Heard Around Here Lately....

We are trying to wrap up our spring curriculum and yesterday I asked the children what they felt they had learned this school year.

I got two responses that hopefully were jokes, one blank stare, and this gem,

"I learned that math is even more boring than I ever could have imagined."  

Well then.  

Heard Around Here Lately....

I am trying to decide on a new hairstyle and have several pinned on Pinterest.  I was studying them this morning and one of my offspring walked by.  I grabbed said offspring and said,

"I'm thinking about getting a haircut.  What do you think about this one?" 

The child studied me and then studied the picture, studied some more, and then said,

"Well, it looks good on her."  

Thank you dear, thank you.

Heard Around Here Lately....

Abbie was determined to stay up until midnight Tuesday night and I was determined not to, so about 10 pm I headed off to bed.  Abbie was curled up on the couch with a blanket watching TV and I told her "Happy New Year!"  She told me the same and said,

"Momma, I just have a feeling that 2014 is going to be my year."  

She said it confidently so I asked her what she meant.  She replied she wasn't sure yet, but she knew it was going to be her year.

I hope its the year she finally keeps her room clean on regular basis.

In other news, I have ten 7th and 8th grade boys coming tonight for a video game spend-the-night party.  Yup.

And Annabelle, the goat, is getting huge with her baby.  She is waddling around and it just makes me ache for her.  I put her in the milking stall yesterday to check her out and her udders are getting full of milk and Abbie and I could feel the baby moving.  It was so exciting!  So Mark purchased extra bedding for her yesterday and today I will be getting my emergency kit together.  Although I sooooo hope it is not needed.  Goats are pretty good about delivering without complications, but this is her first so we will see. And of course it is supposed to get down to 10 degrees in the next couple of days.  Mark said it would be just like her to deliver on the coldest day of the decade. 

Who knows, those boys might get quite an education tonight????

Heard Around Here Lately...

~I told Abbie that bad weather was predicted for trick or treating and the church festival.  She replied, quite dramatically I might add, that "The weather was trying to ruin her childhood!"

~James finally read a whole sentence yesterday with very little help from me.  I made over him and he was proud of himself.  When I told him we were going to go on to the next page he said, "I have to get back to my real job."  Which apparently is swinging from a rope on our ash tree all day long.

~Seen and heard last night.  As our family gathered before bed to pray together, we saw and heard one child trying his best to push his sister off the couch with his feet because apparently they can pray together, but touching each other is not an option. 

I decided to wait on the giveaway because I remembered I don't have a camera battery charger.  Mark is purchasing one tomorrow hopefully so I'll get it up then. 

Heard Around Here Lately....

~"Only 30 days to Disney!!!!!"- Abbie, who at this very moment is sitting in living room floor making a poster-sized countdown calendar.

~"I have a loose tooth so I am on soft foods for awhile."  - This was James' rationale for requesting ice cream for breakfast.

~"But its not poisonous."-Matt's exact quote after he brought a six foot ALIVE snake to the house this week.

~"I am just going to run a little bioscan on it."-James bringing in various nature objects into my house.

~"Mom, you didn't turn on your blinker!" - Tyler, my eldest, who thinks he knows lots more about driving than I do.  And suddenly has become a blinker nazi.  But he got a haircut this week and he looks about five years older and I want to hold onto every single minute with him and somehow stop time.  But I can't.  So I am treasuring all these blinker nazi moments in my heart, knowing that his children will do the very same thing to him one day.

Heard Around Here Lately....

James was putting on his shoes to head outside and I said,

"James, don't go outside yet.  We are about to do our phonics."

He replied with a deep groan and said, "Oh no."

I told him it wouldn't be that bad and today he was going to get to learn a new letter.

I started down the hallway to get the cards and I heard, in a low pitiful voice,

"Abbie, this is turning out to be the worst day of my life."

*** If he thinks phonics are bad, its really going to be tough when we get to long division.  Sigh.

Heard Around Here....

James, upon learning at the allergist's appointment yesterday that I had forgotten to pack crackers in my bag.

"Mom, do you hear that sound?"

Me:  "No"

"Well, its the sound of my heart breaking."

I had no words. 

Heard Around Here....

While riding down the interstate last night:

James:  "Abbie, I just licked the van window."
Abbie: "Ewwwwwwwww."
James:  "Yeah, it didn't taste that good."

I guess some things you just have to learn from experience.

Heard Around Here Lately....

James:  "Mom, may I be excused?  I would like to try to change the movement and direction of the earth."

Me:  "Sure, have at it son."

James:  (looking around in deep thought), "First I will need a saber-toothed tiger."

Hmmmm......

Heard Around Here Lately....

James, age five--

"I have seen indications that the stink bug population is becoming extinct around here."

Me thinks someone may be watching a little too much Jeff Corwin lately.

In other news-

~The insurance man is coming today to look at our roof.  I don't know why this makes me nervous and makes me want to clean house, but it does.

~I have a boatload of tomatoes to deal with today.

~My Abbie-girl is having a great time at summer camp this week, but I am missing her. And James is really missing her.

~Yesterday and Monday I was away from home all day keeping a friend's 17 month old little boy while she is at summer camp with Abbie.  I came home exhausted from sitting and watching James and Levi play together all day.  I guess I had forgotten the energy of a toddler and when you add a five year old to the mix - whew!  We'll be home today though, which is good since, you know, all the tomatoes.

~I am thinking of school starting. Just thinking about it right now. I still think I am in denial about the whole 9th grade thing.

So, what's  your plans for the day?

Heard Around Here....

This morning I was standing in the kitchen, still wearing my pjs, and fixing up some french toast for the kid's breakfast.

James came running in holding a flashlight and excitedly said,

"Mom!  Go get on your goodest clothes and some makeup!  Its time for a spotlight dance!"

Finally, someone has recognized my singing and dancing talents around here.  

I am really not sure where he gets this stuff, but he keeps us laughing.

Heard Around Here Lately....

"I think I can work with that."--said by Abbie upon examining my new haircut Friday afternoon.  I am so glad I have her approval.

"I don't care Mom, just pick some, okay?"  --  apparently big boys do not like to stand in the underwear aisle at Walmart and discuss their options with their moms.  Well, now I know.

"Maybe you need to go lay down and take a little nap Mom." -said by one of the children earlier today as our roof started to leak in the second place in two days.  I was on the verge of  crying, but then we started laughing and dancing and telling silly jokes to each other.  The lightening was so bad I had the kids unplug everything and I turned off the air.  I told them to open the door to let some fresh air in.  I reminded them of when Ma Ingalls said, "There is no great loss without some gain." referring to the cool fresh air coming in the door.  This is when it was suggested I might need to go lay down.

"I am making this one up Mom." -said by James, age five.  We are trying to work with him on telling the truth at all times and what the difference is between a story and the truth.  I think he is understanding the difference between a lie and the truth, but he thinks if he prefaces the lie with, "I am making this up" it is still okay to tell the outrageous whopper about his siblings.  Deep sigh.  I used to be able to handle all this with five year olds.  Now I just say, "Just talk to Daddy about it when he gets home."  Which leads me to this one.

"Maybe you need to take some of it off!"-said by James when I told Tyler I could not think about the answer to his riddle because I just had too much on my mind.

So glad that God is mindful of me and all the things going on with our house right now.  If He is mindful of it why is it heavy on my mind?  Sometimes there is a lot of truth that comes from a five year old.

Heard Around Here Lately....

James, upon being called in from outside playing to review his phonics flashcards~~

"Mommmmm, why didn't God just make us born being able to read?????"

He really wants to read, but the whole learning to read is another thing. Especially when he could be outside playing.


Linking up at Like Mother, Like Daughter.

Heard Around Here Lately....

Sunday night Mark and the boys watched at two-part Star Trek episode off of Netflix.

Between the episodes Matt said, "Dad, it bet it was torture to have to wait a whole week before you got to see the next show."

Just wait until we tell him about having to wait to use the computer until someone was off the phone. Or not knowing who was calling until you answered the phone. Or having to wait until the movie was at the movie store to go and then trying to rush to beat the crowd to get one of the only five copies.

What else am I leaving out? :)

Heard Around Here Lately....

James slept with me Saturday night as Mark and the big boys were camping with the Scouts.

He tossed and turned and finally put his pillow up on my hip and laid down. I thought, "Well, this is uncomfortable, but once he falls asleep I will move him."

He laid there for a few seconds, jumped up, looked around in frustration, and declared,

"Mom, you are just too lumpy!."

Thanks baby, thanks a lot.

Add It To The List....

Of things I never thought I would say~~~~

"James Daniel! Get that puppy out of the fig tree!!!!"




And, if it looks like Sadie spends most of her time asleep (on the couch by the way, where she is not supposed to be), its because she is exhausted from all the "love" she gets when she is awake. Yesterday I looked out the window to check on James and Sadie. He had her propped up in a fork in the fig tree. Her little legs were going ninety to nothing trying to get down. James' reasoning was that Sadie just wanted to climb the tree like him. Poor Sadie, she is either going to be the most loved happiest dog in town, or the most miserable....

Add it to the list....

Of things I never thought I would say...

"You can just stay in that bed all day if you want to, but no more whining and crying over George Washington!"

Heard Around Here Lately....

Upon telling Matthew I used to be the PacMan queen. (which I wasn't, but he will never know)

"You know Matt, Mom used to play PacMan in the olden days."

Abbie, age 10

Heard Around Here Lately....

"I just don't think I can fit school into my schedule today..."

Matt, age 11

Heard Around Here Lately....

"I heard from Abbey F. that Eliza said that Caroline said that feathers in your hair were only going to be popular for two more weeks and then beads in your hair are going to start to be popular so I think I am just going to save my money and buy some cool beads."

Abbie, age 10.

Wow, she has a whole little fashion world going on that I know nothing about.

I am getting a hair cut today. Should I go with the beads or the feathers........