hahahahaha...

This is hilarious!



We are going to paint this afternoon when Mark comes home from work(yes work).

A Name Meme...

Sadira found this cool name meme at Stiletto Heights. If you want to play along, just substitute your name for mine and google your name + the next word in the sentence(eg your name needs).

Molly needs is a little help from her girlfriends...
(Indeed I do!)

Molly looks like a teenager in this photo…

(because I WAS a teenager in this photo)

Molly does not like to be sprayed by the water hose
(not entirely true, I don't mind if it is on mist and very hot outside)

Molly hates peas!
(not true at all, I love peas!)

MOLLY GOES TO THE BEACH!!!
(very rarely as we are over 5 hours from a beach)

Molly Loves You! ♥
(yes, yes I do)

Molly eats the fruit and gathers the blackberries
(this has been known to happen)

Molly Has the Luck of the Irish
(I hope so)

Molly died trying to help somebody
(yikes!)

Molly will do the big announcement
(we'll see)

What we won't do this summer...

Is enjoy our swimming pool. I'm starting to wish we'd gone ahead and filled it in. Pool fixer guy is submitting a new bid because this damage is way beyond what his first estimate was. We figured that would be the case.


(wall damage, deep end wall)
The 2x4s have completely rotted away on the deep end.


(whole intake wall)


(just to the right of the intake)


(intake)

Some of the 2x4s are still intact but most are not.


(shallow end, jet corner)
See how the earth has settled? This is what's behind the rotten 4x8 plywood they removed yesterday.


(ant damage, deep end corner near jet)

Blug, blug, blug

We have a bug! I can't complain too much, this is the first time any of us have been sick in months and months! Mine started last Friday with a mild knotty throat thing, then a headache and on and on. The girls felt so bad yesterday that they took naps and we've elected to skip park day tomorrow! Other symptoms are chest congestion, body aches, exhaustion, and now I've got the oogies(feels like I just stepped off a roller coaster). When Mark's alarm clock went off this morning I was hoping he'd get out of bed without too much flopping around because every little movement made me barfy. How fun. So, I have some completely random pictures to share so this won't be a PWOP.

Mark has been working 14-hour days lately because his company acquired the assets of another business with an office about 2 hours or so from here. He's been back and forth a few times so far. This weekend he'll take call for the drivers because one is going on vacation and the other would have had call for 5 weekends in a row. I'm sure he'll get called out at least twice, maybe more, since they have 8 hospice accounts now. Hopefully they'll all be in town. Yes, he is sick too.

My computer is still on the floor in the dining area. I was planning on painting the desk to match the cute little shelf I found at Goodwill but the paint didn't look good to me. Also, I have to move the china hutch somewhere else and plan so that the left side of it is up against a wall. The glass got broken years ago and the cats now get in there and eat the birds' nests and squirrel tails(don't read Anet, lol). It needs to go in a common room but there aren't any walls that suit it for now. Since we moved the metal fabric shelf from our bedroom it could go in that space, and probably will, but that isn't were I really want it. Sigh.

The pool fixer people are here today!!! Woot! They are replacing all the nasty rotted wood that goes between the earth and the new liner. We shall see when that ever gets here. It was ordered way back when but they are behind on putting them together. With custom vinyl liners, they have to have the seams heat sealed and all the corners molded so they are put together as they are ordered. The pool guy cancelled our 1st order and reordered it as a "special" and it is supposed to go ahead of the regular orders, or some such as that. GRRRRR. I HOPE it is done by next weekend but I'm not holding my breath.

Today is also the 19th anniversary of the Blind Date. Mark's friend Jeff and my friend Tami are brother and sister, I met her when I was 15 or so, Mark has known them most of his life. So, how come it took so long for me to meet him? I don't know. What I do know is this. Tami and I were at another girl's place having beer and pizza and primping and doing girly stuff. Tami was trying to get one of Mark's co-workers to notice her so she called Mark up and made a deal. She'd set him up with me if he'd set her up with this guy. I went out with Mark on July 2nd, 2 days later the other guy went out with another girl from work(and got her pregnant!) so that didn't work out so well for Tami, she should consider herself lucky.

July 2nd is also my grandmother's birthday, her wedding anniversary, my mom's late friend's birthday and my bff's birthday. Popular day huh?

Here's the pics:


(Basil last Christmas)


(the girls and dogs this father's day)

This Just In...

Puppy-girl rolled in stink bait. I'm gonna have to fumigate!!! UGH!!!!!

Thank God all my quilts are off the floor!

What Homeschooling Means to Us...

Karen at Leaping From The Box is playing along with this awesome homeschooling meme so I thought I'd join in too.

Why do you homeschool?

Honestly? Because if I didn't, I'd already be in jail for assault. I don't do well with rules(especially those I see as stupid). Having my kids home is natural, unlike families who only see each other an hour a day or less. The school-dictated schedule might be the societal norm but it is definitely not "natural". We enjoy being free to do what we want, when we want.

What technique or curriculum do you use?

We are life-based learners. This means that if Ryan wants to spend all week looking up catfish bait recipes, or the best weather conditions for catching crappie, or view instructional videos for guitar on youtube all day long, he can. The fishing stuff alone would cover earth science, zoology, chemistry, reading, and probably many other "subjects". This is how real life works, it rarely resembles a classroom setting so there is no need to duplicate that at home.


(several years ago at park day)

Do your kids work above or below grade level (or both!)?

I'm not sure, probably both! I know Amy isn't up to speed in math but she can read and reason very well. She understands a lot about genetics and breeding, from her love of studying dog, cat, guinea pig, and cattle breeds. The math will come to her when she needs it so I'm not worried. This question reminds me of "way back when". Ryan was learning his letters at a young age(maybe 3.5 or so) and Mark's dad made a comment about him not knowing the alphabet song. What? Who cares? He knows his letters because they are letters, not from a song! Anyway, now Ryan can read whatever he wants to but his spelling isn't the greatest. Having read some things his myspace peers have written(both the girls and guys), he is right on par with them. Maybe it is just the way things are done online with that age group.

What is your educational level?

Lets just say I quit while I was ahead. I had no idea what I wanted to do but majored in a subject that was interesting at the time(Native American Studies). It got real political and I ended up coming home, getting married and never really getting focused on college again. Mark has a BBA in Marketing.

Do you feel that your education level has an effect on your teaching (both limits and abilities?)

None at all. I am perfectly capable of learning and providing an atmosphere in which my children can learn.


(Amy and Basil)

What does your daily schedule look like?

Our schedule varies widely. Once a week we have to be at Park Day at 9am and sometimes I have to leave the kids at home while I run errands. We have major clean-up days and goofing off days, artsy days and movie-watching days. Days we are extremely busy and days we can't seem to get going.


(37 kids came to our group's field trip to Longview Museum of Fine Arts)

Are your kids always polite and ready to learn?

If my kids are rude it is always unintentional, they never want to hurt anyone's feelings. They are always learning, but not always at a fast pace or a tangible subject.


(Ryan's Summer 2007 Pool Party)

Do the kids (or you!) get frustrated?

I think Ryan is frustrated that he can't have everyone come to our house 24/7. He is very social where Amy and I are not. We enjoy a slower, quieter day. It is hard to work out an agreement on this, one that he doesn't try to alter at least twice a week.

I get frustrated with how they do chores occasionally. Ryan cuts corners with some things. Mostly I am NOT frustrated with their performance but now and then it gets on my nerves.


(homeschool group halloween party, 2006)


How has this affected your parenting?

I don't think it has, if this question is referring to the previous question. If it refers to how homeschooling has affected my parenting, I'll say that it has made it Infinitely Easier! I don't have to defend "our way" to my kids when they come up with what "everyone else" is doing(well, not very often anyway). They are not ruled by a crowd of kids, they can make decisions based on how they feel, not to go along with the group.


(Sarah and Buddy)

How much free time do they have?

All day long most days. They(we) have chores that have to be done every day since we have so many animals. The girls feed and water the cats and guinea pigs every day, and change piggie bedding as often as twice a week in each of two cages(this is hard work). Ryan feeds and waters the dogs once a day, loads and unloads the dishwasher daily and mows the lawn less than once a week. The girls gather dishes and put them in the sink so Ryan doesn't have to search for them. They all help with laundry(gathering, folding sometimes, and putting away) and even do their own loads occasionally.


(kids with Buttercup)

What do they do during their free time?

The girls play games with the dogs, draw in notebooks or on the computer, jump on the trampoline, mess with craft stuff, read, watch television, listen to music, play in the water hose(our pool is being repaired), study things online, email their friends, take pictures, play with the guinea pigs or cats... and lots of other things.

Ryan pretty much stays online, either on myspace or looking up fishing stuff or guitar things(how to play and videos of his favorite rock bands mainly). He also plays with the girls outside and spends lots of time messing with his fishing equipment or on the phone with his friends. He sometimes fishes at a stock pond in a pasture near our house but not by himself. His friends are usually here, we don't go too many nights without having an extra boy or two staying with us.

What hobbies do they have?

I hope I've explained them in the previous question! I realize that free time is viewed very differently by public schooled kids. In our case, Hobbies = interests. We don't look at the things we enjoy as hobbies, but as a part of how we express ourselves, grow, learn, and relax.


(Ryan and Friends)

What difficulties and challenges do you have with homeschooling?

In east Texas it is hard to find homeschoolers who are not doing it for religious reasons. This isn't a bad thing, it just means that there are usually major differences in general homeschooling philosophy. Mostly, religious homeschoolers are also "school-at-homers" and use a curriculum and schedule. There are very few unschoolers around and most of "them" tend to be very different from "us". We are a mainstream family, we shop at Walmart, watch SpongeBob, and other typical things. We aren't trying to live off the grid or be ultra-greenies or politically correct.

What makes homeschooling enjoyable?

Being with my kids all day. Knowing they aren't in the false rat race of school. Watching them learning and ejoying what they are doing, and that its for them, what THEY want to do.

How do you get involved in the community?

We typically don't. No offense, but we kind of enjoy being apart from the crowds. We occasionally donate supplies to the local animal shelter and we donate to food pantries and that sort of thing.

When do you have opportunities to interact with public or privately schooled children?

About half of their friends are public schooled kids. Ryan attends church where he is the only homeschooled kid in the large youth group. He's also one of the most popular among them. Amy is content to have some long-distance homeschooled friends and one close friend who goes to public school(her mom is a friend of mine and a high school Spanish teacher). Sarah is also friends with this girl and has some friends who attend our homeschool group's park day.


(kids with Amy and Sarah's friends)

Would you like more of these opportunities?

No thank you. I'm an introvert and the going we do is plenty for me. Amy is the same way. Ryan, as I wrote earlier, would rather have a pool/guitar/fishing party going on at all times. The wilder the better as far as he is concerned. Sarah is in the middle, she's social but not stupid and enjoys her downtime.

How can they be created?

This implies that socializing with non-homeschooled kids is desirable(it is neutral in my opinion). Or that it is somehow not easily obtained, which is the case during "school hours" but definitely workable in summers and after school, or on weekends.

What is your least favorite homeschool stereotype?

That we go around winning spelling bees and reciting geographical facts.

Or, on a more serious note, that homeschool families are hiding some sort of abuse of their children. Abuse happens to kids no matter what their educational status is. Yes, it is possibly easier for parents to get away with it if the kids aren't in the public eye every day. It also happens that tens of thousands of kids go through public school being beaten or starved or whatever, and never get "rescued".

A funny stereotype story:

I run a group of about 60 homeschooling moms but I can assure you, even though most of them are conservative Christians, few, if any, of them approach the Duggars as far as stereotypical appearances. You would not know we were homeschoolers by looking at us. We appear to be a typical moms' group with a mix of fashion-forwardness and regular, comfy, mom attire.

Several weeks ago we were at our regular homeschool park day. We watched a young "mom" in a denim jumper with long hair leading a group of several kids down to the play area. All the girls had on long skirts with long hair, all the boys were nicely dressed as well. We just "knew" this was a homeschooling family(perhaps the "mom" was actually an older sister because she looked kind of young to have that many kids). Finally, I got up to ask if she was a homeschooler and it turns out she's a teacher at one of the local Christian schools. She baby-sits some of her students during the summers at her home(she still lives with her parents and *was* too young to have all those kids for her own) and does lots of fun activities with them. We all got a big chuckle over how we stereotyped this poor girl!

A Working Weekend....

Actually, I started on this project earlier in the week with the sanding and painting but Mark and I hung it up this morning. We spent all day yesterday deciding on the perfect glass shades for it, we are both very pleased with our selection. This was the easiest hanging job we've ever done, it went fast with no hitches!


(light fixture from Goodwill: $10)


(spray paint from Lowes:$5, this is a satin finish and isn't nearly as reflective in person)







(glass shades from Lowes: $30~ lol, we are not using those kinds of bulbs, that was our tester bulb to make sure of the wiring)

Last night(saturday), Mark took Ryan and his friend Kyle to Lone Star Lake to fish. They'd just backed down the boat ramp when they noticed about a dozen boats suddenly headed for them from across the lake. Mark pulled up to let some get out and they figured out a storm was on the way. He called me to look on weather.com and I confirmed that a very big, very nasty storm was literally upon them!! They drove all the way home in it at about 35-40mph! Our lights flickered several times and the wind was just crazy. I am SO glad they didn't get out there earlier and risk getting caught on the water. It rained steady til after 1am and then again much of the late morning. They were disappointed so I agreed to "let" them try again tonight in exchange for some major honey-dos.

First, I cleaned off and sorted(repackaged) my fabric boxes on the 4x6ft metal shelf. Mark carried the boxes to the kitchen and the boys brought the shelf to the utility room. I'm not sure this will be its permanent location or what, but it frees up a whole lot of space in our bedroom! We had to move the smaller plastic shelf from behind the door(next to the washer) in order to have a place for the litterboxes. If the shelves stay in this room, we'll put a kitty door on so we can keep it closed. We may also move the freezer to the garage or a corner of the dining room. Or the plastic shelf might go to the garage, we haven't decided what yet.



Next, I started some pinto beans simmering, that will be a late supper for the guys. I'm debating making cornbread for them.

Then Mark and Ryan cleaned the coils on the back of the fridge and the floor underneath(no picture, it was GROSS!).

While they were doing that, I was able to do a little, long overdue, mantle decorating.



My mom did the dutch dolls. The candleholders were on 80% clearance at Hobby Lobby, aren't they cute? I'm not sure how well the pattern shows but they are kind of a paisley bandana pattern frosted kinda on the inside of the glass.



I'm on my way to the garage to spray paint my desk. It is a trial thing, a "free" fake wood desk from Mark's office, left by an ex-employee. If the paint works fine, if it doesn't that's fine too. I'm kinda hoping it does, at least mostly, because I'm typing this from the floor of my dining room and it is uncomfortable to say the least(a mosquito has bitten my forehead at least 4 times now)..***updated, that was a flop. Now I'm without a desk***

After painting I'm going to sort through the cabinets above the washer and dryer, there is a TON of junk up there destined for Goodwill(or the trash). The more I can get done this weekend, the more we can "not do" next weekend. Mark will be off Friday so it gives us an extra day to fart around. Hmmmm, maybe we'll finally paint the bedroom!! Wouldn't that be amazing! I'm betting we will!!