another not me monday & funny highlight of the week~

It was so guilt relieving fun participating in MckMama's Not Me Monday, that I did not spend the rest of the week thinking up things I could say this time around.

Here we go...

I did not beg ask my husband if we could please just go to Sonic after spending an hour in the kitchen, over "onioning" the fried rice, cooking new rice, and subsequently burning the sesame chicken and letting the stir fry veggies get horribly wilted.

He did not spend fifteen minutes cutting off all the burned pieces and somehow convincing the kids that it really was better that way.

He also did not eat the onion-y fried rice and wilted veggies just to make me feel better. And he did not manage to convince me that he actually liked it and really wanted me to save the leftovers for his lunch.

(Have I mentioned that he is not a super guy? *grin*)

This is not a picture of my kids super excited that I made fish for lunch. These are also not the same kids that groan when I make said fish for dinner. Because my kids are never inconsistent like that. (And this is not Moriah being grouchy because we're not also having macaroni. She is always flowers and sunshine. Always.)

I did not make fish for lunch two days in a row because I neglected to buy more turkey. It was also not because I thought fish sounded pretty yummy. Nor was it because I can't stand peanut butter and that was really the only alternative.

My baby did not learn to climb onto the chair and onto the table. Please, not yet.

I did not have a "slumber party" at my sister Dyana's house with her and my Dad. (Weird story. I know. She just had surgery and was bored.) We did not stay up late eating pizza, cinnamon rolls, and watching movies. I also did not have to get up at five the next morning to come home. I also did not wake Haven up early so he would be ready for a nap super early. Not me, I am way more responsible than that.

I have not spent the last six months trying to convince my three year old that big boys wear underwear, only to spend ten minutes trying to convince him that it's okay for big boys to wear pull ups at night.

I did not throw away a pair of poopy underwear because it was just too gross to deal with.

My husband did not tell me that he was not going camping because it was going to be too cold and rainy, only to come home right when I need to leave and announce that he's decided to go anyway and can I please help him get ready.

I did not get stuck in traffic for an hour and a half since I left late.

I was not late to Christmas Village. I am always on time. Even when I'm stuck in Friday rush hour traffic in the rain.

I did not leave to go do errands on Saturday morning only to come back home after only one stop because I was just too tired and didn't feel well. That means I did not spend an hour and a half in the car and only 20 minutes at the store.

And it's a good thing that didn't happen, or I would have had to get out again later, and that would have been such a waste of time. And I never waste time.

I did not try and take a bath three times this week only to end up with three kids in the tub with me every time.

I did not attempt it again the following night and lock everyone out. I never lock my kids out. That would be mean, and I'm never mean.

This about sums up my week. The thing I am most proud of is that I actually didn't mind helping Glen get ready. It was only a quick overnight trip, so it only required one bag and a little food. I was so glad he was starting a new tradition with the boys and was bummed when he thought it would be too cold. Other than a few snide comments, and he knows me well enough to know I was just picking at him, I actually handled it pretty well. Thankfully. I had been offering to make him a roast or chili all week to take, but since he waited til the last minute he had to make do with hotdogs and cereal. Poor kids. They were really disappointed to have to grill hot dogs over the fire :o)

Funny Highlight of the Week:

Some of you that actually know us know that my husband was/is in a band with some great Christian guys. They've been close since Jr High, and I am really thankful for their friendship and influence in Glen's life. Those of you that know these guys well know they are some of the most hilarious guys you will ever meet. Get them alone and you can hardly breathe you're laughing so hard. And when Glen starts laughing hard, he does this wheezing thing...well, you just can't describe it. Just watching them get started laughing is better than any joke you could ever tell.

(edited later: not sure why I included all the stuff about the guys, I was trying to make a point that watching Glen laugh is a memorable experience. For those of you that go to church with us, if something really funny ever happens up front and you hear something that sounds like a cross between a hysterical laugh, and a wheezing, dying animal....that's Glen. I'll be hiding under the seat or frantically shushing him.)

So...this was our conversation on the way home from church Saturday night:

Glen (on the phone with his brother, Ben) : blah, blah, blah...I don't know, you'd have to ask Shyla...blah, blah, blah....Okay, bye.

Me (after about thirty seconds, knowing that he's just dying for me to ask him what he was saying about me because I can't stand to *not know* what's going on) : What was that?

Glen (slyly): Oh, nothing. (Looks at me out of the corner of his eye.)

Me: Oh, okay. (Sit patiently for fifteen or twenty seconds.) Fine! Then I guess I won't bother to share this last pack of M&Ms that I brought to the car. (Whips out tiny pack of M&Ms and starts laughing mischievously.) Ha ha ha!

Glen: That pack? That EMPTY one in your hand??!!! I ALREADY ATE IT!!!

By this time, I've realized the little pack is, indeed, gone. Glen is laughing and wheezing so hard I'm afraid he's going to run off the road, I'm laughing at Glen laughing and just how funny it was. Our kids are wondering what in the world is going on. We laughed HARD for at least a minute. It was great. I haven't laughed that hard in awhile. This is probably one of those things that just can't be described, it had to be experienced, but it was hilarious. It was so funny, in fact, that it will probably be one of those things we remember forever.

So, what was your funny highlight of the week, or what did you not do? Leave it in the comments, or even better, blog about it, and leave me a comment so I can read it! Come on people, confession time, surely I'm not the only one this stuff happens to?

a challenge to my oldest friend Heather~

I thought this would be fun to do, especially since one of the highlights of my childhood were the Bible Competitions my friend Heather and I would obsess over. I was somewhat surprised to actually get every question correct, but they were actually really easy. In the interest of full disclosure, I will say that my parents put a high premium on Bible "knowledge," and going to a private Christian school through the seventh grade pretty much solidified my book knowledge. I just wish I had understood the concept of heart knowledge a little earlier :o)

You know the Bible 100%!

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Take More Quizzes

A fun memory...

Growing up, our church would have these quarterly (?) Bible quizzes. Heather and I were the only girls that came regularly in our age range, and you know, being girls, we could pretty much blow the boys out of the water at that age. (Basically, we cared, they didn't.) So they always put us on separate teams. Always. Adding to the competitive spirit, we both went to private Christian schools, but our schools were each other's number one enemy um, rival. It was like the event of the quarter, these Bible quizzes were.

One of the quizzes that I remember was set up kind of like Family Feud. We had to stand in front of a buzzer/bell with hand behind our back, and when the question was asked, the first person to ring the bell got the first opportunity to answer. So I'm standing there (for the sake of a good story, we'll say it was against Heather, but actually, I think it might have been this boy Nicholas) and the teacher said something like, "On the night..." and me, in my eagerness rang the bell. Gulp. I had to answer. So I said, "Peter!" AND I WAS RIGHT! The question was, "On the night Jesus died, who denied him three times?" I also wish I could say that my answer won the game, but I think it actually just gave our team the opportunity to earn the points first or however Family Feud works.

So in good fun, I challenge you, Heather, to take the quiz. I'm pretty sure we'll tie, but if I happen to win, you can take me out for dessert. You know, in all that free time we both have :o)

just what were they thinking?

Let's play What Were They Thinking
(although we all know it's just a sneaky way for me to post some more pictures that I don't want to forget...)


I don't know what he's thinking now,
but I can imagine a few things he might thinking when he sees this a few years from now :o)


When I grow up, I'm going to be just like Dad.


What do you mean two more hours until lunch?



Let's see what Mom's nose tastes like.

(Check out Ethan's expression.)
Who are these crazy people?

Busted!

I have no idea. All I know is that it involved five little people convincing their oldest sister that she would make an excellent karate instructor. I don't really think this looks much like karate, though :o)

Does she have a date that I don't know about?

You mean we have to go back down the mountain?
Are you sure there's not a hotel around here somewhere? Maybe behind the waterfall?
An elevator? Anything???

Visions of sugar plums, maybe?

One day when I'm bigger I'm gonna show 'em.

I risked life and limb for a waterfall? That's it?
I thought there were going to be cookies.

Step one, give them that "I'm The Cutest Boy Ever and You're My Favorite Person In The Whole World"
smile every time they look your way. Step two, every time they pick you up, snuggle your head against their chest and look at them with your puppy dog eyes. Step three, when they're not looking, take over the world.
If that doesn't work, you can at least bribe them for cookies.

On a totally different topic...

I am so excited! Tonight is Christmas Village. It's a craft thing that I've gone to with my Mom, my Coocal, and my sisters every year since I was born. We have never missed a year. Now we take Anna and Moriah and this will be our first year with Dyana's new baby, Addyson. Dyana is such a trooper. She just had pretty major surgery last week, but tradition calls. Afterwards, we'll all drag ourselves hop in the car and head over to the Cheesecake Factory...because you know....that's just what we do. The boys are all bummed because it's really just going to be too cold and rainy for them to go camping. So I think they're going to hunker down with some coke and popcorn and watch Star Wars.

And stay tuned (stay tuned? should I say stay blogged? stay subscribed?) for something I am really, really excited about!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

help for growing familieshomeschool planning~

My Plan (ha ha) is to keep this short and sweet. As my Help for Growing Families topic has to do with homeschool planning, it, ahem, only applies to growing families that homeschool. Obviously. Just wanted to clear that up in case there was any confusion.

I've mentioned before how baby number six really derailed me. My life was going along, nice and predictable, and wham! My whole world was thrown up in the air and the dust is really just now settling. Right in time for baby number seven :o) And it wasn't Haven. He was/is an excellent napper, has a calm personality, and is generally a laid back little guy.

I think there were many things that contributed to the whirlwind that came along with the birth of sweet Haven, but one that I have finally identified was that my older kids' schoolwork was requiring more time, effort, and planning. Kindergarten, first, second, third grade, not such a big deal, I could kind of fly by the seat of my pants, but as my olders were getting older (you know you have a big(ish) family when you have olders, youngers, littles, big kids, little kids, first half, second half, etc.!), I was beginning to need to spend more time explaining, teaching, grading, planning, and identifying and dealing with weaker areas. Whereas I used to sit down on a weekend night, go over the prior weeks' work and plan the following week's work, (and it had worked beautifully up until this point,) it was no longer working. At all. I can claim exhaustion, busy-ness, poorly used time, etc. but regardless of the reason, it just wasn't happening. There were too many days when I had a whole line of kids clamoring around me asking me what they had to do today. Not to mention the preschooler, toddler, and baby that were just, well, clamoring.

Anyway, (why can't I ever keep things short!!) for quite a while I had planned on switching to year round schooling as it was just a better fit for our family. I'm the kind of homeschooling Mom that thinks outside play, especially creative play with siblings, has tremendous "educational" value, so on those beautiful spring and fall days and warm winter days when the kids long to be outside, I love for them to be able to go out. Not to mention that southern summers are too hot for much of anything, so it makes a great time for school. I don't know about you, but my kids get b.o.r.e.d. without structure to their days and something to do. We had loosely switched to schooling year round, but the planning thing was still getting to me. I needed a solution. One that worked.

So I came up with a plan. One that so far has been working out really well. It frees up a lot of time for me and works out great with a year round schedule.

My kids each have a school planner where I write out all their daily assignments. We've done this for awhile. (This would actually be my first tip.) That way they can look at each day and see clearly what is expected of them for that day. They mark off each thing as they complete it. No question about if they're done or not.

So I used to sit down, grade work, and write out "lesson plans" weekly. That's what wasn't working out so great anymore. There needed to be more daily oversight. Who wants kids adding improperly for an entire week before it's caught? Not such a good plan.

So this is the new plan. The one that works. I plan out six weeks at a time. And I go over work daily. Or at least every other day. That way, every day's asssignments consists of correcting the previous day's work, plus the new day's work. This allows me to see on a consistent basis what topics need more review and which concepts they are getting. That in turn allows me to tailor their daily assignments to better reflect their needs.

What is really nice about this plan is that every seventh week, we get a week off school, allowing me to catch up on house stuff, errands, and to plan the next six week's worth of school. We also get more time off at Christmas, about a month off in the summer, and there's plenty of time to take I don't feel like doing school today days "sick" days or whatever you want to call them. It's also nice when I can get my aunt to come over and I can go out, sit down at Panera or somewhere and drink hot tea while spreading out all my stuff and doing my planning in peace.

So that would be my tip for growing families that homeschool. I'm not really sure how this will look as my kids get older and their work becomes really challenging, but maybe by then someone with older kids will have written a Help For Growing Families post for Growing Families that Homeschool Little Kids and Really Old Kids. :o)

And just so as not to add to that everyone else is a perfect homeschooler except me lie that I'm convinced every homeschool Mom believes, if you read my previous post, you would know that this time I procrastinated all week long and let the kids watch tv and then I feverishly planned everything out on Sunday, while scarfing down ridiculous amounts of candy. While bribing paying my kids to clean the house. Just so we're clear here that plans are just, you know...plans. I don't want to be one of those homeschooling Moms that is an unattainable picture of perfection :o)

not me monday~

I stumbled upon another meme that looked like it would be fun to participate in (here is me grinning sheepishly.) Seeing as how blogging allows me to present my life exactly how I want you to see it, and not necessarily what it's really like around here, I've kind of been making an effort in every day life to let people know that my home and my mothering is not a model of perfection. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. So anyway, I thought it might be kind of fun to participate ;o) It's hosted by MckMama at My Charming Kids, who is kind of a kindred spirit as she just had her fourth baby in five years of marriage. Her newest baby, Stellan, was completely and miraculously healed of a serious heart condition. It's worth your time to go over there and browse around. She has a great personality, it's lots of fun to read her blog.

So...

This week it did not take us four nights to get through the new Indiana Jones movie because I kept falling asleep. Not me...

I did not keep falling asleep because I stayed out at my friend's house after book club until 1am knowing that I could nap the next day because my fabulous sister was taking and picking up my kids from school. I would never be so irresponsible.

I did not go to five stores after a homeschool moms group on Thursday night looking to replace a Signing Time video that occupies Haven for ridiculous amounts of time so I can get things done teaches Haven a valuable skill that he just happens to love. Oh no, not me.

I did not sneak in a massage and a manicure (and not tell anyone) on Wednesday when my aunt was keeping my kids so I could "run errands" and get pregnancy blood work done. I'm not sneaky like that.

I did not make my bed for the first time in a month because my family was coming over for birthdays. You guys know my house is spotlessly clean all the time. I'm Wonder Woman, remember?

I did not eat an entire bag of sour lifesaver gummies and then some peanut m & ms yesterday while planning the next six weeks of school. There were raw veggies in that bag. Promise.

I did not lie there pretending to be asleep when Haven woke up during the night this week. Moms never do things like that.

I didn't go all week without a shower because I was just too busy, and I did not wash my hair in the sink where it might clog up the disposal. Not me.

I didn't convince my husband to go out to dinner and dessert Friday night so I wouldn't have to cook so we could visit with my Dad who we hadn't seen in a few months.

I did not go to sleep without brushing my teeth twice this week because I was just so tired.

I did not skip the women's expo at church because I was afraid I would hurt my friends' feelings if I didn't buy their stuff. (Sorry guys, I kind of have issues with stuff like this. *sigh*)

I did not finish the chocolate birthday cake during breakfast last week when no one was looking. Not me, I wonder where it went?

I did not throw all the questionable sippy cups in the sink for Anna and Caleb to deal with when they clean up. Not me. I don't do things like that. That would be mean, and I'm never mean.

I do not give Haven a handful of mini m&ms after dinner most nights so that I can have a few more minutes before he gets down and starts running around everywhere.

I'm not sitting here eating peanut m&ms because I never put them away last night.

I'm not sitting here wasting time when I should be doing something productive. Oh no, my house is totally clean, dinner is in the crockpot, and my children are outside harvesting fresh vegetables from our fall garden. Really.

I didn't let the kids watch tv all week since I was exhausted from camping, the time change, and staying out too late two nights.

I didn't take the whole week off from school for "school planning week" and then wait until Sunday to do all of it. Not me. I am. on. top. of. things...don't ya know?

I am not still on my chips dipped in pickle juice kick. Not me.

I do not drink 3qts of tea a day.

I do not put so much lemon in my water that it's unsweetened lemonade and looks like dirty water.

I did not blow my nose on the bottom edge of my shirt during the night because I forgot to get out new kleenex. That would have been gross. I got up, retrieved a a new box, and did things properly. Promise.

I did not get into a borderline catty email fight with a woman who refuses to let me try her "miracle vitamins" unless I listen to her hour long mlm speech. Not me.

I did not sort, fold, and put all the girl clothes in drawers this week, a full five and a half months before the baby is due. That was not me. I'm not obsessive like that.

I did not pay my children a combined total of $20 yesterday to do all the deep cleaning jobs. Didn't you know my full name is Shyla June Cleaver?

I've not already had hot tea, lemon water, two pieces of toast, a bowl of chicken soup, and a ridiculous amount of m&ms already this morning. And I am not getting ready to eat a turkey sandwich with chips dipped in pickle juice. I don't get weird pregnancy cravings

.I am not sitting here ignoring the fact that my children have all disappeared and it's technically school time. Oh no, I never do things like that.

And I am not sitting here extraordinarily happy that my sister is not going to California so she can take my kids to and from school tomorrow. I'm really sad for her, even though she gets to fly for free and just went to France. Poor girl.

And as a result, I'm not going to have to convince their teachers that I, not my sister, is really my children's mother because since the whole bedrest thing happened she has taken and picked them up from school every week. Not me. I'm the involved parent.

What did you not do?

over the river and through the woodsgreat smoky mountains national park2008 october

I finally managed to confiscate Glen's camera so I could retrieve the pictures of our trip this past weekend.

We went to East Tennessee, and stayed just outside Gatlinburg. We've always stayed in State Parks before, but this time we chose a Jellystone Campground. They advertised kids' activities (craft time, flat football, hayride, etc.) and it looked like a nice spot. Their website is upfront about them being Christian owned, so we thought it would be nice to support a Christian family-owned place. During craft time Satruday morning, Glen asked the mom of the bunch what had brought them to Tennessee (she had told us her husband had formerly been a chief of police somewhere in California.) Her answer was that God brought them, so that was kind of cool. It is owned by her and her husband, and her two sons and daughter in law help run the campground. While it was nice, we happened upon some beautiful state parks nearby with river front spots, so I think we'll probably go that route next time. We had expected the entire area to be crowded due to the fall colors and beautiful weather, but were pleasantly surprised that there were only maybe four other families at the campground, and not too many people in the actual park area. I guess not many people go camping Halloween weekend.

As I mentioned earlier, camping in a pop up doesn't seem like *real* camping to me. We've camped plenty of times in a tent with little ones, but I will admit, it was very nice having a camper. We've never gone more than two nights before, and this time we went for three. It would have been so much harder if we had taken the tent. Although mid day warmed up nicely, the mornings, evenings, and of course nights were chilly (nights were close to freezing, not so good for Haven, Mr. I Like My Bed and If You Don't Give It To Me Right Now I'll Make Your Life Miserable.) There is a little nook where the table area is, and if we removed the table and layered blankets down between the seating area, it was remarkably like a pack n play. It took him a few minutes to accept it as his bed, but after that snuggled down and slept great. Anna, Caleb, and Moriah slept on one of the beds, Glen, Noah, and I slept on another, Haven got the table area, and Ethan claimed the sofa pull out bed. I remarked to Glen that we could easily get at least three more kids in it comfortably ;o) It was quite warm and cozy, and I've kind of missed everyone snuggled up all together. And Ethan did not fall out of the bed the first night. Oh no, not Ethan.

Our Camping Trip in Photos
because I know you guys can't get enough of my adorable children :o)


Haven in his bed area before we made it into his bed,
he didn't sleep on top of the stove ;o)


Our two littlest guys in pjs with cold noses.

Our stout warriors preparing to brave the *easy* hike


Parenting Tip #11

When officials lable hiking easy, moderate, or strenuous,
they are not accounting for families with multiple preschoolers, pregnancy, or double strollers.

Boys will be boys...

Taking a little break on the way up. See my tummy?
That's *all* baby...Really, I promise ;o)

Success! Was it worth it? Who knew two miles could be SO FAR??!!

Yes, we took a tv and had movie night.
Mom and Dad can only roast so many marshmallows in the cold before alternative arrangements become necessary.
It was either bedtime at 7pm or movie night. I know, I know, the hardships of "camping."

All in all, it was a very nice trip. The time change threw us off quite a bit, especially already being an hour ahead of our normal time, but it was still very nice. This coming Friday is Christmas Village, a tradition the girls in our family have been keeping since I was a baby, so Glen is thinking about taking the boys out somewhere close by. Personally, I think he's just still wanting to play with his new toy.

Although I feel as if I've caved, I doubt we'll ever go back to the tent. The conveniences of shower, toilet, beds, heating and air, sink, microwave, toaster, and stove are just too...convenient. Anyone want to buy a really nice, big, two room tent?