The Week Goes On!

Last night we had dinner and Uncle Matt's house. He is quite the good cook. I told him that had I known how well he can cook, he would have had the opportunity a LOT more when he was growing up in my house! He rolled his eyes! Another thing he is good at!

But, we brought Jomo home with us. Today we are going out to the Air Force Base for an air show. Grandpa has only been to one other, and as far as I can recall, the same is true for me. And mine was not a military show. Should be quite interesting.

I have been planting like crazy. The front yard dons pansies and marigolds in pots as well as the in-ground things of previous years. The daisies are still blooming happily and the roses are all budding in spite of my late pruning. My garden in the back is now sporting well-established tomatoes, a hearty and healthy-looking strawberry plant with green berries on it, a beginning summer squash plant, two seedlings of zucchini, two or three sprouts of peas, some teeny blades of lettuce and cucumbers, and a I think, possibly, a carrot sprout. I am still planting okra and some more berries this weekend. I finally got some big pots. Our ground garden area is very over-grown with weeds and in spite of our treatments and pulling efforts, they remain the victor. Thus, we have resulted to our raised box garden and large pots. This worked well last year also. The squash, cucmbers, and beans (oh, yes, those are sprouting too!) can climb up trellises attached to the side of the box, which is quite large...about 12 ft. by 8 ft or so. I can also put a trellis or a teepee type of support around the large pots as well. I may also send the strawberries up a wire.

Enough about my garden. I am going to a yard sale at my neighbor's house and then get ready for the air show. The pictures are of random crafts or events...just to show off my family and life! And I forgot to mention that Jomo went with us to Pioneeer Village, (another outing but not for homeschool, since he attend public school!) We went on Valentine's day, which happens to be the Statehood Day of Arizona, so we had a lot of characters and history...it was a great time! Ah, such vanity...

We've Been Everywhere!

Well, maybe not everywhere, but we have been touring the city a lot since I have blogged about anything significant. Part of the reason for the lack of blogging is that my computer had decided to take on some male characterisitics...like...having to be asked numerous times to boot up. Having to turn it off and on over and over to get its attention...having it pull up whatever it decided no matter what it was asked to do...failing to take "charge" when it was fully plugged in...etc...

Another reason for the decline of writing is that in spite of allergy injections and lots of meds, I have been struggling with extreme allergy reactions. I saw a NP who just loaded me with more meds...it is all I can do to focus on one task at a time. I am still debating as to which is worse..the allergies or the treatments.

In the meantime, on days when all such things were under control, we have been out exploring. Some of these occurred before my last blog and some after...but all within this year.

We went fishing with Uncle Matt. We all got up before dawn (quite an achievement for my boys) and greeted the fish. They were not very hungry that day, however, and it turned into more of a casting and reeling event. Jomo went also, and that in itself was quite a treat. We had a lot of fun.

Then we went to the Phoenix zoo and saw elephants, tigers, and bears...no..the bear was hybernating! Handomse rode a camel, though. Again,we had a blast!

The most recent trip was to the Arizona Science Center. I had not been there in quite a while and they had all kinds of exhibits I had not seen. They are very kid friendly and had lots of hand-on things to explore. And then we got to visit with some Phoenix Police officers on horseback in the historical area of downtown.

We are studying about gardens. Worms. Dirt. Plants. Today we shall transplant our bean and squash seedlings we nurtured into the big potted garden. Later we may add worms and possibly some ladybugs to the scene. Handsome loves squash and Baby Girl is the Queen of Beans, so that is part of why we selected those veggies. WE had a "mud day" to celebrate what we learned about dirt and soil and mud.

As you can see, my life is not uninteresting. It is challenging however. Trying to teach a first-grader, four-year-old preschooler, and a potty-training toddler at the same time lacks no amount of challenge!

Well, speaking of such, all three are up and at it...watching educational TV, but it is time for "regular" school!

I Must've Done Something Right!

Okay, I believe. There just HAS to be a fairy or angel of some sort with some angel dust of some kind...no, not drugs...real angels...that has or have transformed my grandsons into some wonderful little persons.

Now, don't get me wrong...they have always been wonderful...they're MY flesh and blood...but they have not always been good listeners nor "perfect" little angels. There have been days when I wondered why in the world I took on this challenge. Why did I leave my job with ADULTS and professionals to spend days changing diapers, chasing children, cleaning up messes, etc. WHY???

BUT, I must have done something right, to have my daughter ask me to care for her children, even rear them, so to speak. It IS an honor to be able to guide my grandchildren, to teach them and nurture them. It truly is. I cannot honestly say, though, that I have always thought I was the right person for the job...

And then the angel of mercy appeared...somewhere between last Monday and Tuesday...sometime where no one saw the magic...and what different boys I have! And just in time, because Baby Girl is almost fully-blown in the terrible twos!

We have a sticker chart to earn each day. Never before have the boys accomplished more than three days in a given week of earning all their stickers, yet they have soared to FOUR days this last week...

The angel may have partly been in the form of my sister who gave me great advice regarding homeschooling and attention/focus/distraction problems. It really works! She was a teacher for many years and a special ed teacher and resource specialist as well. Probably knows what she is talking about!

But, I think I must have done something right...in taking her advice...in raising (rearing) my own daughter...in loving my grandchildren...and in believing...

in the magic of love and respect, in God, in education, that all children can learn well, and perhaps, in that angel of mercy who flew in one day...and...

given the grace and space to be "children" and more emphatically "boys", made them truly "perfect".

IS ANYONE OUT THERE INTERESTED???

Perhaps I am not as interesting as I thought. Perhaps the lives of those around me are plain boring...maybe I philosiphize too much, or make too big an effort to be humorous. Whatever the problem, no one lets me know that they read this blog. No one comments. No one emails. I am lonely!!!!Ha!!!

I use this blog therapeutically to hash through the details of my days. I welcome comments and suggestions. I realize that I do not stick well to one subject, but then, my life is a myriad of subjects...so how could I?

I write about homeschooling and grandchildren and outings and weeds and bugs. I write about ideas and philosophies of living. I tone down some things as to not offend anyone and perhaps, by doing so, I have become uninteresting or shallow. I do repent and ask your forgiveness.

So, I shall continue to type away, hoping that someone cares about my days and relates somehow to me.

I would like to spice up this blog, but one of the many things I am not is computer savvy. I am not blog-expertish either and have simply no idea how to do more than add a few pictures here and there. So, if anyone out there would like to help me become more interesting, please comment and get in touch with me.

I will write more about my day and the last few weeks after I return from a Valentine banquet at my church...actually, it will probably be tomorrow or later...but probably no one will read this anyway, so HAVE A GREAT DAY! SPREAD THE LOVE!

Its too early and I can't sleep!

Why must I succumb to the quirks of aging? Where did all my youthful energy go? It seems that my thinker wants to work overtime in the wee hours of the morning when my body is awakened by other calls of nature. I used to be able to sleep through those calls without difficulty. I used to be able to turn the mind on and off at will. I used to be able to let things go easier. Now, it seems, all of these issues are a challenge. I know I shall regret having given in to such folly. I should have forced myself to stay in bed and at least snuggle next to my husband. But he is snoring...a good sign that he is breathing and resting. But not a good way for me to return to sleeping.

I could have gone into the spare room. (Sounds like an adventure to Narnia or something!) Ha! I could have worked on my novel. (Too engaging, in case I want to return to the bed...) I could be reading...(ditto)...only things to get the mind swirling again and not things to bring slumber to my eyes.

WE plan to go to the zoo today. Not the one that is close to the house, but the one on the other side of town. They have elephants and bears and lions. The other does not, although they have a new aquarium we have yet to see. And then Saturday, Handsome and Jomo, and possibly TDH and Hunky, and my son and myself will be out on a fishing adventure at 6:00 AM. Promises must be kept!

I sometimes think I am getting too old for this traipsing around town with a minimum of two children in tow...sometimes as many as five...or six. Walking the zoo will be challenging with the bone spur on my heel. And I will be very tired, I predict. But we will see lions and tigers and bears...and elephants. And Baby Girl will be very tired as well. And the boys will have a good time, which is the main idea.

Sometimes I miss the "good old days" when I went to a specific place day in and day out to do a routine job with a twist of surprises, given I was working with people. I had days off and vacation time. I had lunch breaks! I could blame things on other staff once in a while! I felt professional. I felt challenged and yet comfortable in my knowledge and experience. I should have known that teaching children again would exceed any challenge I felt a need to have. And caring for children, even with lots of experience, creates its own twists of surprises and challenges. There are no two children alike. Even though "the apple does not fall far from the tree", as the saying goes, each child is unique and special, with their own set of needs and personalities. Having reared one of their parents does not make them easier to figure out! And that is the delight and joy of it all. Discovering the future in each of them on a daily basis.

Give me a sharper mind, O Lord, so at least, I can stay one step ahead of them...even with a bone spur...

Mr. Boo is Walking! And Everyone is Well!

I saw Mr. Boo walking last night...all the way across his house! Thanks to Skypes I can enjoy his antics even though he is not living as near me as I would like. He is still infactuated with his airplane we got him for his birthday. I am glad I did not wait until Christmas to give it to him...he got an extra month of enjoyment. He makes all sorts of noises now as well. Some words can even be understood! He is a very active and intelligent child...but of course, given his genetics, what else would he be? I do wish, however, that I could hold him and love on him in person more often. Oh well. At least we have Skypes and so far, my computer is working...

Baby Girl is into the "antics" as well. She is about ready to be potty-trained. She will now report when she has done a certain "duty" and yesterday, I found her sitting on the potty chair while accomplishing this. Her diaper and clothing were still on, but at least she knew where to "go". She is understanding a lot now. Time out. Waiting for her cuppy. (sometimes not too patiently, however) a little bit about being safe...and sharing...sort of.

TDH has decided that he no longer wishes to pursue playing in the school band, where he was an accomplished trumpter. He was in the District Honor Band and had his last performance last Saturday. The band did a great job! He looked so handsome in his dress clothes, although he quickly changed to jeans and tshirt as soon as he got out. Good job, TDH! We all got to enjoy, not only the concert, but treats afterwards at the new Westgate Center, next to the Cardinal's Stadium...GO CARDS!!!

Jomo has a go-cart, compliments of his dad. He took his cousins for a ride last week. Hunky, the daredevil who seems to have little fear and little safety-awareness, managed to fall out, even with a seat bar aross his lap. Fortunately, he was wearing a helmet and only got some "road burn" (on dirt) and scratches. Although I am sure it hurt badly for several days, he seemed to be satisfied with the attention it created. He is now okay. He is going out once in awhile to our church's new preschool. He is not enrolled, but is going as a companion/friend/helper for the children who are, since there are not yet many. So far, he has only gone twice, but looks forward to it. Some day, he may enrolled for a day or two. We will see. Right now, he is doing very well in his homeschool setting.

Handsome is excelling in his schooling right now. He is reading sentences more like sentences and not so much as individual words now. He still is not overly fond of reading, but finds it helpful in searching the Internet for items of interest. He is starting to attempt to spell words in the search engines on his own. He is doing well in math also, especially the hands-on things like measuring and cutting things into fractions. He has started subraction now as well. He can do three-number addition and double-digits addition also. We are working on time (clocks) and money (coins) also, which is of great interest to him.

Well, I have to decide whether or not to get ready to attend a wedding. It conflicts time-wise with TDH's soccer game, which we rarely miss. Hmmm....a wedding or a soccer game....????

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