A Few Things...

This is going to be a quickie, but I feel like I've accomplished a lot today and wanted to share. So, here goes...

Even though I've left the house every day this week for one thing or another, including grocery shopping, I needed to go again this morning for three items. I was irritated before we walked about the door and figured that what should be a 15 minute trip was going to turn into much more. It didn't! Twenty minutes round trip. I feel good about that. And now I shouldn't have to run to the store until Tuesday, which I believe is going to be my new grocery shopping day.

I unpacked the last of the boxes. There are two boxes of mementos and one of wine glasses that I left packed and stuck on a shelf. There's only so much horizontal space for things!

Yesterday we bought a new-to-us dining room table and chairs and moved the old one to the classroom. Things are looking really good down stairs and up. I really like our new set. Yes, I'll take some pictures soon.

The moving people came and picked up our boxes of paper and the pile of broken down ones and took them away. They seriously took up at least 1/4 of the garage. Scott's gonna be excited!

Tyler took a 4 hour nap. He asked for it at 9:30 this morning! Who am I to say no...and apparently he needed it!

All three kids are playing contentedly downstairs. I know I just mentioned that it's looking good down there. Hopefully that will still be the case when they're done playing!

I balanced both check books. Well, technically I gave up on the one account and drew a few lines and started over at the balance as of the last statement. This particular account, with USAA, is where Scott's checks get deposited and the one we pay all our bills from. Everything else happens in our Focus Bank account. Scott used the USAA account when he was in Connecticut and I obviously didn't keep up with his spending or the random deposits of travel money. On top of that, I haven't balanced it in four months...so I figured it was easiest to count our blessings for not overdrawing and start fresh!

Now, why do we have two checking accounts? Because Focus Bank has a high interest checking account. As long as we have less than $20,000 in the account (they want you to invest it someplace if you have more), check our account online at least once a month, and use the debit card associated with the account at least ten times a month, we get 4.5% interest. Not bad, huh? Go ahead, check 'em out! And, by the way, that account balanced! Woo hoo!

So, I think that's what I've done, along with shower, cuddle, make and eat breakfast and lunch, nibble on some nuts, have a glass of lemonade, take out the recycling and do three loads of laundry. I know...you're disappointed that I haven't folded that laundry yet. I'll go do it now...

The Middle of July...ALREADY?

I don't know about all of you, but July 15th snuck up on me! We get paid on the 1st and the 15th of the month, which is also when I pay our bills. So, last night when I realized it was the 14th I was shocked! And this morning I paid bills. Good times, huh? More than trying to make everything in both check books (that's right, we have two!) is the fact that it's the middle of July!

For those of us who were on the Georgia school schedule that means we've been away from actual structured learning for two and a half months! It means that goals I had in mind to meet by the end of July and running short on time. I've got to get my act together and get our Gebel Family Homeschool up and running.

We are making strides, but the basement is so far from organized we're going to be starting out with a mess on the other side of the room...not ideal for focusing, but it's going to have to do. There's just no place to put all the rest of the junk, er...I mean stuff. We're going to be getting a new kitchen table tonight and the one we currently use will become our homeschool table. That's going to help, not with the other side of the room, but with our classroom feeling like a great place to learn and explore!

Jace and Gracie also took math assessments today to see what level of math curriculum I need for them. Gracie, who is in Kindergarten, will be jumping into Horizons 1st grade math. She completed her little test with a great deal of excitement and even surprised herself with all she knew. Jace, on the other hand, struggled. He cried almost immediately because he could remember how to write a "4" and didn't know how to read all the clocks on his assessment. I sat down with him and went through it, but it appears he's not ready for Horizons' 2nd grade math. However, he's more than ready for their 1st grade. They must pack a ton of skills into that particular year!

So, I'm not sure what I'm going to do for Jace's math. I asked some questions of the Alpha Omega people (who publish Horizons). I'm hoping that Jace can use Gracie's books and start mid-year someplace and learn the things (like borrowing with subtraction and carrying with addition) that he didn't learn last year and then be ready for the 2nd grade curriculum in a few months. We'll see...

Since we're talking about math, though, let me tell you about a little chit chat I had with a few old friends today. I stopped by to visit the place I used to work and one of the women who works there now has a son the same age as Jace. We were talking about our decision to homeschool. She encouraged it, saying that Washington's schools weren't the greatest. As an example she told me that her son wasn't learning the terms "add" and "equals" but instead was learning to say "more than" and "is the same as." Everyone in the office felt that Jace, Gracie, and Tyler will benefit from being taught at home.

That makes me smile.

I hope I'm still smiling at the end of the month...by which time we'll be starting school! Right? Right. I hope.

Not Me! Monday...Washington

If you are an avid reader of MckMama's blog then you know about her wonderful, freeing series

That's right...I'm about to write a little post about things I'd rather forget...or at least not admit to! Enjoy!

So, yesterday I might have witnessed (or not) something that I immediately wanted to post on my blog, but wasn't sure how without Scott scolding me. Then I remembered Not Me! Monday. Lucky day, lucky day. We ate on the porch and Scott was taking plates out to the table as I served them up. He didn't walk right into the screen and cause one plate to flop over onto the other he was holding. I didn't have to stifle a giggle when I realized what happened. (He he!)

And today, we're not off to a great start like only Monday can bring! The morning didn't begin with slamming doors. The children hadn't gotten up early (as in before I wanted to get up!) and decided to go in and out of each other's rooms...five, ten, twenty times. OK, I really wasn't counting, but...seriously, pick a room already!

After I crawled out of bed and showered I met the monsters head on. Tyler wasn't curled up on the floor while his brother and sister played loudly around him. I didn't pick him up and cuddle him close so we could both wake more slowly in the living room. There weren't immediate pleas for breakfast from Jace and Gracie...mind you, all before I was planning on waking up anyhow!

After I put the cheesy eggs on and the toaster down Tyler, who was waiting eagerly at the table by then for his breakfast too, didn't throw up. That's right, he didn't just vomit down the front of him after coughing and choking on his way-runny nose. He's not standing next to me now trying to lick more of the boogers leaking from his cute little nose. (Yes - I wiped it!)

Then, when I finally got to make my breakfast, I didn't set off the smoke detectors for the 4th time in the two weeks we've been here! I didn't even burn anything - put apparently I made enough smoke. What a morning!

So, I'm taking a break from my day to post this. I'm hoping that by posting it I can be done with all things worth denying and go on to have a great day! Don't forget to read other people's denials too. Everybody needs a good laugh on a Monday morning.

Dirty Laundry

I feel like I've been doing a lot of laundry lately. I mean what mom doesn't? Right?! I've been looking into the back yard trying to determine where I want to hang my clothes line. I'm pretty excited about hanging laundry on the line. There's something comforting about it. I probably complained about having to do it when I was a kid, but now, as an adult, it holds some sort of romance for me. Like getting in touch with a simpler time. The reality of it likely won't live up to the day dreamed version, but it will still be a nice option for freshening our clothes!

There are other sorts of things I've been thinking about lately too. Last night we ate dinner on the porch in the back of our house. I was ready to throttle Gracie (in the most loving and motherly way, of course) over eating her dinner. I was highly aware of the houses on either side of me, with their back yard porches. I wondered if anyone could hear me. If so, did they care?

For the last three years I've lived a ways from neighbors. I haven't been concerned with anyone hearing me scold my little monsters. And, without a clothes line, I haven't been concerned about hanging my intimates with teen boys next door. Are these things everyone worries about?

And what about letting the kids play at the neighbors? They actually stay outside and watch their kids ride bikes, run amok, and be silly. Maybe it's because I'm not studying or doing yard work (that's what the parents I've met have been doing) but I don't want to sit outside for hours and watch them play. These other parents have said, "You're kids are very well behaved," and "It's fine if they come down. No problem." But how much is too much? We don't have a bounce house or kiddie pool. Most of our outdoor toys are still in a box. Even once we get them out, our yard is bumpy as all get out and the grass is rough. I don't think the kids will want to play here. So, is it OK to let them play down the road for hours every day?

There are so many things to consider, aside from the placement of the wall hangings, when moving to a new neighborhood. No wonder I'm a little tired out! Well, that and the weather. It's almost 90 today. I'm sitting here, typing, and sweating. I got used to me AC in Georgia. Here in Washington we sweat it out! Maybe I'll lose a pound. Hey one can dream, right?

I Got an Award!

I still feel like I'm pretty new to the world of blogging. I've been at it for about a year and a half now. Maybe that's new, maybe it's not. I don't really know how things are calculated here in the online world. Is it like dog years? Or does aging happen even quicker? Everything else does...all you need is one click of your mouse.

I digress. I don't know if I'm really new or not, but I do know that I just got my first blogger's award! Pretty cool, huh? Staci handed it out to me. She writes her blog, called Consider My Monkeys. I think it's awesome that she calls her little ones monkeys too!

So, Staci gave me the (dunt, duh, duuuuh - that's supposed to be a drum roll)...

Versatile Bloggers Award!!!

I know, I'm pretty excited too. Like everything, though...strings are attached. There are a few rules I have to follow as a recipient.

Rule number 1:

Thank the person who gave you your award.

Thanks, Staci! I'm honored and thrilled!

Rule number 2:

Share seven things about yourself.

1. I need a new bra, but hesitate to waste money on one since I really want to lose a few pounds sooner rather than later. Arg.

2. I like to drink Mt. Dew. I know it's not good for me in any way, but it's so tasty! I'm trying to drink less.

3. I love to eat pork. And steak when someone else cooks it prefectly. I need to perfect my technique.

4. I don't like wearing sneakers. I like shoes that just slip on. They're quicker!

5. I want to visit all 50 states someday. I've driven through quite a few, but would like to really explore one of these days.

6. I have big feet (size 10) but little ankles. When I was in the hospital after delivering one of my kids a nurse told me I would have been prized in the Victorian era when all you really say were ankles and wrists, mine being to dainty!

7. One of my favorite traditions with my family are the Mother's and Father's Day pictures we take. We didn't take them this year, though, with all the running around and what not, but we will again because they're great! Here are our 2009 pictures...

See? So fun!

Back to the rules!

Rule number 3:

Pass the award onto 15 bloggers whom you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic! (Some of these are new, some not so much, but they're all great in their own little ways!)

1. Our Busy Homeschool

2. Wilderness Childe

3. All Because of Grace

4. Petals & Pine

5. Joyful Learner

6. Gypsy Shalunya

7. Feel Good Eating

8. The Everyday

9. Joyful Abode

10. A Homegrown Life

11. Petite, Plump, or Pregnant?

12. Live the Adventure

13. Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers

14. Merry Misadventures of a Matriarchal Madwoman

15. Nightlife

Rule number 4:

Contact the bloggers you picked and let them know about the award.

Hope you all enjoy exploring these possibly new-to-you blogs as well!

Getting Here, Getting There

If you follow my blog at all, you know that we recently moved from Southern Georgia to Western Washington via Western New York. It was a long and exciting couple of months.

The last five days of the trip were driving from New York to Washington in a little caravan. Here's what I saw:













Occasionally I looked in the rear view and saw this:
























Sometimes when we'd stop I've even get to see this:






Or this:




And when we stopped at Mt. Rushmore I got to see this:



Oh, yeah, and this too:





As you can see, we had a great trip. We're unpacking and settling in. In fact, I think all the mover's boxes are unpacked. I'm not guaranteeing that everything has been put away yet, but it's all out of the boxes. And I will admit, too, that there are a few unpacked boxes of books that we'd packed up many moons ago when we had to clean up our Georgia home to get it on the market. But those should be unpacked and put on shelves in no particular order in another day or two. Pictures are on our walls. We've eaten inside at the dining room table and outside on the deck, once because we couldn't find the dining room table. But the other time was because we wanted to enjoy the weather!

We're eating well and ready to lose the poundage we put on over the last few months. I've been back on Mark's Daily Apple and am stocking the cupboards, fridge, and freezer with Primal friendly foods (minus the goods I bought to make chocolate peanut butter chip cookies for a neighborhood 4th of July party!). I've found a local CSA and plan to visit them personally to learn more by the end of next week.

We've got plans to start swimming as a family, camping, and hopefully fishing. Scott got a bike to commute with. The kids have made friends in the neighborhood.

Life is good. We're getting there. And we're happy to be headed in the right direction.

Starting to Feel Like Home

We've almost been in our new digs for a week! Time flies, as they say. And it's not only starting to look lived in but to feel like home too. For example, this morning the kids were in the bathroom together and giggling a lot, so I checked in.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?"

"Farting!"

There ya have it. Apparently they're feeling comfortable in their new surroundings. I'll be making some cookies tomorrow for a BBQ at the neighbors. Nothing makes a house feel more like home than baking.

Tyler's bed got put together today. He was the last holdout...but the hardware was in one of boxes that got emptied today. Don't worry, though, he's been sleeping just fine on his mattress on the floor. He took a four hour nap today before Scott put the frame together!

We've met some of the neighbors and are sticking around here for eating and merry-making tomorrow night. Hopefully everyone enjoys our cookie offering and we'll get off on the right foot with our little neighborhood...because this is home.