Grrr....Spacing

So, I feel the need to say that I've been having problems posting my blog lately.  I'm really trying to keep up with posting, but the actual "Publish Post" button does not respond.  And, Blogger keeps taking out spacing for me.  Yes, I know that there should be spaces between paragraphs.  At this point though, I feel lucky just to get something to post!

Dad

I love living in this little town where I grew up. I love that my dad grew up here. I still think of it as a small town even though it's not. I miss it being little. It's not so big that you don't always bump into people you know - and I like that,

When I was growing up, it didn't take long to know that being the daughter of Larry Holland was something to be proud of. He was/is kind of a legend here. Dad was in the class that picked the Ram as our mascot and the colors for our school. He was a football star, dubbed the Golden Toe, and also a baseball star. He played basketball too and wasn't too shabby in that sport. Every store we would go in he would start chatting with old friends about old times (we affectionately call that "hey bubba-ing". At Friday football games he usually ran the chains as part of the officiating team. We loved Homecoming since the programs were handed out that night and we always checked to see if he still held the records he set in high school. He still does. :)

I've always been proud to be his little girl. I still love bumping into him at the store - and we do about once a week. The kids love seeing pa-pa out in the town, and I love watching him grin and play with the kids - all while checking out what's in my cart and asking me if I found any good deals. He always knows who has the best deal on this-or-that. It's kind of what the two of us do. That and garden. We chat about our peppers and how our tomatoes are blooming, but the plants are dark green like they should be. Only stuff dads talk about.

He has had three heart attacks, a quadruple bypass and has diabetes. He finally retired a few years ago after working his entire life as a machinist - mostly for the aero-space industry. He is the definition of "a good 'ol boy."

I feel so blessed to still be one of his little girls! And, when we run into each other in town, for a moment, I'm not a mom or a wife or any other role I currently play....I'm a little girl again. I like that.

Their School/Our School

Matt and I recently went to a homeschooling convention in town. There were so many wonderful seminars to attend, so we split up in order so absorb as much information as possible. Matt tended to go to the academic/brain training seminars, and I chose the more touchy-feely seminars.


One seminar was by Todd Wilson called "If You Pulled Them Out of Their School Because You Didn't Like Their School, Why Are You Making Your School Like Theirs?" (All his seminars had ridiculously long names.) Other than the fact that this man is VERY entertaining, he had such a good message. This seminar in particular got me to thinking.


I'm still trying to define our school and what we want as an end result. I don't know if I'm any closer to finding our mission statement than I was months ago. Do you ever get there? I know that I fought the notion that we were homeschooling to "shelter" our kids for a long time, but truth be told, I'm great with sheltering them. I want to shelter them. At least until I arm them with tools and knowledge of how to deal with whatever it is I'm sheltering them from. ??


Anyway - I LOVE this lifestyle. I think more people would, too, if they could get past the I-don't-have-the-patience attitude and the big socialization non-issue. Blech.


Days like today make me appreciate homeschooling more than ever. The boys were over-tired last night so I let them sleep until they woke up. I wanted to switch the laundry before we started bible study, so I did! Then our bible study was about Passover. In reading the material, I felt that maybe we should not just study Passover, but all the plagues God put on Egypt. The kids were really intrigued, so we spent quite a bit of time in Exodus. All this to say - we got a really late start today in "school". And - nothing we did in "school" today was more relevant than them being rested, me taking a few minutes to catch-up on chores, and the kids not being stressed out because I was forcing "school" down their throats.

Funny thing is, Hamilton spent 10 minutes on math today. Then he went to help Henderson mix colored water for an hour (with Harrison's help, of course!) They measured and poured and imagined and took turns and shared. Hamilton has the concept of having to "borrow" from the ten's column in subtraction. I can tell that in 5 math problems. I don't need him to do 30 a day to know that.

So - why do I feel so compelled to save papers? To grade papers? To keep on grade-level curriculum? I've seriously got to break out of the "Their School" mode. How do you break out of that mind-set? Any thoughts/tips????

Ok, Alright....

So, I'm a bit behind in blogging, eh? Since my wallpaper is still Valentine's Day, I'll agree (and I'll try to change that soon! Maybe I'll get a jump on the 4th of July! :))

A lot has happened since Feb. We started homeschooling Hamilton. What an exciting, nerve-wracking decision that was! Matt and I made the decision to pull him out of his public school at Spring Break. We knew it would be hard on him leaving his friends, but felt it was in his best interest to start homeschooling. We are all adjusting really well, and I think we all LOVE this homeschooling lifestyle.

Hamilton was so stressed out after school everyday. He had hours of homework every night and had lost interest in things that a 7 year old boy should want to do. Cub Scouts no longer interested him, church didn't really interest him and neither did playing outside. These were all BIG warning signs for Matt and me. We knew we had to reduce his stress level and reduce it fast!

So, here we are! It seems that the stress he felt was due to several things: time constraints, timed math tests, feeling inferior to his peers and the endless amounts of homework. He does have a tendency to daydream while he's supposed to be at task - but we work with that at our homeschool. :) I think that daydreaming at 7 is fine, and I think it's one of the blessings of being a creative child.

We've joined a co-op and are a part of another group in Owasso that a homeschooling friend of mine leads. We have found so much support in the Owasso community. We have gone on many field trips and done activities with many new friends. The boys especially love Lego Club. The co-op dumps a huge tub of Legos down the length of several tables and let the kids create for two hours. The really create some cool things!

We are looking forward to a summer break. I think we'll take most of June off, but then maybe school a little during the hot summer months and take some time off in the cool of fall. That's my plan, anyway. It does depend on if I can settle on a curriculum for Hamilton & Harrison. Henderson will be going to Yellow Balloon Preschool next year, so he'll only be home for our bible study in the mornings. Plus, when shopping for curriculum, I always seem to buy preschool activities like lacing boards and stringing beads. I'm a sucker for all things in primary colors! :)

I'm hoping to update with some more pictures soon. Hopefully I'll get back into the blogging "groove".

My Dear Friend, Spooky

Yesterday we had to put down our dear dog, Spooky. Spooky was a Weimaraner & Matt & I's first "baby". He was a gentle, protective, loving & happy dog. We loved him much. He helped raise our kiddos.

I remember when we brought Hamilton home from the hospital, my mom was going to babysit so Matt and I could get dinner. Mom came over and we left. Spooky then gave mom and gentle bark and laid by Hamilton's bedroom door. He was going to protect that baby! It didn't take much to get mom in the room with Hamilton - a few Teddy Grahams - but Spooky had made his intentions known & we all took comfort in that.

He guarded the kids outside when they played. One day I was busy in the flowerbeds and Hamilton slipped through a crack in the fence. Spooky went NUTS and would not quit until I went to see what was the matter. When I retrieved Hamilton Spooky gave him kisses and stayed right beside him the rest of the day.

Spooky was with me when I miscarried our little girl. He stayed with me, and I believe, he wept with me. He was always with me when I cried about whatever (I'm a bawl-bag sometimes). He would come put his head in my lap and bury his head in my armpit.

He was big. He smelled like a dog. He barked when someone went walking down our street. His toenails made marks in our hardwood floors. He occasionally tried to take food off the table. He ripped a screen off of the back door, and when he was a pup, he tore our phone line off of the house & chewed it in two. Three times.

But I loved him.

We all did.

There's a hole in the family.

We all miss him greeting us with his nubbin-wagging tail.

We miss our Spook-Dog, our Spook-a-Duke, our Spooky.

These are not very good pictures of him, as he was sick when we took them, but this is our precious Spooky.

Understanding...Need to Clarify

Ok, so in my previous post "Blizzard 2011" I posted something that then I did not understand, but now - I understand clearly. Crystal.

Beer in people's grocery carts. Lots of it. Cases of it. Beer isle in store - very bare by the end of the day last Monday. I made fun. I giggled inside. I scoffed. I shunned. I blogged.

I'm sorry. Very sorry.

I now understand the value of beer. And, lots of it. Next time we are forecasted 18 inches of snow, my cart will be full of beer. Cases. I, most certainly, will bump into my Pastors, folks from church, my child's teacher with a cart full of beer. I will be proud of my cart, and if their cart is not full of beer, I will suggest that they hurry right over and fill theirs, too, as the supply will surely be dwindling.

5 straight days without leaving my very small, old town property. One two year old. One 5 year old. One 7 year old. One husband. One large dog with something wrong with his leg. One pesky Basset Hound puppy. 21 + 4 inches of snow. Dwindling groceries. Way too much Nick Jr.. Ice Dams. Multiple Ice Dams. Water running down our painted, sheet rocked walls & dripping down the inside of our windows & then freezing. ALL good reasons to have beer. Lots of it.

A can an hour, and I think I may have dealt with it all a tad bit better.

Don't judge me.....

Gotta run....freezing rain & snow in the forecast for tomorrow....hopefully there's more beer available than we have snow plows in this little town! Meet you in the beer isle at Reasor's!

Blizzard Goings Ons

My dogs, Spooky (the weim) and Murphy (the basset.) We cleard them a path shortly after the snow stopped. Spooky, who is 10 and has a hurt leg, is less than thrilled. Murphy is still a pup and loves the snow. He runs in it, although his feet don't actually touch the ground. Cute. Stinky, but cute.





















These three little guys are my munchkins that relentlessly bothered us all day to go outside. Once the temperatures reached double-digits, I could take it no longer. It was worth the 10 minutes of peace to spend 20 minutes getting them bundled up, 30 minutes peeling off clothes and getting them re-dressed, 20 minutes getting hot chocolate ready & 2 loads of laundry. I caved. They were out for all of 10 minutes. The baby made it to the back of the yard, started crying & Matt had to carry him in.
















This, my friends, is our very own Ice Dam. It's really fun. It formed after the storm, and allows water to seep into our walls on the interior of the house. Our sheet rock in the kitchen and bathroom is mushy. Water that melts on the top of our roof, rolls down & under the ice & into our home. Cozy, no?


We are full of excitement here at the Roberts house! The kids are driving us nuts, I have a sinus infection, though I'm unable to get to the doc, and we have a hurt dog that needs to see a vet. Oh - and NOTHING sweet in the house. We've been on a diet. THIS IS NO TIME TO DIET FOLKS! I NEED CHOCOLATE & I NEED IT NOW! I'm going to try to find something to make with the Almond Bark left over from Christmas.....I might just resort to gnawing on it....


Despite our major home damage, we really are enjoying being together. Matt's been off work, and we've really been snowed in. There's no place open to go & even if there was, there is no way to get there! I love our little family & am thankful for this time to be snowed in together.