A Month Later...

It's been a whole month since I have taken the time to write on this blog. I can't say that I haven't had anything to say...just haven't had time or inclination to sit down and actually write. So I'm going to try to catch you up on my life with some handy, dandy bullet points. They always go fast and are easy to tackle, especially since I don't seem to be able to write in a cohesive fashion this will handle my ramblings quiet nicely!




*I have been weighing in with the Sisterhood
but haven't really been putting much into my weight loss efforts. It has shown - I'm pretty much the same weight that I was 5 weeks ago. Not cool but I'm not sweating it anymore.


*I have been working out with the #Ironsisters
and am ready for the 3rd workout in Stage 2. It's hard and is hurting my knees. I'm hopeful that I can continue doing it.

*I went to the doctor nearly 2 weeks ago and got a bunch of blood work done. I haven't been myself; cranky, tired, gaining weight even when eating right, tired, cranky....you get the point. I had an extremely LOW thyroid and my Vitamin D levels were at 25 and should be a minimum of 60. So he has put me on a high dose of thyroid medicine and 10,000 units of VitaminD3 a day. He also told me to spend time outside in the sun without sunblock for at least 30 minutes a day. I'm getting better at this but I still need to work on it. Sometimes it doesn't seem there is 30 minutes in a day to go outside!

*My triglycerides are a bit high also, but he said not to worry about that right now. He thinks they will even out once the thyroid gets regulated. I figure if I start eating better food that will help both the triglycerides and the weight!

*Jen and I have been chatting quite a bit and we have come up with a plan to set up some goals for the month of May to help us get focused and make sure we make it to where we want to go. Our goals are both pretty much the same:
4 solid workouts every week
morning stretches
tracking everything, every day
(this one is mine) writing out daily to do list - what do I need to do this day and in what priority?

*I am not going to weigh in for the entire month of May. I have been gaining weight over the past few months and it has done nothing but discourage me and depress me. I need to get my hormones fixed up before I worry about my weight. I have weighed in for so long on Wednesdays that I may need a reminder to STAY AWAY FROM THE SCALE!! k?

*We have been homeschooling pretty consistently over the past 7 weeks and I feel like we are finally getting somewhere. I am planning for us to take a couple of weeks off in June but pick back up and school for a few hours a day throughout the summer. It gets too freaking hot here to do much outside and we can only swim so much in the summer! :) This should get us ready for 3rd grade curriculum by the end of summer even though we have taken so much time off. (This is another reason I haven't had much time lately!! It takes time to homeschool, even if it's only one student!)

*I love to read but lately reading has taken a backseat to other things I want to do. I was able to buy a Kindle at the beginning of April and I have downloaded A LOT of books for free but it seems there is never enough time in the day to actually read them. BUT...I am reading Jane Eyre and Jen and I are going to have a kind of "online book club". I have only read 3 chapters so far but I now understand why it is a classic. I'm liking it....can't wait to get further into it!

*I am walking 60 miles in 3 days the first weekend of November to help fight breast cancer. This disease affects families everyday! Me walking 60 miles and raising $2300 is just a small way I can help! Fundraising and training walks are starting up in earnest. I truly would appreciate your support as I work to find a cure!
You can donate here

It could be your mom, sister, best friend or yourself you save simply by donating a few dollars you know that you will be doing your part in finding a cure!

Time to Confess...

Tuesday is confession day at the Sisterhood. Sometimes I feel like confessing and sometimes I don't. Today I feel the need to get some things off my chest and butt, stomach and hips.

We are about to embark on our next challenge over at the Sisterhood (Shrinkvivor)and I am definitely ready to get the numbers on the scale to go down.I have been stagnating (or some people who are nice say maintaining) this weight for the past year and honestly I am sooooo tired of it I could spit! IT'S TIME to change!!

Last night during SisterChat (were you there? if not you missed a great time!) I was chatting with all the lovelies telling them they better really work hard cuz I am ready to become a HAWT Marine Mama when I go to SanDiego in December! That means I am going to really work hard and get this weight off! 12 weeks is gonna go fast...and I want the weight to get off fast too! BUTTTTT I REFUSE to starve myself and deprive myself of healthy eating habits! So what does that mean? I eat right, exercise right and lose the weight with the help of my friends!

@JeninRL was telling me last night I couldn't win Shrinkvivor cuz she was gonna win...Now usually I'm like ok great, but I was in a "dude I don't think so I'm gonna win this sucker" mood so we were egging each other on! It was actually entertaining, but then she threw of the gauntlet! To take pictures of ourself in a bikini/swimsuit and then post it on the 'hood! She went over and set up a group for it. I decided what the heck! I might be old but if I'm going to challenge her to lose weight while she challenges me to lose weight I may as well be proud enough of my successes to post a picture of myself in a swimsuit! She said bikini -- I haven't been in a bikini since she was 2 though so not sure I'm gonna go that far BUT I can do a swimsuit!! AND look GOOD in it!! THAT is the clincher!! That's gonna require some serious weight loss on my part! So....the challenge begins tomorrow!! There will be a beginning picture but that will not be seen YET! And of fcourse the ending picture!

Ok...onto other confessions!

That Other Kid is driving me crazy! He seems to be craving my attention every second of EVERY day! We have done very little school lately and I'm frustrated with that. We have to do school but every time we sit down to do it he starts whining and complaining that he misses his brother or he wants to "spend time with me"!! He doesn't want to do anything that requires actual LEARNING! I have to admit that I'm at a loss as to what to do. Honestly I am pretty distracted and don't want to do school either....BUT that doesn't change the fact that it needs to be done!

My Marine left on September 19 for bootcamp and I still haven't heard from him! I'm getting to the point where I can function without crying and wondering what he is doing and how he is doing but there are things that will set me off! This weekend while walking my 17 mile walk someone had yellow ribbons tied on their trees in the front yard! I started crying and one of my friends started praying for me! Only 12 more weeks till I get to see him!! I've been told that I should get a letter from him sometime this week! I hope so!

I walked 30 miles over the weekend! Honestly it was HARD but it was not impossible. What made it harder??....messing up my knee on Saturday and having to walk all 17 miles Sunday (in the heat)with a bum knee!
What made it easier??....getting the FroggTogg in the mail on Saturday and using it on Sunday and walking with a friend! (We shared the FroggTogg!!) Thanks Christie!

I am down to 6 weeks before the Komen 3 Day for the Cure Walk and I still have about $1500 to raise! Please help me raise money for breast cancer research! It could be you, your mom, your sister or best friend that you help!! You can donate here to support me!

And while we are talking fundraising I have a question for you. If you were given a chance to raise a significant amount of money at an event that you didn't really support would you participate or would you say forget it? Just curious cuz that's where I am at with an event this weekend. I am going to participate in it because I can raise a lot of money but I'm having a problem with being at the event!

Ok...I'm off to play soccer with That Other Kid! If you have confessions to make feel free to join in the confession discussion at the Sisterhood or let me know what is up with you!!

Homeschooling Questions....

Go here if you are looking for new ways to respond to the "age old" questions of "Why do you homeschool?"

There are some wonderful responses and I whole-heartedly agree with them!!

We homeschool because "we want to"!!

Can I get an "amen"??

Thanks, Melissa for the link!

You Capture -- Something New

This week's challenge for the You Capture photo meme was to photograph something you have never photographed before.

I'm not real orignal when it comes to taking pictures so this was more challenging than I thought it would be. What is something that I haven't taken a picture of? Well most of my pictures are of my boys or something that they do. This one does fit that category, but I've never taken a picture of That Other Kid playing a computer game for KINDERGARTEN! So...here ya go!!




He is soaking up all the "learning" going on around here...as long as it's something he WANTS to do! Today we started working on some phonics and I got a bit of resistance, but it was pretty minor compared to what I dealt with with That Kid! I struggled a bit with getting him to sit for story time today so we just moved on to something else...MATH is his favorite subject and as I said on Facebook today, what is wrong with this kid?? I can't even imagine loving math the way he does and he is great at it, too, which probably helps considerably!

So....anywho...go back to Beth's site and check out all the other "different things" that people are taking pictures of!

1st Day of Kindergarten - Tiny Talk Tuesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday celebrates our children and their view of the world. They continually make us laugh and by recording their Tiny Talk we can focus on one of the many JOYS of parenting! If your kiddos made you laugh this week (don't they always), then feel free to share the humor! Check out more Tiny Talks with Mary.


Today was the first day of Kindergarten in our homeschool! It was a very exciting time for both That Other Kid and I. I'm not sure who was more excited -- but I would guess it was him! Yesterday while we were eating dinner as a "complete" family (meaning That Kid was home for the weekend) we started talking about "stuff" happening since he's been gone. I mentioned that after That Kid got up and left for school Tuesday morning, that we would be starting Kindergarten. That Other Kid got so excited he was literally bouncing up and down in his chair! That's what I call enthusiastic!

I didn't really get a chance to prepare for school the way I had intended but I knew pretty much what I wanted to accomplish. This morning we got up and did our normal stuff and I had planned to start school about 11 a.m. and work till 1, then go to the park for a couple of hours to burn off some of his energy and get in his "PE" and "socialization" for the day.

About 10:30 That Other Kid was finished with breakfast, dressed and "rearin' to go". He said, "When are we EVER going to start school! I need to "get smart"! So I finished my breakfast and at 10:45 a.m. this morning we "officially" started kindergarten! It was a great day and it was fun to "start over" with an enthusiastic student.

He is a visual, kinestetic learner, so about half way through the "school day" (which was about 2 hours today) I sent him for a little run down the block! Then we sat on the couch and I read a couple of readings from William Bennett's Children's Book of Virtues. It was nice to have a little "snuggle time" in the midst of our school time.

He loves maps, so I had him color a map of Texas while coloring in some of the major rivers. He informed me that there are "28" rivers in Texas. "Wow! That's a lot of rivers, huh, Mom? and did you know there is a river in Texas that looks like a "beavers dam" because it cuts off part of the state?" Tomorrow we will continue our study of Texas with the state bird, flower, flag, etc. I can't wait to see what WE learn tomorrow!

Phonics will be our "struggling" area but I love the ABEKA reading/phonics program so we will work with that and get through it. Today our letter/sound of the day was "I" (the short vowel) and the symbol of the "i" was an indian. He wasn't sure what an "indian" was so I got to explain what an indian is in simple kindergarten type vocabulary. He had to find all the capital "I's" and the lower case "i's" in a word find puzzle. The letter "I" was formed with capital "I" and the lower case "i" was formed with lower case "i's" in the puzzle, too!

He thought that was the "funniest" part of school.

Hey, whatever it takes to make it FUN...that's what I'm all about!

Graduation -- Student #2

This is "Boo" and she is another special young lady to me. She graduated this past Saturday, May 23rd in a wonderful ceremony that made me cry. Once again let me start at the beginning....my beginning.

Boo and That Kid met in May of 2004 at the annual Six Flags Homeschool Day. Within a couple of months they were best of friends. It's hard to maintain a male/female friendship without weird stuff but they did a fabulous job of it. Fast forward a couple of years and I met Boo's mom. We also became fast friends sharing lots of mom secrets and learning how to raise teenagers together. About that same time I started getting to know Boo and I realized what it was that made That Kid have such a great friendship with her.

Boo is a sensitive, beautiful, intelligent, fun young lady. She was homeschooled from the 2nd or 3rd grade and attended college classes to help her with her more advanced courses once she turned 13 or so...She graduated from high school last weekend with over 30 college credits and will attend Abilene Christian College in the fall. She has many dreams for her future -- a few of which I'm aware of. I am convinced she could do any or even all of these things should she decide to pursue them, but her LOVE is baking and dancing!! I've seen her dance and it is a beautiful expression of her grace and I have tasted her baking talents and I have to say they are delectable!! and, of course, quiet fattening so I need to stay away from them for the most part right now, but I indulged last weekend and sampled several of the treats she prepared for the graduation ceremony.

Many people stereotype homeschool students into some kind of "nerdy" homebody that is not socialized and could not get around in the "real world" but I assure you that Boo is not one of "those" kinds of homeschooled students. Boo is a "normal" teenage young lady going through the "normal" types of struggles that most teens go through. She has tons of friends and is always with them bringing joy and her spontaneous, fun personality along with her. When it is all said and done and she graduates from college and strikes on her own I know that because of her zest for life she will come out on top doing whatever she sets her mind to do.

This is a young lady I am blessed to know. Boo is a special, young lady that I am glad That Kid met back in 2004...She is a part of my life...

Congrats to you "Boo"! May God grant you the desires of your heart and give you everything you want for your future. Remember that God made you special, so that you could do all the things you want!! You can do it!! I believe in you!!

I love you, Boo!!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday celebrates our children and their view of the world. They continually make us laugh and by recording their Tiny Talk we can focus on one of the many JOYS of parenting! If your kiddos made you laugh this week (don't they always), then feel free to share the humor! Check out more Tiny Talks with Mary.



It's time for another edition of the Tiny Talks from my kids....

Today both my boys were playing the Wii together and they were starting to get a little bit TOO competitive. I told them they needed to remember this was 'just a game'...That doesn't go over too well with my two very competitive boys!

They continued playing while I was preparing dinner, when I hear That Kid say to That Other Kid, "I don't want to play this game anymore! You keep winning, and that's not FAIR!!"

They were playing a bowling training game -- I don't know much about it, but they play it a lot....basically I think it's to train for the 'real' games.

That Other Kid told his brother, "I know a shorter way to count from 1 - 100!"

That Kid says, "Ok, tell me."

That Other Kid replies, "One, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety, one hundred!"

That Kid is totally shocked and speechless!

Honestly, so was I!! I asked him how he learned that and he said he "just knew it"!

I have a feeling math is gonna be the hardest subject for me to keep him challenged with when it comes time to actually start school this fall!!

Homeschooling Poll

Homeschooling has always been a controversial topic. Those who homeschool are very adamant that it is best for them and their kids. Those that don't homeschool think that the public schools or private schools could do a better job with those kids. I agree, homeschooling is NOT for everyone. I have a dear friend who gave it her best shot and has finally decided that putting her kids in the school system IS BEST for them! I applaud her! She went against "peer pressure" and did what was best for HER KIDS and HERSELF! Not everyone is cut out for 24/7 with her kids and teaching them .

I have homeschooled my oldest son his entire life. I plan to start "formal" homeschooling with my youngest son this fall -- actually he's already doing alot of stuff on his own, so homeschooling him has officially begun this summer! I don't have a teaching certificate. I do have 2 years of elementary education study from college. I seriously doubt having a teaching certificate would have made me a better teacher for my older son. I think being a better MOTHER WOULD have made me a better teacher. I also think that I should have followed my INSTINCTS instead of the teacher's manual for all those thousands of dollars of curriculum I bought. I think I should have operated a little more "out of the box". These things would have made me a better mom and teacher.

This poll was found in the Parade magazine and has been making its rounds through the homeschooling community. At first I just ignored it....as I do a lot of these "political-type" polls, but I decided to check it out. I have enclosed the link for the article as well as the link so you can vote.

http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2008/edition_06-01-2008/Intelligence_Report

In February, a California state appeals court ruled that unless parents have recognized teaching credentials, they must send their children to school. The judge, citing a state education law, said that “parents do not have a constitutional right to home-school their children.” Parents and politicians were outraged, and the court will rehear the case this month.

At stake is the education of the 166,000 California children who currently are home-schooled. But the court decision also could influence laws across the country. Nationwide, up to 2 million children are taught at home. Experts estimate that the number is increasing 7% to 12% a year.

“If upheld, the California ruling will send shock waves nationwide,” says Richard Kahlenberg, the author of a number of books on education. He says the case “pits those who believe parental rights are paramount against those who place a premium on well-educated citizens.”

Right now, only six states have strict regulations for home-schooling, usually requiring parents to have their curriculum approved, to show test scores and, in some places, to submit to home visits. Fourteen states, including California, mandate only that parents notify the state of their decision to home-school.

Let's keep our FREEDOM!!!!! In this area as well as all others!!!

I'm Still Alive!!!

just extremely busy since I got home Monday night. I did laundry for what seemed like days just to catch up on what we used over the weekend. Then the week held doctor's appointments, a pre-planned play date, a trip to Six Flags over Texas for Homeschool Day, and the annual Homeschool Bookfair. Of course, we squeezed in a Mother's Day lunch (Saturday) and a Ranger's Baseball game this afternoon! That is, in short, my week since I've been home.

My trip to Kansas was fun...I have pictures and video to share when I get a few more minutes, because we had a great time with family and celebrated my niece's 4th birthday. That Other Kid had a wonderful time, playing with his cousins, jumping on the trampoline, "mowing" the grass, riding his bike, and playing at the park! Needless to say, I am exhausted!!

Thanks to all the prayers that have gone out my dad is doing better than ever expected with NO side effects from the radiation and chemo treatments. He's walking 2 miles a day and he kicked my butt walking the track at the local rec center he walks at every day. I could barely walk 1 mile, and it was embarrassing and humbling as well as pleasing that he is doing so well!!

That Kid's trip to Utah was informative and beneficial to his referee future. He was in a classroom setting for a huge hunk of time Friday, did a power skate that he said was HARD (but then again he hasn't skated till that weekend for about 6 weeks), then did another classroom time on Saturday morning. Then he was assigned to work 3 games all Midget Major AA level -- which is the level he PLAYS -- and he isn't supposed to be able to ref yet! He worked these high level games with as much skill as he could, and was criticized and praised by high level officials. He did well and learned tons that he can apply to games here in the metroplex...I'm so proud!

I got pictures back from the Prom and pictures back from the photo shoot that That Other Kid won that I also need to post. But those will take time, too so they must wait for me to get a little more caught up around here. I have school work to grade and get caught up on and that is my next goal. There is only a few more weeks left and then we go to VERY limited schoolwork for the summer. But before the summer break That Kid will be preparing for the June 7th SAT test.

So much to do....so little time!!!!

Hope all is well in your world....

Homeschooling Friends

Last week I received this beautiful beaded bookmark in the mail from my homeschool swap buddy. She is a wonderful lady who has something encouraging to say in nearly every post. You can check out her blog at http://homeschoolblogger.com/socalval. In case you have no idea what I am talking about you can check it out over at http://homeschoolblogawards.com . You can also nominate people in 20 some odd categories for this year homeschool blog awards.



I think that the mom/homeschool blog community is something special that us women need in our busy, crazy lifes. I know that I value the "friendships" of the women I have "met" through blogs and I don't even personally know these women but I "feel" THEIR FRUSTRATIONS and I "feel" THEIR JOYS.

So today I am thankful for blogs of the women that I have "met" through blogging. Some of these women homeschool, like myself; and some send their kids to traditional schools, but we have a common bond....we are all moms in the 21st century and find comfort in sharing our life with others over the internet!

Happy Blogging Ladies!!!!

Homeschooled Teens

What am I thankful for today???? Well it's kind of funny, really....so bare with me. I let That Kid go to a play at a near by church that a lot of his homeschooled friends attend last night. Many of the characters in the play are his friends, so I thought it would be a great thing for him to see.

Afterwards a group of these friends invited him to go grab a bite to eat, and since I am his driver for now I met them all at this fast food place. They were all sitting at a table together (5 of them -- 2 girls, 3 boys) and I was sitting at a table near them listening to their conversation. Now mind you, these are teens ranging from 15 -17 years old.

What do you think they were discussing??? The lastest teen movie??? The lastest fashions at the mall??? Troubles with their parents??? NOOOOOO, they were talking about the upcoming PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION!!! AND THEIR CHOICES FOR PRESIDENT!!!! Don't ya just love HOMESCHOOLED KIDS????? 3 of these teens are in a government class together at a local co-op and they were discussing the pros and cons of the politicans. This just cracked me up!!! I sat there laughing, because I was thinking to myself I never even thought about future presidents when I was their age......I DIDN'T CARE!!! and neither did my friends.....all we cared about was our next trip to the mall, movies, clothes, etc. This is the difference between homeschool and public schooled students!!! not to mention another generation!!!

So.....what am I thankful for today??? HOMESCHOOLED TEENAGERS!!!! especially those that call my son their friend......1 of the boys even lives in our neighborhood!!! yeah!!!!