Some Christmas Photos And After-Christmas Musings . . . Enjoy!

I hope everyone had a Very Merry Christmas. We had a wonderful time.

We went to Mom #2's parents' house for breakfast (delicious bacon, homemade waffles, and homemade biscuits and gravy) and then to my sister's house for dinner. Dinner was potluck style since my sister doesn't really cook. We brought the turkey. (I simply must laugh every time I say that we brought the turkey to Christmas dinner - LOL)

This is the first super-big holiday since my mom and dad have separated, and Dad in true difficult man fashion, showed up very late and then refused to eat, but we had a good time anyway.

Here's a photo of us all sans Dad at my sister's house. Mom #2's family doesn't really take the time to do photos, but I hope to change that in the upcoming new year. They are very nice people, just more private, I guess.

My sister, Me (Mom #1), My Niece, Baby Boy, My Mom and Mom #2

Baby Boy got everything he wanted for Christmas. *Santa* heard his many powerful prayers and came through like a champ on the Nintendo Wii.


Actually it's for the entire family. We have been having so much fun playing it. My whole body is sore! I haven't moved around this much in months. It may actually have been the smartest gift we could have given/received this Christmas.

Baby Boy also received a new formal white tae kwon do uniform. He wears the casual black uniforms for every day classes/training, but the formal uniform for belt and phase testing each quarter. Last quarter his uniform was looking a little dingy and small, so a new one was definitely in order. He seemed pleased with it.


I received gift certificates for professional massages, manicures, and pedicures. I am so happy and excited! These are the things I have given up in light of our recent financial troubles. Now I can go without feeling guilty because they are pre-paid. Hallelujah! There is a God!

Mom #2 is back to work today, well not really, but she did go in to check on some jobs she was finishing up before Christmas and getting an ETA on some work to come after the holidays. Just keep us all in your hearts and minds this coming New Year. It seems like we're always on the brink of financial disaster, but have managed this far and won't be giving up anytime soon.

Baby Boy and I are taking two weeks off from school so I have none of those details and no curriculum reviews for you today. In fact he's finally sleeping in today. He's been getting up at the crack of dawn everyday, I guess just typical Christmas excitement.

I'm going to use this vacation to take a little time to reflect on what my New Year's resolutions will be, deep clean the house (or not), get some advanced lesson planning done for our home school, and take a good hard look at our family budget (YUCK!). I'm also going to try to free up a little extra change to get fireworks for New Years Eve - Yes we're one of THOSE families.

Anyway, I hope every one's holiday was wonderful and peaceful, full of family togetherness and love.

I'll try to get back on board before the New Year, but no promises. New Year's Day is also Mom #2's and my anniversary, so I'm trying to put together a little something for that.

So much to do... is two weeks vacation enough? I guess I'll find out.

Until next time . . .

Smooches!

Last Day Lo-Down, My Niece's Piano Recital, and Remember That Romantic Weekend. . . IT'S BACK!

Well today is our very last day of school before the Christmas Holiday. We've been sort of doing *school light* this week. We ditched geometry all together. Last week we finished up a chapter and just didn't see the point of starting another one without being able to finish it before Christmas. We certainly didn't feel like rushing!


Baby Boy wrote a fabulous letter to Jeff and Lisa, of Rear Window fame, explaining to them in detail why they should get married. (That was his writing assignment for this week)


Of course, we have brand new art projects to report on. This week we learned about warm and cool colors and how they complement each other on the color wheel. This week's project is. . .

Warm Leaves on a Cool Background


By Baby Boy

and

By Mom #1

On a non-homeschool note, last night Baby Boy and I went to my niece's very first piano recital. She's only been taking lessons since August, so it was a labor of love, but that's what family is for. Right? As I've mentioned in other posts, my niece is my kindred spirit. I love her with everything I have inside me. She's an incredibly special little girl. My sister is a single mother and not able to homeschool (actually she's not the homeschooling type, so she probably wouldn't homeschool even if she could, but that's a whole different post. LOL) My niece received a full scholarship for a private all girls school because she is so wonderful and well-rounded and smart. Music lessons are part of the curriculum.

Here are a couple of photos from our visit to the recital.

Baby Boy and My Niece


My Mom, My Niece and Me (Mom #1)


And finally . . . THE PERFORMANCE!

Well, I'm off.

Baby Boy is finally getting to go on his vacation weekend to his grandma's house, so Mom #2 and I have the house to ourselves for the entire weekend. This time it is actually happening and the only way I know for sure is that he is already gone. This is a very rare treat and hasn't happened in at least two years if not a lot longer. We are a very together family. Mom #2 and I are relatively broke and probably won't do much at all this weekend. We'll probably finally get around to wrapping gifts and shuffle around in our pajamas all day. Maybe we'll watch some rated R dvds. We usually keep it PG-13 and below for Baby Boy's sake. No matter what we do, we'll be doing it together. ;-)


If I don't get back before Christmas,

Happy Holidays to all

and

thanks so much for stopping by!

Smooches!

The Christmas Tour!

I thought I'd give you a little tour of some of our inside Christmas decorations. There are lots more lights and stuff outside, but it's too cold to go out. It's about 40 degrees today, and while that may not be cold for some, it's freezing to me and I am not interested in getting all bundled up and going out into the elements.

It's supposed to get back into the 70s later this week, so I'll try to get the outside shots then.

So, without further ado. . .


Our Christmas Tree and Dining Area
(Notice the garland and ribbon around the window frame and the snow globe on the buffet.)

Our Mantle

Our Breakfast Bar
(The top is covered with snowflakes which we use for decoration and as coasters for drinks.)

Our Coffee Table
(More snowflake Coasters and do you think I like giant snow globes or what?)

And now we head into the guest bathroom. . .


The Toilet Seat



The Mat You Stand On To Wash Your Hands




The Hand Towel

And finally, the pièce de résistance, The Soap Dispenser
(When you press the top to get soap, it lights up in red and sings a little Christmas carol.)
I LOVE IT!

I know it's not quite as fancy as the White House Christmas Special that I just watched on TLC, but it's the best we can do on our country-time budget. When it warms up outside, I'll post some shots of the lights.

Until then. . .


Smooches!

Relaxing Weekend In The Company Of Good Friends.

We had such a nice relaxing weekend. It was wonderful.

The chores got completed on time and everyone was content to play a few hands of Gin Rummy and watch DVDs. It was too cold to go outside, and we all despise pretty much any public places on weekends due to crowds - especially this time of year. So we just relaxed and had a few mugs of Mom #2's special Mexican hot chocolate. Delicious!

Baby Boy's good friend from Phoenix came and spent the entire day with us on Saturday. They ate lunch and snacked and played video games and terrorized Baby Doggy a little bit. They had a lot of fun, and I hope it won't be the last visit between them. I know it may be logistically impossible to get them together often, but I hope they do at least stay in touch. They are very close in age and have similar interests as well. When it comes to teenage boys, it seems good friends are always in short supply.

Here's a couple of photos of their happenings on Saturday.

Having a little lunch.

and


Teen boys' favorite pastime. . .

Playing Video Games

I wish his family a safe and happy trip home.


Smooches!

Winding Down, Preparing For Guests, and Big Beautiful Roses.

Well it looks as though another week has come and gone.

We finished up the discussion questions from the movie we watched this week, Rear Window. Like I mentioned earlier, it really turned out to be a much better movie than I had anticipated and we enjoyed discussing the literary elements of the movie as well. Next week we will move on to the writing assignment. This is Baby Boy's least favorite part of the whole process, as you can imagine. He doesn't really enjoy writing. I don't know where he got that from, I could write about anything or nothing all day long. I tend to be a little on the wordy side. LOL.


We also took a test today in Geometry over parallel lines. Baby Boy made a 90%. I'm pretty proud of him considering his intense disdain for all things mathematical - except for counting money, which he LOVES.


He's actually very good at all of his subjects. He's just at that age where he doesn't want to be bothered with his dear old mom for much of anything. Right now he's too excited to be bothered with school work, because one of his dear friends from out of town is coming in tomorrow and he has to get his chores done today if he wants to spend time with him. This is a dear friend who moved out of state a few months ago, and will be in town for the weekend, so they're going to get together and "play." Do teenage boys still play? Well, I don't know what exactly they are going to do, but whatever it is, Baby Boy is excited about it.


Next week will be our final week of school before the Christmas Break. I'm planning a few fun things, and kind of winding things down and finding a stopping point for everything. Since we ended a chapter in Geometry today, I'm not going to start a new one until after the Christmas break. Baby Boy doesn't know this yet, but will be very excited to find out.


Anyway, that just about does it for the week-end wrap-up.


Oh, before I forget, here are a couple of photos of the art project we worked on over the past few weeks. We are learning about complementary colors and monochromatic color schemes. Baby Boy and I both struggled a little with these lessons, but luckily, beauty can be determined differently in the eye of the creator and the beholder. So look at these beautiful roses with your heart's eyes and not your physical eyes. *SIGH*

So Without Further Ado . . . Big Beautiful Rose


By Baby Boy

and


By Mom #1

Have a great weekend!


Smooches!

Speaking Of Getting Well. . . Time To Heal Baby Doggy.

Well, as I reported last week, Baby Doggy has an ear infection.

I was so busy nursing Baby Boy back to health, that poor Baby Doggy's ears got put on the back burner. What's so funny is that he hasn't been scratching his ear at all lately and I can't seem to remember which ear is supposed to be infected. Shoot! To be safe, I'm cleaning and putting antibiotic drops into both ears.

Here's how it's going. . .

Baby Doggy chillin' before I assaulted him with the ear drops. . .

And after . . . VERY unhappy with Mommy!

Oh, well. One day down, nine more to go. Wish me luck!


At least Baby Boy is back to his regular old self.


Smooches!

Got Well Soon and Back To School . . . Hitchcock Anyone?

Just wanted to report that we are all well. Baby Boy is still on the mend, but taking it slowly. We're getting back into our routine. I'm one of those anal schedule type people, so, you know how it is.


We usually watch our homeschool movies every other Sunday afternoon, but since Baby Boy was under the weather this weekend, we watched it last night. The movie was Rear Window, a 1954 thriller by Alfred Hitchcock. It was actually very good. I'll be the first to admit that a lot of the movies in the Movies as Literature curriculum are not exactly my cup of tea. I guess I'm not very appreciative of the classics. I like things that are bright, shiny, and new. Sorry, I know that hurts a lot of homeschooling moms to hear, but it's me - open and honest. On more than one occasion I've threatened to throw the whole curriculum out the window, but quitters never win, right? Anyway, back to my movie review: Rear Window has Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelley, what a cast. It's all about the interesting things an invalid sees out of his rear window, hence the title.


Baby Boy found it interesting and entertaining as well. Alfred Hitchcock always did have a way of telling a scary story without actually making it scary. Am I making any sense? Probably not, but I'll just leave you with this final thought . . . rent it, it's good.

Now on to parallel lines. Geometry anyone?

Oh, just in case you are wondering....it's warm today. We reached 80 degrees. Yesterday we only reached 43 degrees. Tomorrow it's supposed to be a high of 40 again. Perfect pneumonia weather.


Smooches!

No Mini-Weekend Vacation, No Christmas Ballet, But YES Chicken Soup and Tacos - Delicious!

I know you are surprised to be hearing from me again so soon. It must be an emergency, right. Well, I don't know about emergency, but I definitely need to get something out right now. This is the only place I have to do it, so here goes...


You know that mini-weekend vacation I was so excited about? Didn't happen. When I woke up this morning bright and early to iron Baby Boy's clothes and send him down the yellow brick road to grandma's house, guess what I heard coming from his room? The loudest, yuckiest, ugliest chest cough EVER! I went to check on him and he is definitely sick. He isn't running a fever, but his cough sounds like it's deep in his chest and his throat and chest are both hurting. I've got him taking Mucinex, ibuprofen, and keeping the humidifier on him with Vicks Vaposteam in the water. If he isn't feeling much better by Monday, off to the doctor's office we go. Needless to say, he's staying home this weekend, not going to my mom's house. That means no freaky deaky love-fest for The Moms. That bites.


And while we are on the subject of things biting, my sister called me today and told me that she cannot get us tickets to The Nutcracker after all. She cannot get three seats together for herself, our mom, and me. I was so looking forward to going too. Darn it!


Well, thanks for letting me vent. I know it's not pretty. The only thing keeping me warm tonight is the thought of being almost done with my Christmas shopping. Big Smile!


Well, that's all kiddos. I'm off to finish making my homemade chicken soup for Baby Boy. The chicken has been simmering on the stove all day, and I'm just about ready to add the delicious vegetables. I'm making some chicken tacos on the side for Mom #2 and me. Oh yes, I am FRYING the corn tortillas, heck, after the day I've had - I deserve it.


Smooches!

Bowling Fun, Ear Ache Doggy, and a Weekend Mini-Vacation For All!

We survived another week! ;-)


School went very well. We got all of our assignments done. We had homeschool bowling this week and that is always fun. It's nice to break out of our regular routine and see some new faces. A couple of boys who haven't come to bowling in a while made re-appearances. The boys were so busy talking about video games, Legos, and whatever else teenage boys talk about, that they couldn't hardly get any bowling done. It took them almost two hours to bowl 2 games. I also enjoyed visiting with the other moms. I don't get too many opportunities to have real live adult conversations in the daytime. Needless to say, a great time was had by all!


Baby Doggy has been sort of scratching at his ear a little the past couple of days. A visit to the vet confirmed that he has an ear infection. We're not exactly sure how he got it, but I imagine that I must have gotten some water in his ear during his last bath. I always try to be so careful, but I am human. I feel bad for him. He cried a little when the doctor put her lookie-thing in his ear. Poor Baby Doggy. :-( As my punishment, I get to put the ear drops into his ears twice daily for then next ten days. Believe me, this will hurt me more than it hurts him. I hate to see either of the boys in any sort of pain. Keep me in your thoughts on this one.


Mom #2 was off work this week. The portion of the job she is working on, for some reason, got postponed. So she's been underfoot all week. Oh, I have to be honest, I am glad for one thing. The Christmas lights finally got put up outside. Wonderful! She's going back to work on Monday, so I'll just leave it at this - we all survived.


I am proud to say that I am 95% done with my Christmas shopping. I am even prouder to say, that I have NOT STEPPED FOOT in any mall. YEAH! I love online shopping. As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing."


Oh, and speaking of Christmas, I may as well just go on record now. Yes, I am a full fledged Christmas loving nutcase! My house has decorations inside and out; including Christmas shower curtains, bath mats, and toilet seat covers. Lights, lights, and more lights is my Christmas motto. We do the whole kit and caboodle. I love everything about Christmas, except the malls. I just cannot do crowded parking lots and malls at this stage of my life. It must be old age catching up with me. Yes, we still indulge in the Santa Clause tradition, although I think Baby Boy just plays along so as not to hurt my feelings. I am hanging on for dear life... He will not grow up, he will not grow up, he will not grow up.


My sister has informed me that her Christmas gift to my mom and me this year is that she will take us to see The Nutcracker. I am very excited. I have not seen it since I was a very little girl. I can't wait to get dressed up and actually leave the house at night with other grown ups. This is the life! We're not sure exactly what night we're going, but you know I 'll keep you posted.


Oh, I have news. Baby boy is spending the weekend with my mom in her brand new apartment. Mom #2 and I are going to have a much needed "grown-up weekend." I don't think we've had one in about two years. We are both giddy with anticipation. I think this might be one of the best weekends together we've had in a while. We probably won't do too much, as you know money is tight around here, but we will be together and alone. That's good enough for me.


Of course, I'll keep you posted ;-)

Smooches!

One Sickly Mom and an MRI on my Kid.

This has been another fast and furious week in our household.

Mom #2 is quite a bit under the weather, so she's in quite a mood. It's that time of year when the allergens are overly abundant in the air, and she is VERY susceptible. She did work all week, but last night came home extremely run down. I fed her a nutritious meal and tucked her into bed. She snored like the dead all night long, and then when I woke her up this morning, she was positively green. So she stayed home in bed all day. Fortunately this was her day off, but she was supposed to go with me to take Baby Boy to the doctor.

I was hoping she would get the rest of the outside Christmas lights up this weekend, but with this nasty cold, it may have to wait another week or so.

I really think a big part of Mom #2's run-down and sickly demeanor is just that she is extremely tired. She is working very hard and, since we currently only have one vehicle, she is running most of my errands as well. I usually have a list of things for her to do either before work, during her lunch break, or on her way home from work. Since we lost our second vehicle, I just can't get out the way I need to, but things still need to get done. So I feel this is at least partially my fault.

Speaking of Baby Boy, he had to go have an MRI today. He was supposed to be sedated, because it was a long procedure, but when we got there, he decided to go at it with no sedation. They have these awesome virtual-reality goggles that connect to a DVD player. Baby Boy lay as still as a statue and watched Jurassic Park III. I was so proud of him because the MRI took about an hour and a half. I don't know if I would have been able to be still for that long. I did stay in the room and watch him the entire time. I didn't have any reading material or anyone to talk to. I just sat there. The radiologist did not seem to understand why I wanted to wait in the room. I gently explained that in this life, I try to experience everything through the eyes of my child. If he's laying still and quiet in the room, then so am I. And I did. And we both lived through it.

Of course, now I am thoroughly frustrated because my follow up appointment is not until early January. No one will tell me what the MRI scan showed until then. Believe me, I intend to call daily and try to get a nurse on the phone to let me take the first cancellation available. Cross your fingers!

Tomorrow we are going to my niece's birthday party. The theme is High School Musical, of course. I LOVE my niece! She is my kindred spirit. She is very intelligent, fun, loud, musical, artsy and everything else I inspire to be in life. I can't wait. I don't see my sister enough since she moved out of town. Frankly, and more truthfully, I didn't see her that much before she moved out of town either, so I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully Mom and Dad will be there. I love being invited places. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before or not, but I hate having guests. I am not a good hostess.

Anywho, kids, have a great weekend and I hope a wonderful upcoming week. :-)

Smooches!

Happy Day After Thanksgiving!

HAPPY DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING!!!!

I hope everyone's holiday was wonderful and I hope everyone has a whole bucketful of reasons to be thankful. This has really been a tough year for us, but I am thankful for my incredible spouse, my fantastic son, and the fact when no one else is there for us, we are ALWAYS there for each other.

True family is the best reason on earth to be thankful!

We had a wonderful feast of turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, spinach and bacon quiche, rolls, and gravy to drown it all in. For dessert, we had pumpkin pie, pecan pie, pound cake, whipped cream and ice cream. Delicious!

We had my mom and sister over as well as Mom #2's little brother. I had invited my dad, but he decided he wasn't up to it at the last minute. It's okay. He will eventually come around, I hope. A great time was had by all. Our dinner was a fantastic success!

We also put up our Christmas tree and decorated the inside and outside of the house. I like to have a full-on Christmas themed home from Thanksgiving all the way into the new year. It's so festive!

I've started buying a few things off of Baby Boy's Christmas list. We are really tight this year and won't be able to buy much at all, but we've decided that every extra dime we get will go to Baby Boy. I mean, we are parents, right?

Anyway, I'm going to keep it brief today. I just wanted to wish everyone a happy long weekend, and I hope a great and loving time will be had by all! :-)


Smooches!

Family Fractions, Grades Galore, Infomercial Queens, And - You Guessed It - More Art Projects.

Oh, I know I've taken a too many days off. I've been so busy with this, that and the other that I haven't had any time to blog much. I know that isn't really a valid excuse as we are all busy, but that's all I have. LOL.


Well, I have been going through something very emotional. I have been going through it for a while, but I guess I am just now getting to a place where I can actually "say it." My parents are divorcing after over 35 years of marriage. It's terrible! I cry every time I think about it. Believe me, I am not the prissy or emotional type of girl, but this is too much to take. There really is no he said - she said. There is enough blame to go around. Neither of them are perfect, although I love both of them dearly. This week they finally sold THE HOUSE! They have lived in that house for almost 10 years. I know that may not sound like much to some of you, but that is a long, long, long time in the life of a military brat. Homes usually came and went every year or two in my growing up life. It's been on the market for a few months and I guess I secretly hoped as long as it was just "for sale" there was a chance that they would both live in it together. Anyway, this week Mom moved into her own apartment and Dad has had an apartment for a few months now....so I guess that's my life now. I could go on and on about this for days, but I'm really not emotionally ready to take this one on, so I'll just call that subject closed, for now.


I've been doing a little work at home. You may or may not know that I am one of those people who answers the phone when you call to order things from television. Yes, I am queen of the infomercial. Oh, and yes... I will try to sell you 17 things you didn't call to buy, but I don't want to, it's my job. Please just say "No, thank you." Please don't yell at me or curse me out. I don't write the scripts. A simple "No, thank you," says it all. I'm not offended; you're not offended; I get to keep my job; and you get only what you called in for. See, no harm, no fowl. Sorry for the small vent... I just had to get it out. Anyway, I don't get paid much, but it does come in handy around Christmas-present-buying-time.


Well, Mom #2 has been going to work pretty regularly. We weren't due to get our pay until a couple of weeks down the line, but we managed to get a little advance. That sure came in helpful. It must be that delicious Mom #2 charm. I know it works on me every time. ;-)


Mom #2 has successfully lined up a couple of jobs. This is great news! Now let's all cross our fingers that they actually come to fruition and that, once completed, they actually PAY US. Well, I'll be trying to think positive. What else have I got?


School has been going so great. I don't even know where to begin. Baby Boy has finally hit his stride. He has been waking up without my assistance. He gets right to work and has been managing his time very well. I have such a great kid! It actually makes me kind of sad. He barely needs me anymore. All I do is make the schedule, post it, and grade. Darn it! He's really growing up on me.


We had report cards today. If I haven't mentioned it before, yes, I do grade. Not any special "I love you, Mom grades." I use a plain old regular grading system. I like it. Mom #2 likes it. Baby Boy likes it - most of the time. It works for us.


Anyway, back to the grades...... How are all the A's looking to you? He did great!


Also he has been having such a blast in Biology. I have a couple of photos of him researching crab larvae, if I'm not mistaken.

Here he is, studying hard.

Getting it just right!

Oh, and before I forget...this week's art project: scratch art made from complementary colors. Complementary colors are colors opposite each other on the color wheels we made a couple of weeks ago.

So....without further ado... Scratch Art...

By Baby Boy

By Mom #1

We're getting pretty good, don't you think?


Well, I hope you are all making some loving Thanksgiving Day plans. I hope they include family and lots and lots of delicious food. If I don't get back in touch before then..... have a great holiday!


Smooches!

Halloween, Art Projects and the Rent Due....Oh My!

Well all, we have made it to the 1st of the month and guess what? Our rent is PAID IN FULL! I am so excited about that, nothing can bring me down right now. It has been a struggle, but I feel like we are in the home stretch. Mom #2 has been working very hard. Now we just have to pray that we don't get stiffed on our pay. I'm not a religious person, but I do know one thing for a fact, God does answer prayer. So I continue to pray. I'm not going to dwell on finances this week. It has been consuming the greater part of all of my recent posts, and frankly, the subject is getting old. Let's move on.

We met with Baby Boy's specialist this week. The surgery didn't have the desired effects after all. That was a major bummer. Keep him in your prayers. Once again, that's all I have to say about that.

Another test has been recommended for Baby Boy regarding a different medical issue, but Mom #2 and I have made the executive decision to give Baby Boy a break. This test is highly invasive and we just don't feel it's necessary right now. It may not be the best decision, but it's the one we have made.

I thought I'd share some family photos this week:

Last week's art project, actually several weeks of work come to fruition.

Introducing...The Teddy Bear.


By Baby Boy

and

By Mom #1

This week's art project...The Color Wheel.


By Baby Boy

By Mom #1

And finally, for your viewing pleasure....a little Halloween cheer.

Baby Boy as the Gauzy King of Darkness...it's hard to see in this picture, but the red eyes glow in the dark. Scary!

Baby Boy and Mom #2 having some Halloween fun!

Well, kiddos, that's all for now. Have a great week.


Smooches!

We're Still Alive!

It's been a long but favorable week.

We got a little extra cash....not enough...but a little. It's not the first yet, so I'm still praying for the rest. Stay tuned!

Mom #2 has several promising leads on jobs. So let's all keep our fingers crossed that this comes out all right. We are too close to Christmas to stay out of work for too long.

Baby Boy has done great in his schoolwork this week. The first week of Geometry was a big success. We also finished our first full-on art project. Yeah! I'll have to post photos later. I haven't had time to load them into the computer at this point. Too busy, I guess.

On the other hand, I know Baby Boy is feeling much better from his surgery, because he has been behaving like we raised him in a barn. I won't go into too much detail, but just suffice it to say that he's on punishment this week. I'm just going to leave it at that.

Well, if I may say so myself, I'm getting really good at cooking the low-sodium way. We have had a buffet of scrumptious meals this week. Yeah for us! Of course, we had What-a-burger tonight, but we all stumble, right?

Ohhh..... did anyone see the space shuttle in the sky this week? We saw it. It was awesome! It looked like a little red ball of fire that streaked through the sky. Mom #2 took a picture, but we aren't sure if it came out or not. Once again, I haven't loaded them into the computer. Stay tuned. I'll get off my lazy a** and get them pretty soon. It's Friday night.

Anywho.... have a great evening....we are!


Smooches!

A Little Surgery Can't Keep Us Down.

Well, we’re at the end of another very full week here at the Two Moms’ Homeschool.

Baby boy had some outpatient surgery on Monday. Of course we went from being scheduled at 11:30 AM to not getting seen until after 3 PM. We didn’t leave the hospital until after 6 PM! It was the longest day ever. I don’t know why doctors use different clocks than the rest of us.

Anywho, all of that is beside the point. Baby Boy’s surgery went very well. He was out of commission all day Monday and Tuesday, about half of his usual self on Wednesday and progressively got better throughout the week. Today, Friday, he is back to his old self. It’ll be a little while before we know if the operation was a complete success or not, but things are definitely looking up. I’m crossing my fingers and praying. Lord knows we could use a break.

We did do some school work Wednesday through Friday. We hit the highlights pretty good and did some Marine Biology lab work. Baby Boy LOVES lab work; he is a science fiend.

Here's our homemade model of an annelid (a water worm). Pretty good, huh?

Oh, and the best news ever - - we finally finished Algebra 1. We have been at it for what seems like forever. We are so happy to be done. On to Geometry. Wish us luck!

I’ve been very moody this week. It’s a good thing I still have a place to call home. I guess this has been a very emotional week for all of us. Mom #2 and I hate to see Baby Boy in any kind of pain. He’s all we have. I don’t know what we’re going to do when he grows up and moves away. Oh, I can already feel tears welling up; I’d better change the subject.

Mom #2 still doesn’t have a job. She thinks she does, but she doesn’t. Well, she is working on something that is supposed to pan out into a paycheck – eventually. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how this all plays out. I’m hoping and praying it will all result in a nice hefty paycheck. Cross your fingers!

Smooches!

Money's Still Tight, But We're All Right.

I know it’s been a while since I last posted, but we have been so busy with so many different things.

As previously mentioned, Mom #2’s former employer stiffed her on her paycheck, so we have been in quite the financial bind. Well, it has been a well kept secret that this is the third job in a row we have taken and been stiffed on the pay. This is NOT GOOD. I don’t know if we have an invisible ink tattoo on us that says “We Work For Free” or what, but we’ve been very unlucky with work lately.

Anyway, after many days and nights of praying, weeping, and gnashing of teeth, we appear to be heading into the light. After a little “financial rodeo” we have wrangled together enough money for this month’s bills and a tentative plan to get next month lived through…this is not ideal…but it’s ok for now. Frankly, this is better than I have felt in a while and I’ll take it!

Baby Boy was supposed to complete his phase testing at tae kwon do this past weekend, but we had a little minor health emergency and he wasn’t able to complete the entire series of tests. We had to miss classes all this week, and it looks like we’ll be missing classes again all next week as well, so I’m not exactly sure when he will finish his testing, but he will. He loves tae kwon do, and he is getting very good at it. The phase testing will move him from the beginner program to the intermediate program. Here are some photos of what he was able to complete.

Speaking of Baby Boy, he is going to have a little minor surgery on Monday, and I’m not sure how long he’ll be “down for the count.” We’re hoping it’ll be a quick recovery, but the truth is that you just never know. Baby Boy has a way of being the extreme case of everything. He’s tough as nails though, that’s the one thing I can say whole heartedly.

School has gone great these past few weeks. We’ve been getting things done on a fairly regular basis. Report cards (yes, we do grades) came out last week and with the exception of a B+ in math, we’re all A’s in this household. I’m ecstatic! Baby Boy is very bright when he applies himself.

We have lots of things on the horizon; I’ll try to post more often, so I don’t have to “gloss over” everything.

Smooches!

Delicious!

Hurray! Mom #2 has redeemed herself!

I was in dire need of peppermint candy after watching "Unwrapped" on the Food Network.

I shamefully asked Mom #2 if she would go get some peppermint, and surprise, she said "Yes!"

Mind you, it's after 11 o'clock.

Oh, how I love Thee, let me count the ways....... good night! ;-)


Smooches!

The Good, The Bad, & The Ridiculous!

Oh, Goodness!

I started this blog to share all of the good times with you, not the crappy times. It just seems like crappy times are upon us. So I guess I’ll share. After all, “the truth shall set you free.” So here’s some truth.

Mom #2 was stiffed by her employer, so she hasn’t gotten paid. I don’t know what we are going to do. The “rainy day” fund is dry as a bone. I’m scared to death and very upset at the thought of not having money to pay the bills. In case no one has noticed, Monday is the 1st.

Of course, instead of conserving like normal people, what do we do? Don’t bother guessing…I’ll tell you. We go out for a steak dinner. With the little cash that I had saved to pay for Baby Boy’s bowling next week and the parking garage at the hospital for a procedure he is having in a couple of weeks. I try to be the voice of reason, but it is drowned out by fun.

Mom #2 says that I worry too much and that she has always provided. This is true…but still…a little common sense…it goes a long way. Aye yos mios!

Any who… on to the good things.

We had a great week with school! Baby Boy has been working his little heart out. He’s been putting in extra time practicing for his phase testing in tae kwon do next week. I’m so excited! I’m his greatest cheerleader, and he’s getting more and more awesome every day. Not to mention, WE GOT EVERYTHING DONE! I’m a little bit anal when it comes to schedules, so I love it when we get everything done.

Anyway, I’m trying to keep it brief. In case you haven’t noticed, I am terribly long-winded. I have soooooo much to say, even when I’m not saying anything at all. It is a character trait that I am trying to work on. *Sigh*

I’m going to spend the weekend researching low-sodium and low-fat recipes. Mom #2’s blood pressure has been up a bit lately, so we are all trying to change our eating habits a bit. Wish us luck. Sometimes I think we’re the fattest family in America. Well, Mom #2 and I are, Baby Boy is young, slim, and handsome. Lucky!

Anyway, until next time. . .

Smooches!

Happy Tuesday - Great Kicks!

So far, I'm having a great day today.

Baby Boy made a 100% on his Marine Biology test. I don't know how he remembers all of that vocabulary. It's frankly too much for my feeble mind. I don't remember knowing all of that in high school, much less now. I'm so proud of him!

Also he did a great job in tae kwon do today. He had a few great kicks. I thought I'd share some of them with you, hence the following video clip.

I'm such a proud Mom - Can't you tell?!

Anyway, this day is not over. Just thought I'd pop in to share!

Smooches!

Long Week :-(

Well, it’s been a pretty dismal week. I had hoped to post photos and possibly some video of Baby Boy’s concert today, but I wasn’t able to take him due to a little drama here at home.

On the flip side, I did get a lovely massage today with my mom and my sister. Of course, due to the above mentioned drama, all of the joy was sucked right out of that. I can feel my neck tightening up just thinking about it as I post.

Breathe in – Breathe out.

Relax – Relate – Release.

That’s better.

School went all right this week. I wish we could have gotten more done. I had to postpone a few assignments. We had doctors’ appointments and my car has been in the shop. Luckily for me, Dad was out of town on business, so I did have use of his vehicle all week. That was such a blessing. I was miserable at the thought of being trapped in the house all week. I was very excited to get Baby Boy to his drum class/rehearsal. Unfortunately, he missed his concert, so I guess I should have taken photos of the rehearsal. It would be funny if it weren’t so darn sad.

Anyway, instead of fuming at the past, I’m going to try to look towards the future. I’ve already done my lesson planning for next week. I love the feeling of accomplishment; the feeling of a job well done. Even if the job completed is only the planning of future jobs. Every little victory is to be savored.

Onward and upward.

Smooches!

My Very First Post, An Introduction, If You Will. ;-)

Well, hello to all of you out there in blog land. Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm Mom #1. I am the Main Mom and CEO of this household. I like to think I run a pretty tight ship, but as we all know, what we think and what is reality can sometimes be very different animals.

Today is the day I have decided to jump into the age of technology and start my blog.

I plan to use this blog as a stress reliever, thought processor, family informer, and basically anything else I decide it's good for. We'll just have to wait and see how it all turns out.

I hope to post here at least once a week. Today is Monday, but I'm thinking in the future I should post later in the week. Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays seem more appropriate as I can review the events of the week. Of course, if I foresee an eventful week ahead, then I may want to hop on and tell everyone about it in advance. I guess we'll have to wait and see how that turns out as well.

As the title suggests, we home school Baby Boy and we have been for about five years now. As you can imagine, it's been an ongoing adventure. That is pretty much the center of my universe most days.

We began home-schooling because Baby Boy has a pretty good laundry list of health problems which have kept him from attending school on a regular basis. I used to spend all of my time running back and forth to our local public school trying to arrange to get his work, turning in his work, begging them not to expel him due to truancy, and other miscellaneous things of that nature. Although that was the main reason, believe me when I say it was not the only reason. I was so disappointed in the lack of cooperation I received from the educators and administrative staff, it was sickening. I was also tired of him being simply taught test taking skills 6 months out of the school year. It's no wonder there are so many children slipping through the cracks. We just got tired of being at the mercy of the school system, so we decided to take Baby Boy's education into our own hands.

So the adventure began out of necessity, but as it has progressed, I realize that I love being in control of his education. We all feel empowered being able to educate in our own way and on our own terms. I believe this is the way it was meant to be.

I use a mixture of Christan, secular, and home-made curriculum in my home school adventure. It really doesn't matter what I use because I find myself tearing it all apart and using it a la carte. Nothing seems to come out of the box in a way that fits our needs. We tend to be a little on the eclectic and eccentric side.

Well, I think I've said enough for now. I'm going to let this post marinate with me for a while. I may find myself posting again later in the week just to include all of the things that I know I'm going to wish I had posted today.

Thanks for dropping by!


Smooches!