Thunder and lightening

Before I went to bed last night, I watched the weather. He said there would be a storm brewing our way around 5 or 6am Fri morning. Well at least he predicted there would be a storm. He just didn't get the time right. Around 2 or 3 am I'm woken up by the storm. Not a bad one, just enough to wake me. Thankfully none of the girls got up until later. And apparently I was too tired to put her back to bed. I really need to work on having her put her self back to sleep once she wakes up. Hopefully soon I will do this because right now she wakes me up to I have to do it.

Yesterday we an ok day. It was gloomy and cloudy and N didn't want to do school work. R was going ok, but it seems right now he's having a hard time understanding some fraction concept. So he's been listening and watching the tutor CD's but apparently it's harder than it looks. I"ve told him that on Fri he can take 2 problems in his next lesson and watch the guy do it on the CD. I'm hoping this will work. N is doing really well with her times tables. After having purchased www.timestales.com she has memorized them in a weeks time. She does still have problems with the problem 9x7, but as the instruction say, keep working on it until the child has it. I figured we'll keep working with this program throughout the summer and then hopefully be able to continue to the next level of math.

I also asked our next door neighbor if he knew of anyone that does concrete work. Our front porch is literally falling apart and NEEDS to be fixed this yr. He says he might know of someone. He says the guy is retired, but does side jobs. It would be nice to find someone trustworthy. The porch is also attached by trellis and the one side on the end is almost unattached to the porch. Not good. The whole porch could collapse. I think today I will call our other neighbor and see if he can help us any.

Today we're doing our normal school day. Hoping the kids will buckle down and get started early so they're not just finishing with math by lunch. R tends to want to play online too much and so I have to constantly get after him. It's frustrating at times, but I'm still glad he's home and not in ps. Too much uncertainly and no learning going on IMO. Tomorrow night R will be going to his Sunday School teacher's home, just for an evening of hanging out. He got released last Sun as their teacher and they want to give him a send off. So dh will be doing that.

Tomorrow morning we'll be cleanging the church one last time this yr. We have 2 other families that are assigned to help, but dh doesn't think they'll show. That's ok at least we know how to do it. Hopefully after we're done, we'll be able to do some sandal shopping and patio furniture shopping then lunch one last time before dh is on call again next week. When dh is on call we don't do anything that requires long periods of time. When he gets paged, he needs to be able to answer his call within 10 min and be at his work computer in 10 min as well. So we don't do a lot during that week. Thankfully it only happens every 4 to 5 weeks. The last few have been doozies.

This Sun, will be my first week doing my new calling. That is putting the ward bulletin together and having it ready each Sun. It may take awhile since this will affect the whole ward and I want to do it right. I've been asking dh to help out a bit at first. Dh has been good about helping me so far. As for his calling, he tells me he's hoping sometime this yr to be released. He says coorelation meetings is starting to get on his nerves as some of the people aren't always polite. I didn't ask to what extent, and he didn't say.

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

Having a hard time getting up

I know once I get up and get going, I usually enjoy being up early. But it's that initial getting up that is the hard thing. This morning my alarm went off so I stretch and yawn and such and realize that 3 min have gone by. Not really a big thing, you say? For me it is since I'm usually up right after the alarm. That's what tells me I'm not always ready to get up.

Yesterday we tried to do school work, or should I say ds did his school work, but N decided she was going to give mommy a run for her money. I hadn't showered yet, so after the devotional, I told the kids to do their school work while I showered. S, being the youngest, choose to come with me. That was fine. Well, I get into the shower do my stuff, and just as I'm getting out R comes up and say N has been talking to her pretend friend on the fake phone the whole time I was showering. So needless to say it took a bit of persuasion to get her to do it. Also, it was the day to go to the park. I told her that if she didn't get some stuff done, we'd go BUT she'd sit on the bench for 30 min WATCHING the others play while she sat. Not something she would be happy with. She eventually buckled down and so after lunch we went. But I told her last night that she had better do better tomorrow, or next park day she would spend the WHOLE time on the bench. That's 2hrs!

Last evening as we picked up dh, I could tell he wasn't feeling good. We got home and he was trying hard to stay up with the family. I kept trying to give him the hint, go to bed. He nodded a few times, but ended up on the computer playing some games and answering some emails. He ended up not going to bed until 10 pm when I did. Guess he really wanted to stay up with us. I hope he feels better today. It's like he has this sinus infection in his chest that just won't go away. So it makes him cough and still not be able to get rid of it. So needless to say he's been miserable.

Yesterday, after we got back from the park, I was sitting at the computer, when I happened to see some photos of my dad's funeral. I'm glad dh was finally able to download them. It's sure nice to see family again that I haven't seen in 30 or more yrs. Wow that just made me feel really old lol. An aunt and uncle (dad's brother and SIL) and their kids. Some other family members that we saw just in Sept when we drove out to Ut. I also saw the photo of my brothers and I. I asked dh last night if he could print that and a few others off so we could send them to mom for her birthday. I had wanted to find a photo of us for Mother's Day, but didn't happen. Better late than never, as the saying goes.

Today is a stay-at-home day. No car and just get stuff done. R needs to finish his Eagle report so he can hand it in. Then a few other things in regards to his Eagle and then he's done. However, he still needs to finish off a few other merit badges before he gets his Eagle award, but he's doing great! I'm proud of how he's done most of this on his own. The idea was mostly his, and with gentle nudges and suggestions, he's done it all.

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

Back to our regularly schedule program :)

Yesterday we were back to our normal school schedule, almost. We normally go to the library on a Mon, so we had 2 days worth of stuff in 1 day. Here's how it went. 7:40 we take dh to work. Arrive at dh work at 8am. Head home and arrive at 8:20. 2 dd's have breakfast and watch Clifford. Ds plays more on computer. Then 9am we start out devotional.

We then do our normal Mon stuff while mom showers. Head to library, with a brief stop at the cleaners to take dh and R's suit jacket to get cleaned, then head to library. Leave library around 1:30 and head to lunch then home. Suddenly the day is now Tues and we haven't even slept yet lol. Although Tues is still looking a lot like Mon in that I let the girls watch school videos and then head outside for exercise. Around 4:30 we head out to pick up dh from work. Arrive home at 5:30 in time to fix dinner and for R to shower.

6:40 we all head to the church for various reasons. R has scouts or combined meeting with the young women. I have 3 things happening, 1- quick visiting teaching, 2-showing one of the sisters at church how to use the computer to do the visiting teaching report each month and 3- teach some sign language to a few sisters. WHEW! It all turned out well, busy, but well.

R is still recovering from his toe incident. Not sure if I reported this or not the other day, but as we were cleaning the lawn so dh could mow, we were scooping up wet mucky leaves and dumping them into the garbage can in the garage. I wasn't in the garage at the time. I was busy picking up all the rakes and bowls we had used. By the time I get in the house, R is putting on a bandage on his toes. He then tells me what happened. As he was taking the liner out of the metal garbage can, the liner came out suddenly and the can fell straight on to his toe OUCH!! It now has a big bruise under the nail. It looks like it has a good chance of falling off, or definitely coming apart as it grows outward. Poor kid is LOVING the attention. He hobbled into the library and one of the librarians asked what was wrong. He then told her his story. He loves it. Same thing at church lol. I think it was worth the sore for the attention lol.

Today we have somewhat normal school day. But after lunch the girls and I will be headed to the park for park day. Our homeschool group meets every Wed afternoon to let the kids work off some steam. This lets the moms have time to chat and get to know each other. So far it's been very well attended. This will be our 4th park day this yr. Last yr we didn't start going until June, but N has been wanting to go so bad so we do. Good exercise so why not. Let's just hope for continued good weather.

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

Holiday Weekend

It's Tues now and it's the first time since Fri I've been able to get back on here. On the weekends I do try and sleep in. Sat we all slept till 9 and relaxed till lunch. Dh took us out for lunch, then summer shopping for the kids. The girls have been wanting flip flops for about a month now, so they finally got them. We also bought shorts for R and N since both kids have either worn out their old ones, or have out grown them. shirt wise they're both fine. S will have N's old stuff so she's fine.

While at Walmart, I happened to see the patio set I've been wanting. I showed dh and he was liking it also. The only thing he was concerned with is the padding that's on the chairs is not washable. This means that every night we will have to bring in my cushions. I told him that's not a problem. I also mentioned that I wanted a bit of a patio out in the back. Nothing fancy, just cement ladi out so the patio furniture is level. Dh was fine with that. Now we just need to find a local handyman that will do it. Guess I'll have to ask our next door neighbor if he could suggest someone.

We're also getting a new swingset for the kids. Our old one was old and starting to fall apart when we got it, but it was free and dh was able to settle it at the time. Unfortunately over time, it has become unsettled and the kids have all grown so we need a new one.

On Sunday, I was released from my visiting teaching calling. I was the coordinator, which after awhile, I was fine with. The only frustration I had was when I couldn't get 2 of the supervisors to contact me or their sisters. So now instead of that calling, I'm now in charge of the ward bulletin each week. Or in other words, the program. I get to make sure that all announcements that need to be made, are made. All songs for that week are there and whatever else is there. Should be interesting.

Yesterday, we Memorial Day. I told dh I didn't really have anything planned other than just relaxing. I completely forgot about parades. Guess I'll have to remember that for next yr. So we spent the day just being outside playing. We also went out for lunch again. Felt bad for dh because he's still not feeling well from his sore throat. He hides it well from the kids, but I could tell by watching him. It's been over a week and still ouch. And then a cough on top of that.

Anyway, the rest of the day was spent at home playing some more outside and making sure the lawn was cleaned up so dh could mow. Our lawn was behind in mowing at least 2 times. But our schedules have been so busy the last 2 weeks, so it hasn't been possible. I have thought that dh should have R start doing it. That way dh's back doesn't always feel bad. I think dh is a bit uncomfortable with R doing is since dh likes it done a certain way. We shall see. :)

So today we're back to regular schedule, sort of. We will be headed to the library, but it'll be a Tues rather than Mon. Then Tues afternoon, we revert to Tues happenings. Then tonight we have our normal classes. I also have a bit of visiting teaching to do, and turn over to the new Visiting teaching coordinator. Should be a busy night. We'll see how it goes.

My neck muscle attached to my shoulder muscle is still sore. I haven't mentioned it because I've been just kind of ignoring it. But it's becoming a real pain lately. Everytime S sits on my lap, she gets wiggly and puts pressure on the muscle. Ouch!

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

Another, almost sleepless night

My youngest dd S I think has some bad alergies as far as she is concerned. She has woken up several times last night, again, and I think she's plugged. Not sure what to do for her since she really can't take anything. But something needs to be done because I can't keep waking up every few hrs to put her to bed. I feel like a zombie when this happens. I guess the only good thing about it is, her last time to wake me is too late to go back to sleep and just early enough to have computer time.

Yesterday was good in that the kids mostly did good with their school work. I'm glad because sometimes I feel like we're only doing 1 or 2 subjects and that's not good. I'm very much considering adding some actual curriculum for next yr rather than being unschooling. I mean I'll still consider us that, but not as much. I really feel the kids need to have a bit more structure in some things like grammar, and history. We already have math. Now if I can just get R to stop messing with things online and get his school work done, he could have more time in the afternoon TO mess around. Might have to make some consequences.

In our little town, they've been doing road construction. Now I could complain that they're having to divert us here and there, but considering the condition of the roads after this winter, they really need to be fixed. At least it's not too off the beaten path. A week ago I got surprised and was led down a different path. Luckily R reminded me to settle down and just follow the arrows. After a few turns and such, I recognized where we were and then was fine. I just don't do well with sudden changes, which is why I stay home and take care of the kids and am not in the business world.

This Mon is Memorial day and I was going to have some friends over, but dh says he wants to do some yard work so I said that would be fine. I just wanted to make sure we would be busy on Mon and not just sitting around being bored. With some holidays, that's what happens. So here's hoping we'll have a good memorial day weekend and get lots accomplished.

Ahh last night as the kids were watching a video, I sneaked into the school room where the computer are and just started checking out my emails. Dh walks up to me and comments on the email I sent him earlier on in the day. I as recently send an insurance check from my dad's insurance. It's a nice sum of money, extra cash. Well, ever since last Jan when I found out dad had this money, I've been trying to decide what special things I would like to have as a gift from my dad. It's unlike dad to give out extra money, so this insurance money was a nice goodbye from him. A surprise. Thanks Dad.

So anyway, dh and I were talking about some items I'm wanting. I would like to purchase a nice swingset for the kids and a patio set for our back yard. He was commenting on the expensive swingset I was looking at. Well when we were looking at swingsets a few yrs ago, he commented on how cheap and rusted looking the metal swingsets were. So that's why I choose wooden ones which are not cheap. Anyhow, I think he's decided that metal ones are ok afterall. So he's suggested that we look at those types instead. I said fine.

I also mentioned to him that I want a nice small patio outside the school room so we can put our paito furniture on(when we get those as well). Looks like I might just get it. I get the feeling he thought I wanted something fancy. Nope, just some extra cement to keep our table level. I have managed to find a nice patio set, so let's hope it's still available when we order.

Last night, dh had his Elder's Quorum meeting again. I really don't mind as long as the weather is good so we have the choice of being outside during part of the meeting, watching a video if wanted. The weather turned a bit chilly after awhile, but at least this week I didn't have other children to watch, so we able to come inside and watch something. These children from the dad, that's part of his group, are a bit wild and sometimes are uncontrollable. Last week when they came, we spent the whole time outside on the swings and they did well. I think, however, if we'd gone inside, they would have gone exploring. Thank goodness for pleasant weather.

This morning, dh will be attending the funeral of a family member of a co-worker. Not sure if that makes sense. Let me see if I can explain. One of dh's co-workers has a father who passed away a few days ago. So today there having the viewing and funeral. So dh and several co-workers will be attending this. So sad that he went somewhat sudden, but sometimes that's how life is. Our well wishes are with this friend and her family.

This morning we'll be heading to our homeschool groups last library day. It's called library day because we hold activities at the library. Anyway, we have a meterologist coming to speak so it should be interesting. I'm hoping enough interest in this so we have a good group of families. This yr the attendance has gone down. I'm guessing because a lot of families are wanting to get some extra school work in, and so they choose to skip this. So we might be changing the time next yr to early afternoon. Hopefully that will help.

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

Up every hr...

Or at least it felt like it. S, for some reason, felt the need to wake up about every 1 1/2 hr to come in my room for me to tuck her in. I NEED to somehow get her to figure out to just go back to sleep on her own instead of getting mommy to. Last night was a lot of getting up. Then of course she decides to wake me about 30 min before the alarm goes off. So I have the decision, to go back to sleep for 30 min and be miserable, or stay awake and get an early start. I decided on an early start.

Yesterday was a nice day. The weather was very sunny. A bit chilly but at least the sun was out. We took dh to work since our homeschool group was having a park day. We get home, do our school stuff and then mid morning I realize I haven't showered yet lol. Guess I'd better get that out of the way. Then continued with the rest of our morning. Afte lunch I gathered the girls together and went to the park. I left R home since the park was only 5 min away. I felt safe enough that if he needed me for any reason, I was only min away.

Picked up dh later that evening and had dinner ready for all. I had visiting teaching to do so I left while they were eating. I let the kids know that since the weather was still nice, they had better go out and play and not bother daddy too much. Apparently they were good because dh was fine when I returned lol.

Today we're at home doing school work. N is slowly getting better at doing as I ask, but R is still having a hard time. He's having a rough time with math and figuring out some problems. It's a new math program and he loves it, just trying to figure out how some equations work. He's also been working on editing his Eagle scout report so he can send it to dh for editing again. Then send it to his scout master who can triple check. Then hopefully on to the Eagle Scout people. I think he's closer with his stuff than a lot of scout are. Apparently most scouts wait until their project is done before writing the report. R has been updating his report everytime something new happens. I think he has between 40 to 60 pages last I heard. Lots of reading.

I read my nephew's wife's blog yesterday and she mentioned the funeral services and how well they went. Apparently the place was packed which was nice. I only met the little boy once and that was at my dad's funeral last Jan. He was in a special wheel chair all hooked up to a few breathing monitors. But he looked happy. I guess when you grow up with things hooked to you, you don't know any better.

Tonight dh has his Elder' Quorum meeting so I suspect I'll be babysitting a few small children for a bit. I did it last week and the kids were good. Let's hope for the same tonight. Guess as with all children, when you're not with your parents, you behave better. Thank goodness. :)

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

New calling and other happenings

Yesterday was busy, We did school(or at least tried to do school). Ds was trying to keep his mind on things but was really thinking about his project. So I finally told him to just get his project done. He was supposed to stack all the books for his Eagle project so they would all fit in the boxes we had. He had over 551 books donated. That was a LOT! He did well.

While him and the guys(dh included) were taking care of the books, the girls and I were enjoying N's last Recognition night. The girls were supposed to do a talent or show a talent. N showed off how well she was doing with her writing. She has improved greatly. After her class was over, we went into the foyer to wait on the guys. While sitting on the floor, the bishop sees me and asks if I can talk to him in his office. Always a nervous thing lol. So in I go not knowing what he has in mind. He just wants to release me from my visiting teaching leader calling to church bulletin. A bit different and challenging. I was a bit saddened to be released from the other since I had become pretty good at it. Of course, that's when it seems you're going to be released lol.

All went well with the various activities we did. Dh and ds, with the help of the other boys and leaders, were able to collect all the boxes of books and take them to the library to donate. Apparently they were surprised to see over 10 boxes instead of the 5 or 6 he said he probably had. He's still learning to estimate. :) There were a lot of interesting books and mostly all in good condition. Now he just needs to update his report, send to dh for editing, and then off to his scout master for more editing before sending to the scouting people. Then he'll need to be interviewed and then I believe he's done. WHEW!!

N's class went well. When we first go to church, the doors were all still locked. Guess the bishopric wasn't there yet. So dh went off to open the doors. However, someone was in the building, they just didn't know others outside were waiting. So anyway, we get in and help set up. The girls had all their talent stuff all laid out on tables so everyone could see. I'm very proud of all that N has done. She's very shy, but was able to verbally talk about her talent, doing better in hand writing. A lot of the girls did piano playing and did well. 1 set of girls jumped rope, another did violin, and one other girl showed her paintings that she likes to do. Lots of interesting things.

Yesterday was also my nephew's old boy's funeral. He was 4 when he died. So sad for the family left behind, but the little boy is out of pain and with his Heavenly Father. Out of pain and rejoicing with other family that has gone on before. I don't know how they have done it. Of course, I guess it helps a bit knowing that all along he was a miracle baby in that he was even born alive. Then to continue living in the curcumstances of his health problems. Just an amazing family. I hope and pray that they will continue strong in the gospel regardless of this sad time.

Today is my oldest dd N's favorite day of the week during the spring/summer time. Every Wed we have headed to a local park in the afternoon. She loves still playing at the park with he friends. She's almost 12 but prefers to play with girls that are 1 to 2 yrs younger. I guess that's ok, at least she has friends she likes. And at least this time ds R won't have to come with us. The park is just down the street so I'm within min of getting home should I need to. Ds loves that since he really doesn't like to go to the park. And of course him being a boy and 15 I can understand. I'm just not comfortable being more than 10 min away during the day while dh is at work with no car. It's supposed to be a nice day, and so far the other 2 days have been good.

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

I decided to blog instead

Since R is no longer in seminary till next yr, dh and I aren't having to get up early for now. However, this has become a problem since, instead of blogging I shower, I then have company as I'm typing my thoughts down. So I told dh last night that I would shower later. I needed some time on my own to type. I certainly hope this works.

Yesterday R was told by dh to go through all the books and check for any obvious church books that the library wouldn't take. I'm guessing that that means we get to keep them. So yesterday afternoon R and I went through most of the books and found about 10 book items that would probably not be accepted. He's still left with a ton of books. The scouts will be taking to the library tonight as their activity for scout night. I'm so proud of how well he's done on this project. But it will be nice to have my table cleared once again lol.

Today we'll be staying at home doing school work. No plans for the car. I told R and N last night that starting today, I want them to start reading an article or story out of the Ensign, New Era, or Friend magazine and tell me about the article/story. "But why mom"? My answer, "Because I want you to really understand the gospel and not just be mouthing it." We'll see how things go.

This evening we have 2 church activities that R and N are involved in. R finishing up his Eagle project, and N finishing up her FIG(Faith in God) booklet and attending her last Recognition night. Since she'll be 12 end of Aug, she'll then be in young women's. She's a bit nervous, but I think once she gets to know the girls, she'll do well.

So tonight, dh and I's time will be split between kids. He'll be with ds, and I'll be with dd. Kind of glad the rest of the day is relaxing. When it's actual school time for the ps system, Tues can be pretty hectic. The kids have art and gym, plus picking up dad and showering. So the day gets pretty busy. Thankfully we have the summer to rest from it.

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

First day after

Well, today is the first morning that R doesn't have seminary. It's kind of a change altogether, because I used to do my journaling when dh and ds would leave for seminary. Now I'm having to do it later on in the morning and possible interruptions could occur. We'll see. I do know dh is happy to have a break from waking up so early. He is sooo not an early riser. I think R misses at least his friends and chatting. I'm sitting here wishing, in a way, that I had just gotten up at 5:30 anyway. Better chance of not getting interrupted.

The weekend was good. Dh and the girls took R to his campout meeting place. They were going fishing and possible canoeing. R really didn't want to do the canoeing so he just did fishing. He did come home with a sunburn on his arms, face & neck. Sat morning the girls had a primary activity and dh was supposed to teach one of the classes. So I was able to set up my church work without any interruptions and STILL had time to wander the halls bored. That definitely doesn't happen much. They went to 6 different stations/classes and had fun. Afterwards we stayed to clean the church with another family. Usually takes us about 1 1/2 hrs. Took us 40 min with help. The biggest cleaning we have is vacuuming. Lots of floors to clean.

After we were done, dh took us to McD's for lunch. Boy was this McD's an interesting place to go. They took our order fine, but then when dh went to pay, the cashier didn't give dh the right amount of change. The amount we were charged was $18.??. Dh gave him a $20 and the boy gave us 75cents. Umm then he couldn't figure out how much more to give us. Then when we went to pick up our food at the window, they came outside expecting us to have moved to the waiting area. Boy was that an experience. Probably doesn't sound as weird and I'm writing, but guess you had to be there.

Sat afternoon, as the girls and I were outside, R came home from his campout with one of the leaders. Very nice guy. We chatted for a bit, then said goodbye. So nice not to have to pick him up this time. And of course he was full of excitement over the campout. I'm glad he feels he can tell us all about his campouts and other activities. Not all teenagers do. Later that evening dh decides he's going to go back to the church and practice organ for the last time. He's been subbing for the main organist and oldest dd N has loved it because it means us going to the church and her practicing shooting hoops.

Sun was nice. Dh has his early meeting, so the kids and I went in and sat down waiting for church services. Ds R is responsible for setting up the sacrament table. He used to have to set up chairs, but now he's advanced to sacrament table only. After meetings were over with, we waited for dh to finish up any meetings. I also checked with dd N's Achievement Days leader about how she's doing. She's almost finished with the program and soon will be in Young Women's. She's definitely nervous, but once she gets into the program and makes friends, she'll do fine.

It looks like I'm going to have to do my journal at another time of the morning. This later stuff just won't work. Looks like I might have to get up and journal first before showering. Can't handle getting interrupted with my thoughts. :)

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

This is it

This morning is R's last morning of early morning seminary. I know dh is glad not to have to get up at 5:30 for awhile. He's not a early morning person. I, on the other hand, like getting up somewhat early(although 5:30 is a bit early) love getting up and getting things done so I have the rest of the day to do what I enjoy. Right now as I type, R's teacher is fixing a nice breakfast for the kids. They usually have a treat on Fri, but this is a BIG treat. They've been doing auctions all week selling stuff that ward members donated. He has been really nice to his sisters and buying them several things. Cute handbag for N and a purple elephant(small stuffed) toy for S. a purple notebook for S and binoculars for N. Then ice cream coupons for the whole family. Very nice of him

On a sad note for a min, my nephews little 4yr passed away Wed evening. He was born with a type of dwarfism, but managed to stay with us on earth for 4yrs. The last few weeks he'd had some complications and some of his body functions decided to shut down. So now he has gone home to Heavenly Father leaving behind some sad but very brave parents along with other family members. He leaves behind his parents and a younger sister. He has rejoined with his great-grandpa H and great GREAT- grandparents. I'm sure they are rejoicing right now in having him return.

Well I talked to my kids yesterday afternoon about school work. They have not been too interested in doing anything lately. I've been mostly an unschooling mom, having them do a math curriculum and spelling one. Then just kind of checking things out with science, history, geography, grammar and reading. But I've decided(and we'll see how dh feels) but I've found a history curriculum that I've been told is wonderful by more than one person. I've got it on hold by the library so we can test it to see if we want it. The history book dh bought is a bit dry for my kids. He had good intentions, but the kids just aren't into serious reading like this is. R could be at times, but if given the choice, would rather it be made fun. And why not, history can be fun as we have discovered at times going on field trips or watching movies. So possibly next fall we'll be starting some new things. I'm looking forward to it. :)

Later this afternoon, dh will be taking R to one of his monthly campouts for the weekend. They will be canoeing and then fishing. One of the young men leaders is, as R puts it, obsessed with canoeing. So much so that he has planned a 4 or 5 day journey canoeing in July. Dh has off and on asked R if he would like to go, but R always says no, not interested. R is more into biking on bike trails, climbing rock mountain, not sitting in a boat drifting around. He didn't used to even be interested in camping, but he's grown into it. He just doesn't like canoeing. But apparently this leader has been after ds for weeks. He's also cornered dh several times trying to convince him that R should come. Finally last Tues he was helping the boys get ready for this weekend trip and cornered R. R told him he really wasn't interested and gave him that look of "leave me alone already" so the leader backed off. He's a good guy, but just doesn't know how to let things go when told. I think he just wants to make sure R has fun and plenty of opportunity, but R has done lots of things. He's good.

Speaking of R, he's almost finished with several merit badges, just has 1 more item on I think 3 more things. But you would think he was just starting them with the way he's been putting them off. I keep trying to get him to finish them, but he just somehow manages so change the topic. Guess I'll have to get on him again today.

Tomorrow morning the girls have a primary activity that we will be going to. It will probably be N's last one since the end of Aug she will be in Young Womens. Wow that is a scary thought. Not being in Young Women's but that this will be her last primary activity. She's growing up too fast. I still remember her being nervous about primary activities. She's nervous, but I think also curious about YW. She's not very sure of herself, but I think she'll be fine. Mom is also nervous, but I guess I'll be fine as well lol. This will just leave dd S to do primary stuff. So now we'll have 2 youth and 1 primary. We'll be busy.

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

2 days left

This morning the first thing ds R says is 2 days left. I don't remember if I have mentioned it or not, but this past week they've been just partying. No more lessons and such, just fun. They've had auctions on items that ward members have donated to them. Somehow the kids are able to earn "seminary money" during the yr and then the last week they auction off these items to the kids. So far R has brought home drinking glasses(straws shaped like glasses you can watch the drink circle your eyes while drinking, an ice cream stuff toy, a small stuffed purple elephant with sparkles, 1 envelope with 2 coupons worth ice cream, kite, a small bag/purse and I believe some candy. I might be missing something else. He's been so nice to bring stuff home for the girls. He told me now he's going to get stuff for himself. Even though he can be a pain in the butt, he's mostly a good kid just's just trying to figure out life. Heck, I'm still trying to figure out life lol.

Well these past few days I've been reading my nephews wife's blog on updates on their ds. Poor little guy has had so many things wrong since day one. One of Heavenly Father's special angels. Guess he felt my nephew and his wife were special people. I know that to be true. They have good family around them and support. Anyway, after lots of things happening recently, they decided it was time to let the little guy go back to his eternal home with Heavenly Father. We know he's not suffering anymore, but it's sure a loss to his parents and other family left behind. I just hope and pray that they will remain faithful in the church, and know that someday they will meet him beyong the veil and he will greet them with a huge hug. Unfortunately for us, we won't be able to attend the funeral. We've just had 2 big trips out west in the last 6 months, and know that in the next yr or so my mom will end her journey here as well. That's one funeral I will NEED to be at.

Today we stay at home and get school work done. This past week has been a bit busier than normal. Mon was normal stuff, nice weather so we were outside in the afternoon enjoying. Tues, R and S had dr appts so dh was home to go to those with us. I'm glad he did because he catches things that I don't. Both kids are above in their height and weight. Not a surprise on either. The dr was a bit surprised that S can read pretty well now, but then not really. His nurse was a bit surprised, but then each time we go there, we get a different one.

After the dr. visit, we headed off to do errands for a bit. Got supplies to fix N's bike tire and a few goodies. Then headed to lunch at our favorite buffet place. Afterwards checked out the local nursery for plants and such. Came home and dh fixed dd N's bike. Boy was she glad to ride her bikes again. Then after dinner that night we all headed to the church for meetings.

Yesterday, school in the morning, and park in the afternoon. It was a nice day and the weather cooperated very well. Our home teacher came last night. He's a very sweet guy and always has a pleasant word for us. He generally doesn't bring a lesson, but just visits. That's ok, it's nice to have him come. Apparently his companion was sick and so was unable to come. Guess we'll just have to have him come next time. Of course, his companion is a handyman so with stuff around our house that is literally falling apart, it might be sooner than later lol. Our front porch is literally falling apart so sometime in the next few weeks we'll be having him come and repair it.

Then this evening dh has a church meeting here at home. That means the school room is off limits to the kids for at least an hr or two. Good thing the weather is nice so they can go outside and play. Of course one of the men will be bringing his 3 children with him. Should be interesting to see how they behave with me.

I've decided that for next yr I want to change some of our school curriculum. Not sure how far I'll go, but I do know what we have in some stuff just isn't working. I'm just hesitant due to dh's job situation. Not so much laying off, but just work changes and such. Hard to explain, but better to be safe and hold off than be sorry and spend like crazy. Guess I'll research over the summer and see.

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

3 days and counting

This is what dh and R are saying regarding seminary right now. lol R had enjoyed the class, it's just been hard to get up at 5:30am each week day morning. I've decided that, even though it's early, I still enjoy getting up early to have computer time to myself. It's the only, almost for sure, time I get to myself online.

Yesterday we had a busy day. Dh stayed home since S and R had dr appt. We did our bit of school work and then headed off to the dr. Both kids are above average height and weight, which wasn't a surprise. I can SEE it by the size of clothes they wear. S is already wearing many things of N and N is almost 12 while S is 4 1/2. R is just plain tall and is getting a bit muscler. But all went well. We then went off to do an errand. N's back wheel was completely roughed out since she skids a lot on her bike. So we bought those items, plus whatever snacks we wanted while there.

Then we were off to lunch to our favorite buffet place. New China. Good food, and since they have remodeled, clean table and chairs. We all love this place and the price is good. There is Old Country Buffet, but apparently it went bank rupt. Golden Corral keeps raising it's prices and now they're at $12.99 per person over age 10. That's outrageous, especially since their food isn't any better than New China and New China is $3.00 cheaper and better service.

We then headed to one of the local nurseries for some flowers and food items to plant in our garden. Then home to fix N's bike. Boy was she glad she had something to ride. So her and S were busy riding bikes for the next hr. I'm glad the weather is finally cooperating so they can be out enjoying it. I know it's been good for S since it's easier to put her to bed(once she settles). lol

Later that evening we were off to our usual Tues classes and meetings at the church. R has his scout night and young men's night. Never know which one until he gets there. N and S stayed with me while I tried to put in visiting teaching numbers. I was unsucessful since some of the info is not all there. But you do what you need to. Luckily I brought books, coloring books and some toys to keep the girl's company. I think S was still a bit off from the dr that morning. She did well, but I think she was still nervous. Finally meetings were over with and home we came, exhausted, but a good day.

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

Another day gone by

It's Tues morning and ds R has 4 days left of seminary. It's a wonderful program, it's just too bad for ds and dh that it's sooo early in the morning. Dh is really looking forward to sleeping in a bit. What's funny is ds will probably continue to get up early just so he'll have more computer time lol. That's ok, as long as he doesn't complain during the day that he's tired and does his school work.

My nephew and his wife and been keeping a daily blog entry of the life of their oldest child. The reason being is he was born with some sort of dwarfish and has had all kinds of medical issues since day one. They were told from day one that he wouldn't be born alive. Well he was. Then they said not much chance to survive past a few weeks, he did and has. Basically he has overcome lots of obstacles. Unforunately, it's now time for him to return home to Heavenly Father, but the way it is happening is causing lots of pain for the father. Long story, but essentially one day he was ok, the next thing one of his pieces of equipment that helps him breathe stopped working. So they ended up calling 911 and have spent the last 2 weeks or so in the hospital.

This little boy is 4 and what a sweetie. It's been amazing the things they've gone through and what he has and is going through. Now this sweet couple has to make the hardest decision of their life and that is whether to keep him in the hospital, or just take him home for one last time to say goodbye to family. They've chosen to take him home to be comfortable and be around family as they all spend one last time with him. So sad, but then on a religious note, he's a special spirit who was given to a special family who would have the strength to hang on and deal with life. They've done an outstanding job. So now I'm just waiting on the email stating that he's painfree and happy.

Change of subject, dr appt today for R and S. R has scout camp coming up in July so he needs his physical. S because she turned 4 last Nov and needs a physical. So dh has taken the day off so he can accompany us and help out. We have had some concerns regarding S and her lack of potty training. She hasn't had any interest in it since she was 2. We've tried various methods, but pretty much she doesn't care if her diaper is wet or poopy. She's had it that way since birth. So dh said "time her" and so we have. Every 45 min the timer goes off and she's headed to the toilet. She doesn't always like it, but is told she can't do certain things or have certain things until she goes. So most of the time she gives in. She's had a few accidents, but mostly been dry for almost a week. It's nice to see her wearing panties instead of a tight diaper.

As I'm sitting here typing, I'm happy for the quiet of the house. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE helping to educate my children, but as I'm finding out, if I don't have a break and time to myself, I struggle being with them. So even though it requires me to be up extra early, it's worth it to have my time so that when it's THEIR time, I'm ready.

I've rather recently found a new(at least for me it's new)math program that helps children learn their times tables. I had heard that some children could learn them in min, others learning them in a few days. It's called times tales. I had heard from my "live" friends as well as from others online that this was remarkable. So after several weeks of heming and hawing(the price seemed a bit steep for what we were getting) I finally convinced dh to buy it. Well, once I got dd to sit down with me and do the stories WOW was I surprised. She had the entire 6-9 times table memorized in 1 week. Now, we're still working on having the answers quickly, but the point that she now knows them is amazing. We've been working on these for over a yr. I highly recommend this program if your child is having issues and needs visual stimulation. Times tales lol I just had a thought that I've become an adertisement for them. That's ok, it's so worth it.

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

Last week of Seminary

This is ds R's last week in seminary for this school yr. Dh is also very happy about it since he won't have to get up so early till next fall. It's a good program, just too bad we have to get up so early for it. Apparently the class has been counting down since the beginning of May lol. Last Sat they had their scripture bowl and then a dance afterward. it was supposed to start at 5. When it hadn't started 5:30, we choose to leave and let R know. When he got home around 10 that night, he said it had finally started at 5:45. 45 min later than they said. Oh well, at least we'll know for next yr not to go.

This weekend has been full of lots of happenings. Last Fri I came down with the cold R had last week. S also came down with it last Sun, be she also had a bit of a fever. Maybe a degree. So Fri was spent with me trying to get the kids to do school, me trying to rest, and S wanting mommy's attention and anyone else's she could get. Long day. Also, the stick lady called. Guess I'd better explain this. One of our backyard neighbors is an elderly lady around 70 or so. She uses a walker, but still gets around. A few yrs ago she asked if my kids could pick up sticks once a week or so for a few $$ so that the lawn people wouldn't have to. I told her sure. So Fri around noon we went over there and did that. Then back home to more school. Fri evening I told dh I was going to bed early. My throat was feeling a bit swollen and I was tired.

Sat morning we had to get up somewhat early since it was our turn to clean the church. We were supposed to have help of 2 other families. We got there at 9 and shortly there after they showed up. We were done in 45 min compared to 90 min with just us. That was nice. So we headed home to relax for a bit. Dh then told the kids it was time to go Mother's Day shopping. So off they went and left mom home to relax. It was a nice hour or so on my own. They also brought lunch home which was nice.

Later that afternoon we took R to his seminary activity and then came home. Got dinner and the girls played for awhile. Then gave S her bath and the 2 girls then watched some tv before bed. N wanted to stay up for awhile, so dh offered to let her read with him in our room while I put S to bed. I then let N continue reading for awhile. When it became a bit later than normal for her, I told her it was bedtime. She didn't want to go to bed till R came home, so I let her stay up. R called around 9:45 to say he would be home around 10. He was full of excitement so it was hard to get them both to bed, but we finally succeeded.

Sunday was Mother's Day. No early meetings and no after church meetings. Nice morning to spend with family. Dh made pancakes and bacon for breakfast. We all enjoyed. We rarely have cooked breakfast due to our schedule, so this was nice. Went to church and enjoyed in the spirit there. Had spiritural lessons that uplifted and helped myself and others understand things in the gospel better. Very nice afternoon.

We all then headed home for dinner and relaxation. Dh had made Sunday as usual, but made an extra effort to make gravy. YUMM!! LOVE gravy! Then when dinner was over we adjourned into the frontroom for gifts and ice cream cake. It was a nice evening. The highlight was being able to chat with my mom. She was spending time at my grandma's along with other family in Ut. She was struggling to hear me at times, but it's still very nice to chat with mom. I miss her terribly, and hope that she can remain on earth for a while longer. I'm still having heart ache with my dad gone and we weren't as close as my mom and I. But I still miss his mischievous smile and his hugs. Thankfully I was able to get my last one last Sept, but still miss him. So I'm trying to do all I can with my mom while she's still with us. My grandma is also still with us at 93. She was having some health issues in the last month or so and ended up at the same care center as mom for awhile. But apparently is back home now. I'm so glad because she wouldn't be happy there for long. Due to mom's MS and not being able to walk or move much on her own, it's better for mom to be there. That way she has help.

This week we have dr appt for S and R on Tues. S because she is 4 and R because he's going to scout camp this summer and they require physicals each yr. I think I need to make N one soon because she is growing up.

This morning we're having to take dh to work a bit earlier than normal. He has a few meetings at 8 and needs time to prepare for both. So it means leaving at 7ish rather than 7:30. That's fine, it just means we get home sooner and can get things done sooner.

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

5 more days

Dh was just talking about this last night. I think getting up early this yr to take R to seminary has been a lot of work for dh. He knows it's a good program which is why he continues to do it, but getting up at 5:30 is not easy for him. He's a night owl. But he's done good and R has learned a lot of scriptures. This Fri they're having their annual "Scripture Bowl". This is where other seminary classes come together and they have a contest to see how quickly each team can find scriptures. Obviously the team that does the best wins. I've tried to tell ds that if he doesn't do as well, that ok. This is his first yr and most of the others have had at least 1 more yr on him. He'll do fine.

Well I think spring has finally won the battle over winter. We've had some really nice temp lately and our park day the other day was beautiful. They had ben predicting thunder showers on us, but they passed just to the south of us. I'm glad because we really don't need anymore moisture right now. Most fields and pastures are flooded. We need some good warm days to help evaporate the moisure from the ground.

Last week ds came down with a headache and a cold. This past weekend S came down with a cold and a very small fever. And just a few days ago dh says he's feeling stuffed nose and sore throat. Well I wake up this morning and my throat is a bit sore. So I guess ds decided to share with us. Thanks, but no thanks. Guess I need to talk to him about WHAT to share lol.

Ds's book collection is slowly accumulating. He did well with our neighborhood. Did almost as well at church, and then at the park on Wed, one of our school friends gve him a small box with books. We just have one more friend who has books and apparently she has 6 to 10 boxes. I've asked her to go through it so we won't get a lot of unneeded boxes. She says she will. He's done very well.

Speaking of ds, next weekend is his monthly campout. We're hoping the weather will cooperate better this time. Last month they had thunderstorms and so they ended up doing most of their meeting at the church, then over to a member's home to sleep in the basement. They then went to a police academy where their scoutmaster works. Afterwards, they come to our home, had lunch, then off to help Robert with his project. I've been very happy with how helpful the scouts have been to him. As one mother said, "if each boy decides not to help another, no one will help him." Makes sense to me. In 2 Tues he will be taking the books and such to the library to donate. Then comes time to update and edit his report. He will then send it on to dh to have him check it out. Then on to the Eagle committee. One thing R has over a lot of the boys is he's been keeping his report up to date so he doesn't have to try and remember what has occured. This is especially nice since he started this project last summer. Good thing he has kept really good notes.

OT here. I'm hoping sometime this yr or early next yr that we will be able to afford a second vehicle. We've gone 18yrs with just one car. We've done fine, but we're realizing lately that because the kids are getting older, they're starting to do more activities and that means having the car more. I try and limit what we do, but sometimes it just can't be helped. Dh says we're doing well, and if it continues hopefully soon we'll have a second one. It will be soooo nice. :)

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

A good day

Yesterday was our first park day of the yr. It was so nice to let the kids run loose and us moms just chat. Of course, S wanted to just sit with mom again, so I luckily brought some toys and such to entertain her. I wish she'd go play, but she doesn't like being knocked around when playing. Oh well, guess that's fine for her. We also met 2 new moms to the group. Very nice ladies and one even had her dh stop by to meet us. I teased stating, they must be checking us out. I personally don't mind at all. I think it's nice when the husband/father gets invovled in the children's school stuff.

After we were done at the park, we stopped off at Walmart to pick up some things. Then headed home. Construction has finally started in our town. Our roads are just a mess from this past winters' snow fall. Due to all the snow plows, the road got scraped up pretty bad. What was funny was they had a sign up for awhile stating construction would start approximately one day, but it didn't even start until a week later. Oh well, at least now it's here.

Once we got home dh had left a message stating he was headed to his meeting and would call when he was out. So a few min after 5 the phone rings. It's dh ready to come home. He's had a long day. We get home and I get dinner ready. The evening was nice and quiet. I let the girls go outside for abit. It's nice to have the good weather again. But then it was time to settle for the night and little S wasn't happy about that. But, I finally got her in and settled. N was complaining of a headache so she went to bed with S. That doesn't happen much. N likes to read with R most nights, so for her to not want to meant her head did hurt.

Once the kids went to bed, dh did his stuff online while I watched a bit of tv. It was getting close to our bedtime, but I wanted to check emails and some other stuff for a bit. So dh went off upstairs to relax and wait for me. Pretty soon 30 passes and dh is appearing around the corner withi his phone up to his ear. Work has paged. This was 10:30. I went to bed shortly after this and several times got woke by S with her bad dreams. I looked over and see that dh still isn't in bed. It's 1:30am. I think he finally got to bed around 3, but not sure. Anyway, another tired night and still has to go to work today. I'm really starting to feel bad about his on call weeks. Lately they've all been long and tiring.

R has been going through the piles of books we've gotten for his Eagle project. Quite a few and we're still expecting more. I'm glad this project has worked so well. And that the boys have helped out really well. I think R will be very glad when it's complelely over with. When he first started it, he was so full of energy about it. Now he's lost a lot of steam, but is still doing well. He's been keeping his report updated and as detailed as he can without seeming to be a smart alec. But they do want details so that's what we're doing. :)

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

Yesterday was Tues

Yesterday was our first Tues with no art and gym. So the day was not to crazy. However, dh had been up most of the night on a work call, and so he was tired. He took R to seminary, stayed there since he had a call to take at that tiime(that would be the time he would come home and shower). Once he got home, he ended up being on more calls till 8:30. He was finally able to get some sleep around 10 and slept till 2:30.

In the meantime, the kids and I started our devotional in the frontroom so dh could do his work. Once we were finished dh was done with his call and announced he was going to sleep. So we were able to do our regular schedule, for the most part. Then that night he was still doing work stuff, so I offered to take the kids to their church meetings on my own. He was fine with that. It was nice and quiet once the kids were in their classes. I was able to listen to S while she "read" her comic book to me. Too cute.

While there, my friend J, who has been somewhat inactive this past winter, was at church. I'm glad she's becoming more active again. She and her ds need this. Anyway, she showed me some jewelery she was making. I ended up buying a few bracelets. Very pretty. I was also able to teach a bit of sign language to the one sister who has been coming to my classes. I decided to teach her a few sentences instead of just words. It was fun.

Once we got home, S was still not ready to sleep. I tried keeping her to the schedule, but as I later found out, she had a bit of a sore throat. So I gave her some med. Around 1:30 she woke up fussing a bit due to her throat. Ended up coming downstairs and giving her something to drink and then rocked her to sleep. Thankfully she went down pretty good and I was able to go back to sleep.

It looks like dd N will be getting her bracelet soon for memorizing the articles of faith. However, it's been requested(and I agree)that it would be nice if she understood their meaning. So in the next few days, we will be talking about them and understanding their meanings.

This morning we're going to take the car and hope for a rainless day. It's our homeschool groups park day, and the forecast is calling for rain off and on. I'm hoping for more off than on. N has been looking forward to this all winter. Of course ds R isn't thrilled since I'm making him come with us. To me it's too long of a ride and too far away for me to let him stay home. Especially since we would be there for over 2 hrs. I'm just not comfortable with that, and especially with his personality. If we were 10 min away, then I would probably be ok, but not 30.

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

A long night...

for dh. We were just getting ready to close our eyes, when dh got paged. This was at midnight. At 2:30 I woke up to find dd S in bed with me but no dh. I finally put dd to sleep and then checked on dh. He was still up talking away on the phone. I think he finally got to sleep around 3, but not sure. So this morning as I got up at 5:25 to get R up for Seminary, he was still asleep. He's going to be very tired tonight since he still has to be to work today. He told me he would be staying at R's class this morning since he has a call coming at 6:15.

Today will be our first Tues with no art or gym. We are done for the yr. So now our Tues will be a bit calmer. The kids still have their church classes, but we're not running around in the afternoon like chickens with their heads cut off lol. Kind of need the break, but looking forward to next fall. Dd S really liked her art class once she got into it. I even had her enrolled in the gym program, but she doesn't like all the contact stuff, which comes with sports, so I took her out of that. She did great with art.

Ds is now over half done with his Eagle project. His troop first attached bags to all the neighborhood doors. Then they collected all the bags from off the doors filled with books(he did very well with that). Now he just needs to contact the person at the library who is in charge of donations, and find out when and where to donate. Then take the Teachers Quorum and the leaders to the library one Tues evening and give the books to them. So he's getting there. Seems interesting since it's been almost a yr since he came up with the plan. He's done very well in doing it 95% on his own(we transported, provided food and bags).

Yesterday when I checked the mail, I discovered the insurance checks from dad. FINALLY there are here. It's more a relief for my oldest brother G since he needs to pay the morturary(4 months later). I'm hoping they haven't been bothering him much. But at least now we have them and now just need to help pay whatever dad's part doesn't cover, then the rest is for us siblings to share. Nice last gift from dad.

This Sun is Mother's Day, and as prepared as I was a month ago, I've spent most of that time only thinking about what to give mom and then getting caught up in ds's project. Now I find that the one thing I wanted to give mom, I won't be able to for a bit. I had wanted to frame a photo of my brothers and I and give to mom. I probably still can, but it won't be there for Mother's Day. I will be sending some $$ to her so she can get some nice things, but the photo will have to wait.

As I'm sitting here typing dd S is asleep on the couch, but is wiggling so much that she's not even in the same place I layed her in. She's such a wiggly sleeper. I sure hope she's feeling better from her cold and slight fever. I think big brother shared his cold and such last week. Thanks a lot big brother lol.

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

Books, books and more books

Ds R's Eagle Scout Project has taken off really well. 2 Satudays ago, the scouts were getting ready to pass out bags and hang them on our neighbors front doors. This past Sat, all the Teacher's Quorum had pizza lunch at our place, then, with the help of 2 dad's vans, the boys went out to collect any bags with books in them. I think they brought in 20 or 30 bags and 1 box full of books. Really well. Then yesterday at church he collected a 10 gal container of more books. So he's done very well with books. I then get an email from one of our homeschool moms that she has some books. So on our next park day, we'll collect come more. WOW!!

Well yesterday at church during Sacrament meeting, S started falling asleep. I had to take her out and go for a walk in the hallway to wake her up. Well the rest of themeetings went well. After church we were waiting on dh and his meeting. S wanted my lap and started cuddling. When I realized waht she was doing I felt her forehead and sure enough a bit warm. She ended up falling asleep for a bit. Once we got home she woke up and wanted to watch cartoons, si I put them on. So today I needto inform her primary class that she is sick.

My good friend J is starting to become active again. This past winter took a toll on her car, so she missed chuch a lot. Now that spring is here, her car is allowing her to drive it again. Her ds isn't thrilled, but he will eventually he'll be fine. I think once he realizes that she's coming and that the boys want him there, he'll come around. I certainly hope so, because he's a good kid, but with her being a single mom, there's no priesthood example for him, so he needs church.

I'm hoping this week will be a relaxed one. We could use it after the last 2. However, dh is on call this week, so his time might not be such a good one. He says things at work are such a mess that lots of people are getting fed up. Unfortunately, most need this job, so they have to put up with things. Rather frustrating when you're trying to do your job, but can't. I keep tellng myself, at least he has a job. I read about some families where the father loses his job and they are trying hard not to fall. Makes me grateful for when we have, regardless.

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

7 more times

Dh and I were counting last night, the mornings left that ds R goes to seminary. 7 more times then they have the summer break. I really think dh is looking forward to not getting up so early. I will have to figure out my schedule so I can still have time online befor kids wake up.

Yesterday the kids did much better with school. I also discovered(although I think I already knew) that dd N can't sit and concentrate too long on one subject. So I had her do math for 15 min, then switch over to another subject, then back to math. Then on to yet another subject. That seemed to work best. Even ds R did much better.

Dh was also talking about cleaning the church and how we're supposed to have many other families helping us. He said that only 2 families have responded and they are related to each other. They might be doing the cleaning tomorrow on their own. But it's looking like we'll be doing the rest of the month ourselves. That's ok, we don't mind, for the most part. The 2 girls seem to like doing that, so that's good. I don't even mind it. R, however, I think gets tired, but I feel he needs to learn how to keep things clean. He's not my clean guy. lol

Yesterday one of our neighbors was actually out mowing his lawn. The lawns are looking green and such, but I'm surprised it wasn't our literal next door neighbor. He's usually the one that is first to do it. Ours will probably next mowing soon. That means having the kids go out and pick up the sticks that fall from the tree. I know the kids are tired of it, but unless we spend a lot of money and have someone come in, we're stuck with falling branches and sticks.

Tomorrow is ds R pick up day for the Eagle Scout project. That means him and the guys go check out our neighborhood for any bags filled with books. R seems to think there might be empty bags still on doors and he'll collect them. Guess I'll have to inform him that most people will through them away. I know I do. I do hope he'll get a bunch of filled bags after all the work they did last Sat. We'll soon see tomorrow afternoon. He's also been advertising at church and has received one bag and a call about some more books. Hope this works out.

This morning I'm going to have the kids write their letters to grandma. We goofed on Wed. Pretty much hardly anything got done on Wed. Thurs was much better, but because the weather was nice I choose to have the kids go out side rather than write. So this morning right after the devotional, I'm going to have them write to grandma(my mom). I've told them since we live so far away and can only visit after so many yrs literally that we need to at least keep in touch by letters. I'm also glad that my aunts are able to help her use the phone when they visit on Sun so I can talk as well. I miss my mom and wish we lived closer, but that just isn't an option. I am glad that she has her family there to help out. That makes me feel SOOO much better. I know how some nursing homes can be and am glad her family if there to look after her.

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com

Slept all night long

Well dd S slept all night long. Always nice when she does this. It's not unusual for her to wake and come to our bed 4 out of 7 nights. So when she stays in her bed all night, it's a treat.

Ds R went to bed with a stiff neck last night. He apparently got hit in the head with a ball Tues evening while at the church for his class. He said he felt like he was dizzy afterward. I explained that he very could be. He said it's not the regular headache but dizzy. I told him that's the type of headaches I'd been getting lately. Thankfully I seem to be fine the last few days. I HATE having those headaches. I just have a hard time functioning with them.

Well, I've been following my nephew's blog the last few days(his little boy has MAJOR health issues) and it's getting very sad. I won't go into all the details, but due to an incident a few weeks ago, it looks like his brain isn't working very well right now. They've been approached by the dr's in the last few days stating "It's ok if you decide that 'B' has suffered enough." Thankfully they weren't offended by this and are just taking it one hour at a time to see how he's doing. I just hope and pray that they will be comforted with whatever needs to be done.

On a brighter note, the insurance for my dad has finally come to a closure...I think. They finally have all 4 letters from us siblings, a letter signed(somewhat)by my mom stating she agrees with our statements. Yesterday I received a phone call from the lady in charge asking a few questions to make sure we're all set. Verified my address so the check would be sent correctly. So now we just wait to see the amounts and then whatever is needed to complete the payment on the mortuary to get them paid off. The insurance lady said she was so glad to work with a family that is working together. We're not greedy and not jumping all over each other. I told her that's just now how we were raised and said thanks.

Yesterday I told ds R that he needed to update our homeschool groups calendar that's on the website so it reflects what is happening in May. I think, due to his headache(from the ball on Tues) that he was getting tired of doing this. So he set up a new calendar that I could update each month. I said that's fine just show me how it works. It looks a bit blah and colorless, but he assures me that he can take care of that today. I hope so.

I'm hoping the weather will warm up soon. We got a bit spoiled there the other week when the temp were in the high 70s. It was so nice to go out and sit on the porch and watch the kids ride their bikes. Lately the temp has been in the low 50s and cloudy. It has definitely take a toll on attitudes.

Well to end on a happy note. Dd N has been working on her times tables with timestales.com and it's working. It's been slow going but she's starting to remember the upper times tables. So glad since we've been trying all yr with no succcess. I'm thinking we'll continue this all summer and then hopefully next fall she can go on to the next book in the series in Saxon. She's definitely been excited.

Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com