Dentist, anyone?

The kiddos are ready to stop performing and just goof off. Poppins, who's practically perfect in every way, thought it would be entertaining to buy them each a set of "Bubba Teeth". It was pretty amusing for a while here down on the farm. One of the boys sadly noted that it takes so little to make someone different, unattractive, and an outcast. Poppins kindly pointed out how he's so thankful that God looks at our hearts...and not at our faces or bodies. Doesn't that thought make you smile with gratitude (Bubba Teeth, and all....) ?

Busy Busy Busy

Yep, we're busy. Four performances this week, plus livin' life every day the best we can. We're slated to begin our next school year this coming Monday, but my head isn't quite on straight yet. I feel those unfinished lesson plans breathing down my neck....or maybe that's just the sweet March breeze blowing gently on me, urging, pleading, begging me to come outside and play for just a few more hours. The books will wait, won't they?

Driving Ms. Mommy

I didn't think I could wear the helmet. It fit. I didn't think I could get in without breaking my back. I could. I didn't think my son would grow up so quickly. He did. The years just race by , don't they?

How many teachers does it take....?

The boys are diligently striving to sew on buttons correctly. They are also straining to put a good hem into an old pillowcase remnant. It took 3 women and lots of patience to show them how to do it. Perhaps one of them will turn out to be a tailor. They certainly enjoyed the class, although the teachers were more than ready to rest when it was finished.

Boys + sharp needles = quite an experience !

Desperately Seeking the Hidden Pretzel

My friends thought it would be really funny not to hide a pretzel in the pudding. Beware of those sneaky homeschool fathers who would play such a trick on a sweet mom like I am....HA!! (Revenge is on the way....hee hee...) Sweet mom, indeed...

Marching Orders

The boys are preparing for a performance on Tuesday. They will represent a soldier from American history and will each give a speech on the armor of God (each boy representing a different "part" of that armor). They're outside right now perfecting their marching, turns, presenting arms, ordering arms, etc. From left to right :

Stennes, 11, World War I

Josiah, 10, Confederate Civil War

Branch, 7, American Revolution

Levi, 12, Spanish American War

Caleb, 16, modern-day soldier

Anders, 9, Korean War (Navy)

Painting the old barn

We went to St. Augustine at the beginning of the year. It was very interesting, although we were unable to find the Fountain of Youth . (We mothers were desperately seeking it, though!)

The Indian chief here is painting faces with clay that was used by the first natives for embellishment. I don't know if Journey is very impressed, though. Maybe when she's a little older she will better appreciate a fresh coat of paint on the old barn...

Bondye confe wout, kote k pap jan m genyen wout....

Practicing Creole with the Haitians. No pwoblem.

How much happiness can one family have? We enjoyed this trip so much. Eating peanut butter sandwiches on the Mall was quite an experience; at least in D.C. there are all kinds of people, so a woman sitting on the ground with six kids, peanut butter sandwiches, and a few apples didn't raise too many eyebrows.

The most memorable part of this trip to me was watching the expressions on the kids' faces as we toured the sites, listened to the lectures, and walked many steps were history was made. I think they enjoyed taking the Tram into D.C. There were a few "unique" characters on the same ride, and it gave us all a chance to see how blessed we are and how precious God's love is for each individual, no matter how far they are from Him.

He ain't heavy, mister...He's my BOTHER???

Or, an alternative title to this post: Does spelling change the "heart" of the message?



I was blessed to find this on my pillow a few nights ago (after a challenging day with.....well, with a child in this family) :



Deer momy
im sory for
all that I did
I'll tri to be
beter and
I think that
your the best
mom in the hole world. [Hey, did you notice the period?]
I wuold
trade ini
dog to
be abel to
keep you
momi


Love [And we'll skip the name to protect the not-so-innocent]

Why doesn't outrageous "busy-ness" make me skinny?

Have you ever thought about it? There is no time to eat, constant motion, stress levels are raging, calories are burning left and right....and yet, what inevitably happens? A FIVE POUND WEIGHT GAIN!!! Oh well, at least I'm loved...

We went fishing Friday afternoon after a drizzly rain. Josiah pulled in a beautifully colored needle fish. Stennes tried valiantly to remove the hook from the mouth, but those teeth were WHOO-HOO sharp. Paul finally stepped forward, squared his shoulders, and took the necessary pain. The fish died anyway. Oh well, at least we caught one....

We've been busy preparing for Spring Fling and for my mother-in-law's visit this coming Saturday. I'm really looking forward to seeing her. Yep, got big plans (hint, hint), lots of things to do for performances (hint, hint), books that need shelving (hint, hint), Girls' Day Out shopping (hint, hint). Oh well, maybe we can at least sit and sip tea...

As I sit here surrounded by pieces of cut paper, books on the floor, work that needs to be finished, and pencils that are dull, I wonder what God must think of all my "busy-ness". I think tonight I'll just turn my eyes the other way, play "This little piggy..." with the baby, and tell the kiddos I love them, love them, love them. Oh well, the work will wait anyway...

Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous

What can I say about a fieldtrip that makes you re-consider your life's direction? We visited Farley Nuclear Plant (about one hour away) and were completely enthralled. The Public Relations man showed us a powerpoint presentation (45 minutes) that ended up lasting 2 hours because of our questions. The children had to fight the adults (me & my sister Teresa) for floor time! It was absolutely amazing; just the intelligence of the design was fascinating. We all packed in my van and the PR guy drove us around the site, after notifying security that a gold van would be driving around. We went through quite a check-over just to get in the place, but, oh, how neat it was! Makes you wonder.....should I have studied nuclear physics after all?
Maybe I'll just stick with cooking potato curry for supper....

Afterwards, we went by the local art gallery where the children had some paintings in competition. Josiah won an Honorable Mention, and Anders completely blew us all away by winning Best of Show for the ENTIRE competition (K-12). Wow! It was a fun day for us.

Preparing for this month

February came in like a lion and went out like a rabid lion. Hmmmm.....not much quiet around here last month. Not to fear, though, March is now here. Unfortunately, March is looking pretty busy, too.
We have a field trip to a nuclear plant, a World War II seminar at the local college, an evening with a conchologist, the boys' annual Spring Fling performance, a performance at a church a few towns over, a library tour, a day with an ornithologist in preparation for state competition, an art competition (we have to finish up their entries), and other performances that aren't scheduled quite yet. Whew! Don't even think about April.......

Was this a vacation?

We just returned from Jekyll Island 4H Biology Center. We spent 3 days there, taking classes and eating lunchroom food. What a riot! The kids had so much fun going through the cafeteria line! They didn't know that there was other food in the world besides curry, rice, and beans.
Twelve classes and a long boat ride were on the schedule for these days, and they had a really good time seeing some interesting sea life up close. While we were on the boat tour, our little group of 11 students pulled in the drag net and captured one of the largest sea robins that has been found in that area! The captain was so excited that he called the 4H center to be waiting at the dock when we pulled in. They now have that interesting specimen in their aquarium in the Herpetology Center, and the boys got to visit the fish the next day. It was really fun for them all. From 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., the students received about 20 minutes free time between classes and KP duty in the cafeteria. It was an experience we won't soon forget.