Laundry, Tourist Attractions, Tents, and Pop Rocks

I've neglected the blog because of this:


Of course, if that were completely true, the pile of laundry wouldn't be there; all of the items would be neatly folded and put away. But certainly between roadtrips, camp-outs, outside play, and sports camp, the washing machine has been running almost non-stop.

We had a big roadtrip last week, an unplanned one, but one that was a whole lot of fun. Simel had some issues with his visa to take care of and a friend in DC who could help him, so last Wednesday we made the 5 1/2 hour trip down to our nation's capital.


Wednesday night I dropped Simel off at this friend's house, and we met back up on Thursday. We had a wonderful time seeing the sites, but the best part of all for me was that some friends from Atlanta happened to be in the area on the same day, so we got to see the sites together.








There was one shot I was SO excited to capture...yes, the one that EVERYONE captures. But, alas, it was definitely not meant to be:


I did get a little bit of the monument in the reflecting pool. Of course it was a mud puddle that captured the reflection, but anyway...










Remember that 5 1/2 hour drive down to DC? Well, it took us 9 1/2 hours to get home! I can't stress enough how nice it was to be home. Since we've gotten home, the kids have enjoyed a night camping in our backyard, and they have also been participating in sports camp at church.

We also had an outing of sorts yesterday. I saw Fizziwigs Candy Factory pinpointed on a map of Connecticut and thought it sounded like a fun place to visit. I assumed it was going to be a bit like Dylan's Candy Bar in NYC. Not really. We could have just gone down to the local drugstore for the same sugared assortment, but the experience gave me a good picture anyway:

A note to Simel's mom: No, I did not buy that giant lollipop for him; it just served as a great prop for the photo.

AND...the experience also afforded me an opportunity to give Simel a new experience: Pop Rocks. A must-do for any visitor to America! The jury's still out on whether or not he enjoyed the fizzy candy.


So the pile of laundry grows higher...it's been busy around here, that's for sure. Someday I will see the bottom of that mountain of clothing!

Things I Accomplished During My Blog Hiatus

I did not intentionally take a break from the blog. I just didn't feel like writing. It happens sometimes. But I discovered during my break that I can get an awful lot accomplished when my fingers are not tied to my keyboard or the shutter of my camera. Here's a taste of what I've been up to:

1. Spring cleaning. Not that you can tell now that I was spring cleaning a week ago.

2. Planning school for next year.

3. Paying more attention to the kiddos.

4. A week at Disney World. More to follow on that if I can get my act together and wade through the hundreds of pictures. Actually, I found I did not take as many photos this time as usual because we visited our regular spots, and I have all the great photos from those spots already. Want to see them? Just click on the Disney label on my right sidebar!


5. Unpacked.

6. More cleaning.

7. And today began what I have observed to be about a semi-annual occurrence in our house: we change things around. As an MK (missionary kid), I have ants in my pants and want nothing more than to move around. The longest I have been at one address in my life is 7 years. In missionary boarding school, we left our school every 3 months to go home. When we returned from vacation, we had a new room, a new roommate. So every few months, I feel the need to change things up a bit. NOT that I'm going to get a new roomy, but I do like the change.

We just closed on the sale of our Georgia home, so we tossed about the idea of taking the plunge again and finding our forever home here in CT. But we decided to stick it out here a few more months. That will help out our landlord, and the more time we spend here, the more money we can save for a down payment.

With that in mind, I decided to better set up the house for school. Since we rarely have guests, I am turning the guest room into a school room by bringing in a table from storage. Of course, guests are still welcome, and one of the kids will be happy to relinquish his or her bed to a guest. So we have kept busy today making the move. Of course, I'm sure my husband wishes there had been a little more "me" in the "we", but it's getting done nonetheless.

Things I learned during my hiatus:
1. The world does not stop revolving if I skip a day--or 15--blogging.

2. God's creation continues to be beautiful,


and my children keep on being adorable even if I am not photographing every moment.


Who knew?

Pictures and details of Disney to come...

Joy of Love - {3}, {4}, {5}, {6}, {7}

{Day 3}
then & now

Our sweet lil' Audrey. She was quite a surprise, and we can't imagine even a single moment without her in our lives. She is sweet and bubbly, imaginative and funny.

{Day 4}
what they wear

We gave the boys these matching robes two Christmases ago, and I'm glad they still fit. They are so cute in them on these chilly mornings. And, really, you never know who might show up...some mornings it may even be Darth Vader.

{Day 5}
things you love to hate

Oh, my children can be such absolute slobs!! And we do get them to clean their rooms on a regular basis, but even just minutes after they are cleaned, they are...not. I try to remind myself constantly that I was a total slob when I was their age.

{Day 6}
who they love

Spoiled rotten, she is...this cat. Alex is especially fond of her, and Cara reciprocates that fondness. She follows Alex around like a puppy dog.

{Day 7}
generations

How I wish we could get a live Generations shot with the kids' grandparents, but since we can't right at this moment, pictures have to suffice.

To join in the fun, visit Willette Photography.

Quick Takes: The Snow Edition

~ Quick Take 1 ~
Our homeschool week went a little better than last, I guess. I still lack enthusiasm and motivation. It is as if I am experiencing spring fever, which is definitely NOT the case (have you seen the weather map recently?). But things are going OK. Audrey is progressing in her reading, and the boys are plugging along in theirs. I am enjoying using my new whiteboard A LOT!

~ Quick Take 2 ~
One reason our homeschool week wasn't all that stellar is because of the crud that hit our house. Oh, and the huge blizzard too, but I'll get to that in a moment. When the older 3 get sick, it is not such a big deal; they hole up somewhere, and I meet whatever needs they have. When the Princess gets sick, however, it is a different story.

No matter what she is sick with, she throws up. She has a very strong gag reflex, so I guess that is why. This week it was just slight fever along with some mild cold symptoms. But just one cough, and up it all comes. And so it is that anytime she gets sick, I drape several layers of sheets and towels on the couch/bed where she decides to hole up.


Going out, though? Forget it! If the other 3 have colds, we still venture out, but not with the Princess on account of the puking thing. I honestly wouldn't have a problem with just sticking a plastic bag in my jacket pocket to carry along to catch whatever she decides to part with, but I know that wouldn't go over very well with other moms. I would find it difficult to explain her strong gag reflex as I watch other moms clutch their children a little closer and go through that Mom Check List: Did that little girl play with my kid? Did my kid touch anything she touched? Did she sneeze on my kid? Did she come anywhere within a 10 foot radius of my kid? I better go wash my kid's hands and Lysol him down. Stat!

So, really, it's just easier to stay in and wait it all out. Even if it means we may miss a trip to the Science Museum.


Hosted by Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

~ Quick Take 3 ~
The kids and I have prayed for years for more than a dusting of snow in Hotlanta. And we didn't dare even put in a passing request for a white Christmas because, it's the South, it could never happen. But lo and behold, in the last 3 weeks, Atlanta got both a white Christmas AND a lot of snow.

And so I will reiterate just in case my friends in Atlanta aren't getting the message: Good things happen when we leave. Like if we ever leave Connecticut? It would become a tropical paradise here, and all of the Starbucks would put in drive-thrus.

My wise husband made a keen observation that if we just contiued to move around the world, it would become a better place.

I think Italy needs a make-over. What do you think?

~ Quick Take 4 ~
We got a lot of snow this week. And I am not assessing a lot through the eyes of a former southerner. I've been told we have gotten more snow in the last couple of weeks than all of last year. Yes, that is my initiation to New England winter life.

See? I told you. We make things happen.



~ Quick Take 5 ~
Dear City of Bristol, CT:

It's 12 degrees outside. I don't think anyone will be surprised to hear I am not using the sidewalks, nor have I seen anyone else out on any of the sidewalks. They are YOUR sidewalks. If you are so insistent that they be cleared, YOU shovel them.

Thank you,
A former southerner who plans to stay inside until May



~ Quick Take 6 ~
I am in awe of the snowflake shots at Forever n Ever n Always. Even though I am aware of and completely accept the fact that I cannot emulate her, I did want to try to get a few shots of snowflakes. Needless to say, they didn't turn out that well:



I think I need to get out in the cold and find some actual snowflakes rather than just ice.

BUT...I did end up getting some shots I think are pretty cool. Snowflakes Ice under a magnifying glass:





~ Quick Take 7 ~
You know how, lately, the smell of dead pine needles has been emanating from my vacuum cleaner? That really is a good smell, actually. Today I spilled a tub of feta cheese on the ground. I'm fairly certain I'm not going to like the smell of feta cheese in the carpet 2 months from now.


Quick Takes hosted by Jennifer at Conversion Diary.

Quick Takes: Boring Week Edition

~ Quick Take 1 ~
I am enduring my second snowstorm since moving to the Arctic. Thankfully, this storm, unlike the blizzard of a couple weeks ago, is gently depositing the white stuff in fluffy piles rather than ramming it into the ground.


{FRESH snow}







~ Quick Take 2 ~
Quite honestly, I am a little bit disappointed in these Northerners. Based on how much we Southerners are mocked during any "snowstorm", I was under the impression that life carried on as normal up here even if Mother Nature dumped 12 feet of snow on any given city. But no. With just rumors of snow, all of our day's activities were promptly canceled: a much anticipated field trip to the science museum and basketball practices. Plus, I heard someone say schools were closed. The snow did not begin to fall until late afternoon. Northerners are overreactors just like Southerners.

~ Quick Take 3 ~
I was at Bed, Bath, and Beyond the other day and discovered they have added an entire section for toiletries. I find that odd. "Honey, will you watch the kids while I drop by Bed, Bath, and Beyond for a box of tampons?" I wonder if I can use the 20% off coupon they send me regularly on a tube of toothpaste.

~ Quick Take 4 ~
We started back to homeschool on Monday. It was not a good week. My enthusiasm is waning. Oh, who am I kidding? My enthusiasm got up and raced out the door about 2 months ago.


Hosted by Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

~ Quick Take 5 ~
My husband brought me home something that may renew my enthusiasm. It's a hand-me-down from his company, but second hand or not, I'm tickled pink. It's a little large. Way too large for our dining room. But I don't care because I have a whiteboard!



Oh, and it's still in the car. Did I mention it's oversized? It won't come in through the garage, and we have about 3 inches of snow and more steadily falling on the walkway.

I may have to teach from the car on Monday.

~ Quick Take 6 ~
The whiteboard was on my letter to Santa. I acquired the whiteboard because of this conversation:

Mark's colleague: What are you giving Kathleen for Christmas?
Mark: She wants a whiteboard.
Mark's colleague: There's an extra one. Why don't you gift that to her?

Mark's colleagues must think I'm a barrel of laughs.

~ Quick Takes 7 ~
My one goal this week was to get the laundry completely completed in one day (yeah, I aim high). I failed. Miserably.


Quick Takes hosted by Jennifer at Conversion Diary.

Needles

About the massively thick trail of pine needles left from where the dead Christmas tree stood to where the dead Christmas tree exited the house, my husband said, "Let this be a lesson to you next year when you tell me you want a real Christmas tree because that is how Northerners do it."

Thing is, there was something so housewifingly* gratifying about vacuuming up the piles and piles of needles...

how each one came to life as the suction came closer and closer,

how they finally gave a jump and then disappeared,

the faint zzt, zzt, zzt as each tiny needle hurdled up into the canister,

the way all of the needles danced around together in the canister,

the dead pine smell that will softly emanate from the vacuum the first few times I use it after this very moment.

Clearly, I may need to purchase another coniferous tree this spring and kill it just so I can once again have the opportunity to indulge in such an activity.

*housewifingly (adv.) (haus-wīf-ing-lē) - A word used to describe any adjective describing any duty of a housewife. Example: The apron-clad woman was struck by the housewifingly lovely sight of the 100th stack of dishes that Christmas week with guests in the house, though she was quite sure that the 101st stack might not prove to be so housewifingly alluring.

(from The Kathleen's Dictionary, 1st Edition)

Random Thoughts

I survived another Tuesday. Don't get me wrong. I am blessed by my Bright Future kids, but coupled with co-op, it makes for a long day. And the commute downtown has gotten rather old. Of course, when I signed up to do this last August, I assumed we would sell the house and move 1/2 hour closer.

We haven't sold the house yet. Two years on the market. I don't think we're going to sell the house. Yes, we've had a few showings here and there. Those always come along when the house is a disaster and needs a good cleaning.

I think it's about time for a house showing.

I was in bed for two or three days last week. When I finally crawled out, it didn't just look like a tornado went through our house. It looked like the tornado traveled a few hundred miles and then dumped all of its loot in our house.

I'd love to do some spring cleaning, but life has been too busy, plus there's been all this not-feeling-good stuff. I'm finally beginning to feel Human again, so perhaps there is some spring cleaning in my future.

It feels like spring here. Can you believe it? Two inches of snow a week ago, in the 70s today.

I pulled myself out of bed twice last week. To go to the same place. To do the same thing. Friday, our homeschool group went to Stars and Strikes for bowling. We got a package deal: two games of bowling and a $5.00 arcade card. Not a bad deal. 'Course my kids do not have the patience for two games of bowling. Seeing as how the Princess bowls granny style and, thus, her ball takes a few hours to make it down the alley, I suppose I didn't really have the patience for two games either. She's awfully cute when she bowls, though.


Unfortunately, two out of four of my children were able to snag a stuffed toy from the claw machine, so now they think they are worth the money.

We went to Stars and Strikes again on Sunday to meet some friends for $1.00 laser tag. We had a great time. Two out of four of my children tried to score more stuffed toys from the claw machine. They failed miserably.

Chaos Culprit

This past week was an extremely disorganized week for us, for me, and I positively, unequivocally blame it on Laundry. Since we were waterfalling and pumpkining on Monday, I missed my Laundry Day. Tuesday rolled around with its usual Chaos, and I was only able to get a load or two done at day's end, leaving the rest of the chore for Wednesday. While the pile of dirty clothes did indeed begin to shrink by mid-day Wednesday, the pile of clothes-waiting-to-be-folded was growing as quickly as a herd of rabbits (did you know a group of rabbits is called a "herd"?).

Then my own Laundry Day was interrupted by my brother-in-law's Laundry. He moved out of his house in a record 3 days this week, and I thought he might like some clean clothes.

So as the Laundry Pile began to take over the house, the rest of our schedule went out the door. With interruptions of varying degrees and for a variety of reasons, our homeschooling this week became carschooling and schooling-out-of-a-bag-of-books. These kind of homeschooling days generally elicit little parental supervision, which may or may not result in mediocre work; the quality of said work has yet to be determined and will be once I have a moment to sit down with some Teacher's Manuals.

I have a good feeling about this next week because my Laundry Problem has been solved. My dear in-laws drove down yesterday afternoon to watch the children while I spent some Grown-Up Girl Time with my friends in the evening. My mother-in-law always insists that she enjoys folding laundry. While I am skeptical, who am I to argue? She folded it all while I was gone, so that all I had to do was sort it, one basket per kid. She's a lifesaver.

Despite our chaotic week, we did have some bright moments. One was our morning spent making cards for soldiers. A friend from co-op stuffs stockings for our troops...how great is that? Oh, and this is the same friend who brought in a live lobster for co-op on Tuesday.

So we had quite a group together for card-making, Christmas cookie eating, and general romping around. It was a good time, and I didn't think about the laundry once.

Of course I will be thinking about it again tomorrow morning because Monday is, once again, Laundry Day. And tomorrow the one interruption--dentist appointments for all the kids--takes place. Hopefully, though, the interruption paired with Laundry Day will not throw my whole week into Chaos again.

Week's End Ramblings

Right now, this very moment, I am supposed to be cleaning the house. In fact, aside from a spelling test and some math fact practice, I've given the kids the day off school; I won't even check a box on today's attendance sheet in spite of the spelling and math. Today I am supposed to be cleaning because we're showing the house this evening. I'm not freaking out, mind you, not like I have in the past. I will clean it like I would for any guest, but I may not even move the world's ugliest toaster oven out to the car. I may just leave it sitting there, dejected, on the counter. And I may or may not prepare a baked good to leave on the counter. I've decided that in this market, it will take a miracle to sell this house, so there is no use fretting over all the things that could be done to beautify the place if I had more than one day's warning.

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The Princess was humming the other day. She stopped abruptly and exclaimed with wonder, "Hey, when I do this--Hmmhmmmhmmm, it feels like there is a bee in my mouth!"

********************

The Crud has officially left our house. The Crud, in fact, had a name tagged on to it by our doctor: strep throat. All 3 of the younger ones had it; I didn't take Alex in because by that time, she was all better. She was, after all, the culprit who started it all, the first one down. Perhaps she got over it without the use of antibiotics. Perhaps the others would have as well, but we're still sucking down pink stuff twice a day because that made the Crud exit a bit earlier.

********************

School went pretty well this week. We studied the skeletal system yesterday, and my little skeletons had fun labeling their almost-life-sized skeletons that hang on the hallway wall by the kitchen (and, no, those are not coming down for this afternoon's showing; they took too long to put up!). The 3 olders have been writing daily "spooky" stories, which I will post on Homeschool Writer's Block at some point. Their writings have sprung from prompts I've gotten from various online sources. Very cute stories, though none are very scary--usually the "strange noise that is going bump in the night" turns out to be a friendly bumblebee bumping into the window or something.

********************

It's gotten cold here. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the cold? If we sell the house today, maybe we can still pull off that move to Florida, i.e.: warmer weather.

********************

The chore I am most putting off at this very moment is that of cleaning up the media room/hubby's office/my hobby room. Why? Because the floor is littered with little winter clothes. I did the seasonal attire switcheroo a couple weeks ago, and while I still need to do some clothes shopping for the older three, the Princess has enough clothes for at least 4 princesses. Girl clothes are so much cuter and so much more fun to buy, so we have quite a stock for her, plus all of her older sister's hand-me-downs. I'm not sure where I'm going to put them, especially now that she shares a room with her sister and there is no more closet space.

If you need me, I'll be standing in the middle of the media room/hubby's office, my hobby room with a puzzled look on my face.

Laundry, Milkshakes, and Aliens

Yesterday was Laundry Day. After the clothes were all washed--and strewn about my bed--I considered what a gift it would it would be to TravelDaddy if he came home and didn't have to clear a place to sleep between laundry-fresh underwear and shirts contend with piles of unprocessed laundry. So I folded all of the clothes. I put away all of the clothes.

All in one day.

It was a momentous occasion. There may have been some singing and dancing to mark the accomplishment.

* * * * * * * * * *

We drove by Chick-fil-A the other day, and apparently they're running some sort of milkshake promotion because the entrance is nearly blocked by signs depicting the creamy sweet treats in life size.

"Can we have a milkshake, Mom? Plleeeeaaaase?" they all asked in unison.

"Why would I spend all that money on milkshakes," I replied, "when I can make you one at home..."

Why, oh why, did I say that? A simple "No" would have sufficed. (I may have done well to correct their "Can" to "May" also. Because I'm helpful like that.) Since then, it's been, "Mom, when are you gonna make us milkshakes?" "Mom, today are you gonna make us those milkshakes?"

Well, the day finally came. Yesterday I made them milkshakes. Which they we drank through licorice straws. Because I'm a cool mom like that.

* * * * * * * * * *

Incidentally, the licorice is left over from Mama's Magic Bag, which accompanied us to the movies on Tuesday.

* * * * * * * * * *

We sipped our milkshakes yesterday through licorice straws as I conducted my first Write Share. As you know, I've been doing a lot of reading lately, brushing up on my teaching writing skills. Besides the Writing Workshop I'll be teaching downtown, I've also mentioned I want to institute a little WW in my own homeschool academy. (WW stands for Writing Workshop, not to be confused with World War, although there are a few of those in my house every now and then.) I served a dose of it yesterday (Writing Workshop, not World War).

The night before, I printed out a bunch of handwriting pages from Donna Young and stapled them together like books. The next morning, the inevitable question came: "What are we doing today?" I handed them the books and said, "Guess what? You get to write your own books today!"

They all did pretty well. The older three wrote stories about their Webkinz. Apparently, they have been telling stories every night in bed which they are acting out with their Webkinz by the light of the moon--or a flashlight as it were. The Princess wrote and "read" a riveting story about aliens. It went like this:

One time there was 3 little aliens, and they were up really high in the gray room in the stadium. Then they go to the next room and the next room and the next room and the next room. They did all the stuff that was all in the rooms. They did coloring on paper in there and dancing in there. They had dinner in the other gray room and played games in the next and painted in the next. Now it's over.

"What is the title of your story, Audrey?" I asked.

"The Aliens are Lost," she replied.

"Lost?" I inquired, puzzled. "Where were they lost? I didn't hear that in your story."

"Oh...They got lost in the baseball stadium and then they found the other stadium. Now it's over."

The Stadium

* * * * * * * * * *

I've been schlepping around a big ol' spiral journal for the last couple of days. I'm going to require my Writing Workshop students to keep Writing Notebooks, so I thought I should practice what I preach and actually carry my own around. You know, since I'm living the Writing Life and all. Don't get me wrong. It's not like I can't/don't write without a laptop staring me in the face. Usually when my bloggy voice is narrating in my head, I just pull out one of a gazillion hotel notepads and jot my thoughts on it with one of a gazillion hotel pens. (God bless the Marriott and all of its offspring!)

My eldest daughter is somewhat the same. I have in fact purchased several writing journals for her, but they just end up stuffed under her bed. I know this for a fact because last week we did a purge in her room, and I discovered them all along with many other "things". But that's another story. Anyway, since she can't keep track of a Writing Notebook, she also jots things on whatever paper-type product is around. Here are some of the random thoughts that were swirling around her writing brain during our trip to Kentucky:

(These first few were triggered by the saying at the top of the hotel notepad: Leave a trail of genius.):

to: Thoose who need it

Leave a trail of genius...to those who need it. So rest your head in a good bed. To be the one to leave the trail of genius.

Rember it's hard to tell the dumb from the genius. So be cautios when chosing. Even those who look dumb may not be. Never judge a book by it's cover. Evreything is not what it seems. Be very careful through life. Those who may seem good might be bad.

Genius is in the heart and mind. Thoose who seek it may find it.

The soul and heart mind are powerful. So use them in the way that is good to evreyone.

1% smarts + 99% insperation = genius

The voice can hurt more than you think. So don't hurt people with your bad words. Encourage people with your words. It can make someone's day brighter.

If someone hates you do not hate them back. Tough (Though) you are sometimes wanting to give into the hatred. Resist the tempting push it away. Love your enmies pray for them at all cost.

Popcorn Rules!

to: those who need help

Pay attion to nature and nature will pay attion to you. To help the outdoors is to help the human race. So help and protect it for the good of you and your loved one's.