Beautiful Night!

It's Thursday, so after we watched Beck, we took our weekly date. We took the trash out to the road! I know, aren't you jealous, but tonight was special. It's warm and very clear out and dark, no moon. Everyone has their Christmas lights on! It is beautiful. Dan is working on getting the telescope out!

Shopping Day

We drove down to Redlands today to get the last few pieces of Jake's Cub Scout uniform that we couldn't find here in town. It's a nice shop! I'm going to make that a stop more often. We also went to Michael's because Jake made ornaments at his meeting last night and wants to make more for his friends and family. We picked up some beads and pipe cleaners. When we got home he immediately broke into it and made Nikki and Tom make a few ornaments. I got a bracelet!

We also stopped at the San Bernardino County Museum. We checked out the birds and eggs. Very cool. Jake found this huge egg from an extinct bird called the Elephant Bird. When we got home he looked for it online and found more information about it. It looks like an ostrich. Tom was fascinated with the exhibit about hydro-electric generators. I love watching them at places like this. They really show their true colors. Bit by bit we build up our knowledge base without worksheets and boring videos. It's amazing! We even got into scientific classification!

We made it a good day.

No really. I'm working on it. I got most of the chores I needed to done and even went for a walk with the boys. That's one they we really need to do more often. We don't get half as much exercise as we should. We saw a red tail hawk while we were out and it made several cool hawk screams for us. I tried to get a picture but couldn't. He was moving too fast. Maybe next time.

Jake had a few things to finish for Cub Scouts so we worked on those. He's adorable. He loves Cub Scouts and will do just about anything they ask him to. He wrote a thank you note to his uncle for serving in the Navy, an invitation for Dad to go the Christmas Party, a To-Do list, and a paragraph about his favorite thing in Cub Scouts so far. It was about the big Cub Mobile Race. He also drew a picture, learned about mixing colors, and then painted a flower for his Art Belt Loop. Tonight we are going to take a video of him helping me make dinner for his cooking belt loop. And there was no begging and pleading on my part. He did the begging of me to help him. :))

Thanksgiving Weekend!

Another wonderful family holiday has come and gone. It was a pretty nice one for us. Thanksgiving Day we spent at home. I made the traditional favorites while the family watched TV and played all day. We watched a bit of the Thanksgiving Day parade on TV. I used my Grandma's special dishes for our fancy dinner. Afterward I was beat. It was fun, though. Tom loves all traditions and was raving about all his favorite foods in one place. Jake said something was missing and got a little sad. I think he was upset a bit that we didn't have a bunch of family over. He gets that way sometimes, but if we had everyone over he would find something else to be sad about. He is pretty emotional about holidays or any event that he has been looking forward to. It never meets his expectations and he feels let down no matter what happens.

Friday we laid around doing nothing. I knitted a lot and relaxed, cleaned up the kitchen.

Saturday we went to my Dad and Step-Mom's for the big Turkey Taco Feast! The kids were pleasantly surprised by the bounce house in the front yard when we got there. The funny part was that they were telling Grandma Ann that Grandpa Bob always has a surprise for them even if it was a little one. They were yelling "See! See!" as we pulled up. The day was spent playing games, eating, and talking with the family. They liked having time to spend with one of their littlest cousins.

Sunday we finished all the cleaning up, well most of it, and dragged all the Christmas boxes from the storage shed up to our porch. Jake was in charge of this. He was adamant about getting it all out. Luckily he only wanted to pour through the boxes and get his favorite Christmas decorations out. He decorated his computer desk! I was going to hang the outside lights but it was so stinkin' cold and the wind was blowing so hard!

Dan and Jake tore apart the front bathroom shower. They are going to put a new surround in so that we can have two working showers. Yay! Jake is a great helper. He loves to make people happy. And he is intuitive about what needs to be done and how he can help without being in the way. It's pretty darn adorable watching him work on things with Dad. :)

Out of the Comfort Zone

That was me today! I did it though. I talked to someone last week about interviewing them for our statewide groups newsletter. Today I called her and went over there to talk. Yay for me! There is a homeschooling family in town that runs a traveling go-cart track. We've seen them here before and we saw that they were back last week. It was great talking with them and learning about their family. Now if I can only write an article about it to do the family justice. Luckily I think Nikki will help me.

From Go-Carts

Today was a very productive day. I had other things I needed to do that usually make me uncomfortable. I made a reservation for a group tour at the windmills in Palm Springs. That should be a fun trip. It is a little expensive, but it looks fascinating.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. Especially the traditional turkey tacos at my Dad and Step-Mom's!

Star Gazing

Tom had set up the telescope in the front of the house earlier this evening and I promised I would help him get it aligned after dinner. But we forgot until almost 9PM. I'm glad he made me go out anyway!

We couldn't get the computerized thing to work but we did get it pointed at a couple stars and the moon. I'm not impressed by the stars through the telescope. They are much better as constellations to me. But the moon was amazing. You can see so many details. We were noticing that one side is a lot smoother than the other.

While we were getting it set up, Jake was playing with the flashlight and suddenly he whispers "OWL!" He said he noticed that there was a strange silhouette on top of a joshua tree and he pointed his flashlight at it and there he was. He was only about 20 feet away from us, watching. When we tried to get closer he flew over us to another tree. It was so quiet! Then he flew away to better hunting grounds. I guess we were scaring all the rodents back in their holes with all our noise. Later we heard an owl hooting far off.

So it was a pretty nice time after all. I'm going to try to wake up early and see if there are any meteors. The Leonids are supposed to show themselves after 4am.

Very Busy Day

Yesterday was busy and today I'm getting a good start so far. I made a list of things I want to get done every day and once a week.

I do feel like I'm running around in circles a lot though.

Such Harshness

I was reading an article this morning about a couple kids that were selling baked goods at their local park. A town councilman called the police because they didn't have a permit. The police came and told them to shut the cart down. They were in violation of city laws. I can understand that. No need to freak out at the councilman or the police. These weren't little kids, selling their wares for a quarter, they were 13 years old. To me, part of being an entrepreneur is researching the laws pertaining to the business you would like to open and their parents should have helped them with that.

What I'm really upset about is the comments on the article. Don't people realize that there are other people at the other end of those keyboards? The comments were so rude to each other. It was as if they wanted those people killed or something. When I read an article and the comments, I'm looking for what is going on in the world, how people are thinking and what they are thinking about. I'm trying to have a bit of understanding for the world. And if I comment I'm trying to make people see my point of view and hope that they will understand how another side of the issue may feel.

Those comments have stuck with me for over an hour even after going and reading something more positive. I can't imagine how the posters of those comments feel. Yuck!

Veteran's Day

We had a great Veteran's Day on Thursday! Our city had a little celebration at the Community Center. I felt just a little bad for our poor Fire and Sheriff's Department, though. They were seriously upstaged by the Marines and their tanks! The boys spent about an hour talking to them and asking them about every little thing on the tank. They were great teachers and were happy to explain every detail to Tom.

There was a short presentation as well and the Color Guard had to hold on to the flags tight in the 30 mph winds that were blowing. The boys belted out the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem which got us a few approving looks from the older people around us (made Mom pretty proud) and we watched the Marine Band play and sang along. It was a great morning for sure.

Afterwards, we drove down to Palm Springs for an adventure. We had lunch at Burger King to try to win the XBox360. We lost. :( Next time! And then we checked out the Visitor Center in Palm Desert, picked up some animal stuff at Petco, and played some games and Chuck E Cheese's. All told, it was an awesome day.

Tuesday Day 1

Day 1 of what? Day 1 of me trying to make some stinkin' changes around here!

I could make a list of the things that need changing around here but the first one I'm working on is getting things done during the day instead of "forgetting" to do them. So I'm making a list each day and checking it twice. I write things down as I think of them and when I pause for a minute I check my list to see if there is soemthing that I'm forgetting.

The second one is my weight. Crap! I had all this weight off when Jake was a year old. I was the same size as I was in high school. And now look at me! 202 pounds! That is ridiculous. So I'm writing down everything I eat and staying to the right portions. I'm getting rid of this.

The boys spent the entire day playing on Runescape. They haven't played that in a long time. It was fun listening to them banter back and forth about what they needed to do and what quests they were going on next. They literally played all day. Well, they did stop for a bit to eat and we had to bury the dead rabbit.

Nikki and I got our hair cut today, too. I'm not happy with mine. I like it shorter. I might go back.

CHN's 800# had a boatload of calls today. I felt like the phone never stopped ringing. But many of the calls were fun to take. So many people just need that boost of encouragement that they are doing the right thing. Sometimes they just need someone to reassure them that what they are doing is legal. And sometimes they need advice about finding the right curriculum, dealing with their school district, or finding friends for their little ones. It was a great day for phone calls.

Birthday Celebration

I believe I have won! For the first time, when I asked my son "How was it?" after his birthday party, he replied "Great!" and it wasn't followed by "except..." And it was pretty darn fun, if you ask me.

We had a campout party at our house. Firepit, roasting hot dogs, tents in the yard, the whole nine yards. We had so many of our bestest friends here to the day and some of them spent the night. The party rocked thanks to our friend Anna who's lovely son donated his old drum set to Tom and he is about the happiest boy in the world now. Nikki brought out the electric guitar and we had a bit of a concert.

I love having everyone over but, as usual, I felt like I didn't get to visit with anyone for very long. That's the nature of the party I guess. But it was fun sharing our little desert dream home with our friends and family. I hope those that like it (and the ones that didn't get to come this time) will come back and visit us again. Did I mention I like having company?

We camped in the yard and it was hilarious to have 7 boys in a tent. They are just as chatty as a room full of girls. I spent the night out there as well to help defend the one sister that came along. We had fun harassing the boys. I didn't sleep very well though. I kept thinking of all the bugs I find in the yard and that I was now sleeping on the ground near them.

Sunday morning, the boys awoke at 5AM to lightning out over the hills. That and the rooster wouldn't let them sleep anymore. They came in and played video games for awhile. We made the worlds best breakfast and drank lots of coffee, the parents anyway. :) The kids were all over the property as soon as the sun came up. Later, my cousins husband and my brother initiated an air soft assault on the boys. The war was on for quite awhile. There were few injuries but the boys wore them as a badge of honor.

When everyone went home, I took a nap! I still have cleaning up to do today but it was so worth it. Dan took the boys out to Walmart last night and they got a couple new airsoft guns for the next battle. It seems the adults were outnumbered but they had superior firepower. The battles are already in the planning stages.

Sunrise or Sunset?

Is our children's future growing brighter or darker? Are we getting stronger or weaker?

"Whilst the last members were signing it (the Constitution of the United States) Doctor Franklin looking towards the Presidents Chair, at the back of which a rising sun happened to be painted, observed to a few members near him, that Painters had found it difficult to distinguish in their art a rising from a setting sun. I have, said he, often and often in the course of the Session, and the vicissitudes of my hopes and fears as to its issue, looked at that behind the President without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting. But now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting Sun." (The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, Max Farrand, Vol II, page 648, 191, Yale University Press)

I recently took up the challenge of learning more about our country's history and that of its founders. This is the first quote from the book we are reading. "The 5000 Year Leap" by Cleon Skousen. I have to admit I'm inclined to feel that the sun is setting. The future is getting darker, harder to see through to what is on the other side. I feel that we are stumbling around in the failing light in a feeble attempt to prepare for the darkness to come. My hope is that there is light on the other side of the darkness, that the sun will come back up. We only need to be ready to get ourselves and our children through the dark while losing as little as possible. That is what I'm doing. I'm learning, talking with others, reading books, gathering books, in an effort to know as much as I can and be able to pass that knowledge on to my children and those around me.

Monday

Monday's apparently suck. We had a dentist appointment this morning in Laguna Beach, but I over slept and had to cancel it. Then we thought we would go to the water slides in Yucaipa instead, but found out it is closed on Monday's. And then I got my husband to take a few minutes off during the week and go to the used book store with me, but it is also closed on Mondays!

We did have a good time playing with a science experiment kit that I had hiding in the laundry room. Tom had all the stuff all over the table and ended up burning paper roll caps one by one over a candle. He tried to fill a balloon with steam for quite some time but gave up. Jake mixed oil and water and food coloring and sprinkled salt to make lava in a cup. That was cool. Science Bob is an awesome website. We talked a long time about molecules, heat, and reactions. I was thinking that there should be some kind of kit of common stuffs with a book to make fun science in your house. I think I'm going to make it myself. Everything I've seen out there is too technical for my kids and my attention span. And it has to be cheap! I'm thinking of naming it "The Dollar Store 'DIY' Science Kit"!

Sunday Sunday

It isn't hot!! Ok, it may be hot to you and it may really be hot, but it doesn't seem as hot as it should be at the end of August. It was 90 degrees today and pretty windy. This morning it felt like fall, windy and dry and cool. So nice.
One of our chickens is sitting on eggs. I'll keep you posted. Dan is still working on replacing the garage roof, but it is coming along nicely. The plywood is all up and he is working on putting primer on the face boards. Nikki is teaching Tom to play guitar. She is teaching him all the things that Eric has taught her. It sounds so nice to hear them work together on something. And Tom is really spending time on it. Jake spent some time teaching Grandma Ann to shoot the pellet gun this afternoon. Then she came over for dinner. It has been a nice afternoon. I even got a nap!

Moonridge Animal Park

We drove up to Big Bear today for the first time since we moved out to the desert. It is a much nice drive from here, only an hour away and no traffic. It is such a pretty drive too. We went up there to visit Big Bear's Zoo, Moonridge Animal Park. It was an awesome trip.

The zoo is a rescue place that helps the animals in the area and keeps animals that can't be released into the wild. It is small but cute and not expensive. We spent about an hour looking around and then went and had lunch at "Get The Burger" which had the best onion rings ever. Well, except for the "Julian Cafe" they have the BEST onion rings. Then we drove around, found some other things to see next time we came up, and went back to the zoo to see the animal feeding tour. Coolness watching a bald eagle tear up a rat!

It was warm and muggy up there, but it wasn't 100 degrees so we were happy. I got a bit sunburned. We got ready to head back down the mountain and we heard thunder. It was very loud! Tom kept jumping out of his skin every time he heard it. We ran into Walgreens to get a candy snack for the road and when we came out it was pouring and hailing!! We couldn't believe it. Crazy weather. We watched it from the car and then drove on the mountain much to the dismay of my son who thought we were all going to die. It was a great day!!

As Promised...

Here are a few pictures of my flock!

Today was a nice day. Hot but nice. I spent some time with my feet in the kiddie pool on the back porch with a glass of iced tea in one hand and a book in the other. It didn't last long though because Jake thought maybe I wanted to be more wet.

Dan finished the rabbit hutch today. It is beautiful! We put it over by the chicken coop, our "barnyard".

Tom and Dan went to the hardware store to gather parts for a potato cannon. And Nikki has been strumming away on her guitar all day.

Pie!

Jake is very fond of pumpkin pie and has been begging me to make one for the past three days. Today I broke down and finally made one. He devouerd his piece and saved one for breakfast tomorrow.

Tom and Jake both love the moon tonight. Tom said it looks like cross, the way the light emanates from four sides. Jake says that God probably did that to remind us.

Dan and I went to buy a used car for Ann today. The Pontiac she has been borrowing from us was on its last leg and the air conditioning didn't work anymore. We found a maroon Cadillac Catera. Perfect!

Dan showed the boys how the swamp cooler takes heat out of the air by putting it through water. He did it by doing a play with them as the molecules. Too funny. Jake said he would rather it be a musical.

Nikki is trying to run a band with the boys but it isn't working out. Her and Tom are just too much alike and are butting heads. There is a talent show coming up for the California Homeschool Network Expo and they want to perform. I told her to let Tom be the boss of the band and she could do a solo act separately. That seems to have smoothed things over a bit. We'll see.

Almost time for bed. I'm tired. It was hot today, but only 90, not much wind. The rooster tried to kick my butt!

Chickens

I love my chickens! I'm going to post some lovely pictures of my flock tonight. They are so sweet. The past few days, I have let them out of their coop to wander the property during the day. I had a feeling they would go back to their coop as soon as the sun started to go down and they did. All day long they have been hanging out on the front porch picking at bugs and eating my plants. It is worth it to have to clean up after them in the evening. It's so fun to sit and watch them up here. They crack me up.

Yesterday morning they were up on the porch, but then suddenly Frankie (the Americauna) went missing. When I looked around the yard for her, she was heading back from the coop. I checked her nest and sure enough there was an egg!

Today I cleaned the coop. They hung out around the coop while I cleaned and followed me over to the front of the house while I cleaned their waterer. Then followed me back when I was done.
They are much happier chickens now that I let them wander during the day. The risk of a coyote getting them is there. We have one that walks right through the middle of the property. But they are so happy, I'm willing to risk it. Especially since they spend most of their time right next to the house. It drives my dog, Kiara, crazy. She sits at the screen or by the fence whimpering. She wants to chase them so bad. The Colonel (the rooster) stands right at the fence and harasses her, strutting back and forth and crowing.

It got hot!

We finally got to 100 degrees today! The house is nice and cool though with our awesome swamp coolers. :) We spent the day relaxing mostly. My throat hurts and we are all worn out from our adventures yesterday. Grandma Ann took us to see Toy Story 3 and we loved it. The cartoon at the beginning was the best! So different from what we usually see. I always love those Pixar cartoons. And the movie was great. It made me cry. It wasn't sad or depressing, just touching. It felt real. The kids just loved it!

Today I let the chickens roam free to see what they would do all day. They camped out on our porch!! I put a bowl of water there for them and they spent the whole day pecking around and harassing the dogs. Around 5pm I noticed that they had wandered off and I saw them back in there coop. Too cute. I just love those crazy birds.

One of our bunnies is a poopy mess and looks bad, like maybe he feels crappy. I washed him off, and cleaned his house, but it is a mess again in minutes. I hope he is ok.

The wind is blowing and the sun has gone down. Joshua Trees silhouetted against the sky. Crazy loud crickets here don't chirp, the make a consistent buzz that is not a pretty. I love the desert!

Beach Day!

Wow, what a great day we had yesterday! Jake had a loose filling and we had to make an appointment at our dentist. Sounds yucky so far, but we have an awesome drug-free dentist in Laguna Beach that we travel 130 miles to see! Jake noticed the loose filling and told me we needed to see the dentist ASAP. So we had to make a day of it. Why make the trek down there and then not go to the beach?

We picked up my Mom on the way down but got to Laguna about an hour before the appointment. So we stopped at Nix Nature Center and took a look around. Next time, I think we may have to do some hiking in there. Gorgeous!

Tom checking out some Native American stuff.

Jake's reaction when I said "Let's go for a walk!"

Electronic Bats

Pretty!

The dentist was quick and painless. We love that guy!

Then we walked down and had lunch at the Greeter. THANKS MOM!

We had friends meeting us at the beach, so we drove a down a bit to one of our favorite beach spots, Heisler Park. The boys had a great time with their friends and I really enjoyed seeing mine. My Mom is always fun to hang out with. We checked out the tide pools. All the kids got a little burnt, first beach trip of the summer. We were tired when we got home but pretty darn happy.

Eggs and Snakes

This afternoon I was walking out to the laundry room (it's behind our garage) when I heard a loud squeak and a bit of rustling coming from nearby. I sneaked over to the sound and found a big snake wrapped around something furry!! Wow! I ran back to the house, throwing off my sandals as I went because they were slowing me down. I yelled to the kids that there was a snake eating something and they all came running out, including Dad. When we got back to it, it was really wrapped around the thing. It was mad we were there and started hissing at us. We stood there still as we could in bare feet and hot sand waiting for it to eat the thing. It was too threatened and unwrapped a bit to reveal a small ear. It was a baby bunny! We decided to let it alone to eat its catch. A few minutes later I went back to see if it was still there but I guess he ordered that bunny "to go" and took it to a safer place to eat it. I looked it up online and found out it was a gopher snake and that they shake their tails and hiss to act like rattlesnakes. They aren't venomous and they are great rodent control. Crazy, though. I told the boys he didn't want to eat there where we were because after he eats he is really slow and can't defend himself.

Later I went out to feed the chickens and found a couple eggs! They are our first ones. One was green! They are a lot smaller than I expected them to be. The kids are all very excited. Too bad none of them are big egg eaters, but at least we will have them for cookies and cakes!

Summer Has Started!

You can totally tell because the swamp coolers are running! Dan got them done just in time. Today we went to the skate/spray park and there were a bunch of kids there. That is another sign. School's out. It has only been about 90 degrees the past week or so and it is the first warm week.

FATJEF

Who is this Fat Jeff guy and why do we visit him?! Fatjef is a acronym for the Thomas Jefferson Education Forum that Nikki and I got the chance (last minute) to attend this past Saturday. I learned about TJed years ago at the California Homeschool Network Expo. I was blessed with hearing Dr. Oliver DeMille himself. He is an awesome speaker that really inspired me to continue my own education. If you want to know more about the concept visit the websites and read up. It is fascinating. This post is mostly about my experiences and epiphanies from Saturday's lectures and discussions.

Dr. Shannon Brooks talked to the whole assembly first, explaining the youths role in our future and why it is so important that we educate ourselves and our children to be leaders.

The age/phase my boys are at, we still need to be focusing on their core skills, and Nikki too, since she missed that when she was little. We need to be working on chores together, getting a more regular schedule, and reading together again. We also need to budget our time and money better so that we can go to events, museums, and parks more often. Ever since we moved out here these things have been lost. We have to factor in the gas and time it takes to do things now. The boys have lost the habit of working around the house. And I never had the time to teach Nikki household chores when she was in public school. I also need my daily study time. My studies have been completely forgotten this past year.

This morning we had our first weekly planning meeting. Lately we've been just letting our lives happen to us, it's a very passive lifestyle. You can't achieve anything if you don't have a goal and a plan. This week we are working on a list of things each of us want to do, no matter how small or crazy. Then we can start working on a plan.

At our house we should be making an environment where leadership can develop. That involves a loving, peaceful, and confident home. Our relationships are so much more important that passing on academics. We, as parents, need to be strong in our own culture, principles, and mission. We need to exemplify what a love of learning or scholar phase looks like. We need to show our love and ideals daily and talk about them.

The one thing that kept jumping out to me throughout the sessions is that is seems we have lost the art of living by principles. The principles are what we all have in common. Our homes, families, style, and education may all look different but the principles are the same. Many people hear these principles and then ask for specifics on how to implement them. All anyone can give is their experience, but that doesn't make it how you have to do it. So many want a book or a box of stuff that gives their children an education at the end. It doesn't work that way. You have to understand the principles and then apply them to your family. If what you are doing doesn't abide by the principles then ditch it.

This forum was so helpful and inspiring in so many ways. I hope that it continues in the same vein as it was started. It isn't a homeschool convention. It is a place for adults and youth to learn many of the skills that have been lost over the past couple of generations!

A Post!

It took the most perfect day to make me post, I guess! Today was the opening of the season for Little League. Both the boys wanted to play this year and we signed up just in time. Two weeks of practice got us to this day. I know, what a sacrifice! :))
We arrived at the field this morning for opening ceremonies and Tom had a game right after. Sitting there, waiting for the ceremony to start, I really realized how happy I am that we moved here. THIS is the environment I want my family raised in. THIS is what was missing from our lives. At the last practice, one Mom told me that we should arrive really early because parking would be crazy. We got there 30 minutes early and it was fine. We found the boys' coaches and set them loose. Dan, Nikki, Ann, and I found a front row seat on the bleachers and waited. We sat talking with all the other parents, watching kids run around, listening to country music on the sound system. They opened with a prayer (which actually mentioned God and Jesus), the pledge of allegiance, and the National Anthem. Then the Little League pledge. It was just gorgeous.

Tom had a great first game. The boys' were amazing. Yes, I'm easily impressed since I can't catch a ball or throw it in a direction of my choosing. Tom got to bat once but got hit with the ball and walked. He played second base for an inning. Jake watched the catcher closely since he would be playing that position later in the day. Tom was very happy. He says he is going to play professional for sure. We do need to get some more practice in. There is a minor league team in Palm Springs we HAVE to go see.

Jake's game was amazing! Watching those little guys play was so fun. Jake is the oldest on the team. Next year he will play in the Minors, but this year he is in the Rookies. He played catcher for the first inning. Not bad. And he hit the ball! He got to first and then scored later! Wow! He was pretty amazed. The game was short since they don't play long in the Rookies and the last team ran long, they were short on time. I learned to keep "score". Fun stuff.

Dinner is done. Dan is helping Tom with a model engine. Nikki and I are exhausted. And Jake is drawing pictures on demand! Someday I will make a slide show of them. :))

Another beautiful day! Wow! It was so gorgeously warm today and yesterday. It has been so cold and wet for the past month or so that I couldn't get outside to do any work at all.

We got chickens! There are six of them and I have managed to keep them alive for four days now. We had them in the mudroom but they stink so bad that I had to put them on the porch. They have a nice box and a heat lamp until they are bigger.

Today we had our first family tennis lesson. The kids and I are taking lessons from the same woman that is teaching Tom's group lesson on Wednesdays. We found her through Parks & Recreation. It is so much fun. This is what PE should be all about, learning something new and getting some exercise all together. It is worth every penny!

We just watched the Super Bowl Half Time Show. Wow! We were watching the game and the only reason I knew it was super bowl Sunday was that the grocery store was cleaned out of chips and dip! ;)) Grandma Ann called the kids and told them that “The Who” was on and they scrambled to turn it on. They are big fans. The show was awesome! Tom and I were totally impressed by the cool lights and fireworks. I was a little bit too excited maybe. But it was pretty cool. It made me miss doing shows for sure.

It rained all day yesterday, so we were stuck indoors. Dan finished the gate to the back yard since it was under the porch roof. Today it was really cold and wet out and we are all bored. It’s a serious lack of exercise and good eating lately. I really need to work on that.

Tomorrow is a big day. We need to be up and out the door by 8am! The crack of dawn around here!

I really need to blog more often! Once again, I am starting over and not even bothering to try and tell you all that has been going on since I last blogged. But I will say that we are officially moved into our new house. Yay! I love this house, but I am tired of moving in. I’m sick of finding places for things. We don’t have a dishwasher here so I’m learning about washing dishes after every meal. It’s nice. You only need a few dishes! I wonder now why we have more than three coffee cups!

Today was spent watching movies, doing laundry, and cleaning the front bathroom really good. It hasn’t been cleaned since we moved in and once I got close up, I was pretty grossed out. Nasty bathroom! It is nice now. ‘70’s decorations aren’t half bad when they are cleaned up. Wait until you see what I’m going to do with that bathroom to spruce it up!

It was rainy and cold this morning. It is starting to clear up now, but still pretty cloudy. I didn’t know it rained so much in the desert. It is going to be a beautiful Spring!

Wow!

What a busy day I had! I loaded the truck with stuff from the garage this morning first thing. At 9:30 the kids and I took it over to the house and unloaded it. I brought them back, did some more chores around the house, made a giant chocolate chip cookie!

I went back to the house alone and finished cleaning the kitchen. Yay! Mom and Grandpa gave me a great headstart. Mom! I used comet on the cabinets and it went much faster. It is amazing what a little hot water and elbow grease can do. Nothing works better, although I do wish there was a chemical I could just spray on and wipe off. :( I unloaded a small load of kitchen stuff while I was there.

When I got home, Tom and I cleaned up the back yard a bit and folded the laundry. Then we headed off to Jake's first gymnastics class. Tom was miffed because Jake didn't want him to take the class too. He insisted on coming with us to watch but then grumbled the whole time about being bored and wanting to join the class. He was completely not interested last week when we signed up, but now that Jake is doing it, he wants to do it too. He has tennis lessons starting in two weeks. Jake was amazing in the class and he loved it. He was the biggest kid there (and they were all the same age) and not the only boy, so he was happy. He came home and showed Grandma and Nikki all the stuff he did. He was very proud to be doing something without his brother right next to him.

When we got home, Dan was working at the new house and Grandma was watching the puppy. When we started talking about the class and Jake was jumping around showing off, the older two dogs got in a fight. I'm not sure what do about these dogs. Kiara (the oldest at 11 years) just attacks Whiskey (1 and a half years) whenever there is any kind of excitement. Now with our new puppy, she attacks Whiskey if the puppy cries or if Whiskey tries to play with the puppy at all. It is just crazy. I have an appointment to have Whiskey fixed on Thursday and I'm hoping that will help ease the tension between them. I'm going to ask the vet about Kiara too. Maybe there is some kind of doggy Valium to help her relax.

We all had leftovers for dinner tonight, so dinner was easy. Chores are done, kids are clean and ready for bed (and frankly so is Mom) and I'm going to relax for a bit before I wrangle them into bed at 9pm. Yes, we have a bed time now. If Jake isn't in bed by 9pm, he falls into crying fits and just can't get along with anyone for any amount of time. This bugs Tom because he could stay up for days without sleep and still be as rude and belligerent as he ever is. :)) But they know they need their sleep and Tom reads in his bed with the book light under the covers until he gets bored (not sleepy, he is never sleepy, since birth).

Tomorrow, we start all over again!

Sunday

Still working on the house! My Mom and Grandpa came to help me today. That was fun. It is always fun cleaning with my Mom. We harass each other the whole time. The kitchen needs a good cleaning. It is filthy! So we spent the afternoon scrubbing cupboards and baseboards. Grandpa brought the steam cleaner and went to town on the drawers.

Dan has put a new door on the side of the garage and fixed the doors on the bathrooms so that we close right.

I'm getting excited to move in!

The boys spent the afternoon with Grandma Ann. They aren't much help with cleaning. Tomorrow we plan on loading up the truck and finishing up the kitchen with Grandpa.