Attention Class!

Of course we took first day of school pictures! School is now in session for 2010-11 year at the "Southern Leisure Christian Academy" for the eclectically gifted and very, uh, spirited!

This is the best that I could get three kids to cooperate for! Sigh...

Maren: 1st Grade, Kellan: Kindergarten


And what school would be complete without projects and artwork of our studies from the day around the classroom?

There was so much planning ahead of time (to please my obsessive nature) and a little adjusting of how I manage my time of all of my other household responsibilities, but overall I have to say the schedule of homeschooling is far less stressful to accomodate for our family. I don't have to wake grumpy tired kids up when it's dark to go meet a bus. I don't have to do breakfast routines a second time for the child who isn't school age. I don't have to wait at a bus stop, arrange nap times around that, or do extra homework for the child who was bored at school, no take home work to sit down and do while I'm solo making dinner and bathing children, and rush them into bed right after dinner. I actually had time to run an errand in the afternoon! It was thrilling :)

Happy school year!

They DO exist!

I was starting to feel like good Samaritans don't exist anymore, but I found one! And here's a long story about why :) haha

About a year ago (actually I've lost the ability to keep track of time, so who knows!) James had done a remodeling job of a home builder's office, he had to rip out all of the display cabinets, which were in perfect condition. So he brought them home with the goal to someday remodel our kitchen with these new cabinets, saving a few thousand.

In one of the drawers of these cabinets was a bizzarre finding. A social security card, birth certificate, 3 expired voter's registration cards from NC, 1 from NY too, AARP membership cards, medicare card, and a few other random shopping VIP kind of cards. Also, a new visa credit card with a signature on the back that *kind of* looks like the signature on the SS card, but actually looked more like a forged one. (it still had the sticker to call and activate on the front)

Weird, right? What woman even carries all of those personal documents in her purse? It seemed to me more like it was stolen property, hidden in the kitchen cabinet drawer, but why I have no idea. It was a builder's office.

So I call a woman from our church who is a police officer, and asked her what her advice would be, should I bring it to the police station? I was surprised by her answer. She said it likely wouldn't be returned to her. What?! She said if there is no file open by the woman reporting anything missing, then it was likely to just be put into a file, and forgotten. If it was returned to her, it would be by someone at the police station just being a good person of their own free will, which she recommended me just doing.

I thought it would be easy finding this woman, but it hasn't been! I looked up on several internet people search engines and all the numbers listed were disconnected. So I mailed a letter to all 3 addresses giving her my information. None were returned, but none were answered either. I got desperate and called AARP's # on the card, and explained to the girl that I know she can't give ME any of the woman's personal information, but could she call the woman and give her MINE, to let her know I'm trying to find her. The girl at AARP was less than helpful, she suggested I give it to the police (tried that!) or just drop it in the mail somewhere (tried mail!) or go to a Walgreens- they have the same info that she did, but she wasn't willing to be a good person and give her a call on her free time. Whatever. Bad ju-ju for her!

The last resort was an obscure business card for a place in Charlotte. It could have been just a contact she made, who knows. But I called it, and left a message hoping for the best. The woman on the business card called me back yesterday! She knows the woman I'm trying to find! She had changed her last name from the name on her records that I have, but the woman I talked to knows her! And she's going to give her my phone number, and explain to her this whole senario!

After hearing how the police would have handled it, and how the AARP girl was less than willing to help, I'm so glad to find that there are still good Samaritans out there willing to do something that isn't required of them in their own free time, to do something that is good and right for a complete stranger.

From the mouths of babes

Maren and Kellan were getting ready to walk to their friend's house today, and Kellan was nervous that I wasn't going to walk with them this time. So Maren, in her attempts to assure her little brother that she can handle it, says "Kellan, I already feel like a grown up, isn't that amazing?"

Boy, she has never spoken truer words.

Kellan was telling me a story yesterday as he was pretending to read a book. It was about a dragonfly that had a knife-butt (a stinger, like a bee.) But his name was Master Splinter (love the Ninja Turtles throw back there!) And I mocked a surprised face and asked what was coming next as he was trying to build suspense. In his gentleman tone he says "Don't worry mama, it's just fake believe."

Max is into climbing, and summer saulting off of and over everything. Today, as he is facing head down over the arm of the chair, I ask him "Maxwell, do you have a desire to split your head open?" To which he says in his baby-almost-a-toddler voice "Yes. Okay mama, yes yes yes. " Again, such true words.

When James comes home and asks about my day, I have been in a habit of re-capping all of the drama. This one was fighting with the other, this one threw a fit, dinner was a disaster, something liquid was spilled everywhere. And I realized, he doesn't see them as often as I do, I tend to take for granted the precious moments that he misses out on as I am needing his support for all of those not.so.precious moments of raising children. When it comes down to it, as we sit and reflect on how our kids have changed and grown, I remember the happy moments much more frequently than all of the days that try my patience and sanity. So I need to remember to just let it roll off, God gave us a marvelous gift of a new day every morning to try to be better, and amnesia to forget how difficult some of them are to get through!

Not a satisfied customer

2 people this last week mentioned to me about calling Sprint to talk about my crappy service on my phone, and how those two people were both provided with a device from Sprint that increased the signal in their home.

So I call. And twice my call looses the signal, I had to call back in, transfer departments, and explain the situation to THREE people... so annoyed at this point! Because the first two people didn't think it important to call the person back when the call drops! Anyway, so the third explains this device, and informs me it will cost me a total of $130 ($99 for the device, tax, and shipping.) WHAAAAT?

Let me get this straight...

Your sales associates told me almost 2 years ago that I had service in my area, so I switch from Verizon. Today the rep told me I have no service coverage in my area. I have a contract for another two years, so I pay YOU. For NO service coverage essentially. And you want to charge me $130 for a device caused by lack of service that you can't cover me for?

Sounds like a profitable scheme. I asked to speak to a supervisor. Conveniently he wasn't there, the department isn't 24/7 and he had already left for the day. I asked if she gets paid on commission for selling this device and avoiding me cancelling my service, which she awkwardly admitted "yes."

I think I'll pay a little more and just cancel my service with you all together, how's that work out for your wallet, sweetie? Thanks for your generosity.

I hear an iPhone calling my name anyway.

Split personalities

I've decided to make another blog to keep our adventures in homeschooling seperate from my everyday musings and meltdowns. I plan (hope, more like it) to update it weekly with highlights and tidbits of our curriculum, our milestones, and our memories we will be chiseling in our hearts. Come by often! *Even if you don't homeschool, I promise there will be lots of things shared that will be relative to anyone with children, and you might find some ideas you can apply to your family, too!

Thank you for all of my loved ones around me who support and encourage me in every aspect of my life.

Introducing: "No place like home"...schooling

When I grow up

James and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary earlier this year, and I had thought about when we were dating, at that phase in our life where we couldn't wait to get married. Then it was couldn't wait to have a baby. Then buy a house. You know the pattern. But back to dating, not once did I look at that man and think "I can't wait to wake up at 3 AM and have to change sheets off of our bed because it was barfed on by a little person." No one thinks about those kind of details as they fantasize.

Speaking of fantasizing, when I was a little girl, I never said "I want to be exhausted beyond comprehension." I just wanted to be a mommy. And of all of the professions that I listed off, I never EVER said I wanted to be a teacher.

The kids have been watching "The Princess and the Frog" by Disney (super cute and great soundtrack!) and Mama Odie of the bayou swamp says to the two frogs that you've got to figure out what you need, then you'll get what you want.

I've been trying to apply that a lot these days. Yes I take my advice from Disney, ya take whatcha get. But seriously. Whenever I find myself struggling and stressing to grasp or achieve something that desperately "I want" I try to take a step back and assess. Usually the intense stress and anxiety I have when I'm saying "I want" something to be a certain way, or happen in a specified time, is usually non essential a week from that time. Sometimes even the next day.

I've come to realize, it's those stressful and fearful moments full of saying "I want" are the moments that I'm supposed to bend with instead of needing to be broken. When I do finally bend, I find myself on a path doing something I actually need, which feeds my soul and inspires my potential on this earth. So I never dreamed of wanting to be a teacher, but here I am, preparing and gearing up for school to start in 20 days. And I'm geeking out about how excited and prepared I am for this. I started this journey for what my kids needed, and it's showing me how much God has in store for me to learn what I need, too. I am thankful for a God who is not witholding, and gives to me liberally when I just ask. And bend.

Apples to Apples

I went grocery shopping today, with all 3 kids (and a friend with her 2 kids as well.) It's always chaotic and, um, interesting when I'm with my kids only, so obviously today was an extra special treat for the associates at the grocery store.

As I'm standing at the meat selections waiting for the butcher to measure and price my requests, there was another younger woman with 3 little girls. 2 of them were squeeling and playing, moving all around, as she waited in line, and the third was wailing in the grocery basket for another snack. It looked just like my crew.

I started to compare. The 3 girls looked like catalog models with their summer accessories. The young woman was tan, in shape, in fashion, texting away on her phone with her manicured nails. And I considered myself -tired looking, hair brushed and pulled into a clip still wet, could stand to lose 15 lbs (atleast!) snapping at my kids for the 50th time to stay with me.

I know better than to compare! I know better than to envy! So I usually pay a compliment, instead of find criticism when I find myself going that self loathing route. I told her how adorable her 3 girls were. And she said "They're not mine, I'm the nanny."

WHEW!

I thought she was a little far fetched to find myself comparing us in similar shoes, even if mine were $2 Old Navy flipflops, and hers were shimmery gold strappy heels. I know I shouldn't have found that to be a victory, but I totally did! And I don't care!