The Old Man and the Sea

I know this is a book most people read in High School, but I don't remember reading it. I was too interested in the theatre to do any of my homework AND what I did read on my own was mostly horror novels. So here I am catching up with the classics!

I loved this book. It only took me three nights to read. I usually read while the boys go to sleep in the evening and I can only focus on reading for about an hour before I start nodding off. This is my second Hemingway book and I think I like him. His writing is simple, but it holds my attention. I didn't want to put down the book for fear that the old man would lose that big fish while I was away!

Fahrenheit 451

My step-daughter brought a book home from the library a few weeks ago and while she was reading it she told me to read it. What hooked me what this quote, "Being with people is nice. But I don't think it's social to get a bunch of people together and then not let them talk, do you?" This a young girl talking of her school. Also this one, "You can't rid yourselves of all the odd ducks in just a few years. The home environment can undo a lot you try to do at school. That's why we've lowered the kindergarten age year after year until now we're almost snatching them from the cradle." A man talking about that same young girl after her sudden death.

So I read it. I'm sure you are probably going, "DUH! Everyone knows that book!" But I didn't. And I couldn't put it down. Crazy part, it was written in 1953 by Ray Bradbury. And it is fiction. It is a book about the future where firemen burn books because they are illegal to read. People have no personal contact. They don't talk to each other. They just sit in front of their whole wall tv's and listen to idle pratter from people they call their "family". Go check it out!

I'm IT!!

All right, here are the rules.

1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

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Oh, this is so fun....NOT! “Not” jokes are hilarious to me right now because I watched "Borat" the other day.

1. Up until I met my husband....I hated kids! I never would have dreamed I'd have a house full like this.

2. Oh, I get so angry! Especially at inanimate objects like the ironing board or the washing machine. So bad after my second was born that I ended up on Effexor and now Zoloft! Oh, by the way, I got off all that stuff and have been completely successful at controlling my own temper!

3. I hate power tools! I used to work in theater, that is common knowledge, and using power tools and heavy machinery came with the territory, BUT, I hate power tools. I am afraid! Now, if anything needs more than a power screwdriver, I pass it to my MAN!

4. I love to fill out forms. You know, scan-trons, surveys, etc. It is a sickness. I love checklists too!

5. I've had the cops barge in and arrest me for attempted car-jacking and armed robbery. Not a pretty year in my life. No, I didn't do it and I would be the last one to steal anything. I was falsely accused by a crazy man and a stupid and lazy police detective. Life changing event, seriously.

6. I'm secretly in love with Thomas Jefferson. I know he's dead!

7. I love classic country music AND heavy metal!

8. I swore I must be a vampire when I was 15-16 years old. I mean I think I seriously believed it!

Those Silly Surveys

My friend sent me this by email, but I thought it would be fun to post my answers here.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?   Hmmm. I think that every girl born from 1970-1973 was named either Michelle or Jennifer.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?  Last night, damn movies!

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?  Yes...sometimes.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Bologna...it is yummy AND it is spelled funny.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? I don't have kids, I have small people, 3 of them. Score so far, 1 girl, 2 boys.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Oh, yes!

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?   Insert curse word here, NO!  

                                                                    
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cheerios and bananas!

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No, they are slip on in the winter and I rarely wear shoes when the temperatures rise above 70.
                        
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? 

Physically, yes. Mentally, definitely not. Actually, I would say yes. Depends on the time of the month, I guess!
 

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Frozen

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?  Their manners.

15. RED OR PINK? Pink is for GIRLS!  RED

16. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?  Yes! 

17. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?  I'm so lazy and fearful at times. Oh and I really love food.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Grandma Sylvia.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?  If they want to.

19. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING? Snowman pants and Dan's T-Shirt.

20.  WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?  Peanut Butter Toast and Coffee

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Jake asking me how to wrap a present...again.
   

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?  Purple

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Rain in California!

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? I can't remember, but I instant messaged Tia!

 

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?   Well?! JK, of course I do! One of the greatest people I know, and one that I would invite to live at my new compound in Montana!

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?  Jake and Tom swimming sports.

27. HAIR COLOR? Strawberry Blonde. Otherwise known as red.

28. EYE COLOR?  Hazel

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?  TACOS!

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Scary!

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED AT A MOVIE THEATER?

I can't remember, but we saw Spencer's Mountain last night.33. Coffee?? Cream & sugar or black? Coffee, just a bit of sugar.

34. WINTER, SUMMER, SPRING OR FALL?    FALL

35. HUGS OR KISSES? BOTH 

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?   Something from Cold Stone!

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Ben Franklin's Autobiography. Love it! Everyone in America should read this book!

40. WHAT I S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?   A monkey screaming at a computer!

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? “Spencer's Mountain” with Henry Fonda in it.

42. FAVORITE SOUND?  Birds, Mountain noises...at night

43. ROLLING STONES OR TOBY KEITH?  The Stones Man!

44. WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM WHERE YOU ARE NOW? Cabo San Lucas on our cruise.    

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I think I am a good Mom!

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?  Anaheim, CA about a mile from where I live now. Sick isn't it?

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?

48.  FAVORITE ANIMAL?  Hedgehog, they are so cute!

49.  BIRTHDAY? I refuse to answer this! 

50. ZODIAC SIGN?  Sagittarius

51. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE LIKE YOUR SIGN?  Definitely, but I try to disregard the negative side of it!

52. GREATEST GOAL IN LIFE?  Raise my kids to know Jesus as their savior.

53. GREATEST FEAR? Losing my husband.

54. ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF? A bit strange.

In Memory Of...

Believe it or not, I don't have a picture of my little friend, but...

Hammy the Ster

Joined our family December 3, 2005

Died this day July 16, 2007

She was a beloved pet and friend.

Furry and warm and always happy to roll in her ball.

She was afraid of nothing, not even the dog,

and lived life to the fullest.

She went quietly, in her sleep, last night.

She will be missed immensely.

My Boys' Strength

I have to boast in amazement of my children's strength! Yesterday we went to Irvine Park. We took the bikes and road around to some of their favorite places. Then we came back to the truck and got our lunch. After eating we went over to the playground and they went back and forth on the monkey bars and the "hold on and slide across" thing several times. We came home because they were hot. They wanted to swim. They swam around in our little pool for about two hours. When Dad was done working, we wanted to go to Rainforest Cafe for dinner. The boys had won free kids meals from the library summer reading program, so now we could actually afford to eat dinner there! So we walked to Downtown Disney, had dinner, and walked back. They were tired, but I had promised Tom a game of Othello. THEN we went to bed.

I looked it up on Google Earth. They rode their bikes almost 2 miles at the park and then walking to Downtown and back in another 1.5 miles. That is 3.5 miles AND swimming AND monkey bars (which would have killed me for the whole day alone) for a 6 and 5 year old! They are amazing bundles of energy!

Bible Study Notes

I'm reading “Putting On a Gentle & Quiet Spirit” by Elizabeth George right now. Appropriate, I think! This is what touched me today.

"Remember that a gentle spirit does not cause disturbances, and a quiet spirit does not react to the disturbances caused by others."

Also, "True love is...slow to suspect, condemn, offend, expose, reprimand, belittle (big one for me), demand, provoke, hinder, or resent."

I'm going to write these on a piece of paper and tape it to my fridge!

Charlotte Mason

I've been looking into Charlotte Mason's theory on Education the past few weeks. So far, it looks great. Funny that just when I think I am alone in my thinking, I find out it is already a "movement" among others. When my sons were born, my husband and I raised them as we saw most fit and most comfortable for us. We did things very strange...like pick them up when they cried, every time, sleep with them so that they weren't scared at night, never let them cry themselves to sleep, etc. It turns out that is called Attachment Parenting! Crazy!

I didn't want to send my boys off to school when they turned five, so I started finding a way to get around it. It turns out it is called homeschooling and is very popular in our area. As for how, it looked easy enough to continue teaching my children the way we did when they were babies, talk to them, answer their questions, read to them above their level, show them the world around them, follow them, and answer their questions. It turns out there is a theory for that too! Some of the things I've found in Charlotte Mason's ideas are things that were not fitting into our "schooling" the way I was doing them. They were things from my school life that I was trying to make fit into our new ways and it was not working.

So here I am with a ton of books and website, taking notes, and making models. I've already begun working on the boys' narration a little at a time. We have always read to the boys, a lot. Now I ask them more questions about it and they have tons of answers. I also have started a nature journal of my own. This is going with the same reasoning as how we got the boys interested in books. We love to read and they always want to do what we do.

The boys both wanted to take a break from their "school" during the summer, like their half sister does from public school. So I have plenty of time to keep reading, researching, and making plans. I think this will be a great fit for us. I had first thought that I would buy a set up lesson plan and books from someone. Now I'm realizing that with a little extra effort, I can do this myself. Sounds like fun!

Anger

Ok, this isn't a surprise to many, but I'm an angry person!  No, really. It got so bad after Jake was born that I started taking the largest dose of Effexor available. It really helped. I swear that is saved my marriage AND my life. I take things so personally. I get angry at the slightest provocation. And I can't let the anger go. It takes forever for it to go away and by then I've made everyone around me angry too.

A couple years ago, I ramped down off of Effexor and started Zoloft. This past year I have been taking only a half of the minimum dose every other day. Last week, I ran out and decided not to go in and get more. So here I am a week later. ANGRY! I explode with anger over anything and then take forever to stop. I feel out of control. Not true though, because I just thought of something. I don't explode at the people in front of me at the grocery store, or at the park. I only freak out on my children and my husband. The poor things. Then again, we are around each other 24/7. Right now I'm calming myself over the fact that they were all in the living room watching Twilight Zone while I slaved away making the beds back up after I had washed the sheets. Even medicated, I get angry about some things. The fact that I feel like I'm always working and everyone else gets a break. The other one is that my husband does not take into account my feelings on things. Right now, it is fireworks. I hate fireworks. Actually, I love them, but they are illegal in our city, but not in the next and he insists on buying them and lighting them in the yard or driving down the street and lighting them in front of someone else’s house. It causes me great stress. I just don't like it! Ok, there is no smiley for a tantrum! 

I'm starting to calm down. Maybe writing this out HAS helped! :) Yay! I really realized something back there for the first time. I do have control. I just choose not to use it in front of my family!

My Thoughts During Church Today

I was so reluctant to go to church today! I have been trying to get off of Zoloft for anxiety and try to control my moods with Gods help alone, now that I have a full nights sleep each night. This is day 5 without medication and I was feeling pretty ugly today. Here was the prayer I wrote while I waited for the service to start. 

"Lord, I know that you can take this demon of anger and frustration off my shoulders. I give my feelings and emotions to You Lord, not a drug made by man. In Jesus name, Amen!"

We had a whole bunch of patriotic songs this morning. I love those! This was the thought I wrote down after those songs.

Our country is behaving like the Israelites out of Egypt. God helped bring our nation to maturity with the help of our founding fathers. Now that we are established, we behave as if we don't need Him anymore. Until we support and elect Christian leaders (that lead lives like ours, not just at election time) and attempt to bring our nation back to God, we cannot expect God to bless our nation with His help.

We started at Acts 18:24 today. These are the thoughts I wrote down during the service.

There is always someone or something to forgive, only Gods gifts can help us do that. Only the Holy Spirit can overflow our cup so that we have love to share with others. All the power we have in our lives comes from that Holy Spirit, not our knowledge of the world, the Bible, or our training at school.

I have also thought that I should try writing out my own testimony, how I came to believe in Jesus as my personal savior. I will attempt that soon, but not today. I have spent enough time at this computer tonight!

Jake's Drawings

"Jake's helicopter that has guns all over the place. At the bottom there is an American base."

This is Jake's latest drawing. He picked up a book at the library last week called "How to draw Machines". The kid loves to draw. He has whole books drawn with pictures. His newest addition is to add captions in the pictures. He spells phonetically and only asks for help with words that are too long. I will read them and ask if I cannot understand and he is happy to help me out. Yesterday I told him that people put spaces between each word and that helps them read it, so now there is a dot between each word. Jake is the child that has to do things differently!

Once there was a blue berry man. He went to the fair and he saw Almonzo (from Farmer Boy) and the Wonder Pets and in the parking lot he saw the Wonder Pets Fly Boat.