YW in Excellence

Amber had her first YW in excellence this week.  She didn't have anything that she had recently done so she came home after school and painted the picture of the First Vision.  I am amazed at her natural artistic abilities.  She took two weeks of art classes this summer and is in art this year in school but that is the extent of her training.  She is amazing!

Jacob's writing

Jake has discovered the Thesaurus this year. He is an excellent writer. He uses a few too many adjectives and some run-ons, but he is only in fifth grade so he has some time to figure it out.

His class is putting together a Thanksgiving book and this is Jacob's entry:

As the glistening snow gently drifts down upon the glistering, and radiant colors of the awe-inspiring Autumn forest, I amble aimlessly, for I could never allow myself to wake from this amazing trance in the beautiful land of the Autumn forest! As I watch the delicate, but lovely snowflakes gently drift as softly, and gently as an agile feather, despite the sound of my frigid teeth chattering away I have no qualms of staying in the ferociously, amazing Autumn forest. The idea of giving cordial thanks to the pilgrims who brought my mother hear from England encroached upon my mind. I snap awake to the sound of my obsolete shutters slamming shut, and open over, and over. Man I'm glad I awoke or I might have gotten frostbite. I got up, and shut the window then jumped into the bed and drifted off to sleep.

Life as "I" know it....

Here are just a few of the things that have caught my attention lately...

You're NOT as helpful as you think you are.

I know it may feel helpful in your one year old mind to help me unload the dishes but it doesn't feel very helpful when I am trying to LOAD the dishes.

Without fail the baby LOVES to come over and mess with the dishes and has developed a fascination with the knives (I know yikes, right?). I always escort him as far away as possible or strap him in his highchair but yesterday his big brother let him help unload the silverware and continually praised his one year old efforts. (I know that is cute!) Anyway, I found it funny this morning when I went to load the dishes after the masses had eaten and run off to school; not only did the baby come to help but he RAN and eagerly. It was very cute! He was extra excited to be a big helper and do a chore. Like I said, too bad I was loading so he had to be strapped into the highchair...

I'm glad Webster's is around but wonder if it was the best source for this....  & as a MOM we must always be ready

Sooooo .... a couple of nights ago my 10 year old son mentioned that he was reading the newspaper earlier [another story all together] and was very disturbed by what he was reading about Elizabeth Smart and Emmanuel (David Brian Mitchell).

Knowing the things that were most likely in the article, I tried to casually ask a few questions to find out exactly what he was thinking. Oh and I shewed the little ones away. So to the best of my recollection, here is how the conversation went...

ME: "What kind of things disturbed you?"
HIM: "Oh some of the things he made her do.."

ME: "Like what?"
HIM: "well he raped her and uh yeah"

ME: "Do you know what raped means?" (We hadn't had "THE TALK" w/ him yet)
HIM: "yeah"

ME: "Oh really?!? How?"
HIM: "I looked it up in the dictionary"

(Wondering what Webster may have taught him)

ME: "And?"
HIM: "It's about sexually and yeah"

ME: "Do you know what sex is?"
HIM: "(shrug)"

ME: "Do you know how babies are made?"
HIM: "I know it has something to do with X and Y chromosomes" (typical smarty pants scientific reasoning)

At this point I figured it was time, and so I had to explain a few things to him to which he replied...

HIM: "That sounds really weird" Hopefully he'll keep thinking that way for awhile.

We did something stupid but I'm still excited!

Our microwave broke last week. I was boiling noodles (which I always do with the lid off) so there was a lot of steam coming from the stove to the microwave but I also had to microwave something at the same time. I've done this a million times but that day the microwave POPPED!!

We began our quest to find a new microwave. We wanted to find a deal which we did but the microwave wasn't available the end of the month so we left to look elsewhere. A few days later my husband found one and for even less but it was about an hour away so he bought it and we waited a couple of days until we'd be heading that way to pick it up.

Anyway, a few days passed and we headed to the Home Depot location to pick up the microwave and buy a couple of hula hoes and leave. It didn't quite happen this way...

As we walked in we noticed a pair of LG front loading steam washing/ drying machines on sale (while supply lasts of course). I headed to garden and my hubby headed to appliances to pick up the previously purchased microwave where I would meet him.

When I made my way to the appliance section, I found myself being talked into (by my husband which is very unusual - it usually goes the other way) purchasing a new washer/dryer. I have been eyeing this set for years and building my dream laundry room in my mind for just as long so it didn't take a lot of convincing. In fact he then had to talk me out of purchasing two sets (part of my grand design). So today I find myself trying to get as much laundry done so we can remove the old set, take down a shelf (we are stacking them so we can fit two sets ... eventually), and remove a window sill in preparation for a delivery tomorrow.

Did I mention we HAVE to buy a new car?  Our old one blew and the one we borrowed too? ...... Here's where the stupid part comes from......