Dinosaurs in the house

image taken from google images cuz the water isn't near this clean and would take a feat for me to get a decent picture

That's what my kids would tell you right now...that we have a dinosaur in the house. MaryKyle ordered "triops" off Amazon.com OH MY was she excited when the eggs arrived!!

what you can't see the eggs?? Well you can't see the triops either hardly for a few days...magnifying glass needed

here's what comes with them.

We had about 11 eggs hatch and we have one Triop...they are cannibals. We knew that and I had read it to MK even before she ordered the kit. So she wasn't surprised when we only ended up with two triops as they grew (they grow FAST). BUT when she looked in the fish bowl one day to find "Trey" eating "Opie" it was not so pretty....she just "KNEW they would be good friends and not eat each other" alas....once a cannibal always a cannibal. So we now only have ONE triop....he must be a brute!

Rules were not made to be broken

FYI.....on my weekly Kroger trip tonight I learned they have changed their coupon policy. According to the supervisor this is company wide. But because of so many scanning and making copies of printable coupons (which is illegal to do FYI) they have had to become more strict about the printables. They will now only accept two per manufacturer. Which totatally stinks. But it is what it is. I, honestly, expect more stores to follow suit. Those printable coupons are fabulous. But I've said for a while because of others being dishonest with them it will ruin it for the rest of us. PLEASE play fair. Follow the rules. because everyone is affected if you don't!!

Indian Style

thanks to an amazing gift/loan of some fun curriculum we are busy turning our house into a wigwam it feels like. This is the kids AFTER school the other day - they made John Mark a costume and made an old one of mine fit MK. They have had a ball playing Indian and dressing up now for school as they read about the different tribes, etc!

GrandMama ran by with some treats after a trip out of town and walked into Indians for grandkids...how perfect that the treat was candy covered sunflower seeds. They deemed it 'Indian Corn' Just had to take a picture.

Now to get John Mark to wear something more than his 'loin cloth' since he loves already to wear as few clothes as possible

Oh and if my friend Amy sees this..cough cough...how 'bout that dress? Look familiar? Mk has it flopped over the belt so she could stand cuz it's like a huge potato sack!!

FYI to all...a group of us friends (many many moons ago) did pre-1840 reenactments. Yes I did reenactments and I would say Amy and I could challenge any 'ol boy with our flintlock skills and tomahawk throwing skills...ha ha!! We're cool like that!!!! hee hee!!

Oh I SO wasn't kidding!!

For proof that you SO need to check out Crafty Mommy's website...I just happened to check it and she has a link to a deal for coupons for FREE Chocolate...seriously! I just signed up for two!! But HURRY only 250,000 every Friday!! Hurry fast...it's FREE CHOCOLATE every woman that is hormonal is going to be signing up so HURRY!!!


And while you are hurrying, be sure to remember that today is your last chance to enter to win the pack of free personalized notecards that Crafty Mommy makes!!!

SAMPLE

"Jamberry Jamberry Jamberry Jam...."

Hmmm what to blog about...so many things going on lately.

But here's what's happening RIGHT NOW...that's right you're getting a direct newsfeed from our household. We're making Jam....we went today and picked strawberries and I wanted to get them cooked and canned ASAP. MaryKyle loves to cook so she immediately started working along beside me asking what she could do. John Mark had little interest.

UNTIL....we started cutting them up. Oh boys and sharp dangerous objects....it's a magnetic attraction...just draws them in for sure!

So while I sit here blogging, apron on, about to enjoy my coffee here's what's happening a few feet from me:

In your face??

John Mark is playing baseball this spring. It's not been the best experience (neither has it been the worst!) But they've lost every game and the coaches are frustrated and working hard at keeping their emotions in check (not always successfully) and the boys are pretty discouraged and down!

So today after yet another loss I see one of the coaches getting onto his kid. He was up in his face & grabbed his shirt telling him (cough cough...sternly) to 'get over it NOW' or something like that. I had TOTALLY missed what led up to that so I've no idea what the kid had done. But another Mommy looked at me and I looked at her...but our reactions were perhaps a little different. She had missed what led up to it too and thought I had seen it and ask "ooooo...having a bit of an attitude problem is he?" to which I responded "which one?" she got a bit of a chuckle from that and then said "well can't say I've never done that" but then this look came over her face and she giggled slowly & gave me this quizzical look and said "you've never done that have you?" I was stumped...what was she talking about....???

she continued to question me and said "seriously you really haven't ever just gotten up in your kids face have you?? I can't even imagine you doing that"

hmm......have I? I think that's really up to my child's perspective, so MaryKyle was standing right beside me nose in a book but always listening (ha ha) and I just said "I don't know have I???" and she looked up at us like I was the craziest person in the world for asking and said...... "WHAT?! No way!"

"WHEW!!!"

(it's probably slipped her mind, but good timing honey!)

Now, I raise my voice at my kids plenty. And there are days I feel like I'm the most negative Mommy in the whole world. I have had to apologize to them more times than I could ever count for not handling a situation the way that I perhaps should/could have or just plain having a hormonal day where I'm in a rotten mood and not a lot of fun to be around (read....my family wants to leave the house and get as far away from me as possible!!).

So that got me thinking. And I tried to think if that had ever happened to me. At the moment, off the top of my head, I can only remember one situation ever having someone in my face fussing at me...it was not my parent....and my relationship with that person changed that day.

dramatically.

I can truly not imagine a situation where I would have someone in my face fussing and it receive a positive reaction from me.

What if my husband had gone over and done that to the coach about us losing...hmmm....wonder what might have happened...go on and chuckle cuz we all know when adults get up in each others faces generally security must get involved!

what if our bosses handled disciplining that way...oh wait...there would probably be a lawsuit or something.

so why??? Why, do parents feel like kids will respond well to it?

I know by homeschooling I'm already labeled and already the 'weird parent' & my parenting is already looked at as odd by many. But I don't know...I just have the utmost respect for my children and I believe they deserve to be treated the way I wish to be treated...with love and respect. Now that doesn't mean I'm not in charge, nor does it mean they are perfect...goodness no. I just don't feel the need to disrespect them to gain their respect and my position. So I TRY when disciplining them to remember that - read TRY....I'm not always successful and that's where the apologies come in!

and ssshhhhhh......don't tell anyone....but I don't have any grand dreams of John Mark becoming a pro baseball player. I just have dreams of him having a fun and happy childhood making lots of memories and friends and having lots of different experiences and learning how to emulate Christ in the process (See told you I'm weird- ha ha)!!!

Let me be clear, I'm not in any way saying this coach or the Mommy who I was talking to are bad people.Nope not at all, I just was stumped by her all of a sudden questioning me on this and then started questioning the behavior as a whole and anyone who has actually sat through reading this has had to endure my brains workings on the subject....So so sorry!!

Introducing my new friend Neti!!!

(photo not me -I'm not that graceful with Neti - taken from Google images from the Oprah show)

Sadly I bought my raw honey too late this year to ward off some sort of pollen. i don't know what is attacking me, but I hate it! So when a good friend from high school called to chat the other day all it took was "hello" for him to know I was dealing with sinus sort of ICK....for over a week my head has felt as if it surely would explode and my throat would surely combust in flames....

dreading the mess, I had attempted a few things to try to keep it from going that far. But nothing was giving me more than a couple hours reprieve....UNTIL....

Oh did I mention that my friend just happens to be an allergist. He tells me I should get to know Neti if I hadn't already....okay I've heard of and seen Neti, but SERIOUSLY?!! And now a medical professional is sharing with me about this...
Problem is, knowing this friend there was also the (STRONG) possiblity of me doing this and him sitting back and laughing hysterically at just the knowledge & mental image that I had done something so goofy and in reality it be worthless. However, he convinces me by explaining how he knows how little I like meds and how much I prefer to handle things as naturally as possible that this is perfect for me and I should really try it...

WELL....although natural as far as contents go, this is about as UNnatural as far as doing it....and as weird as they come if you ask me!!

when I explained to my friend that I hate/fear putting things up my nose he just said "umm...what about your finger?"

Who needs such 'friends?' UGh.....
oh yeah...I do!

so let me introduce you to my new best friend Neti.



As much as I hate to admit it, my friend,Ryan, gains points for this recommendation, (and I MIGHT consider forgiving him for his bets against my latest fitness attempts). It's FABULOUS!! Seriously if you haven't tried this...Go...go now...REALLY GO! and get one, you need to get to know Neti too!!

although I warn you...I will probably chuckle at the mental image of you doing it, because you will look goofy - just like me (but it really does work, I'm not just telling you that so you will look goofy)!!