Ode to a toilet. And more.

Many of my blog friends have great lists--places they've lived, places they've visited, etc. I've only lived in a couple of cities, and I've never been anywhere THAT exciting. But there's one thing I've done in more places than any of you. I've thrown up everywhere.

I've always suffered from motion sickness, even as a baby. I have vague memories of Mom feeding me Dramamine before long car trip. Windy mountain roads? Can't do it, unless I'm the one driving. I'll even get that feeling if Robert backs down our short driveway too fast. But none of that is especially unique.

My sister will never forget the summer the two of us flew, by ourselves, across the country to visit our grandparents for several weeks. We were 8 and 10. I threw up at least four times, and Lori spent the majority of the flight running back and forth from the bathroom to get me more bags. (I would say "poor Lori," but it was probably pretty entertaining for her.)


There was the weekend Lori and I stayed with "friends." Both sets of parents went away for the weekend, and the five of us kids shared one babysitter. The babysitter took us to the park, and I spun for way too long. Back at the house, I began feeling sick, and as I ran for the bathroom, the other kids found glee in shouting to me which bathroom to use. "Go that way, go that way!" "No, use this one instead!" Momentarily puzzled, I stopped and threw up right in their living room. All over their brand new, brand spanking new carpet. This was early 1970s, and lucky for them, their new carpet was that pukey green shag color already. Served those nasty kids right, too.

I'm an experienced barfer. I could have been a professional--if someone would have paid me. I've thrown up in planes while others were boarding and they thought I was faking. When baby Holly and I flew once, I threw up so quietly that the little old lady behind me asked if I wanted to take my bag when I left the plane. (I politely declined.)

Even the thought of flying can make me sick. I've thrown up in the front yard before we even left the house.

Crowds can make me sick too. In 6th grade, a friend and I did the March of Dimes Walkathon. Another mom drove us there. We waited in the packed lines at the fairgrounds, waited in the hot sun, waited for the walk to start. I couldn't stand it anymore and I threw up--all over the back of the woman who drove us. I'll tell you, people MOVED out of MY way then, and I didn't feel crowded after that.


In jr. high, I avoided the ultimate humiliation. As that feeling came over me, I dashed from the classroom just in time to reach a garbage can in the hallway.


I did something similar at work one day. I knew it was coming and threw up in a cup while riding the elevator down (50 floors, not fun). My only mistake was throwing the cup away, and as I fled my building, I threw up all over the street.

The two or three times that I've had a six pack to drink in one evening made me throw up too, but I am not sure that counts . . .


There was the time I threw up in a police car. But it's not what you think. I'd gone a few ride alongs, where you sign up to ride with a police officer for part of a shift. They were SO fun. The first two were with DUI cops, and we drove around the main roads pulling over drunks. The third ride along was with a patrol officer. He drove in and out of alleys . . . up and down . . . gas, brake . . . gas, brake. I'm getting butterflies just thinking about it. It was my last ride along. Even more mortifying was a few years later when I met the officer again through my work. You don't think he'd forget, do you?


When Holly attended ps, I went on a field trip with her class. On a school bus. Good thing I didn't eat a big breakfast. Good thing I was a quiet barfer. Good thing I had a bag. The worst part was having to get back on that bus to go home.

Before we moved here, we came down for a long weekend to check out neighborhoods. Robert drove. Around and around, up one street, down another. Big mistake. I lasted about 15 minutes and had to spend the rest of the afternoon back in hotel room.

Then there was my surgery a few years ago. Afterwards, they gave me a patch for behind my ear to minimize the nausea from the anesthetic. It worked. It worked really well. But before it started working, I threw up between the hospital and Robert's car. (Hey, that could've been worse.)

I've thrown up on a ferry or two, too. Even this past summer, I almost did, but thankfully we docked in time. I was quite green.

My luck didn't hold out. Later that week, we went whale watching for Trevor's birthday. We were on a boat with 30 people. We were traveling between islands, the water wasn't choppy. It was chilly, and I spent most time on deck. But I made the fatal mistake of using the bathroom, the little tiny bathroom below deck where I couldn't see but could feel that rocking, rocking, rocking. I went back up, sat in the bow and got horribly sick twice. My wonderful dh wrapped blankets around me and hung out with me while he got completely drenched from the waves. I think my mom's wonderful Mike kept Robert company, and my kids and mom stayed close for a while too. (It's not like I had my eyes open, so I really don't remember.) And while we saw a lot of really cool wildlife and had a fabulous boat ride (at least the first couple of hours), no, we didn't see any whales. But it was a day I will never forget.

So some of you have lived in many wonderful places. Some of you have travelled quite a bit. And I have my own special list. If only there was a demand for professional barfers. I'd be rich.

How I met my husband

It was Christmas 1990. I was working full time in Colorado, had no boyfriend at the time, and thought it would be nice to get a part time retail job for the extra money to buy my plane ticket home. The only problem was that no one would hire me, once they found out I'd be out of town from 12/24 on. My honesty was killing me, but I was pretty set against not lying.

I ended up at BEST Products. Do you remember BEST, a "catalog showroom" store? The assistant manager who hired me did so because she thought one of her managers might like me--REALLY like me.


Robert had been working at BEST for years, was the jewelry department supervisor, and going to school part time. He was my boss. He was fun and funny, always joking with everyone. He thought I was cute and had fat ankles. Within two weeks, he asked me out. "Maybe," I said. "Ask me next week." And he did.

It was a Sunday and we made plans to go out on Wednesday. I didn't want to go out on a weekend night--the short lived Brady Brides series was on Friday nights, and I wasn't going to miss that for anything! In the meantime, he asked if I'd like to go out with him that night too, for drinks or football or something at a friend's house. I turned him down. (Poor guy.)

When he came to pick me up, I was very impressed that he'd shaved right before coming over. I wore jeans. With holes in the knees. (I wonder why I was so reluctant?)

He took me to a very popular restaurant in a not-so-nice area of town. He was so full of nervous chatter that it was one of the very few times I have ever finished eating before him. I was just happy to eat without worrying about making conversation.

While we were talking on the way home, he mentioned he'd eventually like to get married and have kids. WOW, THAT was not something most guys would ever say on a first date, and it got my attention. Not that I really wanted to get married and have kids at that point . . .

Within two or three weeks, we were having all night phone conversations. Except when I'd fall asleep.

Within a month, we'd picked names for our kids. Holly Lynn. John Michael.

Two and a half years later, we were married. He thought he'd pass out. It crossed my mind that he might bolt out the door. I practically ran down the aisle. I was just nervous. Of course.

Almost four years after choosing her name, our daughter was born. Holly Lynn. By the time our son was born several years after that, we'd changed his name a little. Not John Michael, but Trevor John.

Posting about this makes me think a couple of things . . .

I wonder what happened to Barb B____, the manager who hired me. She came to our wedding, moved to Fort Collins shortly after, and dropped out of touch.

I only worked at BEST for that Christmas season. But I wonder if I'd have met Robert anyway. I was good friends with Mancy, my boss from my full time job. In one of those interesting twists, in our metropolitan area of a million people, Robert lived directly across the street from Mancy, and they knew each other.

And lastly, somewhere in here is a pun about honesty and the BEST policy . . .


So, for my blogging friends . . . how did you meet YOUR dh?

It could have been worse

It could have been snowing. But it wasn't.


It was Robert's brand new car. Trevor was sitting right here. They'd JUST parked, Robert was out of the car, and incredibly Trevor wasn't out yet. The driver of the other car backed up quickly, C-RUNCH. Thank you, God, for watching over Trevor and keeping him from opening his door. So it definitely could have been worse.


Robert called me from the parking lot and asked me to bring the camera. I could have been going to the hospital. It definitely could have been worse.

We all went into the mall afterwards. Holly tells me that Aunt Lori was asking her how *I* would have felt if MY mom had followed me around with a camera when I was 12. (Gee, THANKS, Aunt Lori!!) Actually, Holly has been a good sport. At least she didn't hide!

We bought a couple of pretzels, and Robert consoled Trevor at Orange Julius. Trevor was still pretty upset. Even little accidents can be traumatic for adults, and he's just a kid. (I felt like Emily at the mall with my camera, but I did turn off my flash!)

When we came home, Trevor and Robert restocked our woodpile. Again.

Of course, while they worked, I didn't. I walked around with my camera. Just before sunset, everything was bathed in gold.


Two weeks ago, we experimented with Breakfast Burritos for dinner. Oh, they were so good! I made them again last week when Robert worked late, and they were all gone the next morning. I made them again tonight for dinner.

BREAKFAST BURRITOS

Per burrito:
1 potato
1 egg
1/8 lb. chorizo or sausage
cheese
1 tortilla, warm

Peel and dice potatoes; boil until tender. Scramble egg the way you like; I always add a couple of teaspoons of 1/2 and 1/2 for each egg. Fry sausage. Mix all together, and place in tortilla. Top with cheese and anything else you want (sour cream, salsa, etc.). Wrap well. Can wrap in plastic and reheat in microwave.

YUM!

* * *

So, not the best day ever. But it certainly could have been worse.

Finding the balance

Like all parents, hsing parents have to work hard at finding the balance. The inevitable "socialization" questions always puzzle and amuse me (and make me grit my teeth as I pretend to smile). Instead of having nothing to do, it seems there are too many things from which to choose. It's easy to spend too much time out of the house.

Shortly after we began hsing, Holly started attending a part time school, two half days per week. She was in second grade and had a wonderful teacher. The kids and other families were great, and we made many new friends. That was the year I learned how to teach Spalding (no small feat!) and was introduced to Shurley English (which we now use at home). The school was a great fit, a good balance with what we did at home.

Her third grade year was pretty good too. In addition to the part time school for both of these years, Holly played soccer 2x a week, took various art classes, swimming lessons, and we joined weekly hs park days, and more. Trevor went to preschool two days a week too. Again, we found our balance.

Holly's fourth grade class required more time on homework. She was also doing more work at home, and the two seldom meshed. We had to commit to one or the other--if we spent too much time doing the school's homework, what was the point of hsing? She dropped the school, and we subsequently dropped every single outside activity, except for AWANA. It was a change, sure, but a welcome one. It was a big relief, it was relaxing to not feel like we were always on the right. Our new balance was perfect.

But the scales always change, and the following year, we joined a co-op. Holly was in fifth grade, Trevor in second. It's a big co-op, really big--175 classes per semester, 350 families. (Some families take quite a few classes.) It offers a huge variety, math, science, language arts, foreign language, P.E., art and more, with classes usually of 12-16 kids, classes for Kers, all the way through 12th grade.

Not wanting to upset our balance much, we tiptoed in gently. Holly took an IEW-based writing class; Trevor took a class on Aesop's Fables. Their classes were at the same time one afternoon a week, a perfect balance to keep every morning open for school. The second semester, Holly got into a marvelous tae kwon do class, taught by a popular local Christian instructor, a former U.S. Olympian. Trevor took a PE class. Their classes were in the morning this time, but we'd rush out the door before 9, come back home and do a little school, eat lunch, and the kids would spend those afternoons at the ice skating rink. Class days were fun, and we balanced it out by fitting in more work on the other school days.

Last semester, I let Holly choose her class, and was surprised and pleased when she opted for Dance. Holly loved learning hip hop and had a blast at the recital at the end of the class. This time, though, I couldn't get Trevor into anything even close to the same time. Instead, he would play on the playground, or play cards with me. He was happy taking this break, and both kids once again found their balance.

The new semester begins next week. This is the first time both kids will be taking two classes each. We had orientation today and met the teachers, saw some familiar names on the class lists. Holly chose Beginning Photography, and she'll be posting those pictures on her blog. She can't wait to use Dad's camera. :) She's also taking a horse care class, which includes oral presentations and several riding "field trips" at the instructor's home (oh-so conveniently across the street from her regular riding instructor's place). Trevor is excited to take a weather science class and learn karate (can't you just see Spiderman leaping along the floor and jumping up with karate moves?!).

Two kids, two classes each this time. Spread out over two days. I'm not worried about balance. Okay, I am, just a little, but I know I can work it out. We spend a lot of time at home doing a lot of work, and this WILL be a nice balance, as I'll cut down on some of the routine things at home. The kids will appreciate the break; I think our days will be more balanced overall. At least for now.

Terrific Tuesday in pictures

We are having a great week. The kids and I ran errands for several hours this afternoon. First stop is the cleaners, and next is the library, where we go several times a week.

This picture is representative of our everyday life. Holly does whatever it is she wants to do (checking out library books).

Trevor runs around figuring out how he can change his DNA and become Spiderman. (I'm just thankful he's not leaping around on the floor like Spidey.)


Then to the grocery store and Kohl's. Holly's desperately in need of some new clothes. She's skinny with very long legs, and it finally occurrs to me to look in the jr.'s section. Wow! She tries on 17 pairs of jeans, and not one of them is too short! Our new Kohl's has wonderful dressing areas. Trevor lays on a big vinyl couch right outside Holly's room and plays Gameboy. The room is gigantic, with a big place to sit, and loads of hooks and a long rack to hang clothes.
Holly ends up with two pairs of jeans and four sweaters (which were less than $8 each). We've also been looking for a winter coat (her old one doesn't even come near her wrists, and she truly cannot wear it in public). Columbia coats were 70% off, and she finds one she likes, yippee!

So much for the camera. (But see what I mean, the poor girl has at least one hole in her knees.)

It's after 5, and we're heading home. In an effort to get Holly hooked on taking pics, I give her the new camera to play with. Hey, not nearly as bad as I thought for a profile shot, not bad at all!!!

I encourage the kids to take pictures of the passing scenery before the lighting changes.
We have a fast dinner of sloppy joes and hang out until American Idol. What's with the Fidel Castro guy anyway?

Book Review - Beauty Junkies by Alex Kuczynski

I don't know where I first saw Beauty Junkies: Inside Our $15 Billion Obsession with Cosmetic Surgery, but I specifically requested it from my library. The author is a reporter for The New York Times, and this is her first book.

I enjoyed reading it, in fact I was pulled back to it again and again. For me, reading this was a bit of a "guilty pleasure." It was interesting yet a little creepy, informative and easy -- fun -- to read. It's incredible what some people will do to conform to their perception of "beauty." It also made me wonder just where is "the line"--certainly an individual decision. Do you think surgery is "over the top"? How about dermabrasion or other less invasive procedures? How about waxing, expensive haircuts, makeup? Padded bras, manicures, plucking your eyebrows?

One cute quote near the end of the book: "No one can be perfect. Even trying to be just plain okay requires effort."

Egg candling experiment a bust

I've officially declared this egg experiment over. Has anyone used this (from the Zoology book) and been able to see anything worthwhile?

We had a very strong flashlight and thought we could possibly see the yolk (still not sure about that). We could see the air sac membrane, and there was something big like a giant air bubble floating on the top of the egg when held sideways. Maybe that's the yolk? It seemed ridiculous to have the kids draw a picture of what it looked like--it doesn't seem like it would change drastically enough for them to be able to recognize change through their drawings. In order to help the eggs "age," they've been on our counter top the whole time.

As instructed, we waited a few days (okay, we waited 10 or 11 days). We looked at the eggs today and could not see that ONE single thing had changed. Since it's not time consuming, I can hardly call it a colossal waste of time--but it's a huge waste of effort and frankly, I'm sick of having two eggs in a bowl on my usually-cleared off counter!

Holly and I tossed the eggs into the sink. I was momentarily terrified when Trevor began drawing what he saw (whatever THAT was), but he said he just wanted to draw it, he didn't care that I'd gotten rid of the egg. Whew!!!!

I do not like this part of science at ALL. Any experiments that seem to have the potential for teaching something end up to be one giant headache for me--or so it seems! This is exactly why I'm counting on Robert to take over science for Holly next year as she moves into higher level stuff.

Bah!

* * *

Actually, the rest of the day is going very well! We've stayed in all day, had a really great school day, more relaxed than usual for a Monday. The kids were thrilled when I told them to go clean their rooms for 10 mins., and I'd have a surprise. I was surprised they kept guessing food! I played Off Road Fury (racing games) with them on PS2, not our usual after lunch activity. :)

Since Robert went out to lunch today, I knew he wouldn't be hungry. He just called to ask what we're having for dinner. I tried to put him off and finally had to admit I'm planning pigs in a blanket, macaroni and cheese and canned fruit. It's not often that I can make him laugh out loud, but he found that to be absolutely hysterical. I honestly don't know what I'll be eating, but I have a feeling I'll only be making that dinner for Holly and Trevor, lol!

Super Sunday

It was yet another snowy day. Although I'm still grumbling a little about it, I think I've resigned myself to this weather. Brr!

Holly and I went shopping for her at the mall today, although we didn't find much. Robert and Trevor went out somewhere too, and when I came home, Robert had a present waiting for me.


He bought it sort of as a joke, and apparently the price was right. He bought me a new camera a year ago for Christmas, but it always freaks me out to have to put the new software on the computer and DO anything differently. (Rather silly, since they are all HPs.) I have never used the new camera. In November, I told him he should wrap it up and give it to me again, so he took the camera and started using it--not like he takes pictures of anything!

Of course, immediately my camera began acting up, opening and closing when I wouldn't expect, shutting down, etc. It wasn't that big of a deal to me because I didn't want to deal with anything new--but I could still bug Robert about me NOT having a good camera. :)

Holly's Beginning Photography co-op class begins next week. She needs to use a digital camera, and she can't use my camera that's not dependable. Poor kid, how frustrating would that be? So I told her she could use Robert's "new" camera. I'm so generous!

Robert is too, and now I have a new camera also. Thank you, honey!!!!!

He also bought a photo printer. One more thing to freak me out if I have to think about it. He can have that all to himself, though. Oh, wait, I suppose I'll tell Holly that he'll share that with her too. (grin)

While we were at the mall, Robert baked a razzleberry pie.


Okay, YES, he baked it, but it was a frozen Marie Callender's pie. You didn't hear any complaints about that here though!

I fixed the old standby Pork Chops with Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup and rice. We had sauteed mushrooms and one of my favorite spinach salad recipes.

SPINACH SALAD

1 bag of spinach, cleaned
5 slices of bacon
3 T. bacon drippings
2 T. currant jelly
2 T. orange juice
2 T. cider vinegar
1/2 c. sliced almonds

Put spinach in serving bowl.

Fry bacon until crisp, remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Reserve 3 T. fat in bacon pan, add jelly, orange juice and vinegar, stirring well. Just before serving, heat to boiling, and then pour over spinach. Toss well, add almonds and crumbled bacon.

* * *

We are ready for a new school week. I'm very happy that we have 92 school days done and 80 left to go. While I plan out a detailed weekly schedule, and I in general plan to complete a year's curriculum within a year, I don't plan out a whole year's worth of scheduling. (Whta purpose would it serve? I'd rather move at the kids' pace, whether it's more quickly or more slowly, it really doesn't matter.) Looking over their subjects, we are more than halfway through everything except history. But that's to be expected, since the book is 42 chapters, and we only do one chapter per week. I could plan a few "crunch" weeks coming up; however, if I do that, then we'll start the school year with a new book, and it's easier to get my first choice of library books if we're on an "off" schedule. This has been a really terrific school year, everything running smoothly, in a good routine. It's good to start the week and keep that in mind!

Book Review - Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

It's snowing, perfect time for me to catch up on reading and reviews.

* * *

Author Julie Powell was a judge a week or so ago on my favorite program, Iron Chef America, and I requested her book Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen from my library. I started reading this morning. It's okay. It was rather funny that she started writing her story on a blog. Before I knew this, I'd already been thinking that some of my blogging buddies are better writers. I wish I'd read the amazon reviews first, because then I never would have bothered with the book. It's autobiographical; she's bored with her life and lack of a career so decides to work through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. There's a lot of crass language, and it seemed that she wasn't comfortable with the "f" word but felt she should insert it every couple of pages. If I didn't have anything better to read, I'd probably stick with it.

I've never been a Julia Child fan (and certainly not a fan of French cooking either) but I recently read the autobiography, My Life in France. It was an excellent read about her life in general, her wonderful relationship with her husband, her early training, cooking, and co-authorship of her first few books, and of course, her life in France.

Recommendation: Don't choose this poor substitute. If you want to read a good book or if you have any interest in Julia Child, read My Life in France instead.

Book Review - Sister Freaks by Rebecca St. James

Wow, Rebecca St. James is everywhere. She's a popular Christian music artist, and I recently caught her on a "infomercial" for Compassion International. I noticed Sister Freaks: Stories of Women Who Gave Up Everything for God on DeEtta's blog. This is a compilation of individual stories about women who take up the cause for Christ, often at great cost.

The book is intended as a devotional study, with twelve weeks of stories, five stories per week. It'd be more beneficial to read that way. I read it in a week or two. I can't commit to twelve weeks, and it's a library book. I'd definitely recommend it as a long term project, and I wish I could have focused more on each individual story.

From the introduction, "We all love Jesus; I just wonder sometimes if we're accomplishing something great for His kingdom." Take up the cause.

Book Review - The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution by Fredrick Hahn

The complete title of this book is The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution: The Slow Motion Exercise That Will Change Your Body in 30 Minutes a Week. It's very similar to Power of 10: The Once-A-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution by Adam Zickerman. The premise of both books is that you can build strength and muscle more easily by doing slow motion exercises that don't take much time--30 mins. a week.

Sound unbelievable? It worked for me, and quickly. I've been following Power of 10 for 2.5 years. I noticed a huge difference within three weeks. The ideas might not work for everyone, obviously, but here's a few reasons why it made a big difference for me.

--Prior to exercising this way, I didn't exercise at all.
--My eating habits were horrible, eating virtually nothing until mid-afternoon, when, starving, I'd gobble a bunch of candy.
--While I'm no longer stick-skinny, neither am I overweight.

What about aerobics? Aerobic exercise doesn't improve your heart or lungs. It strengthens your muscles. "Stronger muscles working more efficiently to draw oxygen from the blood reduce the demand on the heart and lungs, which gives the impression of improved cardiovascular or cardiopulmonary fitness." "You don't need to strengthen your heart and lungs; in fact, you can't." A chapter of the book is dedicated to explaining this in more detail.

I prefer the Power of 10 book. In addition to slow motion exercise, it goes into much more detail about diet and the effect of eating protein and healthy carbs. Both books include several exercises that can be done inside your house without any weights, but overall, I prefer Power of 10's exercises.

Within a few weeks of beginning Power of 10, the differences were drastic. I could go on walks with my kids and not be out of breath. I needed less sleep, no longer woke up with a headache or felt drowsy in the afternoons. I didn't worry that I'd lose my balance on the stairs. My body looks better, a lot better. And I lost about 8 lbs., which wasn't even a goal. I exercise once a week, and it takes less than 30 minutes. I found the program easy to stick to.

On its own, I wouldn't recommend The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution, but it's a great complement to Power of 10.

Super Saturday

I heard on the radio that this is the fifth Saturday in a row that it's snowed. I don't know if that's true or not, but it started around 6:00 a.m. Isn't this pretty? It's a park near our house.

I took Trevor to basketball, and by the time we came home, the roads weren't too bad. He had a better time. The pastor of this church began this basketball program as a ministry back in Michigan. When he moved to this church, he put it together again. It's grown a lot over the past few years apparently. He really has a gift for it. I've seen a lot of similar programs, even ones that cost a lot of money, and they are almost always much more chaotic than this. The group this year is so big that they've broken them apart differently, and now Trevor is playing with 3rd/4th graders, 35-40 kids in all. They were broken down into groups of five, and everyone got a lot of drill time in without a lot of time spent waiting for others.

I did have a hard time getting up my driveway, and I had to back up, start in the middle of the street and gun it. We have two separate garage doors, and I only have a few inches on either side of my mirrors. As I'm making it up the driveway, I almost have to close my eyes and hope I make it safely into the garage. I'm getting used to it with all this snow! Trevor, what a peach, decided to shovel.

Robert was home most of the day, before heading off to work just as more clouds rolled in.

Trevor played with Tucker most of the afternoon. They spent most of the time coloring more Spiderman printouts. Since Holly gets to stay up late anyway on Saturday night, and Robert was coming home late, Trevor got to stay up for the party. :)

However, one thing never changes around here. Really.

Poor Vader. I think Jen enjoys his company, or she enjoys tormenting him. She's not afraid at all!

Fair Friday

This was our morning, although it was cold enough to keep a fire going. We keep our house cold, 64 during the day, 57 at night. Our upstairs is usually warmed by the sun, but we spend most of our time in the kitchen and family room. If I keep the heat down but have a fire, I can usually warm up our area enough to be pleasant. I can't stand the thought of giving the power company that extra money. We've kept our winter utilities lower than our summer bill, when we endlessly pour water on our grass.

My dear neighbor is from Arizona. (Well, Alaska too, but that's beside the point.) Whenever I go to her house, it's like being at the beach, and I mean that in a good way. Her house is so toasty warm. She wears tank tops. When it's 20 out. Really. While I was thawing out in her house the other day, we were discussing our heating bills. Hers is twice what mine is. Just the thought of that makes me shiver. I won't be turning my heat up, but I'm thinking about visiting her every day. :)

The kids raced through most of their school work. We decided at the last minute to get Lucky's vaccinations updated. We drove to the vet and Holly snapped a few pictures on the drive.


Lucky is the worst behaved dog ever in public. He's an embarrassment. There's a reason Robert wasn't anywhere around. Our dog completely goes hyper. He couldn't be any more opposite than the slug he is at home. If he acted like this at home, he wouldn't live here. It's truly mortifying. We know people at the vet's and honestly, I try to avoid them so they don't see my obnoxious dog. We were able to leave him there for the afternoon. I even felt guilty about that, knowing that he'd bark incessantly for the rest of the day, and they'd have to listen to him.

It also meant that Robert would have to bring Lucky home from work. We met up with Robert in the parking lot and traded cars. Eeek! I've only driven his new car once, to the library just a few blocks away. It's much higher and skinnier than my low wide van, and it drives totally differently. I successfully dodged all the nasty potholes, and we went coat shopping (unsuccessfully) for Holly and stopped at the library to trade books. This is the view from the library . . . the parking lot.

When we came home, the kids finished up their Latin and zoology. I later realized they forgot to "candle" their eggs today, so they can catch up on that tomorrow. Trevor's friend Tucker came over, and I printed out oodles of Spiderman coloring pages that I found on the internet.

Robert wasn't hungry at all for dinner, since he'd gone out for a big, late lunch. It was a YOYO night, You're On Your Own. Isn't that a cute phrase? I can't take credit, I "stole" it from Diann . . . Trevor had to eat a real meal (which means it included a vegetable), but I let Holly slide by with Carmel Popcorn. It won't kill her once in a while, and she sure thought it was a great treat! She even got to eat in the family room while we watched one of her favorite shows, Nanny 911. My kids are always truly shocked by how naughty the other children are, but they never really like the ending when everyone's behaving nicely again.

Lastly, one of my loopie friends forwarded a video from YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1qee-bTZI
a terrific clip on some of the math curriculum currently being used in various public schools. Very interesting. Scary.

Thursday

Holly had a riding lesson today. It was COOLLDD, about 20, but clear and warm--in the car. She rides out east, "on the plains." While I wouldn't want to live out there, it has a pretty view. That's Pikes Peak.


Melanie has a great indoor arena just for days like this.


I went to the nearby grocery store and came back near the end of the lesson.

Holly rode a new horse today, one she's admired for a couple of years. Romeo's coloring is striking, and he's a real sweetheart. He wasn't going to make it easy on her though, and she really had to work hard at getting him to do what she wanted.


I thought Romeo sounded just like any regular kid! Of course he wants to do this his way!



While we were gone, Robert took Trevor to get his haircut. I'm not sure what all they did, but Trevor had a hot towel wrapped around his face part of the time, and the whole thing ended up costing about twice as much as usual. LOL.

Holly came home and made brownies for dessert. It was the perfect complement for the chile rellanos that Robert made for dinner.

It seems that everyone's grumbling about the cold weather and the snow that's been on the ground for four weeks. I'm still happy it's been sunny out--but it looks like more snow on both Saturday and Monday, yikes!

Wednesday

It was a regular day all around, beginning with our usual blue and cloudless sky. We went above freezing for the first time in several days.

Although I thought the kids would have a full school day, they were done earlier than expected. When talking with Trevor tonight, it appears that the only school subjects he likes are breakfast read alouds (currently The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) and sometimes Shurley English. (Hah, that was a surprise!). I'm sure if I ask him next week, I'll get entirely different answers--in fact, I KNOW I'll get different answers. :)

I asked Holly the same questions later. I'm still in shock that she said her favorite subject is math. Math has never been a consistently wonderful subject here, and I've never been completely happy for long with our math curriculum choices. Holly's disliked math for a long, long time, and I began seeing that our math program was no longer a good fit. With one of those ironies that shows God's sense of humor, I switched her back to Singapore Math, something I'd previously said I'd NEVER use again (and Trevor's been using for almost a year). It's currently working out beautifully, within such a short time, it was obvious to me that she was thinking differently about the problems. Whatever changes we might make down the road, it's great right now.

Earlier this week, Trevor asked when we'd have quiche for dinner--so we had it tonight. This is a recipe from the Goldy Bear Mystery series by Diane Mott Davidson that I've posted about before.


Crustless Jarlsberg Quiche

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
1-1/2 c. milk (can use fat free)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2-1/2 c. cottage cheese (I use lo-fat)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
9 eggs
11 oz. cream cheese, softened (I use the light cream cheese)
3/4 lb. Jarlsberg cheese, grated (I use regular Swiss cheese)
1/3 c. parmesan cheese, freshly grated (not canned)

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat, add the flour, and stir just until mixture bubbles. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Stir this cream sauce until it thickens. Set aside to cool.

Stir baking powder, mustard and salt into cottage cheese. Beat eggs well, then beat in softened cream cheese and cottage cheese mixture. Slowly beat in cream sauce, then thoroughly incorporate Jarlsberg and Parmesan. Pour into two buttered 10" pie plates. Bake for about 45 minutes or until puffed and browned. Cool at least 10 mins. before serving. Cut each quiche into eight large wedges.

In the past, I've halved the recipe (click link), and it's been enough for the four of us. But after tonight, I'll start making two quiches again. They go fast, and any leftovers heat up very well the next day.

We also had my favorite salad, greens with fresh mozzarella (totally different than the regular stuff!), tomatoes, pine nuts, and Paul Newman's Balsamic Vinaigrette. His salad dressing is the best! The kids had orange slices and bread sticks too.

Nothing new around here, but that's certainly not a bad thing!

One-Two Tuesday

One Bad: I haven't cleaned house in ages.
Two Good: I did my bare minimum, sweeping the kitchen and vacuuming downstairs. Holly cleaned toilets.

One Bad: I haven't done any personal reading in two days.
Two Good: I'm ahead in my Daily Bible. I'm really flying through my books in general.

One Bad: I apologized to Robert for saying something obnoxious to his friend on the phone the other day. (Well, it was GOOD that I apologized, but I felt bad!)
Two Good: Robert said I could NEVER embarrass him, and that he loves me more than I know. Isn't that SWEET?!

One Bad: I've been going to the grocery store almost every day to buy something for dinner, because I'm not planning ahead. Ugh.
Two Good: I have several grocery stores close by to choose from. I planned ahead slightly today and bought things for dinner to last through this week.

One Bad: My library continues to reject my interlibrary loan request for Children of the Fox, because their computer shows they have it. In reality, their copy is lost and the computer doesn't know it yet.
Two Good: Our library staff is amazing in general and could give lessons to our post office. When I called again to request an ILL, the lady remembered me from last week just from the book title and is working on it.

One Bad: We still have snow all over our yard and street AND it's been below freezing for several days.
Two Good: We had bright blue sky yesterday, and had it again today, AND this is NORMAL!

One Bad: I opened the door into the garage and a mouse ran by. EEEEEEEEEKKKKK!
Two Good: Holly offered to take out the garbage for me. Trevor went along to see if he could spot the mouse.

Definitely Good: Tom Tancredo announces that he's forming an exploratory committee this week for a possible presidential run. YES!!!!!!! Click HERE, he's my pick.

Don't know IF this is good/bad or what. Holly and I have anxiously been awaiting American Idol, which started tonight. I guess our next few weeks are filled with sitting in front of the tv, but at least we are watching something together!

A pretty good Tuesday overall.

Some dead guys

Several years ago, long before we began homeschooling, I was very interested in genealogy. Honestly, I think it began the minute my first computer was hooked up. My maiden name is pretty rare, and one of the first computer things I did was search my maiden name. The internet made it easy; Robert and I both have several unusual surnames in our families. It was also cheap--loads of free websites, contacts and more.

I've amassed over 4000 names of ancestors for my kids, along with some great stories. I've also met and befriended some distant relatives including Adriene, who had a role in changing our lives, and Robert's distant cousin BL who comments here sometimes. My Christmas card list has grown larger too. There have been some nice surprises, and some real doozies.

We discovered that my grandfather's family had come from Calgary--from Ukraine. (I'd had NO idea.) My uncle casually mentioned that he had a manuscript written by two of my great-grandmother's sisters detailing their lives from the late 1800s through the 1920s, moving between Ukraine and Canada, which the family did a few times. The book is amazing, a treasure. Here's an old photo that someone sent. See Mary, the little girl next to the baby on the bottom row; she's one of the two authors, along with a sister who hadn't been born yet.

Petro, my great-great-grandfather on the far right, is wearing a medal. He was a corporal in the army of Franz Josef I of Austria in the late 1870s, receiving this medal for "efficiency," and Petro learned to speak Romanian and German fluently, along with several Slavic languages. After seven girls, he was pretty pleased that his eighth child was a boy, and this picture from 1901 was taken to "show off" the new boy for the family back home.

Helena, the tall one in the back row, that's my great-grandmother. She stayed in Calgary when the rest of her family returned to Ukraine in 1902. Two years later, at 16 and 14, Katherine and Anne sent a letter to Helena, saying they were coming back to Canada. The girls traveled to Bremen, boarded a ship from Bremen to Montreal, and then were stowed away in a caboose to Calgary. When they arrived, Helena was gone. She'd met and married my great-grandfather, who'd come from Wales hoping to get rich mining gold in Alaska. Instead, they moved to Seattle where he drove a trolley.

I tracked down a woman from a small town in Canada who was big on local genealogy. Turns out she's another distant cousin. She KNEW my great-great grandparents. A few years ago, she sent me a towel embroidered by one of my great-aunts.


Holly and I started reading this book manuscript together a few years ago. And it is a book, 340 typed pages, double spaced. We stopped about 1/3 of the way through, I think she was bored by the descriptions of their farming life, and another book piqued her interest.

She asked today if we could read this again. You bet I said yes. I love reading this tale, I've read it a couple of times myself, furiously taking notes to further piece together their lives. The dedication on the book reads:

"Fore our family, who braved the unkowin,
allwyase fealing not good enough.
But we know that we procticly
added to this lovely World."

When we visited my mom this past summer, my aunt, uncles, cousins and families visited for a day. I think the dedication was right, that this family did add to this lovely world. That's my mom on the left, behind the little girl in pink. I'm in the next group over, standing right behind Holly and Trevor. I must be standing in a hole. I'm not that short!


When I read Chapter 1 to Holly tonight, Trevor was in his bed, listening and asking questions. He's not old enough for it yet. There are some adult themes, and he'd be bored long before that anyway. But this is a great book, and I'll read it to him in a few years if he wants. I'll probably read it myself again in between. After all, as the dedication says, this is "fore our family."