Time at the Park

Today we took a walk down to the park.  It is pretty close and we should do it more often.  The kids love it and it is a nice little bit of exercise.  I forget how much I actually enjoy being out there walking and watching the kids run around.

Was a little chilly today but within 5 minutes Tyler had her jacket off.  Jesse as usual climbed up things that I really believe a 3 1/2 year old has no business climbing.  Austin then tries to follow suit and part way up decides he is in over his head and I have to come to the rescue.  Maybe we'll go again tomorrow if it is nice!

Here are some pictures for my family and friends to enjoy.  Especially those of you who don't get to see them very often.  They are all growing up so fast!

Tyler trying to save Jesse from falling into the "Lava"

(we built a volcano today that we are going to set off on Monday if it is dry)

Oh NO!  I think Jesse's toes may have gotten burned off by the "Lava"

Tyler being dramatic and cheesy

Another "Lava" rescue - Jesse looks really upset here but in reality it was all acting.  He's pretty good!

Jesse climbing one of the things mommy thinks no 3 1/2 year old should be attempting.  I'm not usually what you would consider an overprotective mom but I tend to stand close by when he insists on climbing this to get to the top of the slide.  He's barley tall enough to reach from bar to bar!

Austin attempting to be brave like his little brother - he's a bit nervous here and Tyler is trying to help him.  He wants help but doesn't seem to trust her enough to allow her to do it.

This is the point where mom comes to the rescue and Austin practices his death grip on the bars and then mom - usually around my neck!

Notice the single tear under his right eye (on our left) - he had fallen down pretty hard and scraped up his fingers.  But here he is telling me it is all better - Mommy kisses heal anything!

Slide time - of course the only one Jesse will go down is the biggest one in the park.

Austin going down the slide - this was our second attempt.  The first just got a very small part of his head - he slides down this thing pretty fast!

Tyler being dramatic again - there is no real fear here for her.  She's been climbing this same thing making Mommy nervouse since she was about Jesse's age.

This was supposed to be a Smith Kid Train but Austin got a little impatient (and a tad bit scared) waiting for everyone to get lined up together.

Day at the Park

Prior to the visit to the supermarket today I spent most of the day with all three kids. We picked up a $5 sub at Subway and headed for the park. I've not spent time at the park with the kids for quite some time now. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it and how much it wears out the kids which means better naps!

Here's some pics from our day!

Turning the table on telemarketers

Daddy - this one is for you!

Our family is pretty much solely a cell phone family now. We do have a home phone line but I could not tell you what the number is and the ringer is never on. I'm not even sure if the phone is actually plugged into the wall. We basically have it because with it our internet service is a couple dollars less each month and we have one of those printer/copier/fax machine things. So it is convenient to have the line for faxes when necessary.

However growing up I remember getting all those telemarketer calls. My dad is a storyteller. Actually his whole family is pretty much a family of storytellers. If you get my dad, my uncle Verlon and my brother together - you are sure to have a sore stomach the next morning from all the laughing.

Dad has been known to turn things around on telemarketers. My mother sells Mary Kay and I remember the story of him trying to sell an unsuspecting telemarketer some Mary Kay products. He's always been extremely supportive of mom!

So, Daddy - this one is for you. Telemarketers call and control the conversation using a script. Now we have a tool to fight back - the CounterScript. I'm thinking I may plug in the phone and turn on the ringer just so I can try this one out! I wonder how long I can keep it up without laughing? I dare you Daddy - give it a try and let me know what happens! ;)

Fun Website

1962

Look what I just found - it is called Yearbook Yourself, you can upload your picture and then choose different looks from different years. Here are some of mine. . .

1998
1996

1976

1974

1972

1968

1966

1964

Field Trip - State Capital

California State Capital Building, Sacramento

Today we had our first homeschooling field trip. I took the day off from work and we went to the State Capital in Sacramento. I had never been there. I grew up in Washington State and have been to the capital building in Olympia, but have not been to this one.

It was an awesome mother-daughter day. We learned alot and had a blast doing it!

Our day started off with us stopping by my work. My daughter got to meet a few of my friends including my soon to be new manager (I'm transferring to a new position in January).

Then we headed to the Capital. We signed up for a free tour which took us through the capital building and went over California State history. Since I did not grow up in California I'm not very familiar with its history - so I found this very interesting. I grew up learning about Lewis & Clark, not California Missions.

We then got to go into the balcony above the Assembly. There are 80 members of the assembly. In one of my pictures you can see the board with all the Assemblymen names. When a new bill is introduced they have a green and red button at their desks that they use to vote. The screen on the wall shows their vote. The Assembly members are supposed to be closest to the people which is why the room is all done in green. It represents the earth and shows that they are closer to the people (I think I got that right!) They serve 2 year terms and can serve up to 3 terms.

Assembly Floor - note the list of names on the left side. The fuzzy portrait

at the top is of Abraham Lincoln.

Assembly floor - note all the green,
you can see the desks in this picture but can't

make out the button. We could see them though.

Then we were able to visit the Senate. There are only 40 of them and they vote by roll call. So no board with names or green/red buttons. Not sure of the meaning behind the red color. They serve 4 year terms if I remember correctly. Just like our president.

Senate floor - the columns are red with pink - kind of hard to tell here.

Note no board with names, they vote by roll-call. The portrait here

is of George Washington.

Our tour guide was impressed that Tyler recognized the paintings of Lincoln and Washington and was a bit surprised when she volunteered that Washington was our first president. He was really impressed when she told him that the president served 4 year terms and could only serve 2 terms.

Inside of the dome at the Capital. Makes you dizzy to look up like that - but it is beautiful.

We also got to see portraits of past California governors. I remember knowing in the past that Ronald Regan was governor of California (when I was born in fact!) but I had forgotten about that. When we got to the portrait of Gray Davis (the only governor of CA to be recalled and the governor in office when we moved to CA and Tyler was born) the tour guide asked Tyler about the flowers in the painting (Gray Davis is standing in a field of poppies). I don't think he expected an answer because he was really surprised when Tyler answered that it was the State flower of California. Those state books from the library and the state journal she has been doing is paying off! (And Mom's not biased or proud at all!!!)

Tyler in front of the Capital - technically on the side of the Capital I guess. I was using my phone camera and the lighting was not good to take it in front.

We ended the day with a trip to Starbucks (of course!) and a visit to the library to get some more state books.

We will definitely be going back for the tour again in a couple years when she is older and will get more out of the tour.

Tonight while confirming a few facts I learned today I came across this site for kids which I'll be showing my daughter. It walks them through the law making process in California. They are able to write up a new law themselves and then follow it through the entire process. Pretty cool. Check it out!

Your Idea Becomes a Law

Time for a Laugh

After all the serious posts regarding recent poltical issues - I figured it was time for a few laughs. My brother sent this to me the other day and I thought it would do the trick!

Nuttin But Stringz

Did any of you watch America's Got Talent this season? I did not really watch the series, but I did catch part of one show. In it, there was a brother group called Nuttin But Stringz which I really enjoyed. They have been playing the violin since they were 10 and mix it with hip-hop, rap and rock.

One of their songs Thunder my husband told me he had seen on TV. So I looked them up on YouTube. I found two videos for this song. One is definitely a more "adult" version, but the version below is the one I believe my husband has seen before. From the notes on YouTube I think it is on Noggin.

I really like their sound though and thought I would share this "kid" version of their song Thunder. Enjoy!

First Real Day of Homeschooling

My daughter is part of a homeschool co-op Monday, Wednesday and Friday - but Tuesday/Thursday the co-op does not meet so she normally goes to work with her father because we both work full-time. We are determined that homeschooling and this co-op is what is best for her and are determined to make it work.

I put together a lesson plan and homework for her to do the night before and go over it with her and then she basically does an independent study those two days. My husband is there to help her with any questions but it is not the typical parent sitting with her the entire day. Each night I go over with her what she had done for the day (even the co-op days). I was a little worried at first about doing things this way since she is doing school basically all throughout the day, but she really loves it.

I've really enjoyed this as well. It is definitely more work than in previous years when she attended private school, especially since some subjects I do all the teaching as they are not part of the co-op (for example Science).

To be honest in previous years going through her homework each night and doing projects were often more of a pain/obligation than something we enjoyed doing together (myself or my daughter.) However, this year it is all so different. The extra work and stress is far outweighed by the enjoyment I am getting out of sitting with my daughter and teaching her. It is a joy in my life now!

Yesterday was the first day I've had off since school started for which she was not in the co-op. So when my husband got up and took the boys to preschool/daycare I got up and started doing our first full day of school. We got through quite a bit but more importantly we had a blast! We met with our Supervising Teacher from the public charter school she is enrolled through around lunchtime. I had put together a pretty aggressive schedule for the day and we were doing great by the time we had our meeting so we stopped by Starbucks on the way home as a treat. It was the best day I've had in a long time.

I never imagined how much homeschooling would bring me joy and bring me closer to my daughter. If I could quit my job and stay home full-time and homeschool, I think I really would enjoy it. In the past I always thought being a stay-at-home mom would drive me crazy - but now I think it would actually be an amazing blessing!

Praise Dance Mat Giveaway

Hey everyone! I'm back. Things have been crazy but I have a few things to share to I'll be up and posting again for the next few days.

So my first Back to Blogging post is about a giveaway that BlogMommas is doing. Unfortunately I've been so out of it lately that I'm just now posting it on the last day of the giveaway (sorry!). But I'll try to do better in the future.

Check it out at Dance Praise - I think this is an awesome idea. Bonding time with my daughter, much needed exercise for me and praise music to worship the Lord! Yeah! You can't lose with this one.

Even if you don't make it over in time for this giveaway I recommend bookmarking the BlogMomma blog. She has tons of awesome stuff and it is a great way to get to know other Moms in the blog world.

Update: Ok, so I really apologize! I'm really behind. I just checked the main page and the giveaway has already been awarded. But check it out anyway. Becki did a review of the Dance Praise game that is worth reading. And as I mentioned, the site is just awesome.

Our Day in the Snow

Today we took the kids up to the snow. We had a really nice time, but unfortunately were not able to stay for all that long. Tyler loved the sledding, but at one point her face hit the ground and she got scratched up a bit and bit her lip. She cried like the world was coming to an end, actually she wailed! But after less than a minute she was back on the sled again.

We ended up ending the day early though because the boys just were not doing well in the cold. We had gloves for Jesse but he would not leave them on so his little hands were red by the time we left. Austin was a bit fussy, but that is pretty much normal for him. The snow was pretty deep, but it has not snowed recently so the snow was all really hard.

I think we'll try to go up again soon, but probably just take Tyler. That way we can can spend some time with Tyler and not have to cut the day short because the boys are cold and tired.

Here are some pictures of Tyler after her incident. The first is while we were still there. The second is after we got her home and cleaned her up a bit. She is a tough little girl ~ instead of getting upset and not sledding anymore, she gets mad and determined to do it again. Kinda scares mom at times! She definitely has her daddy in her!

My Peppermint Bark Recipe

A couple years ago I tried peppermint bark for the first time. I've found that you can not find it in the stores very cheap. As I ate these yummy pieces of candy, I figured this could not be something hard to make.

Sure enough - I was able to figure out an easy way to make it. (I was very proud of myself as my hubby is usually the one to figure things like this out. He is a great cook!)

I make this every year now and I always get tons of compliments and everyone thinks I must have slaved over it. They can't believe how easy it is to do. My 6 year old daughter helped me to make it this year.

Here is my recipe:

3 bags of white chocolate chips (just pick your favorite brand or what is on sale)
1 box of candy canes (the cheaper ones are best because they are usually more brittle and easier to crush)
Food coloring (red & green)


If you want a stronger peppermint taste you can use a couple drops of peppermint flavoring as well. I started out doing this but have realized that it is not actually necessary.

I start by unwrapping and breaking up the candy canes. I then crush most of them in a coffee bean grinder. You can also use a food processor or even a blender. If you don't have this to use, you can put them in a ziploc bag and then between a couple pieces of wax paper and then crush them with a rolling pin. Be careful though because sometimes the broken pieces will poke through the bag. I've found using the grinder or food processor tends to turn them to a peppermint powder which mixes very well with the chocolate and is probably why the flavoring is not needed. It is all dependent upon your preferences though. I tend to keep a few larger pieces out of the grinder so there is some crunchy bigger pieces in mine.

I then dump the bags of chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat it on HIGH for a minute at a time, stirring it between the minutes. Note, the chocolate chips will not appear to be melted if you do not stir them. Therefore make sure you stir it up periodically to get the chips to melt evenly and to avoid burning them. It will take about 5 - 6 minutes total to melt the chips so they have a smooth consistency.

Pour in your crushed candy canes and mix well.

Lay waxed paper in a cookie sheet and pour the chocolate unto the waxed paper. Smooth out the chocolate evenly on the sheet.

Drop two to three drops of green and red food coloring on the chocolate. Use a fork to swirl the food coloring into the chocolate. This is just to give it color and make it a bit more festive.

Put the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Once the chocolate hardens you can either break it up into pieces or cut it with a knife.

Enjoy!!!

Our 1st Gingerbread House

I've always wanted to make a gingerbread house and this year Tyler kept asking about it. So when I went to Michaels this week to get some other items, I decided to pick up one of those gingerbread house in a box kits. Tyler and I worked on it one day. It does not quite look like the examples on the box, but we had lots of fun and added a few touches of our own with left over Halloween candy.

Here is the result.

RuffleButts

You may have all noticed the new button (animated too!) on my sidebar and now at the top of this post.

When my daughter was young and we were potty training her my mother used to tell me that when I was little she had bought me these adorable panties with ruffles on the bottom. She told me if I could start using the potty like a big girl I could wear the pretty, ruffly panties. She said in no time I was potty trained. Well, I looked everywhere and could not find any for my daughter. When she was about 9 months old we had two sleepers which someone had handed down to me (you know the one pieces with the feet) that had ruffles on the bottoms but that was the only thing I ever had.

Well, Amber at Ruffle Butts also has noticed the disappearance of these adorable ruffle bottomed outfits and has decided to do something about it. She has started RuffleButts. She makes the most adorable ruffly bottom outfits including personalized diaper covers!

Check it out at Ruffle Butts her official site where you can order her products. My daughter is now too old for these and I doubt I could convince the boys to wear them, but I'm going to be on the lookout for someone to buy them for! Also check out her blog at The World of RuffleButts.

Mother - William Tell Overture

Another mom at work showed this to me recently. (She has three boys!)

3 Word Project

I'm posting this a day early so I can get it uploaded and linked to Becky's site tomorrow. If you've not read my previous post do so here to find out what this is all about.

I don't have the uploading video to my computer figured out yet, so I've done a collage instead.

Visit Becky's site at BlogMomma's on Tuesday to visit the sites of everyone who participated.

Halloween and Christians

So, here is the question. As a Christian do I celebrate Halloween? As I've gotten older and understood the origins behind this holiday, it has lost its appeal to me. In fact, I would really rather have nothing to do with it any longer, it kind of leaves a yucky feeling in my stomach.

However, my children are very young and it is hard to explain these reasons to them. I still might try, however my husband (not a Believer) does not see any issues with the holiday and does not understand where I am coming from regarding the holiday.

So at this time I've decided I'll participate in this holiday. However, based on my children's ages I'm going to start to share my misgivings with them. I don't believe it is as innocent as many believe. I also do not allow scary costumes.

One thing I have found is ways to point even this holiday to God. Here are some of ideas I've found. If you know of more, please leave a comment!

The Pumpkin Gospel

Here is another version (which I prefer) that I was emailed.

Being a Christian is just like a pumpkin! Let me try to explain,
I brought this pumpkin here to help me illustrate what I mean.
(Proceed to carve the pumpkin.)

First, God picks you from the pumpkin patch and brings you in from the field. The Bible says He selects us out of the world. We are in the world, but no longer of the world.He then washes all the "dirt" off the outside that we received from being around all the other pumpkins. All the outside influences of our former life must be cleaned up. Old things are passed away and all things are become new.

Then, He carefully removes all the "yucky stuff" called "sin" out from the inside.
Look at this! Yuk! Sin will not have such internal power. He then changes us from the inside out by the Power of His Word. That's why it is important to go the church and learn about God's Word.

He carefully removes all those seeds of doubt, hate, greed, and fear. He replaces them with the seeds of faith, hope and love. After Jesus is invited inside, you begin to experience the changing power of God's love in your life.

Then He carves a new smiling face. Our countenance is changed by the power of His presence in our life. We then become so grateful. It can even show on our face!

Now we are going to light this candle inside. Look! This pumpkin now reflects the light from inside out. So too, when Jesus, who is called the Son of Light, lives inside of us, He shines through our life for all to see. We can let His light reflect through us to reveal His presence. "Let your light so shine before men that they may be able to see your good works and glorify your Father, who is in heaven."

So you see, we Christians are really like this pumpkin! We will never be the same with Jesus inside of us. We can say like this jack-o-lantern, "Thy presence, my light!"

3 Words

Hey check this out. Becki over at BlogMommas is organizing an activity for Tuesday, October 23rd. Based on a video she saw on Good Morning America Weekend edition (see video below) she is organizing an activity where we can all come up with our own 3 word picture or video. We will post it on our blog on Tuesday and then link to Becki's post. She'll have a Mr. Linky on her site to do so.

This is the original video and can give you some ideas.




If you want to participate here is what she is doing.

1. On Tuesday, October 23, those participating will post on their blog either a picture or a video with 3 words defining their week/life/feelings of the moment.

2. After posting, the participants will go toBlogMommas.com and sign the Mr. Linky with a direct link to their 3 Word post.

3. Participants are so excited that they will go around and visit other participants (blog exposure ) - I know I am excited!

4. Once the day is over she will compile a list of all the links and will submit it along with a letter to Good Morning America and iCaught - you just never know, we could end up on TV for this!

I'm going to participate, won't you? Start thinking of something. It's just three words!