Does Anyone Have A Pin?

My head's getting a little swollen with all the love you've been showing me lately!

I've recently been graced with two sparkly new awards . . .

I've been given this delicious award by Kysha over at Love's School. I don't know how she could like my boring hum drum blog, hers is to exciting and inspirational. Also she has so much delicious blog techie helps and stuff in her sidebars that sometimes I spend 30 minutes over there cyber-stealing ideas and totally forget to read her posts. But don't tell her that. I'm certain that's not what it's there for. Oh, and also she redesigns the whole thing every month or so. It's always a surprise when I show up!


And just to add to the hot air filling my noggin, Rose over at Dragons in the Flowerbed (actually she just changed the name of her blog, but I can't remember the new name . . so adjust your thinking accordingly) has made me a double dipper in the Brilliant Blog recipient pool. I've only recently began reading her blog, but I'm LOVING IT! She's a grown up unschooler who is classically homeschooling her children. She has lots of interesting tidbits and random thoughts on her blog, yet doesn't take herself too seriously. My type of girl.

See . . . it's just as delicious the second time around.

When you get a chance, swing by and give these ladies a little love. I think I'm supposed to pass this on to some people. I'm not sure exactly. I did pass the other award along to 7 other blogs and thankfully they did decide to play along . . . but I'm dashing out of the door this morning.

I tell you what. If you have read this far . . . I LOVE YOU. Thanks! Consider yourself an award winning official recipient of all things glorious and fun. Feel free to pick up this award for yourself and pass it on to whomever you like!


Thanks, Ladies.


Until next time . . .

Not Back To School Celebration!

We aren't starting our full-fledged studies until mid September, but every year we join a bunch of other homeschoolers in the area for the annual Not Back To School Celebration. It's been going on as long as we've been homeschooling and I'm sure many years before. On the first day of public school, we all get together and talk and laugh and eat and the children swim and we celebrate our choice to take our children's educations into our own hands and set them free from institutionalized cookie cutter learning!

We had a great time!

First, the whole gang . . .

. . . Now let’s zoom in for what we really came for . . .

. . . An opportunity to show what all that Ultimate Frisbee and Taekwondo does for him.

Until next time . . .

Our Week . . . Without Photos :-(

First of all, I am beside myself today. I had planned on posting a fantabulous photo essay of everything we've been doing this past week. Unfortunately when I put my memory card into the reader slot today, I discovered I had about 7 pictures. 7. That's all. And they were all pretty much of the exact same thing to boot. I usually take about 4 or 5 pictures of the same thing because I suck am a mediocre photographer and it usually takes that many shots to get one that isn't blurry or has everyone in it with their eyes closed. So imagine my surprise when over 30 shots got pared down to 7. Needless to say. There will be no photo essay this week. Perhaps next time.

We had a nice little birthday party for Mom #2. Just family, ice cream cake from Basking Robbins, and a few gifts. What more could anyone want. Those photos have vanished into techno-purgatory somewhere. Can't find a single one of them.

Well Grand baby is fine. She's still alive and it seems even happy here. We are happy to have her most days and really wish her Mom would pull herself together on other days. We love her all days and I guess that's all that matters in the end. She's getting so big! Photos - gone.

Baby Boy had his final Ultimate Frisbee game this past week. They did such an excellent job. This was our first year participating in the sport. We have learned a LOT and it has been a lot of fun. We'll still have plenty of pick-up games and informal get togethers but this was the last game with our paid facilitator and drill coach. This has been such an awesome experience. This sport emphasizes teamwork, accountability for your own actions, self regulation, honesty, sharing, caring and a healthy competitive spirit without allowing it to be your single-minded focus. I didn't know much about it six months ago. But if you get the chance, participate. You won't be sorry you did. I had photos. . . refer to the above paragraph if you're seriously looking for them.

Oh, and I watched my niece on Thursday and Friday, so I had the Baby Boy, the grand baby, and the niece, who recently had mouth surgery, bless her little heart. A full on no-kill baby shelter if you will. All free for the asking. Where are those brownie points? I'm sure I should be getting an extra helping this week.

Oh, and Baby Boy had a small part in a great homeschool production of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors. He only got a small part because he procrastinated forever deciding whether or no he even wanted to participate. In the end, I insisted sort of nudged him into participating. It's Shakespeare study, memory work, and public speaking all rolled up into one ~ a homeschooling Mom's dream. No way he was getting out of it. But the best part is that he ended up having a great time. He memorized all of his lines and participated whole heartedly. I love it when everything comes together. I DO have a photo of Baby Boy and his good friend on the set (which is just an activity room . . . don't mind the old fashioned quilt on the wall . . . we didn't).

Besides all that stuff I just talked about, I've been doing some lesson planning and trying to get them all entered into Homeschool Tracker. Love the program, but hate the set-up. I just keep telling myself how easy life will be for me when we start back up full steam ahead. I've used this program for about 3 years or so now. We have a love/hate relationship. I love it all year long, but I hate the summertime data entry, LOL.

That's it! That's my week in review. Sorry it's late. That's what time I do everything these days.

Have a great week!

Until next time . . .

Still #1 . . . After 5 LONG Weeks!

Woo Hoo! I'm Back!

I'd just like to announce that yesterday I played Wii Fit after 5, yes count them 5, long weeks of being off due to my back injury. I was pleasantly surprised, make that AMAZED, to see my hula hoop record still standing tall at number 1. That's why they call me Mom #1 - YES!


I did have to take it easy. I really did mostly the yoga stuff and some step
aerobics. I know you're wondering, so I guess I'll just tell you. I did hula
hoop a little bit, but I was so afraid that I would hurt my back again, that I
just barely swiveled my hips. I am way below my personal best, but right now just being able to make that delicious circular motion is heaven to me.


Hallelujah! I'm healed! Uh . . . you know in a very slow, painful, 5 week long
healing kind of way.


Lots going on with Baby Boy. I'm too selfish to stop playing around and post
about it right now, but I'll get to it later this week.



I hope you all are having a good one.



Until next time . . .

Happy Birthday, Mom #2

Today is Mom #2's Birthday!

She's already got one great gift by getting a nice raise at work, YIPPEE, that's a gift for us all!

But mostly we just really love her around here. She has a wonderful laid back, surfer-girl, summertime kind of spirit that balances out my uptight, anal Virgo like ways; and a calm cool-as-a-cucumber temperament that perfectly mellows my flair for the dramatic. Also without her there would be no Two Moms' Homeschool because I'd be a single mom still slaving for the Man instead of homeschooling our precious Baby Boy. Since she came into our lives, it's been nothing but good-better-best (getting in a little language arts lesson . . . classes reconvene soon ;-).


We'll have a little cake & ice cream later this afternoon. Don't worry, I'll have a little extra with all of you in mind.



Until next time . . .

Be Careful What You Wish For.

Always remember that if you pray for patience, you will not one day wake up and find yourself more patient. Actually, you will find yourself (of no fault of your own) in situations where you are forced to be patient whether you like it or not.

If you also pray for a kinder gentler spirit, you will not be amazed one morning to find yourself to be a sweet gentle soul. Oh, no, that isn't how it works at all. You will constantly find yourself in situations that wrestle your conscious into being kind, gentle and sweet even when your first instinct is to be mean, rough, and salty.

I just wanted to let you all know that I am getting all of my prayers answered in abundance these days.

That's all . . . carry on.

Until next time . . .

¡Día de la reseña de película!

Hola, all, it's Movie Review Day.


First, a little background. I may have mentioned before, or maybe not, who knows, but Mom #2 is totally Hispanic with a rich traditional bloodline that hails from Spain as well as Mexico. Sometimes people let a lot of prejudices slip in front of her with her deceptively fair complexion, hazel eyes, blond hair, and perfect non-accented English, but that's a different post for a different day. Back to business, as I was saying, a significant portion of her family is Spanish speaking only and the rest has Spanish as their first language. This coupled with the fact that we live in an area of the country that has a large and active Hispanic population, has us speaking, or at least attempting to speak Spanish every single day of our lives.

For our family, we've made it our business to embrace the Hispanic heritage and culture. I have spent several years off and on really attempting to learn Spanish. Since I worked in the social work field for about ten years, I do have a primitive working Spanish vocabulary, but I'd like to make it flow more easily from my lips instead of stuttering through it like a metal grate every time I'm forced to speak it. I want it to be much more natural to me.


Watching movies in Spanish is an amazing way to both learn and perfect that skill. It also allows you to "see" the language spoken in a natural environment instead of in a sanitized stabilized classroom environment.


With all of that pre-production out of the way, I have an excellent movie review/recommendation for you today, it's the Spanish Language movie, Under the Same Moon. America Ferrera is briefly in it, for all you Ugly Betty fans.


It is a Spanish language movie. Spanish speaking, only. No English. You do have the option of adding English subtitles if you are so inclined, but if feel free to give yourself a Spanish language challenge and go at it alone for a while.

The movie is a complicated saga of an illegal immigrant mother attempting to make a better life for herself and her family, who is still in Mexico while she works in the United States. The person she is trusting to watch her beloved son, her mother, passes away suddenly and with their limited communication, the child is alone for several days in his search for his mother, his safety and his freedom. The movie passes no judgment and neither criminalizes nor glorifies the subject of illegal immigration. It simply holds a mirror up to this family's truth and allows you to make your own decisions regarding the situation. I like that. I'm not one to have my movies preaching to me, there are other places to go for that.

The dialogue is simple and straight forward and the plot is a little predictable, but that actually added to the beauty for me. Without a jumpy plot and unnecessary dialogue, you can focus on viewing the beautiful scenery and really understanding and learning the word choice.


If you are learning Spanish in your homeschool program, or if you would like to start, you simply must add this movie to your Netflix homeschool queue (don't act like you don't have one). It's a keeper.



Until next time . . .

Can An Old Sparkly Mom Learn Some Sparkly New Tricks?

I. may. be. getting. old.


Due to some serious grievous irresponsibility, my granddaughter is living with us Monday through Friday and going home to her Mom and Dad on the weekends. We won't get into the "who, what, when, where, and why's." That really is not my story to tell, so I won't.


I'm sure you've seen me post many pictures of said grandchild. She is beautiful and I love her. Her presence is extraordinary.


So this post is not about her. It's about me.


My son is 15. He is very independent. He doesn't like me all over him 24 hours a day. He and I are both sort of loners, we love our independent space. We sort of have a serendipitous ballet we do. We have a smooth and comfortable routine that we have perfected over the years.


That routine does not include mountains of diapers. That routine does not include tiny little bottles. That routine does not include a big heavy car seat. That routine does not include interrupted sleep.


Now. it. does.


This was week one. I appear to be alive. So I guess that technically means that I have survived. But I have not left the house. Next week I have several errands to run. I'm not sure exactly how long this arrangement will last, but several weeks are definitely in my immediate future.

Do all of you Moms of small children spend every living moment of your life in a state of sheer exhaustion? Is there a pill I can take for that?

I would appreciate everyone saying a little prayer for both me and our brand new precious bundle of joy. I think we'll both be needing it.



Until next time . . .

Ultimate Pride!!!!!!

Can I please just brag for one minute. I'll make it brief, I swear.


In case you're wondering who drove herself and Baby Boy to the Ultimate Frisbee game today ~ ME!


It's my very first driving trip since I hurt my back. I've been off prescription drugs for about a week now, just using ibuprofen as needed and lots of warm baths. When I got home from sitting in a lawn chair for 2 hours, I was a little stiff, but I'm mobile and I'm happy about it!


And just as a cherry on top, Baby Boy made the winning catch of the game.


It was about 9 o'clock (I'm sure you can tell from his photos that it would be hard to see him at that time, even in the summer), the field was wet because we're getting a little residual rain from Edouard, and we were all tied up and he jumped about 100 feet off the ground in the in-zone and grabbed the Frisbee right out of the air and landed smooth on his belly and got a face full of dirt, but he held his hand up high and hallelujah the Frisbee was still in his hand.


I'm not sure if you know or not, but when you score a point in Ultimate Frisbee, you hold the Frisbee up in your hand and yell out "Ultimate." Well Baby Boy has a voice that sounds like Barry White, James Earl Jones, and a thunderstorm all wrapped up in one. When he yelled, I thought for sure it would cause an earthquake.


Of course, I am a little biased. ;-)


It was awesome! I would post photos, but I was too busy trying not to jump up and down so I didn't hurt my back, but I was yelling a little bit (well, a lot). No time for photography. I guess that's the hallmark of an amateur.


That's all!


Until next time . . .

Looky Looky What I Got!

A fantabulous blogger, Jason, from The Jason Show, has given me this jazzy award. Can you believe it? I don't care if it's deserved or not, I'm naming it and claiming it. Thanks, Jason!

Of course, nothing in this world is free so this award did come with a few strings attached. So without further ado, here is the pop quiz that goes along with this award:

A. attached or single? Attached.

B. best friend? Mom #2, of course, but my sister is 1st runner up.

C. cake or pie? Cake, yellow with white frosting is my favorite (I know, I'm a Plain Jane when it
comes to food).

D. day of choice? Saturday,because we didn't work today and we're not working tomorrow.

E. essential item? Laptop.

F. favorite color? Red. Well Pink is my signature color, but red is my favorite color.
It's a complicated and ridiculous thing. I can't explain it.

G. gummy bears or worms? Definitely bears, worms would go straight to Baby Boy.

H. hometown? Texarkana (Texas side: Hook-em Horns!)

I. favorite indulgence? 24 lb printer paper . . . oohhh just cover the bed with it on "date night,"
and it's all over. Don't even get me started on cardstock. Yummy!

J. January or July? January. Have you ever been in Texas in July?

K. kids? Yep, just the one.

L. life isn't complete without? Love.

M. marriage date? January 1. . . but it's a spiritual one because . . . well . . . you know why.
No need for a rant right now.

N. number of brothers & sisters? 1 sister.

O. oranges or apples? Apples, both red delicious and granny smith green.

P. phobias? Choking to death in a restaurant because the waitress is taking too long to bring
more water. (Yes, for real)

Q. quotes? We're not broken up until I say we are! Courtesy of Mom #2.

R. reasons to smile? Baby Boy.

S. season of choice? Spring.

T. tag seven peeps! (I did, scroll down a little to see the lucky 7)

U. unknown fact about me? I was a Social Worker (and a darn good one) in my former life.
So I've always been broke.

V. vegetable? Green Beans. Delicious, all day every day. . . I'm addicted.

W. worst habits? Correcting Mom #2's grammar right out loud in public.

X. x-ray or ultrasound? Ultrasound, but only if they warm the jelly first.

Y. your favorite food? Mom #2's homemade enchiladas and Spanish rice. Oh, I think I'm
drooling on my keyboard just thinking about them.

Z. zodiac sign? Virgo.

And now for my 7 well deserving winners:

Kitten

Freakmom

Heather

Ami

RegularMom

SabrinaT

And last, but not least, Mom #2, who is debuting her brand spanking new blog.

Thanks for playing along, Ladies.

Until next time . . .