Life in a Nutshell
YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN TEXAS in JULY WHEN...
The birds have to use potholders to pull worms out of the ground.
The trees are whistling for the dogs.
The best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.
Hot water now comes out of both taps.
You can make sun tea instantly.
You learn that a seat belt buckle makes a pretty good branding iron.
The temperature drops below 95 and you feel a little chilly.
You discover that in July it only takes 2 fingers to steer your car.
You discover that you can get sunburned through your car window.
You actually burn your hand opening the car door.
You break into a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30 a.m.
Your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out and
end up lying on the pavement and cook to death?"
You realize that asphalt has a liquid state.
The potatoes cook underground, so all you have to do is pull one
out and add butter, salt and pepper.
Farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from
laying boiled eggs.
The cows are giving evaporated milk.
I think July is coming early this year....100 degrees tomorrow! And so our summer begins, only to end sometime in November!!!
Monday, June 27, 2005
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Soooo... we finally did it! We've entered the 21st century and bought a (new to us) van!! Rear air, cd player, cloth seats, cruise control, power windows and locks...heavenly! You have to know what we had before to appreciate my excitement. Our old van served us well, but our '92 Ford Aerostar (with 200,000 miles on it) needs to retire. So, Meams, any last thoughts or reminisces for old Bessie before she enters her final resting place?
Monday, June 20, 2005
Family in Texas!
Life in a Nutshell
The kids and I drove up to the nether regions of Texas to collect my cousin and bring him down to our house for a day filled with being constantly barraged by the boys to play, play, PLAY!! They played baseball, swimming (and pool baseball) and hide-and-seek, and painting, and baseball, and computer games (with baseball) and more baseball....did I mention that they played baseball??
To appreciate the real irony in this, one has to realize that my cousin is in Texas to play college baseball, and he has games 6 days a week, with Monday being his only day off. So, what does he do on his day off? He comes over and plays baseball here! Apparently, he had a good time, and hopes to come back next week. The boys are in heaven, to have someone come and play baseball all day with them. DS#2 lay down in bed this evening with a big contented sigh and a smile spread across his face, saying, "I played baseball today..." *how cute*
The kids and I drove up to the nether regions of Texas to collect my cousin and bring him down to our house for a day filled with being constantly barraged by the boys to play, play, PLAY!! They played baseball, swimming (and pool baseball) and hide-and-seek, and painting, and baseball, and computer games (with baseball) and more baseball....did I mention that they played baseball??
To appreciate the real irony in this, one has to realize that my cousin is in Texas to play college baseball, and he has games 6 days a week, with Monday being his only day off. So, what does he do on his day off? He comes over and plays baseball here! Apparently, he had a good time, and hopes to come back next week. The boys are in heaven, to have someone come and play baseball all day with them. DS#2 lay down in bed this evening with a big contented sigh and a smile spread across his face, saying, "I played baseball today..." *how cute*
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Ton o' Fun in the Sun
Life in a Nutshell
Yesterday the kids and I drove out to west Fort Worth to visit my friend Lisa (and her 5 kids) at her parents house. Lisa and the kids have been staying out there the past 2 weeks b/c they are getting a bathroom redone at their house. Her parents have an inground pool and swingset so the kids had a blast. We left around 10 am and got there around 11am. As soon as we got out of the car DD#1 whines "I'm hunnngryyy!" and so we eat some yummy pasta for lunch, then head for the pool. (you realize of course, that all of that took over 2 hours to accomplish!) Once I finally get to the pool, our family alone makes 10 trips to bathroom...and during that time it takes me 30 min to get DD#3 down for a 45 min nap. Regardless, the kids and I have a great time. Lisa's parents are so warm and welcoming. They are very active in the pro-life movement as well. Her Dad started the pro-life center in Fort Worth and works there almost every day (even though he is in a wheelchair--war injury, his helicopter was shot down the day before Lisa was born--they went on to have 5 more kids after that!) At one point yesterday, her mom came out to the pool and exclaimed, "Look at all these kids, isn't it great?!" Lisa and I laughed and agreed. It is very nice to be able to spend time with another family that holds the same values (and even disciplines their kids the same!) and to have the kids play so well together like ours does. Even tho' her 2 girls are the oldest and her 3 boys the youngest, (exact opposite of us) they get along the best out of any of the other families I know. We spent about 4 hours there and got home at 4pm. A well spent day.
The baseball game the other night was a lot of fun. My cousin got up to bat and on base twice, and so the boys were thrilled. We only stayed for 3 innings, which was quite an accomplishment since all DD#2 was interested in was climbing along the outside of the bleachers and finding the "mouse" (team mascot..which was an armadillo, actually). We stopped for ice cream on the way home (Braums...a texas tradition! remember, Meams?). We look forward to watching some more games, and seeing cousin Scotty on Monday at our house. All I know is that it's great to be with family.
Yesterday the kids and I drove out to west Fort Worth to visit my friend Lisa (and her 5 kids) at her parents house. Lisa and the kids have been staying out there the past 2 weeks b/c they are getting a bathroom redone at their house. Her parents have an inground pool and swingset so the kids had a blast. We left around 10 am and got there around 11am. As soon as we got out of the car DD#1 whines "I'm hunnngryyy!" and so we eat some yummy pasta for lunch, then head for the pool. (you realize of course, that all of that took over 2 hours to accomplish!) Once I finally get to the pool, our family alone makes 10 trips to bathroom...and during that time it takes me 30 min to get DD#3 down for a 45 min nap. Regardless, the kids and I have a great time. Lisa's parents are so warm and welcoming. They are very active in the pro-life movement as well. Her Dad started the pro-life center in Fort Worth and works there almost every day (even though he is in a wheelchair--war injury, his helicopter was shot down the day before Lisa was born--they went on to have 5 more kids after that!) At one point yesterday, her mom came out to the pool and exclaimed, "Look at all these kids, isn't it great?!" Lisa and I laughed and agreed. It is very nice to be able to spend time with another family that holds the same values (and even disciplines their kids the same!) and to have the kids play so well together like ours does. Even tho' her 2 girls are the oldest and her 3 boys the youngest, (exact opposite of us) they get along the best out of any of the other families I know. We spent about 4 hours there and got home at 4pm. A well spent day.
The baseball game the other night was a lot of fun. My cousin got up to bat and on base twice, and so the boys were thrilled. We only stayed for 3 innings, which was quite an accomplishment since all DD#2 was interested in was climbing along the outside of the bleachers and finding the "mouse" (team mascot..which was an armadillo, actually). We stopped for ice cream on the way home (Braums...a texas tradition! remember, Meams?). We look forward to watching some more games, and seeing cousin Scotty on Monday at our house. All I know is that it's great to be with family.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
BTW...
Life in a Nutshell
Going to see "cousin Scotty" play tonight in a college league down here...the kids are all excited! He is their hero, (next to Michael Young). I'm excited too, it's way more fun to watch baseball when you're related to someone who's playing. Hence, my preference for the boys' T-ball games over any MLB Ranger game!!
Going to see "cousin Scotty" play tonight in a college league down here...the kids are all excited! He is their hero, (next to Michael Young). I'm excited too, it's way more fun to watch baseball when you're related to someone who's playing. Hence, my preference for the boys' T-ball games over any MLB Ranger game!!
Blog Worthy?
Life in a Nutshell
I sometimes feel hesitant to post, since realizing that anyone, really, can access this blog. I don't want to bore people with minute details of our life, knowing that to many people, my life may seem mundane or too narrow. My sister-in-law e-mailed us, wondering why people blog, and why people would care to read other people's blogs, esp if they don't even know them! And, do people really feel the need to share their thoughts with just anyone? I, for one, prefer to share only with those I know, and those I feel comfortable with, and so I direct my blogs to them. Then, I can drum happily along on my keyboard, imagining that I am speaking to them. But, when I go to statcounter, and see that someone in Australia linked to my blog through Google by typing in the words "faustina is a stinker" (!!) I wonder about all of this.... ;)
And so, on to our life in the nuthouse. Summer is in full swing, and it seems like every mom I know is desperately trying to squeeze their lives into some sort of schedule. Once the kids are home from school, it seems like the house erupts into chaos and boredom, and the main struggle every summer is to combat that. Having homeschooled the kids this past year, I am one of the lucky ones that don't have to make that transition this summer. I wonder too, if it is the mentality of this day and age that children need to be constantly entertained by an adult at all times. It could be the TV, computer, summer classes, etc. I think a lot of free play is important for kids when they are young, this is where they learn what they like and dislike, they can develop their talents, and learn how to get along! If an adult is constantly directing them, then they become little robots, just following directions..and for the independent-minded ones, they get into trouble a lot for not following directions! One of the teachers who came to our house last month told me about a little boy in first grade who was such a sweetie, but constantly wanted to "build stuff"...out of anything he could find in the classroom! She (the teacher) was frusterated with it, but I thought it was great. I hope his parents expand and encourage that this summer! My little DD#1, at the age of 4, loves to draw and draw and draw! She is quite the artist. The other day, she was staring at my face and informed me that I had an "X" on my face.
"Huh?" I said.
"Yes, Mama, right here.." she said. And then proceeded to draw a line from the end of my eyebrow, across my nose, and down the "laugh line" to the corner of my mouth on the opposite side, and she did the same on the other side. Amazing. She points certain things out like this a lot. And I know that if I didn't continue to make all of the crayons, pencils, markers, scissors, glue and paper constantly available to her, that she would lose interest. I also know that someday they will get bored more easily, and then I will have my work cut out for me....but for now, I can enjoy the excitement they find in a big cardboard box and a bunch of new paints!
I sometimes feel hesitant to post, since realizing that anyone, really, can access this blog. I don't want to bore people with minute details of our life, knowing that to many people, my life may seem mundane or too narrow. My sister-in-law e-mailed us, wondering why people blog, and why people would care to read other people's blogs, esp if they don't even know them! And, do people really feel the need to share their thoughts with just anyone? I, for one, prefer to share only with those I know, and those I feel comfortable with, and so I direct my blogs to them. Then, I can drum happily along on my keyboard, imagining that I am speaking to them. But, when I go to statcounter, and see that someone in Australia linked to my blog through Google by typing in the words "faustina is a stinker" (!!) I wonder about all of this.... ;)
And so, on to our life in the nuthouse. Summer is in full swing, and it seems like every mom I know is desperately trying to squeeze their lives into some sort of schedule. Once the kids are home from school, it seems like the house erupts into chaos and boredom, and the main struggle every summer is to combat that. Having homeschooled the kids this past year, I am one of the lucky ones that don't have to make that transition this summer. I wonder too, if it is the mentality of this day and age that children need to be constantly entertained by an adult at all times. It could be the TV, computer, summer classes, etc. I think a lot of free play is important for kids when they are young, this is where they learn what they like and dislike, they can develop their talents, and learn how to get along! If an adult is constantly directing them, then they become little robots, just following directions..and for the independent-minded ones, they get into trouble a lot for not following directions! One of the teachers who came to our house last month told me about a little boy in first grade who was such a sweetie, but constantly wanted to "build stuff"...out of anything he could find in the classroom! She (the teacher) was frusterated with it, but I thought it was great. I hope his parents expand and encourage that this summer! My little DD#1, at the age of 4, loves to draw and draw and draw! She is quite the artist. The other day, she was staring at my face and informed me that I had an "X" on my face.
"Huh?" I said.
"Yes, Mama, right here.." she said. And then proceeded to draw a line from the end of my eyebrow, across my nose, and down the "laugh line" to the corner of my mouth on the opposite side, and she did the same on the other side. Amazing. She points certain things out like this a lot. And I know that if I didn't continue to make all of the crayons, pencils, markers, scissors, glue and paper constantly available to her, that she would lose interest. I also know that someday they will get bored more easily, and then I will have my work cut out for me....but for now, I can enjoy the excitement they find in a big cardboard box and a bunch of new paints!
Friday, June 10, 2005
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Guns n' Jesus
Life in a Nutshell
This is what DH (dear husband) calls the boys' summer camp, actually entitled "Camp Jesus". The little darlings get to spend every day for a week racing go-carts, swimming, wrestling, learning about Jesus, and shooting BB guns. Just what my little action heroes have always dreamed of, and just what every mom would love for their boys to do...as long as they don't have to watch!
Yesterday was Day #1, and DS (dear son) #2 had a bit of a meltdown, clinging to my legs, bawling, and screaming to be taken home with me. So, what to do? I stayed with him in the gymnasium while the kids had a Jesus pep rally, and then he decided he would try the BB guns, then come home. I told him to try it, and then his counselors could call me if they needed to. I didn't hear a peep all day. And like a good Mom, confident in her wisdom and discernment, I spent all day biting my nails, praying that I haven't done any psychological damage, and arrived to pick them up... 30 min early!! So the girls and I had a snow cone and hung out chatting with the husband and wife team in charge. When DS came into view to go to the ending pep rally session, he walked by, gave me a wave, and went in with his group.
On the way home, the boys kept interrupting each other, telling me about their day......
"Mom, guess what, I beat SAM at wrestling, can you believe it?"
"Mom, Mom, I almost got a bullseye at the BB guns!"
"Mom, Silly (a counselor) ate my corn nuts...he was hungry!"
"Mom, King Andrew (another counselor) and I went sooo fast on the go-carts!--
Yeah, we beat the girls most of the time..."
"The bible verse was something about a trip..."
(and since it's written their shirts, I'm able to help on this one)
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
"Yeah, yeah that's it!--- Did I tell you I almost got a BULLSEYE???"
And so Day #2 started today. Once again the girls and I hung out in the gym and listened to their Jesus rally. DS#2 did great, and went off to do wrestling quite happily. Silly was packed his very own bag of corn nuts in DS#1's lunch bag, and I look forward to hearing about all they got to do today.
This is what DH (dear husband) calls the boys' summer camp, actually entitled "Camp Jesus". The little darlings get to spend every day for a week racing go-carts, swimming, wrestling, learning about Jesus, and shooting BB guns. Just what my little action heroes have always dreamed of, and just what every mom would love for their boys to do...as long as they don't have to watch!
Yesterday was Day #1, and DS (dear son) #2 had a bit of a meltdown, clinging to my legs, bawling, and screaming to be taken home with me. So, what to do? I stayed with him in the gymnasium while the kids had a Jesus pep rally, and then he decided he would try the BB guns, then come home. I told him to try it, and then his counselors could call me if they needed to. I didn't hear a peep all day. And like a good Mom, confident in her wisdom and discernment, I spent all day biting my nails, praying that I haven't done any psychological damage, and arrived to pick them up... 30 min early!! So the girls and I had a snow cone and hung out chatting with the husband and wife team in charge. When DS came into view to go to the ending pep rally session, he walked by, gave me a wave, and went in with his group.
On the way home, the boys kept interrupting each other, telling me about their day......
"Mom, guess what, I beat SAM at wrestling, can you believe it?"
"Mom, Mom, I almost got a bullseye at the BB guns!"
"Mom, Silly (a counselor) ate my corn nuts...he was hungry!"
"Mom, King Andrew (another counselor) and I went sooo fast on the go-carts!--
Yeah, we beat the girls most of the time..."
"The bible verse was something about a trip..."
(and since it's written their shirts, I'm able to help on this one)
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
"Yeah, yeah that's it!--- Did I tell you I almost got a BULLSEYE???"
And so Day #2 started today. Once again the girls and I hung out in the gym and listened to their Jesus rally. DS#2 did great, and went off to do wrestling quite happily. Silly was packed his very own bag of corn nuts in DS#1's lunch bag, and I look forward to hearing about all they got to do today.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
5, 4, 6
Life in a Nutshell
These are the # of hours of sleep I have gotten in the past 3 nights, and I am wondering exactly why God thinks I can handle 5 children....
Beth has decided that she doesn't like her big girl bed, and is crying off and on all night, while we shove medicine, food and bottles down her throat trying to alleviate some phantom "pain" she seems to be in. Finally, at 2:30am, I took her to the couch (I had been up since 12:30am) and asked her if she missed her crib.
"Yee-aah" she whines.
"I don' lik-a mah bed" she declares.
Lovely. Unfortunately, I can't assemble her crib at this hour, and would not, unless the house was on fire, awaken Andrew at this point (he had been up just as much with Beth and had gone to bed much later than I had!), especially to request such an undertaking. So, I snug her for awhile, going through the list of names of all the people we know, saying with certainty that they are all asleep and that she needs to sleep too. At her request, I repeat this info 3 times, until I finally persuade her to go back to bed. 5 min later, big sister Gemma comes in my room with a bad dream, forcing Andrew to go to Gemma's bed and Gemma crawls in with me. Just as I am nodding off, Gemma says that her finger REALLY hurts and she needs a band-aid. When I start to tell her forget it, she proceeds to protest rather loudly. Afraid that she is going to wake up Mae, I run to the kitchen, open a bandaid, stumble back to bed, and blindly wrap it around her hurt finger. I don't even look at the clock at this point, too afraid to see. I finally fall asleep, and am awakened for the day at 6:30am by the youngest. At least she only woke up once all night, with no screaming fits this time! I guess God does know what I can handle!
These are the # of hours of sleep I have gotten in the past 3 nights, and I am wondering exactly why God thinks I can handle 5 children....
Beth has decided that she doesn't like her big girl bed, and is crying off and on all night, while we shove medicine, food and bottles down her throat trying to alleviate some phantom "pain" she seems to be in. Finally, at 2:30am, I took her to the couch (I had been up since 12:30am) and asked her if she missed her crib.
"Yee-aah" she whines.
"I don' lik-a mah bed" she declares.
Lovely. Unfortunately, I can't assemble her crib at this hour, and would not, unless the house was on fire, awaken Andrew at this point (he had been up just as much with Beth and had gone to bed much later than I had!), especially to request such an undertaking. So, I snug her for awhile, going through the list of names of all the people we know, saying with certainty that they are all asleep and that she needs to sleep too. At her request, I repeat this info 3 times, until I finally persuade her to go back to bed. 5 min later, big sister Gemma comes in my room with a bad dream, forcing Andrew to go to Gemma's bed and Gemma crawls in with me. Just as I am nodding off, Gemma says that her finger REALLY hurts and she needs a band-aid. When I start to tell her forget it, she proceeds to protest rather loudly. Afraid that she is going to wake up Mae, I run to the kitchen, open a bandaid, stumble back to bed, and blindly wrap it around her hurt finger. I don't even look at the clock at this point, too afraid to see. I finally fall asleep, and am awakened for the day at 6:30am by the youngest. At least she only woke up once all night, with no screaming fits this time! I guess God does know what I can handle!
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Ok, I Know You're All Dying to Know...
Life in a Nutshell
Last night was great fun! After the initial awkwardness of people calling and apologizing and asking if we should cancel, and all that, the evening itself was very fun! The first to arrive was Tony (Thanks, Shan, that was the only way I could remember his last name!) his brother Dan, Joe, and Mark (somebody...... we know him from our Colloquoy). Then Richina showed up, then Melissa, then Michael and Christina, then Jonathan somebody.... then Andrew! (phew!) (Still no Frank, Sharon and Kirsten!) Finally they came, and then Frank left to go get beer (another miscommunication :P ) Then Joe and someone.....with a cooler full of beer! So, we have a ton o' beer still, and our windowsills are lined with the bottles that were consumed last night. Polly (Joe C's girlfriend) showed up at some point during dinner...and I think that was everyone! Dinner was yummy, Kirsten made this awesome pasta salad.
And so on to the happenings.....The 2 Joe's entertained my boys, playing lots of baseball, building Lincoln Logs in their room, and looking at our Spiderman (the complete guide) book. Ethan had tears in his eyes when he went to bed (at 10pm!) asking if Joe could come back in the morning! And when he woke up, he drew a picture of himself and Joe on a mountain peak, and so now I need to get Joe's address to send it to him. It was really neat to see the kids interacting with everyone, and how these teachers loved to share their knowledge with my little ones! Dan showed Ethan, Noah and Gemma the Big Dipper outside, (he also was playing with Mae!) Richina was pointing to our map of the world and showing Gemma and Noah where different animals live. Tony sat and listened while Gemma told him the story of the "Knight of the Silver Shield". Sharon chatted with Gemma too, and the overall result was the kids had a great time! It's a testament to our guests that, while it really was an "adult" party, our kids felt just as included. (in fact, we had set the kids up inside to eat, but Ethan went out and sat at the picnic table with Joe B and everyone else!)
The only down side is that I didn't get to chat with Frank or Kirsten (I was able to chat a bit with Sharon...) Andrew was able to sit and chat with Frank and Tony, though...
I did chat with Polly and Christina awhile. We talked about Montessori and educating children, etc. Polly teaches Pre-K at Faustina and is getting Montessori certified this summer. Hopefully we can keep in touch, I really liked her. Richina teaches Art at Faustina and it was nice to chat with her about her philosophy of learning Art and then we talked about the Michael O'Brien books and his philosophy of children's literature. Hopefully Sharon and Kirsten will become the newest members in the Michael O'Brien fan club!!
And so, at this hour (9:45am...I started this at 7:45am), Bethy is still asleep, and I am on my second cup of coffee, but we all agree that it was worth it and should be done again sometime!
Love to all.
Last night was great fun! After the initial awkwardness of people calling and apologizing and asking if we should cancel, and all that, the evening itself was very fun! The first to arrive was Tony (Thanks, Shan, that was the only way I could remember his last name!) his brother Dan, Joe, and Mark (somebody...... we know him from our Colloquoy). Then Richina showed up, then Melissa, then Michael and Christina, then Jonathan somebody.... then Andrew! (phew!) (Still no Frank, Sharon and Kirsten!) Finally they came, and then Frank left to go get beer (another miscommunication :P ) Then Joe and someone.....with a cooler full of beer! So, we have a ton o' beer still, and our windowsills are lined with the bottles that were consumed last night. Polly (Joe C's girlfriend) showed up at some point during dinner...and I think that was everyone! Dinner was yummy, Kirsten made this awesome pasta salad.
And so on to the happenings.....The 2 Joe's entertained my boys, playing lots of baseball, building Lincoln Logs in their room, and looking at our Spiderman (the complete guide) book. Ethan had tears in his eyes when he went to bed (at 10pm!) asking if Joe could come back in the morning! And when he woke up, he drew a picture of himself and Joe on a mountain peak, and so now I need to get Joe's address to send it to him. It was really neat to see the kids interacting with everyone, and how these teachers loved to share their knowledge with my little ones! Dan showed Ethan, Noah and Gemma the Big Dipper outside, (he also was playing with Mae!) Richina was pointing to our map of the world and showing Gemma and Noah where different animals live. Tony sat and listened while Gemma told him the story of the "Knight of the Silver Shield". Sharon chatted with Gemma too, and the overall result was the kids had a great time! It's a testament to our guests that, while it really was an "adult" party, our kids felt just as included. (in fact, we had set the kids up inside to eat, but Ethan went out and sat at the picnic table with Joe B and everyone else!)
The only down side is that I didn't get to chat with Frank or Kirsten (I was able to chat a bit with Sharon...) Andrew was able to sit and chat with Frank and Tony, though...
I did chat with Polly and Christina awhile. We talked about Montessori and educating children, etc. Polly teaches Pre-K at Faustina and is getting Montessori certified this summer. Hopefully we can keep in touch, I really liked her. Richina teaches Art at Faustina and it was nice to chat with her about her philosophy of learning Art and then we talked about the Michael O'Brien books and his philosophy of children's literature. Hopefully Sharon and Kirsten will become the newest members in the Michael O'Brien fan club!!
And so, at this hour (9:45am...I started this at 7:45am), Bethy is still asleep, and I am on my second cup of coffee, but we all agree that it was worth it and should be done again sometime!
Love to all.
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