Family Update Time

Ah, children are doing schoolwork, the dog is quiet, socks are in the washer. Am I feeling okay? Besides the fact that I have a nicely stuffed up sinus and I'm sneezing constantly, I may be ill. These conditions are not normal in my house. I'm taking the time to update on our lives.

I didn't get the job with Alpine Access. I wasn't turned down due to lack of qualifications. Virtual customer service is a very competitive market. I have my applications out there with several other companies. I just have to make a few phone calls for voice samples. I'm hoping to get over this cold thing soon. I don't like the idea of submitting a voice audition with a stuffed up nose.

In the mean time, I quit working with ASI. I feel very misled by these people. I thought I was being hired for a position working with discount health care. Since I live in Washington, and the company's health care savings program is blocked from being sold in my state, I could work as a Human Resource Agent. I have a background involved with interviewing and hiring people. This should have been sufficient for our needs. ASI quoted me $200 per week minimum working in human resources. Funny how in three months, I came out with no more than $22. I was not told at any time that HR Agents work on strictly on commission. Over the course of three months, I found out that not only was human resources paid only on commission, but this company is moving into multi-level marketing methods. In no way am I opposed to multi-level marketing or private franchising programs. We operate one already. I took this "job" to supplement our immediate income, and provide for the needed overhead we incur each year. Form the ASI standpoint, things started feeling unnerving beginning the first of the year. Now I know why.

Beadgirl got her new bed, along with new bedding, the matching curtain rod, and curtain. I'm waiting until after her birthday for the paint. She's getting something from my mom for her "new" room. I'd like all the colors to work together, so paint will have to wait, a whopping four months.

Bigfoot has not yet grown into another shoe size, much to the surprise of his parents. We bought him his first pair of size twelve shoes last September. Shockingly, we replaced them in December with size twelves. Just to let you know, he's twelve years old. From his ninth birthday, we've replaced shoes with the next size up every three months. Foot growth of this rate is not easy to afford. Making it even harder is the presence of his very flat feet. His flat feet have gotten to be a problem. I'm not sure, but I think his ankles may be dislocating from his legs.

We took him to the local Shriner's hospital evaluation day this last November. We are expecting to have an appointment sometime in June at the Portland Hospital. I was hoping for an initial visit sooner, but June works just fine for us. We'll have time to finish the k12 school year before we head down.

Our school work is progressing, unfortunately, not as well as it should be. For some reason, I have a Beadgirl who decided it would be a good idea to spend six weeks reading Charlotte's Web. I wish I knew what made her tick, and why she messes around as much as she does. Bigfoot has decided he doesn't like being under grade level. I'm not sure why, but k12 placed him very below grade level in math and language. My hunch is he may have been messing around with his placement tests. I'm hoping both of them will be up to grade level before the beginning of next year.

Bigboy is fairing well. the fishing trip yesterday faired well. I keep waiting for the fish tales to come home when the fish tails don't. He did come home with supplies for our worm farm. For having the day off due to the celebration of the Presidents of the United States, he kept himself quite busy. Not only did he go fishing, he finished raising up Beadgirl's bed, built a worm farm, found dozens of gardening education websites, moved fishing poles from one location to another. Bigboy decided I need the laundry room for planting more than he needs the wall in there for hanging fishing poles. I'll figure out what he's thinking with that eventually.

On the gardening note,. I started my herbs this weekend. I should be able to pot them outside in a few weeks. Produce gardening is something I've been pondering starting for the past few years. I'm tired of hearing about this food or that toy being recalled. The best way I can overcome our commercial farming issues in America is to begin raising my own produce. We've come to learn our property has much work to be done, leaving most of this year's planting season lost. There is some good news of that situation. Now we know what we want to do, how we want to do it, and what we need to do to get it done. I'm excited about this endeavor. I've never seen Bigboy so enthusiastic about anything as he is about vegetable gardening.

Will someone please pinch me. I think I'm dreaming.

Very cool Homeschool Giveaway-Lyrical Earth Science

I found this giveaway at MamaArcher's Blog. I've never seen or heard of this program before. The concept of learning science to music sounds wonderful.

DETAILS FOR THE GIVEAWAY:

1. Included is the complete kit plus an extra workbook.
2. The final day for entries is March 15.
3. Please place a post about the giveaway on your blog.
4. Return here and leave a comment with the URL of your blog post.
5. This post will remain listed in the sticky link above the daily postings for easy access.

Don't forget, you have to visit her MamaArcher's Blog to enter.

Good Morning Monday

And what a glorious Monday it was today. The sun was shining, a rare occurrence here in Western Washington. The temperature wasn't too cold, not freezing (at this point in the day), but still too cold for me to sit outside and read a book, or do anything outside for an extended period of time. The grass was green. Of course, the grass is always green until the middle of summer. Banks were closed, which means Bigboy has the day off.

A day off for Bigboy is a good thing. I don't have to wake up before the crack of dawn, make his breakfast and lunch, drive him to the ferry, come back home, and attempt another two hours of sleep. I set the alarm for seven. Most of the time, I wake up sometime around nine. Anytime after eight dramatically messes with the day.

Today is special. Bigboy slept until six, and took off fishing. He came back with two bites but no catches. I do have faith that someday fish tails will be as long as the tales he brings home. Bigboy comes back refreshed and accomplished from his trips. Hopefully, someday I will understand the peace he finds in fishing.

On very few days, can I feel complete until I have done something productive. Today was a blessing of that nature. Schoolwork has been completed, a miracle in itself. Laundry has been washed, just not put away of course. The bathroom has been cleaned, a chore I can't stand. Floors have been swept and mopped. Beadgirl's room has been put back together now that she has her new furniture. Bigfoot has a clean room. On top of

I'm thankful for today. It's not every day I have this kind of blessing.

What a Sneak!

I was trying very hard to sleep last night, but comfortable never bothered to come until I found a box under my pillow. At first, I thought it was candy. Not good candy like chocolate, but dumb Valentine's candy like message hearts. The box was shaped like it could be candy. It shook like it could be candy. I wanted to kill somebody! How could someone, such as Bigboy be so rotten as to sneak candy under my pillow. I don't care if Valentines day was today or not. He knows I am giving up sugar for Lent. He knows I cried all Sunday evening after the carrot cake episode. He knows I gave up the opportunity to partake in desert the other night at Red Robin. How could he be such a jerk and sneak candy under my pillow? I could have shot him! I took it out from under the pillow and set it on the floor.

Then, I began considering what to do with this box of candy. I could sneak it into the bathroom and eat the whole thing in the middle of the night. I decided against that since the whole idea of giving up something during Lent is to actually give it up and not succumb to temptation. Sneaking candy in the middle of the night is just not responsible to my Lenten obligation. At that point, I figured I could just leave the candy on the floor, push it under the bed and forget it was ever there. I liked that idea. That allowed me the time to finish Lent, forget it ever existed, and find it after ten years or so when I would have actually decided to clean out from under the bed. Leaving it under the bed was good.

This morning, he asked me, "Did you find a box under the pillow?"

"What the candy? Yeah, I found it under my pillow," like what did he want me to do, slap him?

"What candy? I though there was a box under the pillow, but I don't know anything about candy."

Grrrrrrrrrrrr, "How can you not know about the candy?" It is 3:45 in the way to early of the morning, I have to get you off to work, and you don't know anything about the candy?

"What happened to the box?"

"I put it under the bed." Can I get something out of the safe? I'd like to use it right now!

So, I reached under the bed, pulled out the box, which I have not actually seen at this point. He turned on the bedroom light, and I found a little box, about the size of dumb candy boxes, wrapped in silver paper and a ribbon with "Z" all over it. This particular "Z" is in the font used by Zales, which can only mean one thing. He asked our friend to plot against me.

"Well, can I open it?"

"Sure, go ahead. I don't think you'll find any candy."

Good, because I don't want any. I carefully opened the paper to find a Zales box and this:
Wow! I haven't gotten a real piece of jewelry since he proposed! He did a very good job of sneaking this around me. Normally, I find out about everything before it can become a surprise. He definitely got this one around me completely. I decided he can stay since this is obviously far better than candy any day, especially Valentines Day.

Wordless Wednesday- Play Dough Pizza

Take 5 for yourself and enjoy more of Wordless Wednesday at 5minutesformom

Time for Singing Praises!

I just found, after months of prayer, a bed set for Beadgirl. She's been without a decent bed for over a year now. Cash for furniture has been tight since we moved back to this house.

To enlighten you on the situation; we decided in 2005 to sell our house. the market a the time was exploding, and the value of our house at the time was almost three times the price I paid in 1998. Selling meant we could pay off old debts and make a very large down on another house, if not pay cash for a foreclosure or tax seizure property. Our house is very small, a whopping 850 square feet. Selling would have opened the opportunity for something much larger and livable for our family. In the process of moving into his house, he allowed Beadgirl's bed furniture to sit outside in the rain. It's not like he ever told us where he wanted any of her stuff. He just let it rot. It's very hard to believe he didn't do it just so he could have an excuse to throw out our stuff. When we moved back in over Thanksgiving 2006, we had practically nothing left for furniture. You could count on one hand every piece of furniture we had left.

A member of a homeschool message board posted her craigslist ad for a twin bed and mattress on the message board. We are picking up her "new" furniture this weekend.

Her lack of furniture isn't something I'm proud of. Its an issue I've been praying over and dealing with for the last fifteen months. Sleeping without a mattress comes to an end soon. Mom and Beadgirl took some time today and picked out the new sheets, bedding, and room decor. I almost bought the matching curtains. I may just do that next week and bring home the surprise.

All gratitude goes to Him for listening, and meeting needs. Finding this bed for her is something only God could have done for us. Many people have been praying for us over this need. He came through and answered my prayers.

May God always Bless.

That Darned Carrot Cake

Well, I guess one good thing coming out of Lent this year is my ability to laugh at my own personal issues. I asked my dear Bigboy if he would have razzed me like he has if this was alcohol and not sugar. "Of course not," he said. I don't think he's ever felt any kind of addiction to anything the way my sweet tooth screams for sugar. The most sympathetic people to my personal cause are former alcoholics and drug users.

Initially, I had considered giving up soda from Ash Wednesday until Easter. The reality of that situation is the reverting to candy and donuts in place of soda. Why? I crave sugar. Is all of this sugar good for me? Absolutely NOT. I was doing very well for the fifth day of Lent. I went all week without sugar in my coffee, candy, donuts, sugared soda, sugared deserts, yada yada.

And then there was carrot cake. I haven't had carrot cake in several months. We were at the Kitsap Peninsula Shrine Club and there was carrot cake. Somehow, it ended up at my place. Out of the mysteries of nowhere, a spoon for eating cake appeared. Within seconds, carrot cake left the plate and made its way through my digestive tract.

MMMMMMMM. Sugar is SOOOO GOOD.

And now for the rest of the story:

I cried on the way home and I think all the night. This has been a very difficult entry for me. I began it Sunday night. I had to put it aside and finish it tonight because I kept crying over the whole situation.

Blogging is a blessing in my life. It gives me the ability to laugh at my life in public. Living the life of a hectic Homeschooler is difficult. Kids are always whining, husbands are always needing, Beadgirl is beading, laundry is always washing (never to be put away of course), Bigfoot is growing, dishes are always dirty, masons are dining, I seem to always be driving, I have to laugh at everything going on around me. My Grandmother once said, “There ain’t no happiness in this old world, you’ve just got to be happy without it.” It’s not an easy thing to remember. Every once in a while, I have to remind myself of the fact that if you’re not having any fun, you’re not living out your life well. Even when everything around gets rotten, you just need to remember, there is a light at the other end of the tunnel.