I didn't see it as a big deal. I wanted to tell her that there is no way her son is going to be president if he has to sit her down and ask her to spend time with him instead of going out and she keeps calling that time she spends with him "punishment". It's a group of women. There are no men there except for the photographer. I agreed to take them down though to appease the others. If I had known the whole thing was going to be such a big deal, I would have never gone in the first place. There was so much more to the night that I just don't feel like going into.

Truthfully, a feel that a couple of the women are really genuine. They could be real, true friends but I have had issues with friends in the past that has made it hard for me to get close to others. Sally seems like a good friend, but she also seems like the type to turn around and talk about you when you walk out the door. I've known her for almost 5 years and still don't know if I trust completely. 

This all is one reason why I can't wait for our life to change here. I am ready to make real friends. We have been presented with the most amazing opportunity with some of the awesomest, er, most awesome people I have ever met! The wheels have been set in motion. Now we just have to keep them greased and on the right track. One of these days you'll hear of us!

Ready for the change

I'm so excited

And I just can't hide it!

(dunt dunt doo da doo)

Anywho. I'll spare you all my musical skills. Dang I should do that vloggy-style! Ha! Just kidding. I wouldn't do that to you guys.

Here lately the hubs and I have been quite busy. I don't want to go into details, but we are finally working on something that will give us financial freedom at last! And yes, it is legal. :P Hopefully, by the grace of God and with some real commitment, things will be looking up in the next few months. AAAHHH!!! I'm just so excited about it!

I love my dear husband so much. He is my rock. My life. He has also been sick for the past week. Something with his stomach. He isn't "getting sick" but he does feel cruddy. He hasn't been at work this week and I reeeally kinda wish he would get better and get back to work! My days are thrown off by him lying in bed all day watching t.v. Raiden and I are sitting at the computer studying the Ojibwa while Sean sits there watching Modern Marvels. It's a bit distracting and annoying. I love him though and I will hang on to hope that it isn't anything serious.

I'm so excited

Someone's Special Day

I felt it was time for a new post. So here I am.

Christmas was great! We visited C-town for just a few days and then headed back home where Sean had a whole week off from work! We did a lot of laying around and a lot of cleaning. I let Sean get rid of a bunch of Kaitlan's baby stuff that I was holding on to. Hoping he would agree that we could have another baby. But I guess he's right. We have three beautiful blessings that we are more than grateful for.

Speaking of our three blessings, today marks thirteen years since we were blessed with our first. Sage is officially a teenager as of 8:39 this morning! It really is an awesome thing to watch our babies grow before us. They make me so happy!

Some other exciting news... Sean came across a Nikon D60 and put a down payment on it for me!!! **happy dance** I've been moping about mine since it died on us at the end of this summer. I don't know what all accessories will come with it, but I can't wait to get my hands on it!!

This Saturday we all piled into the car and drove down to Houston to visit Sean's granddad. He has been in an assisted living home for several years now suffering from alzheimer's. We all hung out for a while visiting with some of Sean's uncles, aunts, cousins and his dad. We had Chipotle. We drove around downtown Houston for a bit when we were told the wrong direction towards food. And we visited some more. Yesterday afternoon we got the call that his granddad passed. He wanted to be cremated so they will be having a memorial for him in a few months.

Okay, I'm getting out of here. We're going to our family's favorite restaurant for Sage's birthday dinner!!

Someone's Special Day