The Zoo I Call Home

The Cavalry is Coming!

2011-06-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

Spurs, cowboy hats, and white horses! Well . . . more like combat boots, patrol hats, and buses, but who's paying attention.

So as the final days before my husband's return home, what am I doing?? Checking my to-do list!

I am a project person. So of course I'm running around trying to finish up all these projects I started before he comes home. Then there is the everyday "stuff" on my list. And let's not forget the beautifying process.

So my projects include organizing the milk room, finish de-cluttering the house, and add a few last touches to my re-decorating projects. The everyday "stuff" has to be maintained to avoid chaos. Plus I don't want my hubby coming home to a disaster. And I haven't seen my husband in an year with the exception of 2 weeks in January, so I want him to be happy with what he sees. Thus begins the hair fixin', nail paintin', and clothes shoppin'!

So off I go to complete the tasks before me.

Brain Mush

2011-05-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

I've always said that you lose brain cells with every child born. But I have come to learn that although that is true, deployment is much harder on your brain cell count. Now that we end this year long deployment, I find my brain is mush. You know that soggy hot cereal consistency that melts everything together so that nothing is really working quite right. And I have extensive research on this topic.

Going to pick up hay, I hooked up the trailer to the truck, loaded the kids and took off. As I came out of the driveway and made the turn onto the road my trailer jumped off the hitch and was free loading. Thank goodness I did remember to hook on the chains even though I forgot to latch the ball and hitch.
We live near nothing. So forgetting something at home is not a good idea. But I arrived at the orthodontist appointment without my purse. That's right folks, I forgot my entire purse! The tricky part here is that I had very little diesel left and needed to fill up. So I dropped my son off at his appointment and prayed all the way home and back to town that my diesel would be enough to get me to the gas station. It did, thank God!
I recently purchased a new vehicle. During loan paperwork I actually forgot how much the car was being sold for and processed my loan for $1300 too little! Good gracious.
Then I have been to the DMV three times already to get plates on it and I keep forgetting a different paper each time. One day I will have plates on my car.
This past week I have managed to get to town without the diaper bag enough times, that I now have a large enough supply of size 3 diapers that I won't need to buy anymore until he moves up to a size 4. God's way of telling me I don't need to be doing cloth diapers at this point in my life I guess.
I make almost everything from scratch, and spaghetti sauce is a family favorite. So when I make it, I make a big pot of it and freeze the remainder for other meals. But that only works when you remember to actually put it in the freezer. I've had to dump many forgotten pots of food this year. :(
And let's not forget how many times I've left my cell phone at home. Forgotten birthdays. Misplaced my keys, all three sets of them. Completely missed meeting a friend. Forgot to pay bills, you know, important ones like the electric. And found things in the car I thought I mailed weeks ago.

And if my memory serves me well, my husband will come home soon and my brain with him.

Deployment Revealed

2011-05-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, this deployment has taught me more about myself than I ever imagined. I can definitely say I'm not the same person I was before my husband left for Afghanistan.

Before my husband left . . .

I was confident in my ability to be supermom. I never doubted for a minute that I couldn't homeschool our children, run our little farm, birth our fifth child, teach childbirth classes, be active in church, volunteer for my FRG group, and learn to play the violin.
I was totally unemotional. I was cool and collected.
I loved the idea that I was "tough" and could run a farm alone.
I looked forward to the adventure and wanted to make my husband proud.
I was proud of my ability to cook wholesome foods from scratch for my family.
I had so many dreams. They included growing this farm, scrapbooking, sewing, losing weight, cooking, midwife school, getting closer to God, homeschooling and having fun with it, teaching childbirth classes, maintaining an orderly house, training the kids to do their part, field trips . . .

Since he left . . .

I have discovered that I am not supermom, nor do I possess the ability to wear a cape and fly to the rescue. The children's education consisted of home ec, animal science and some math. I did add a donkey and many goats and chickens to our already growing farm since he left, but the farm is hanging on by a thread. I did birth our 5th child at home with the support of my sister and a dear friend. I have managed to teach two childbirth classes, but I'm exhausted. I've missed more Sundays at church than I have attended. I only attend FRG meetings if I'm already in town. And the violin is collecting dust.
One week after his departure I began an evening ritual of crying hysterically. Once the baby was born and the hormones ceased, I pulled myself together . . . temporarily. Then the sleeping all day, watching tv all night commenced. Oh and don't forget the sacred ritual of stuffing my mouth with chocolate.
Ha ha ha. Within weeks of my husband leaving, projects still needed to be finished. I had hay to pick up which ended in me jack knifing the truck and trailer and getting stuck in the mud pregnant with 4 kids in the middle of nowhere. Then had to hire free labor (oxymoron) to lay the floor in the milk room. A loving homeschool group came out and built hay feeders, water troughs, and mucked stalls. My obsession with adding more animals to this zoo . . . I mean farm, required the services of the same free labor that laid the floor to come build a buck house. We've had 6 kittens and 6 goat kids born since he left. My son has had to bury 1 goat, 2 kittens, and 2 chickens since my husband left. My disposal broke and my pastor came to my rescue. I've hired help to clean my house and had volunteers come out and help too because supermom ain't so super. I've trimmed many hooves, mucked the barn several times, learned to back a short trailer pretty darn good, hauled 65# hay bales, and learned to give antibiotic shots to my goats.
The "adventure" has included spending over $3000 on truck repairs, buying a second vehicle, driving way more than I have ever cared about, way too many doc appointments, braces for my son, selling my husband's wrecked truck, two military funerals, and the general chaos that comes with 5 children on a farm.
Cooking has been reduced to frozen chicken nuggets and canned beans. An occasional salad if I have the energy.
One word: survival.

So as you can tell things haven't gone the way I had planned. But do they ever? God did use this time to teach me something. First (and obviously) I'm not supermom. Although I still want to be. Or feel like I should be. Second, I am me. I'm not Donna Reed, I'm not Annie Oakley, and I'm not the First Lady.

I've spent so many years reading about the many great homeschool moms. Reading about how they do it in their home, what curriculum they use, what their schedule looks like, why they have so many children, where their food comes from. But it isn't really important if I don't have my own personal convictions.

I want my kids to remember a mom that was fun, a mom that taught them to love learning, a mom that cared enough to give them good food, and a mom that knew her limits. I love to dance. I love musicals, and the cornier the better. I enjoy playing tennis and volleyball. I like working with my goats, but I don't really care for the chickens. I can't believe how soft the donkey is and I really enjoy him. I love to can and cook, but I have no interest in managing a garden. I love hanging out with friends and acting like I'm still a teenager. I don't care for fiction, but I love a good DIY book. I hate driving, but I love being the passenger. I want to live life fully and see and experience new things. I'm so inconsistent . . . in everything I do. I don't quit, but I will find another way if I think one way isn't working. I love chocolate . . . a lot. I think driving the 4-wheeler is fun, but I would rather ride with my hubby. I love a good pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a cap and boots. I want to be able to ride horses with my kids, not just watch from the sidelines. I don't like schedules! I like flying by the seat of my pants. I don't like being alone. God made me a people person. Most importantly I want my kids to like me. Me, not the homeschool magazine cover mom.

So you see, I've learned a lot during this deployment. And I want to send a thank you out to those special friends, that love me for . . . well . . . me.

I love food!!!!

2011-02-01T08:12:00.000-08:00

There are times, like when it is a wind chill of -35 outside, that I bundle up, flip on the instant Netflix, and watch some realty programing. I know, I'm a dork. Well, as most of you know, I've been determined to lose weight before my hubby returns from Afghanistan. So flipping thru Netflix I found the show Ruby. And I discovered something (but I already knew it). I love food!

I found myself really relating to this 500 pound woman! Why couldn't I say no to all that bad food? Now my bad food is way different from her bad food, but it was the same emotion. I may not be 500 pounds, but my gluttony has cursed me with other health issues. I am hypoglycemic on the edge of diabetes and my large intestines doesn't function properly causing malabsorption. Now common sense would tell me to avoid sugars and build back up my intestinal enzymes. Do you know how hard that is?

"Little Children, keep yourselves from idols." 1 John 5:21

Food is my idol. How do I know this? Well it has taken many years for me to learn to share my food with my children. It is really hard for me to admit this, but its true. I hated to give up my "treats". I would hide chocolate or other goodies and eat them after the kids went to bed. I always made sure there would be enough for me and if there was an uneven number of muffins, I would get the extra one. This may not sound like an uncommon thing, but it was a heart matter for me. I wanted that food for me! Knowing that sugar is not a good thing for me, I still have a hard time saying no. Now I don't junk out and I consume way less sugar than the common American, but the fact that I can't say no bothers me.

I am proud to say that I now serve my children first and I eat what is left over. Granted it still upsets me when I miss out on some goodies, but that is a heart issue I am still praying through. This is just the tip of the iceberg, but admitting my struggles is the first step to recovery. I love to cook! And I love learning about the food God provided for us and how it can heal our bodies.

"And God said, 'Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.'" Genesis 1:29

"Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything." Genesis 9:3

But there is no place for loving the creation over the Creator!

January Goals

2011-01-17T11:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, so for the month of January I want to lose 2 pounds. To do this I'm going to eat 50% raw and exercise 3 times a week for 20 minutes. I'm starting simply and small.

The easiest way to get the 50% raw is make sure there is something raw at every meal and eat raw fruits and veggies for snacks.

I am using my Wii Fit Plus for my exercise. I'm hoping as it warms up outside I will be able to add bicycling. And I am not counting farm work or housework as any of my exercise - that is extra. :)

New Years Resolution

2011-01-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

Ok, I've never been one to get into the New Years Resolution stuff. Particularly because I am always making goals and starting new projects. It's just my personality, so I don't see any need to do it specifically at the beginning of the year. But I just had a baby (2 months ago) and my husband returns from his deployment this summer and I am determined to lose a few inches and get back into my size 6 jeans.

So In honor of this great tradition, I'm setting my goal to put pulling up my size 6 jeans by June 2011! And to do this I need a little accountability which I hope to obtain thru this blog. So here is my plan:

January - I want to lose 2 more pounds this month and be eating 50% raw by the end of the month. I plan on doing 20 minutes on Wii Fit 3 times a week to get me moving a bit.

February - The goal is 5 pounds this month with a continuation of the Wii Fit plan but increase my time to 30 minutes. I also hope to progress to 75% raw and do a one-month Young Living weight loss program.

March - Again, drop another 5 pounds and continue my Wii program. Maintain the 75% raw lifestyle. Repeat the YL program if needed.

April - Drop another 5 pounds, continue my Wii time, and add bike riding twice a week. Continue the 75% raw diet. Begin once a month fast (this will be tricky with my blood sugar, but thinking I will be stable enough at this point to do a 1 day fast).

May - Drop the last 5 pounds and continue my exercise routine. Maintain 75% raw diet. Fast twice a month if last month went well.

June - Goal reached! I'm feeling great and can wear my size 6 wardrobe again!

This may be a lofty goal, but I think I can do it. Will you encourage me thru this?

Trust Him!

2010-12-27T18:24:00.000-08:00

I'm five months into this deployment. I'm not sure what the Lord has done in my husband's life during this time, but He has really been working on me. Here is a brief breakdown of events.

My husband wasn't able to fill up the barn with hay before he left so I took it upon myself to do so. Please keep in mind that I am about 6 months pregnant at this time. So one Saturday I hook up the livestock trailer and load up my four children and head south to pick up hay. I get about 15 miles from the house and hit a dirt road. No biggie, except it rained the day before. I can do this. Three more miles down the road and my truck starts to slide. Pretty soon I am jack-knifed with the trailer and my front end is buried in a sand bank. Ugh! I had no clue how to get out and no one else was going to be crazy enough to drive this road today. So I put my youngest on my hip and gave my son the backpack with snacks and started walking back towards the pavement. About a mile down the road, the postal worker drove by in his 4x4 pick-up! Yea! He helped me get unstuck and I turned around and went home! I did go back and get the hay eventually. But then I had to unload all of it by myself because it was starting to rain! I was so exhausted.

The next two months included picking up three new goats, building a goat pen for my buck, running two goats to the auction, taking another goat to the vet for an injured hoof, breeding rabbits (which had 3 unsuccessful litters), and milking one other goat. This was all on top of my regular duties as mommy. Now I'm 8 months pregnant and having lots of rib and sciatic pain.

I was VERY blessed with many who came and volunteered their time to help around the farm. My mother-in-law flew out one weekend and helped get some necessary things done. I even took the kids to an overnight field trip to a science museum where I had to sleep on the floor. As the arrival of our 5th child was getting near, I was getting anxious about everything working out as it should. So my sister ended up coming out a week before the birth and staying with me through the birth. Another friend flew out and stayed with the kids while I gave birth. It was very comforting knowing all was taken care of.

Now the baby is almost 2 months old and the chores haven't stopped. The baby, lovingly called Peanut, got his first 4-wheeler ride at 2 weeks old as I unloaded feed and delivered it to each barn. Praise God my mother was here to help. By this point I had stopped milking, but animals still had to eat! By the time Peanut was 4 weeks old I was left on my own. It took a little adjusting, but I am getting the hang of this. I am very blessed with great kids and a great church family and loving friends.

Now that I am breastfeeding, I have lots of reading time. I am so grateful for this time. The Lord has taught me much through my quiet times and the not-so-quiet times. At the beginning of this adventure I was sure He was trying to teach me humility as I was having to push aside my pride and ask for help. But that wasn't it. Then He revealed to me that I was missing true joy. And as part of that process, I have come to understand a freeing truth!

I am such a research-a-holic and like to analyze every situation, circumstance, and relationship. So I tend to get over-worried about things like "Does my child really understand the gospel?" or "Am I ruining my kids?" Yes, I want my children to give their lives to Christ. No, I don't want to ruin them. But God has asked me to obey Him and trust Him to do the rest. Trusting my children's lives to the one Creator is what He asks of me. Teaching my children Jesus' love is my responsibility. I need to focus more on following Jesus, than spending my energy worrying about "what if I'm doing this wrong?" I'm not the most eloquent with words and I pray I have voiced myself well. The Lord is doing great works in the Johnson household this year.

Craigslist Series Part 8

2010-04-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

Well I just have to share with you my latest find on craigslist. I LOVE it! I am in the process of re-organizing the house and most of that includes taking large furniture and trading it for smaller furniture. So the big corner desk went out and I found this baby on our local craigslist. It fits so much better in my home and it is a nice piece of furniture. It also works very hard!

Pro-Life Day and what it means to me

2010-01-22T15:59:00.000-08:00

After reading a friends blog today about her experience with miscarriage, I felt I had to share! I am VERY pro-life and my choice to have as many children as the Lord grants has been a decision that most find irresponsible. I have had 5 miscarriages to my 4 alive children. Needless to say I have felt the loss of a child. I can't express my feelings as well as Michelle does, so please read her blog.

Grandkid update!

2009-12-08T18:38:00.000-08:00

For all the grandparents out there (and those that like to watch my goofy family) here is a video of my youngest latest skill. Fencing.

And here is the famous Sprout dancing to Sugarland. Please notice that when the music stops she asks for more by signing it. Too cute!

Craigslist Series Part 7

2009-12-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

And of course the necessities in life (well in US life). We found this set of used washer and dryer for a grand total of $200. But better than that, I made my first Colorado friend. I ended up buying an old dresser from

her and my beautiful bedroom set! I have had lunch with her and we keep up with each other on facebook now!

Here is the bedroom suit. Well part of it. It has the queen size bed, two night stands, a long dresser with mirror and an upright dresser. Just beautiful. First time I have owned a matching set at a steal for $300. I'm counting it as it came indirectly from craigslist!

Craigslist Series Part 6

2009-11-24T20:59:00.000-08:00

Next in line is where we place our rumps! I got these four stools and four chairs off of craigslist too! I bought this table and 1 bench back in AL for $15! So I bought chairs when we arrived in CO. Our new house is blessed with a bar area, so these stools work perfect for extra rump room.

Craigslist Series Part 5

2009-11-21T16:31:00.000-08:00

This is my absolute favorite find!! I have been wanted a coffee table like this forever! And it looks great in my living room. It is now where all my blankets are stored. Did I mention that I absolutely love this table? I paid more for it than I normally would give for "things" but I know I got a fair price for it and it was something I have always been looking for.

Craigslist Series Part 4

2009-11-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

We interrupt this programming . . .

Now I'm gonna share with you about what I have gotten for FREE off of craigslist. I love free - especially when it is useful.

The picture included is the free desk we got for the kids computer. It is a nice desk. And the broken drawer happened on the way home, so we need to glue it back together. But not bad - for free!

And yesterday I picked up leftover landscaping bricks that worked perfect to frame in the rabbit poop under the rabbit cages. We can use that for fertilizer and worm beds!

I also picked up some scrap wood - just perfect for building rabbit nesting boxes.

Coordinate your free pick-ups with other errands and the gas doesn't cost so much!

Craigslist Series Part 3

2009-11-16T20:27:00.001-08:00

Moving on. My hubby found his new truck on craigslist. Its a 4x4 Dodge Dakota. He loves it and its great for driving out to the chicken coop when I don't want to walk in the snow! Isn't it cute! (So is the hunk sitting on the tailgate!)

Craigslist Series Part 2

2009-11-15T08:56:00.001-08:00

Guess what? We also bought animals on Craigslist! So far we have only bought our 11 lovely chickens off of Craigslist, but we have shopped for goats and rabbits too.

Craigslist Series

2009-11-12T08:46:00.000-08:00

This is the first post of many on how I furnished my home with Craigslist. We love craigslist and the freedom we have found in it.

So today's post is going to start with the reason I need to buy things on craigslist. The house! Yes, we found our house on craigslist!

There a bunch more pics on my facebook. Follow me there. We bought our 4 bedroom/2 bath home and 40 acres after reading the craigslist ad. And to fill up that house we have found many more wonderful finds. So as the days follow I will be posting all the things we have found ranging from free to thousands of dollars, but of course everything was a good deal!

Sprout - Enough Said

2009-10-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some videos for Grandmas and Papas. She is quite a ham.

Giveaway

2009-09-27T14:53:00.001-07:00

I love giveaways. And I wanted to share with you a really cool one!!

Go to Homeschool Notebooking and check out their boys and girls school planners. Who doesn't need a little help with keeping control on their school work?!?!

While you are there check out all the other cool products they offer for the notebooking mama!

Missing the bull dog . . .

2009-09-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

Since the whole family is missing Katy, our pit bull who now lives in AL with my mom, I'm sharing some great shots of her.

She often times shared her favorite chair with Blue.

And she had no trouble getting comfortable.

This is the look we got when Dad had to go to work.

And here she kisses the newest family member.

I have a few videos soon. I will post them as soon as I can figure out how.

Our Awesome Vacation

2009-09-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

My hubby took a few days of leave so that we could take our time driving to our new assignment. What a great trip we had!

Our first stop was Isaiah's Place. We love you Diane! We had a nice lunch with friends we consider family.

Next stop was my sisters house. And Sprout got to play with her cousin. Aren't they a pair??

We had so much fun just hanging out.

Our last stop was Palo Duro Canyon. WOW! Here we hiked behind our tent spot. Beautiful place.

This is another shot behind our tent spot.

We enjoyed dad campfire cooking for us. Yummy!

I took this picture for Papa. This was a pretty nifty grill made out of an old wheel.

We then took horses down thru the canyon. Everyone really enjoyed this, including the baby. The guides said it was the first time they had a baby that small not go to sleep on the ride. I was very proud of my troop. Even little man did awesome and lead the group.

Sprout riding with dad.

And lastly doing some hot dog cookin' at the campsite. We had so much fun we can't wait to do it again!

We packed up camp and headed to Amarillo to enjoy one last day in Texas. We stopped at the FREE local zoo. Very impressed. Very clean and fun, even though small.

This was a tortoise we caught a glmpse of.

This guy was the girls' favorite, of course. He kept flashing his lips at us. Too funny.

They even had wild cats, including these lions.

And this lonely longhorn. I did not zoom this picture. I was that close. Beautiful animals!

Our last stop was the American Quarter Horse Association Museum. Cool place! My favorite part was the book shop of course! Sprout couldn't get enough of the horse ride. She actually rode this moving horse by herself . . . over and over again.

We finished the trip with one last night in a hotel. Then on to our new home. A very memorable trip!

Sea World Field Trip

2009-09-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

The field trip Queen is at it again! Busch honors military with a free day at Sea World for the service member and three dependents, so off we went to take advantage. I just love a good field trip!

So enjoy thru pictures.

The sea lion show. This was the kids favorite show of all.

Sprout loved the lunch pails and decided to carry two all by herself.

And the kids enjoyed the dolphin pool.

And of course Shamu!

We are going West!

2009-08-21T23:42:00.000-07:00

My hubby graduated from his Combat Medic (68W) last Friday. We are so proud of all his hard work!

He had 23 people show up at his graduation ceremony! And I was ever so thankful for those that came and snapped some pics for me!

The fun part has begun! We didn't get orders until the afternoon before graduation. So this week consisted of doing lots of paperwork, packing and loading all of our belongings, cleaning our truck and 5th wheel out so we can sell it, and disposing of a lot of stuff, This is a lot of work, but exciting because we are headed to Colorado! What an awesome first assignment!

Army Life

2009-07-25T18:48:00.001-07:00

Wow! It's been a long time since I posted. My apologies. Life has been all about staying distracted lately. So lets see if I can bring you up to date in the Johnson Adventures.

Since the last update I gave was leaving Alabama, what has happened since we got to back to Texas?

Since I had to make the drive home alone . . . well with four kids and one dog . . . I took three days and stopped frequently. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love field trips! We stopped at this cool park that was built for special kids in Alabama.

Next we stopped at the home of Helen Keller in Tuscumbia, AL. That was a really neat experience and sparked an interest in Short Stuff (my deaf child for those that don't know her.) This picture is my kids around the water well where Helen understood that everything had a name. This is a very real aspect of our lives as Short Stuff learns that words name things, people, feelings, and . . . well . . . everything.

Then we spent the night on an army base. I had rented a cabin and didn't expect anything fancy but we were pleasently surprised.

We moved into the 5th wheel again on my father-in-laws property. The 5th wheel may be small for a house, but its big for a 5th wheel! We call it home. Trying to make the most out of our time and stay busy, we filled our time with family, school, and field trips!

So making the most of being an Army family, we visited the Quandrangle on Fort Sam Houston. These tanks and helicopter was displayed outside and my homeschooled children got out their notebooks and took to drawing! How exciting!!

Of course, during this time Sprout is learning to walk and growing so fast. She loves baby dolls as any little girl would. She started walking at 10 months and is now running. She is such a ham!
I have actually been able to have a date . . . or two . . . with my hubby since we have been back to Texas. I still thinks he looks funny with the shaved face!

At the end of the school year, the kids participated in a homeschool end-of-year presentation. They were each given a certificate of completion and displayed what they did during the school year. Of course, my kids had mostly field trips displayed. That's what we love! Short Stuff also displayed the scarf she made and Little Man had a collection of novels we have read. And my favorite was their display of Bible Notebooks!

Then in June we were able to go to a week long deaf camp in Oklahoma. That was a blast.

And the most recent thing we have done is Ballet Camp for the girls. Sprout even joined in on the stretches! They all loved it.

Alabama Fun

2009-04-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a collection of pictures from our Alabama trip.

Here was our last picture of Katy. She stayed in AL and we headed back to TX.

A fun marshmellow roast in the backyard.

Sprout.

We visited many playgrounds while in AL. This was one of many.

We also hung out with our AL friends a LOT!

Here are two good friends that we are already missin'!

More Graduation Pictures

2009-04-14T15:22:00.000-07:00

US Army Graduation

2009-04-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to the big day! We waited almost 12 weeks to see daddy again.

We made our way to Fort Benning, GA last Tuesday to watch daddy graduate from the 192nd Brigade, 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry. What a cool experience! Other than we were so ready to see daddy, but meeting other soldiers and watching the ceremonies was really cool.

Wednesday was Family Day. They had a short presentation of awards and introductions and then released the soldiers to join their family for the day. We went to a local Space Science Museum, walked through a park, hung out at the hotel, and ate a lot of food. We rushed him back to base for their evening check-in.

Thursday was the official graduation ceremony. All the soldiers marched in with the Army marching band. They had several men dressed in historic war uniforms and gave a brief history on each one. Then the sky filled with green, purple, and white smoke and sounds of gunfire. 15-20 soldiers came out of the smoke ready to defend! Little Man really liked that part. It was a short demonstration of what our soldier was trained for.

After the ceremony we were able to spend the rest of the day with daddy. Another day of parks and lots of food! And finally had to take him back to base and say our good-bys. He flew to his next post and we are getting ready to hit the road and drive home.

Sorry about the poor collection of pictures. I will have more soon. These are Daddy in his Dress Greens on Wednesday. He wouldn't hardly put Sprout down. He was so happy to hold her.

Cincinnati Trip

2009-03-26T18:51:00.000-07:00

Boy did we have fun! Here are a few shots of our trip. We stopped at the Kentucky Horse Park first, but we didn't stay long. We got there kind of late. So we went on to the hotel and enjoyed a dip in the pool. The next day we headed to the Cincinnati Zoo.

We thought this was a cool mosaic mural.

This eagle was about ten feet in front of me! He was huge and unafraid. Of course we were too scared to get any closer.

This peacock was showing off his stuff.

Then the last day we went to the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY. That was awesome and we plan on returning with dad.

The kids were all running in fear of the metal dinosaur. They were being silly.

This is the entrance to the museum. Its beautiful and the picture doesn't do it justice.

Little Man loved the dinosaur exhibit. Very cool!

The Next Chapter of our Life

2009-03-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

As we embark on the latest Johnson Adventure, I felt it would be appropriate for me to journal our journey.

Daddy has been gone since January 19. He graduates April 9!! We are so ready to see him.

Time has gone fast. We do miss him terribly. The hardest part of the whole thing is not being able to talk to him daily. The longest I had to go without hearing from him was a week and a half. We haven't had much phone time, with the exception of this Sunday. But the letters he has written me will be cherished forever! This has been a really growing time in our relationship.

My husband has been so grateful for our relationship and can't imagine trying to do this without our committment to each other. He has met many men with new wives and new babies. How testing for them! We live in a time and society that doesn't always cherish the marital commitments. That could be a scary thing for the couple that doesn't have that strong comittment. Anyway, I'm thankful for my wonderful husband.

We have kept ourselves busy with visiting with friends and travelling. We staying in our home town for a few weeks after Daddy left. Then we headed for AL to visit with my mom and my AL friends. Currently we are in Ohio on a little vacation.

We have appreciated everyones generosity and help, but we really wanted some time for just us. Many friends and family want to help, but it gets a little overwhelming. We are doing fine and I haven't had any major crisis I couldn't handle, but I know who to call if I do ever have a problem. I have used this time to research the Army and the particular bases my husband is attending training at. We have continued school as normal, but added in some fun things to do and see!

We look forward to seeing Daddy again. We are very proud of Daddy and are proud of his decision to serve this country.

On the road again . . .

2009-03-04T14:51:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. We have been packing and moving and traveling.

We are currently in Alabama awaiting the day we can be reunited with Daddy. We are enjoying this time with my mommy and old friends.

In two weeks we are headed to the Creation Museum! We are so excited. I will post pictures as soon as we get back.

My husband graduates April 9, 2009. Five more weeks!!! After that we all head back to Texas.

Sorry this is so short, but I'm typing with one hand. *smile*

The Not-so-Boring Johnson's

2009-01-03T18:52:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a month since my last post. What has been going on at the Johnson House??

Well after the announcement of my husband's new life as an American Solider, our life has been spinning. It is full of moving, preparing for our new life, Christmas functions, and vacation. Whew! I just thought I was super-mom!

My sister came down and we had Christmas together. We also went and had pics of the kids done. What fun! My little ones are so photogenic!

Then we popped in and out of numerous family Christmas meals. It is great to see so much family during Christmas, yet a bit overwhelming.

Then, as if we hadn't had enough, we packed up and went to Colorado for a week with family. Wish I could post some pics but since we are in the middle of moving, I don't have all my camera equipment with my computer. The kids got to play in the snow for four days. They loved it and I loved staying in the warm house preparing everyone's food!

We are almost moved back into the 5th wheel trailer and out of the rent house. Hopefully that will end this week. Sooner than later.

As soon as the moving is completed, then we will move the 5th wheel to it's semi-permanent home. And then my husband will be having his Ship Out party and then off he goes to training. The next three weeks are going to go so quickly! I'm already missing him and he hasn't left yet.

Signing off. Won't have internet for a while, so it will be hit and miss. Hopefully I can post pics next time for all the Grandma's, Nana's, and Papas reading.

Our Zoo Trip

2008-12-02T08:40:00.000-08:00

We had fun at the zoo! We love buying the annual zoo pass because you can go for a couple of hours and not feel guilty!

This pelican was after something good! He had his entire head and neck stuck in the drain pipe.

Here was an awesome view of some large Hippos under the water. This was my favorite exhibit at the zoo!

Checking out the Lory's benefited us this cool view. They really liked this guy!

Army Bound

2008-12-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

For all the curious readers out there - YES My husband has joined the Army!

We are now a military family and will soon be traveling the US. All prayers are welcome. We are very excited about this new Johnson Adventure, but the decision to join was not made lightly. After a lot of prayer and research and discussion, we feel God has led us to this decision. My biggest reservation about the whole thing is our Commander in Chief, but we trust in our Lord to protect us. Walking the path of a Christian doesn't mean that we will be kept from all harm, but that we will be brought through it with a stronger relationship with our Lord and Savior.

My husband choosing to join the Army at age 30 has its drawbacks, but we are up for the challenge. Please pray that he will have the strength needed to survive Basic Training as "the old man". Please pray that he will find favor with his authorities. Please pray as I "single" parent it for 6 months. And then there is the possibility of him being shipped overseas after training.

Thank you for your prayers and concern.

I'm so Thankful

2008-11-27T09:03:00.000-08:00

I'm Thankful for:

My four blessings from God: Short Stuff, Little Man, Tinker, and Sprout.
A wonderful husband who loves me and provides for our family. A man that loves God and desires to follow Him.
Protection as we have stepped out of the box and traveled over the past three years.
The wonderful Christian friends that the Lord has put in our paths.
The vision that the Lord has given this family and the tools in which to fulfill that vision.
Family that cares enough to tell us what they think.
Food to fill our tummies, a roof over our heads, shoes on our feet and clothes on our backs.
A country that is still free.
A church home that supports the family.
BOOKS! I love books.

There are many more little things that I am thankful for. What are you thankful for?

Mish Mash

2008-11-15T04:11:00.000-08:00

With the new baby and the opening of our new business, All Things Granola, I'm just busy, busy, busy! So this post is a mixture of pictures from our recent family life. Enjoy!

First one up is my girls. They wanted to carry their babies around like mommy, so here they are strutting their new baby wraps! These were so easy to make. Since they are not carrying real babies, they didn't need the stretchiness of a wrap to support the baby. So I just used some leftover muslim and made it long enough to wrap around their little bodies.

Next two are Little Man with his newest baby sister. He really loves being a big brother!

Although this is a terrible picture of myself, I had to include it. Katy, aka the bull dog, gets a little jealous from time to time. She wants a little mommy time too!

Although this one is a little gross, my son would not have it any other way. The man in him screams, "Look at my wound!" His first stitches - he is so proud. If you can't tell, this is his leg, directly under his knee. He had 5 stitches.

And last, but definately not least - God's promise to us! These speak for themselves. Aren't they beautiful??

On our upcoming President . . .

2008-11-06T06:35:00.000-08:00

I went to bed sick to my stomach at the news that Obama will soon take the role of our President. I was upset at something I can't change. I've stewed over it for a few days, read the news, listened to talk radio, read my Bible, prayed, and read a few others' opinions. The post I read this morning is a great outlook on how we Christians should look to the future.

Thanks Becky for mentioning this great post!

Christmas is coming . . .

2008-11-05T08:55:00.000-08:00

Are you ready??

Every year we do a lot of homemade gifts. We've made venison jerky, baby doll cradles, aprons, clothes, stained glass and so much more! This year we plan on the same. Projects in the works are dresses and pantaloons for the girls and a puppet stage for all the kiddos. As Christmas nears we are gathering recipes for our baked gifts.

We are also planning on supporting family businesses this year. We will be purcahsing some gifts from families and avoiding the mega-stores this year. A wonderful collection of family businesses can be located at the Shop-A-Thon. Check it out!

Let me hear your ideas. What will you be doing this Christmas??

Training Children

2008-10-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

As we are on this journey of parenthood, we have met many road blocks and have had many victories over the enemy!

Currently I am digging through Raising Godly Tomatoes. I would highly recommend her book and her website.

I have good kids with a sinful nature. Our goal as parents is to train them up in the Lord. It's an on-going journey, only to be completed as we enter the gates of heaven.

I'm pondering all this as my children sit on the floor over a Vision Forum catalog writing out their Christmas wish lists! They are clueless that they are actually practicing handwriting and reading skills!

We also got to run to the doctor's office this week as my son received his first stitches. That was fun! He told me later "I don't know what I was thinking climbing over that fence. All for a stick! There were plenty of sticks in the back yard. I don't know why I wanted the sticks on the other side of the fence!" Well . . . I think he learned his lesson.

Recent Happenings

2008-10-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pictures of Sprout and the girls.

Flowers!

2008-10-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

For the first time in almost 10 years of marriage, my husband brought me flowers yesterday! Only one other time did he ever do such a thing and he brought me one rose for my 18th birthday. I've been sick all weekend and he took the kids to church so I could rest. When he came home, he walked in with a beautiful bouquet of flowers in his arms. Aren't they wonderful?!?!

Our Debt Free Journey

2008-10-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

These are posts I wrote a long time ago. But as the topic has come up again about how we went from living paycheck to paycheck to know being debt-free, I wanted to freshen the post. Enjoy!

I'm sorry it is so long, but I took all the posts and put them in chronological order.

Free at Last! . . . from Debt
10:43, September 20, 2006
I would like to share with you our family’s journey away from satan’s grip . . . debt. We are your typical middle class American family, well, maybe a little closer to the low-income class. We homeschool so I have the wonderful opportunity to stay home with my kids, but that also means we survive on one-income. As newlyweds we began obtaining stuff and the next logical item was a house. We bought a meager home in the country on a few acres (this was actually the house I grew up in). Since the house was old and in need of some TLC, we got a good deal on it: $65,000. (In our area this was a good deal.) We were able to get a loan but they wanted a down-payment of $5000. Now a young, one-income family with 2 children at this point did not have $5000. We did have $3000 thanks to our recent tax income refund, but that still left us $2000 short. So we borrowed money from a relative. Are you seeing the vicious cycle? But we only knew that this was the American way.

We lived in that old house and fixed it up to be a nice little home. After 4 years we were still just sinking in debt. The scary thing is that we didn’t have any credit cards either. We had some past credit cards that needed to be paid off, but we didn’t use them anymore. Our total unsecured debt was less than $2000, yet we still couldn’t keep our heads above water. My parents lived their entire married life in such a state – I believed there was a better way. Why live enslaved to debt while missing out on the fun things in life?

My husband and I sat down and made a plan. We were going to sell our home in the country and use the money to pay off all debt and buy a new home! How in the world are we going to do that? You ask. We were able to get $109,000 for our home, which left us with $42,000 after mortgage, realtor cost, and taxes, etc. With this large chunk of cash we paid off our only vehicle, bought a 2nd car cash, bought our new home, and paid off small miscellaneous debt. We also put $5000 in savings. Now looking at those numbers, how did we buy a house with such little money? Well you see, we down-sized quite a bit. We bought ourselves a 40’ 5th wheel for $12,000. It has served us quite well and we get to go where we want to.

Our new home as everything we need: full kitchen, dining table, living area, washer/dryer, master bedroom, bathroom, large front and back yard, and adventure. Now one day we do plan on settling down again – when we can pay for full cost of the property. No debt for us! Until then we plan on living out of our home on wheels. Living debt free is a wonderful feeling.

For some this may seem like a far cry from reality, but for us it became reality. We have had to sacrifice many things, but they are just things. Since our move we have started many activities with our kids we never had time for before. We now bike as a family every Sunday evening through the park and I bike with the kids every morning. We are trying out some family board games and making some of our own. I have been reading a novel to my 6-year-old son and he loves every minute of it. My husband had time to take all the kids to the shooting bench (for those uninformed this is a bench at grandpa’s house for practice, usually shooting at a self drawn target). We bought season passes for our local zoo and have enjoyed that many times already. The blessings are numerous, but the responsibility of more money is heavy.

Having money at my fingertips when I want it can be very dangerous. I love a good bargain and now am able to grab it up. But I have to really decide if the item is necessary. Living in a small space means few items. Since we homeschool in our home on wheels, toys for the kids and toys for parents are few, if any. Clothes are at a minimum and food must be purchased each week. So it took me a while to get used to having money available . . . ok . . . I am still getting used to it.

If freeing yourself from debt sounds like something you would like to do and are ready for some drastic changes, let me give you some guidelines to get your brain juices flowing:

EVALUATE YOUR CURRENT BILLS. Make a list of every expense you have. Break it up into how often it is paid (weekly, monthly, yearly, etc.). Pray over this list and consider which bills are necessary and which ones can be eliminated. Example: when we started this process we eliminated our long distance phone bill first. We both had cell phones so we didn’t need the extra expense of a long distance bill. My husband was self-employed so having a cell phone was important. We also chose to live with one vehicle for a while. We did this for about 8 months. This saved us gas, inspection, maintenance, insurance, and registration. I do have to admit that this decision happened with divine intervention. Our second vehicle died with only $300 left to pay it off. So we parked it, paid it off, and lived without it. It really was a blessing in disguise as we discovered the money it saved and made me stay home more and spend time with the kids. You may want to eliminate one bill at a time to allow time for adjustment.
FRUGAL LIVING. If you are not already familiar with this process, learn. You can save lots of money on groceries, gas, clothing, school books, etc. There are many books and internet sites on the subject. I’m not going to get into this here as it is a whole new subject.
KNOCK OFF DEBT. Now for the money that you are saving from eliminating unnecessary bills and frugality, use it to pay off debt. We used ours for paying off credit card debt. This is the hardest part because you are spending money but not getting anything in return. Reality is we are paying now because we chose to buy when we didn’t have money. If you are smart enough to not have credit card debt apply the extra funds to pay off a car loan early.
HAVE A PLAN. Be ready with a plan. If you plan on selling your house and down-sizing, start crunching some numbers. Talk to a realtor to determine your current homes worth. We chose to use a realtor, but if you are braver you can sell it yourself. If you don’t think that down-sizing is an option right now, start making some plans to pay off the mortgage payment. If you rent, find a smaller apartment and/or start a mortgage savings fund.

I hope these ideas help get your mind thinking. Downsizing to the 5th wheel was a big change, but has been worth it.

Our "Debt Free" Journey
10:02, May 7, 2007
Well it has almost been a year since we sold our house and moved into a 39’ 5th Wheel trailer. We may be cramped, but the experiences we have had that would have never been an option before our debt free life. Let me share with you a short re-cap of where we have been . . .

We started out at a country RV park in our local town. My husband worked for himself and did small construction jobs in the area. After two months, we moved four hours north to another small town. Because of our debt free lifestyle we were able to live on a non-profit deaf camp and help out. My husband was paid a small amount in trade for his labor – an amount we just couldn’t have lived on before. We were blessed with the opportunity to stay there for four months. Those four months gave my kids a wonderful learning experience! We were serving God through Isaiah’s Place, we were around deaf people regularly, we were riding horses at least once a week, and we built wonderful relationships. From there we traveled across three states to North Alabama where my mom had lined up a job for my husband. It didn’t pay much, but it was a good job. And we didn’t need a lot of money to survive, so off we went. The going part was fun, we took 5 days to travel and stopped and saw the sights.

So now we are here in Alabama and adjusting to our new life. We are still living in our 5th wheel trailer on my mom’s place. We are still debt free and God is still taking care of us. Through word of mouth, we have been asked to live in a small house in trade for fixing up the place. So for the last two weeks we have been tearing up old flooring and painting over ugly colored walls. Once the new floors are put down and the rooms painted, we will start cleaning and moving in. It is a small, old house, but homey. We are excited – there is even a shed for my husband’s workshop and a barn for my goats. A big plus is the big pond full of fish! God is good. We hope to stay here long enough to save money for our own place again . . . hopefully debt free.

Debt Free Update
04:05, August 4, 2007

I thought I would fill you guys in on how our debt free lifestyle is going.
Because we are able to live in this house rent free and stretch our legs a little, we were able to clean out the 5th wheel and try to sell it. Once the 5th wheel sells we will have a nice downpayment for a house. Don't worry, we wouldn't spend this past year debt-free to bury oursleves in debt again! Our plan is buy a small fixer-upper with a 5-10 yr note and then turn around and sell it. If we live in it for 5 years and pay it off (or come close) we will have a hefty down-payment for a piece of property where we can start our homesteading lifestyle again! The hefty part is important because we hope to pay for at least half of the property and only borrow for the remainder. That is the plan anyway, but if you have been following my blog often, you know that things will change!

We have decided to move back to Texas for many reasons, but one of them is that we can make more money there than we can here. So we should be able to save more. Don't take me wrong, we have been able to save quite a bit living here due to having no big bills, but we could pay off a house quickly living this way in Texas. Our end goal is to own property debt free in 10-15 years. Then we will be free to invest in our homesteading lifestyle, which in the end would also save us money!

So there is a short update.

October 8, 2008
Well we decided to keep the 5th wheel and move back to Texas. We moved into a rent house and still have the 5th wheel. We are still debt free. Which is a good thing during these economicly uncertain times. Although we only have one truck, although we are living paycheck to paycheck, although we are still on a tight budget, we don't owe anyone money. That is a good feeling! You can check out pictures of our 5th wheel here.

Contest for free Cookbook!

2008-10-02T08:38:00.001-07:00

I'm having another contest over at All Things Granola. Check it out and tell your friends!

On Pondering the Possibility of Another Great Depression...

2008-09-26T05:35:00.000-07:00

Sarah Janisse Brown

I am America, and I am free.
Today I am free to flip a switch, and light appears to fill the room.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if I must light a candle instead.

I am America, and I am free.
Today I can fill up my tank, and travel to the city.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if I must borrow my neighbor's horse to travel to the nearest farm.

I am America, and I am free.
Today I can go into the grocery store and fill my cart with food.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if I must go into the field and fill my bucket with potatoes.

I am America and I am free.
Today I can turn a knob in my kitchen, for water warm or cold.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if I must bring my water from the spring, and boil it over the fire.

I am America and I am free.
Today I can pick up the phone to call my mother, my aunt and my grandma.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if I must pick up my belongings and move in with my mother, my aunt and my grandma, because none of us can afford to live alone.

I am America and I am free.
Today I can cash a check, our use a credit card to pay for the things I may not really need.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if my cash is worthless and I must barter soap for seeds.

I am America and I am free.
Today I can turn a dial and relax as warm air floods into the many rooms of my home.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if my family must huddle close and add another log to a fire that warms a one room cabin.

I am America and I am free.
Today I can make a hobby of going deep into the woods for turkey and for deer.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if I must use my gun as a means of my survival until we all grow weary of the gamey taste of venison.

I am America and I am free.
Today I can type an email to congress, or fill my blog with silly pouts and satire.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if I must learn to make my own paper and pluck a feather from a bird to make my pen.

I am America and I am free.
Today I can chase after comfort, credit, and security.
But tomorrow I will not be free if I prefer these three things above my liberty.
~

The Lord's Hand

2008-09-18T07:52:00.001-07:00

After reading a post on Sally Clarkson's blog about the Lord's hand moving in their lives, I felt I needed to do the same. To give God the glory!

Again, I know that many of us are really feeling the crunch right now. And it doesn't look like it will improve any time soon. And God seems to use money a lot in our lives to show us his power and might! I am going to give you a little background of our situation to paint an accurate picture.

My husband works construction and makes the most per hour he will be able to make, so the only way to increase the paycheck is to work more hours. He does what he can, especially since we only have one vehicle. Anytime I have a doctor's appointment for me or one of the kids, it means either him taking off work or me dropping him off and picking him up from work. That can get expensive and thankfully only happens about once a month. One vehicle also means him having to do the shopping on his way home or taking us shopping on the weekends. Now this wouldn't be too big of a deal, because after all, we don't have to pay registration, insurance, repairs, gas, etc for two vehicles. But we drive an old, F-350 Diesel Dually truck. The diesel bill on that right now is about $800 a month! And if you have ever owned a diesel, you know that every part on a diesel cost double of that on a gasoline engine. We love our truck, but it gets pricey from time to time. It costs $50 just to buy the stuff to change the oil! All that to say, that we are scraping by just to keep that diesel on the road, let alone afford another, more economic vehicle. So I have been praying for another vehicle. I am still praying for another vehicle. And I still believe the Lord WILL provide another vehicle! But He hasn't yet. What he has done is just as amazing though . . .

We have lived in our 5th wheel trailer for two years. That was fun and we all enjoyed our time in it. But as the birth of child number four approached we looked for another place to live. Knowing we couldn't afford a rent house and couldn't get a mortgage loan, we shared rent with my husband's cousin. This was right in our price range and the house was big enough for us with a nice yard. Granted - it is an old mobile home, but home none-the-less. But after 4 months, his cousin decided to move out and get married! I am very happy for him, but now we have to pay the full rent! Now we were told that we could work off the rent if we worked on the house. So we did! We got it down to $157 the first month. We can afford that! But the landlord informed us that we could only work off half of the months rent. Oops! So the next month we didn't have much time and we only worked off about $100. That made us real tight and we went four weeks without going grocery shopping!

I finally had to go to the grocery store, but thank God he gave me the desire to shop in bulk! I had enough grain and frozen goods to sustain us through that four weeks! Now going 4 weeks with no fresh stuff was hard, but not impossible. So off I go to the store, but this time I planned a months worth of meals, and was prepared to shop for the next four weeks. I am assuming that we won't have money to go grocery shopping again. But the challenge is that I only have $300 to spend. I spent $297 and have enough food to hold us over for the next month! Praise God!

So as all these struggles are going on, we are still asking God what we should do. When we went from a 5th wheel to this mobile home, we had very little furniture and most of the furniture in this house belonged to his cousin. When the cousin moved out and took his couch he kindly brought us a gently used couch for us! How nice! I thought that was generous, but didn't think much more about it . . . until God provided many more large objects I hadn't been praying for.

Right after the cousin moved out, we desperately needed a tire on the truck. And since the cousin took the washer and dryer, we would like to have had a washing machine. We were doing the laundrymat thing, but that meant I couldn't do cloth diapers until I had my own washing machine. So now we are back to buying disposable diapers and going to the laundymat whenever my husband was home. But before we could go out and buy the tire for the truck (about a $150 tire), God provided 4 free tires for the truck! We only wanted one, but God provided 4!! And if that wasn't enough, God provided a washer and a dryer for free! We only wanted a washer, but God provided both! And because I still didn't quite get the hint God continued to send signals . . .

The next month brought us a refridgerator, lawn mower, lots of canning jars, 3 computers (for the kids), a horse, and a piano. We weren't asking for these things. No one knew I was looking for a cheap computer for the kids school work, but now I have three! No one knew I had been dreaming of a piano for Tinker, but now I have one! The refriderator was needed before hunting season got here. The lawn mower we would have been happy to borrow, but now we own one. And if anyone knows my oldest, a horse is the answer to her dreams. (Now we just need to figure out how to feed it and house it! I'm sure God will take care of that since he provided it!)

So after sitting down and realizing what God was doing I can say "I GET IT!" God will provide for us. It may mean beans and rice for a week . . . or two. It may mean sharing that big ol' truck. It may mean saying no to all the family functions. But we will survive!

I hope this has been encouraging. It has really been neat to see God work through our finances and I wanted to share with you!

All Things Granola Contest

2008-09-09T15:18:00.001-07:00

Visit Cooking for Health and Fun to enter yourself in the All Things Granola contest!

Girly Photo Shoot

2008-09-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

Little Man went to work with Dad one Friday and we had a fun girly day. We dressed up and took pictures! Here is the product of us being left to ourselves . . .

My beautiful girls.

Giggly girls.

One of Sprout's first smiles.

This is a cartoon version of Tinker.

Mom and Sprout.

Please notice Sprout's outfit. Anyone want to guess what it is?

My little cowgirls!

Surviving . . .

2008-08-30T15:45:00.000-07:00

Times are hard for many families right now. We are a one income family and things were tight before the gas prices soared. I wanted to share some ideas with my readers on how to survive on a one-income budget. I'm no expert, but here are some things we have done.

Healthcare:
My kids are on Medicaid. I'm not one that likes to "live off of the government," but I have a deaf and dwarf child and two accident-prone children. I need insurance. My kids haven't been sick in years since we eat natural and use natural remedies.

I would like to add a humorous story. I had reapplied for Medicaid and had a one-month break. Now I've never had to take my kids to the doc or ER for injuries - Praise God! - but I was waiting for the day. Now during this one-month break of insurance, my son managed to get a toothpick jammed into the palm of his hand. $160 later the 1/2 inch of toothpick had been removed and we were home. Oh well!

My husband and I don't have coverage. We paid our midwife cash for the delivery of our newest member. So for us, I just joined a group called United Project. It is free and you can either buy memberships to discount programs or participate in contests and/or invite others to join to earn memberships. Please check it out by clicking on the link and I will get credit if you join. It's FREE! I will let you know that I will be getting Vision benefits for anyone I refer. I need an eye exam badly!

Food:
This is a huge expense. I prefer to buy in bulk. Yes I know it is not always cheaper, but it means less trips to the store. I see that as cheaper since I drive a diesel ($$$$) and I'm not at the store picking up unnecessary items.

And of course I make almost everything from scratch. For cooking tips, recipes, etc. you can visit Cooking for Health and Fun.

And an obvious one is limit dining out! This is so hard to do because it requires advance planning. We carry an ice chest around in the back of our truck for drinks and snacks. This reduces runs to the restaurants and convience stores.

Gasoline:
Obviously - drive less. Combine trips, reduce trips to the store, carpool, stay home more, etc.

Drive slower. We discovered that if we drove 60 mph instead of 70 mph we gained two miles per gallon.

Utilities:
Do the best you can to reduce electricity usage. Turn off lights, keep curtains/blinds pulled during the day, use fans, turn off/down A/C when not home, etc. If you can afford it, install new appliances. We can't afford it and most of you probably can't. But if you can - go for it! You can also turn down your water heater and cover it with a water heater blanket.

Cancel cable! I know some of us can get addicted to the television, but you CAN live without it! It is a wonderful thing when you can sit around your living room instead of every piece of furniture facing the box! We get our news via talk radio and internet. And when we can't afford internet, my husband pays $5/month to get news and weather on his phone. I'm not going to get into the effects of television on our familes, but you can visit Media Talk 101 for more info.

We need phones. We don't have a land line, just cell phones. But that can get expensive. We move a lot, so cell phones are a necessary part of our lives. Our phone number never changes! We just have the smallest family plan available with our service provider, which is shared between three phones. Our deaf daughter has her own phone so that she can text message.

Children:
We are trying out cloth diapers. I haven't done the math, but what it cost to buy 1 weeks worth of newborn diapers, I can buy one cloth diaper. And if you do prefolds it is even more cost effective. So after 2 months I could have enough cloth diapers to cycle daily. Then I can use them on the next child. I am liking cloth and the savings.

Thrift stores are a wonderfule thing! It is cheaper for me to buy used clothes for my children than for me to sew them! I do like to sew and have sewn an outfit or two for them, but why spend the time when it doesn't really save me money?? We even bought all three of my older children bike helmets at a thrift store for $1.50 each!

Breastfeed your baby!

Household:
We are using cloth napkins now. Not only does paper towels fill up the trash can, but my kids think they need them for everything!

As far as laundry goes - I line dry and make my own laundry soap. Running a dryer is expensive and I only use it when it is raining or for fluffing. My 8 year old son makes my laundry soap for me. It's that easy. If I get enough interested I will post our recipe. (This means I need people to comment on here - hint hint hint.)

Homeschool:
Used book fairs are wonderful. But for a book addict like me, they don't really save me money. Half.com is also good, but watch the shipping charges. Pick one thing and stick with it! This saves me money because it gives me a guideline. Otherwise I just buy everything that looks interesting!

I love August! All the back-to-school sales are happening. Last year I bought a bunch of Elmer's glue for $0.09 ea. This year I found spiral notebooks for $0.05! This is a great deal if you pass up all the other merchandise. I get crayons for $0.25 every year. I just buy a whole bunch so that I have enough all year.

I have to mention Rainbow Resource here. Best discount homeschool catalog. They even carry school and office supplies at cheaper or equal cost as Wal-Mart. And shipping is always free on orders over $150.

Well that was just a sampling of ideas. I hope you gained some insight.

Our Long Awaited Miracle

2008-07-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

Here is our story:

Most of you know that 6 years ago I had my tubes tied. At the age of 23, we decided that three children were enough! God has ways of changing hearts though. I can't remember THE day or what changed our minds. I can't even remember who's mind was changed first. But things started changing about four years ago. Once the prayerful decision was made to have more children, money didn't come quite as quickly. We waited for about a year and with the sale of our home was able to pay for the tubal reversal surgery. It was almost to the day 4 years after my tubal ligation.

Stepping out on faith we had this surgery done. There were no guarantees that we would be able to have more children. I am forever partially broken. Praise the Lord! We have a God able to heal! I became pregnant right away, but it ended in an ectopic pregnancy. Again, God protected my body and the ectopic absorbed on its own. But eight months passed with no pregnancies. Finally, September 2007, I had an early miscarriage. I was sad that I miscarried, but excited at the fact that my body was capable of carrying a baby. That an egg could pass through my tubes!

I missed my next cycle and got a positive pregnancy test! I had been secretive about my future pregnancies due to the miscarriage rate, but I immediately told my close friends this time. I wanted prayer coverage!! Nine+ months later I am happy to say that that miracle baby has arrived!

Over the years, we had changed the way we ate and lived. A lot of it started with my son and his allergies, but I had my own set of issues I was trying to resolve. So now I am pregnant and I eat so much more healthy than before. But we also strive for an "all natural" lifestyle. Which led me to desire a drug-free birth.

Now my previous birthing experiences were anything but natural. My first was induced and then c-section. My second and third were both on pitocin and an epidural. So to avoid this scenario again, we decided to have this baby at home.

We studied and took Bradley Childbirth Classes. We practiced and prayed and prepared. Then we waited . . . and waited . . . and waited for that magic day. Finally one night I woke up with contractions. Could this be it? I started timing them. They were 15 minutes apart and then 10 minutes apart. I called my midwife to let her know. Then my husband woke up. Then the kids woke up. And the contractions ceased. Bummer.

About 3:00 that afternoon, they picked up again. Ten minutes apart all afternoon and into the night, but I was able to get some sleep. But by 5:00am I couldn't sleep through them anymore. We got up and started to prepare for the baby. I called my midwife and gave her an update. The day went by and the contractions grew a little stronger and were about 5 minutes apart. But they were still bearable. I would just breath through one and then go about my business until the next.

I was getting a little exhausted, so I laid down to watch television. And that next contraction was different! I got down on all fours and did my best to breath through that one. I felt like I needed to push and these contractions were on top of each other! My husband called the midwife and she headed our way. By the time she got there (10 minutes later), I was on my bed on all fours, hugging all my pillows.

45 minutes later and lots of screaming, out came Sprout. Because it hurt too much to move during a contraction and they were all on top of each other, I stayed in my all four position. Which led to Sprout being born with me on my knees. Next time, labor where I intend to deliver!

But she is here! And drug-free! Six pounds, twelve ounces. 19 3/4 inches long. Here are some pictures to fill your fancy!

Proud Papa!

Admiring Siblings.

Sleeping Babe.

Tooter with Sprout.

Short Stuff with Sprout.

Short Stuff with our Midwife.

My four Monkeys!

My midwife with Sprout.

Little Man with Sprout. He is so proud of his baby sister. He can't remember her name half the time so he just calls her baby sister.

A Visit From My Sis

2008-07-21T06:39:00.000-07:00

I was glad to see my sister, but her visit was due to the passing of our grandfather. But we took full advantage of playing with her new baby while she was here! Of course I was still pregnant, but that gave A.G. all the attention!

A.G. was 8 weeks old here in the arms of her mommy.

Little Man couldn't wait to hold his new cousin.

Short Stuff happy to babysit!

Horse Days of Summer

2008-07-16T18:03:00.001-07:00

Here are some quick pictures of the kids enjoying horseback riding. Short Stuff is so ready to get back in the arena!

Cheese Making

2008-07-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

We have had the great privelage of helping around a nearby dairy goat farm. I so miss my goat in Alabama and this has been a great learning experience for me and the kids.

My kiddos have gotten to bottle feed the kid goats, collect and clean chicken eggs, watch the does being milked, and help clean up afterwards. Plus we have seen the makings of Kefir, yogurt, and soft cheese. The kiddos also sampled some feta cheese and loved it.

Here are some pictures of the kids making the soft cheese. They just love to go to the goat farm!

Still Pregnant

2008-07-01T06:09:00.000-07:00

Yes I am still pregnant. Here is a picture to show off my belly. My mom came to visit and guess what . . . the baby never made her apprearance!! So mom went home and I'm still carrying baby around the front.

Still Waiting . . .

2008-06-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

I thought I would update everyone on my current . . . very pregnant . . . state.

Yes I am still pregnant. Yes my due date was yesterday. But here is the short story on that:

My due date was originally June 16th (also my husband's birthday), but since I miscarried the month before I became pregnant my due date is a bit off. So according to the two sonograms I should be due July 19. What?!?!? That is more than a month off! So to the calendar I went . . .

I got a positive pregnancy test on October 9. That means that I have known that I am pregnant for a total of 36 weeks. Now we all know you can't get a positive pregnancy test immediately after becoming pregnant, so I have got to be at least 37 weeks now. And that's just the gestation period! Add two weeks to that for the "doctor's 40 weeks" and that makes me 39 weeks pregnant! I am ready to have this baby!!!!!

But because of the sonogram date, my midwife will wait until July before she gets worried. Oh please Lord, let me have this baby soon! I want to meet her!

Then there is the question everyone one keeps asking . . . what will you name her? WE DON"T KNOW!!! Knowing my husband there will not be an official name until the baby is here. (which I hope is soon!)

As far as how am I doing . . . I feel pregnant! I actually have a belly this time!! I look pregnant!! (All my other kiddos I looked like a large whale.) I can happily say I have only gained 17 pounds so far - thanks to our healthy eating habits. I will get a picture up soon. I do have a rib that pops in and out of place and that really hurts. I have limited movement due to that, but I have some great kids that are helping around the house! I also have to say thank you to Aunt Pam who came over today and mopped for me! Bending over and moving objects out of the way has been something that causes more pain to my back, so needless to say, I haven't been doing such things.

Little Man has diligently kept up the laundry for me. He does everything from make the laundry soap to dump the clean laundry on my bed. (I fold.) Short Stuff is a wonderful little dish washer. She doesn't even have to be asked! She figured out that if she waits too long to do dishes she has more to do at one time. So now she walks in there and gets to work whenever she sees a sinkful! What a girl! Tinker is my bathroom cleaner. She loves to clean the bathroom! The only thing I can figure out is that she likes to dump out all the cleaners. LOL! Fixing my bed can wreck havac on my rib and back pain, so my husband has been doing the sheet changing for me! I have quite a team!

ONE MINUTE EACH NIGHT....

2008-06-08T14:59:00.000-07:00

I am not one to pass along forwarded emails. I received this email today and totally agree! We need to be on our knees in prayer!!! This is one simple way to get involved.

This is the scariest election we as Christians have ever faced. From the looks of the polls, the Christians aren't voting Christian values. We all need to be on our knees. Do you believe we can take God at His word? Call upon His name, then stand back and watch His wonders to behold. His scripture gives us, as Christians, ownership of this land and the ability to call upon God to heal it. I challenge you to do so. We have never been more desperate than now for God to heal our land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 : If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. During WWII, there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dro pped what they were doing every night at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace. This had an amazing effect as bombing stopped.There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America.The United States of America and our citizens need prayer more than ever !!!

If you would like to participate: each evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time, 8:00 PM Central , 7:00 PM Mountain, 6:00 PM Pacific, stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, for peace in the world, for wisdom and courage for our leaders, the up-coming election, and that the Bible will remain the basis for the laws governing our land and that Christianity will grow in the U.S. If you know anyone who would like to participate, please pass this along. Someone said if people really understood the full e xtent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Thank You. Please pass this onto anyone who you think will want to join us. God Bless You!!!

Welcome Baby

2008-05-29T20:55:00.000-07:00

My sister had her baby girl May 16th! Isn't she precious!

Ron Paul

2008-05-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

We are joining the "Homeschoolers for Ron Paul" movement. Here is a quick video:

Short Stuff's First Horse Show!!!

2008-05-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

We are so proud of our daughter! This weekend Short Stuff competed in her first horse show. We were there to see how the horses would do in an indoor arena and for the girls to experience a real show. We were shocked to learn that Short Stuff placed!

Here is a picture of all the girls in our group. Short Stuff is also a part of a newly formed Equestrian Drill Team and these girls are also on the team. We are looking forward to their first exhibition June 16.

Here is Short Stuff showing off all her ribbons. She recieved 6th place in Trail, 5th place in Walk and Trot and 4th place in Barrels. Then her and another little girl recieved the Sportsmanship Award! We were so excited for her! This is her favorite horse, Waco. He is 29 years old!

Little Man was also very proud of his sister!

Here is the only decent picture I could get of her on the arena floor. The lighting was terrible.

Preggie Sisters

2008-05-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

For the first time, I am having the wonderful experience of being pregnant at the same time as my sister. Although this is my fourth and her first, we are still enjoying sharing this time with each other. The down side is that we live about 7 hours apart and seeing each other often is difficult. Well a couple weeks ago I flew up to see her for the weekend (yes, by myself!) and we got to spend some time together. We are due about 6 weeks apart so I won't be able to visit when she has the baby (which is very soon!).

Anyway, I wanted to share some pictures we took together. Enjoy!

The mind of a child . . .

2008-05-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

We went to the library yesterday and the girls each picked out a book. My youngest quickly brought me back a book on airplanes and my oldest followed with a Curious George Book. That was quick!

Today I mentiond to Tinker that she could sit down and read her airplane book. She said "nah." I responded with "Why did you pick it out if you don't want to read it?" She being the quickest out of the bunch came back with "I wanted to learn how to become an airplane." And she proceeded to fly around the room like an airplane.

Gotta love her!

Everything Birth

2008-04-29T09:23:00.000-07:00

As we prepare for the new member of our family, I get to discover all the new products out there! What fun! There is only a six year gap between the youngest and our new baby, but there are many new advances over the last six years.

Even though this is our 4th child, this is our first reversal baby. That means that this is the first baby we have carried since my tubal reversal surgery. I will share with you our journey.

I have to admit that the first two children were not planned, but wonderful surprises . . . that we weren't quite ready for. I got pregnant again when my son was about 8 months old. Wow! I didn't know if I could handle all that! About 17 weeks into that pregnancy I had a missed miscarriage. That means there wasn't a baby. My body formed a pregnancy sac and was preparing for pregnancy, but the baby never formed. The guilt that built up after that was difficult. We waited three months like the doc told us to and then tried again. I got pregnant right away but miscarried at 5 weeks. Without my next cycle, I discovered that I was pregnant again. This was a time full of mixed emotions. Most of us get excited when we see the two pink lines, but mine was mixed with fear and doubt.

At about 10-12 weeks I went to the doc to hear if the baby had a heartbeat or not. I felt good and was happy I had made it this far, but I still was not freed from worry. We lived about 1 1/2 hours from the doc's office. I developed a migraine headache that morning and threw up every hour for about 4 hours. It wasn't until after I heard the heartbeat of that precious life that my headache started to subside and I was able to eat again. That little heartbeat is now my beautiful 5 year old daughter.

Overwhelmed with the previous years of emotions, we decided that three children was enough and we scheduled a tubal ligation. Everyone supported our decision as "three is more than enough children." I was 23 years old at the time.

I was comfortable with my decision for a couple of years, but then the Lord began to do an amazing work in me and my husband. We were denying the gifts God wanted to give us. He had given us a desire to raise more children for His glory. We studied and researched tubal reversal surgery and physicians. We even had the opportunity to go with a friend to have hers reversed. After several years we chose a doctor, but now needed the funds. With the sell of our house we scheduled surgery in September 2006 - 4 years (almost to the day) after my tubal ligation.

We impatiently waited the suggested two months and then got pregnant immediately. Only to discover it was ectopic. The Lord protected my womb and the ectopic pregnancy dissolved on its own. I went almost a whole year with no pregnancies. I was to the point of hopelessness. Obviously the Lord did not want us to have more children yet. In September of 2007 I became pregnant again and miscarried at 5 weeks. But no ectopic which meant my tubes were open!! I was a little more excited, but didn't want to get my hopes up. Again without having another cycle, I found I was pregnant. I immediately called upon my friends for prayer over this new life.

Now 30 weeks pregnant with a healthy, active little girl I am excited to say the Lord has provided! It has been quite an adventure! Now that this baby is almost here I am hurrying to collect everything I need (want) to care for her. You see, after the tubal ligation I gave away all of my baby things. So in a sense, this is my first baby. I am having to start fresh, which is fun. But I didn't remember how much stuff you can gather for one tiny life!

In this process I discovered Everything Birth . What cool things they have for those of us wanting to provide our babies with natural products. Check it out and by clicking on the gift registry you can see what I still need. (Hint . . . hint!) LOL.

Above Rubies Retreat

2008-04-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was blessed with the opportunity to attend my first Above Rubies Retreat. I wanted to share with my readers what a blessing it was, but my friend described it so beautifully I'm going to let you read hers: PFamilyGal

Nancy's message for the weekend was Powerful Parenting. She encouraged us as mothers and sent us home with a vision for our families. At this time in my life, I really needed that. Raising three children with number 4 on the way . . .

The Deaf World

2008-04-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

For those interested in my involvement with the deaf community:

As the Educational Resource Director for Isaiah's Place (www.isaiahsplace.org), I will now be posting Teaching and Learning Tips on their webpage every two weeks or so. Check that out at http://www.isaiahsplace.org/newsletter.shtml. I will also be adding info to my deaf homeschool blog page soon. (www.homeschoolblogger.com/talkingfingers)

Raising a deaf child has it's challenges, homeschooling one adds a whole new dimension!

Dead battery . . . no problem!

2008-04-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

What do you do when the battery will no longer hold a charge on your John Deere Gator (kid-sized, of course!)? Well you could always take turns pushing, but that just wouldn't be fast enough and too much work.

*Well it is just not letting me share this viedo with you! The kids tied our pit bull to the front of their Gator and threw a ball for her to chase. That little Gator was moving faster with the "dog motor" than the battery could ever have gone! They also tried to tie the dog to a little push toy, but that was too much motor for that little thing!

I'm Back

2008-04-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

I moved to Texas and fell off the internet planet! Sorry about my absence, but I am back!

We have been busy, busy since we moved to Texas. We moved our 5th wheel here and lived in it for a while. Then we moved into a mobile home and that has been nice. We have been preparing for the arrival of our fourth child. I still have moments that I can't believe I am pregnant and then the baby kicks my bladder and reality sits in. Short Stuff has gone to Drill Team Horse Camp. Dad and Little Man have been enjoying their frequent fishing trips to the river. And Tinker is joyfully awaiting the arrival of her new baby sister. Katy, our pit bull, is enjoying her new home, especially since we are right on the river.

I know that is a short update, but there will be more to come!

Movin' on up...

2007-11-28T07:02:00.000-08:00

Today is the day! I know I haven't blogged in quite a while, but we have been busy! Most everything is packed up and my internet gets turned off today, so this is farewell until I get online in Texas.

I have all kinds of fun pictures to share, but the cord for my camera is all packed away. So until I un-pack, no new pictures. But I would like to say good-bye to Alabama with pictures:

Our visit started with the birth of many baby goats. We got to watch many of them being born and watched them grow up. We even got to milk one of the momma goats and that was yummy. Shelby even bought a kid goat and sold it. She is learning business early!

The kids got lots of Nana time. They got to spend the night and play and work in the garden with Nana. They also loved getting the eggs out of the chicken coop.

Then we met Katy - our pit bull. She was so little! Now she is a big part of our family.

Gator got to try his hand at frog giggin'. He loved it and the frog legs!

We got to fly kites at Nana's house.

Colby got to shoot his .410 and Shelby's .22. They all got to practice with the BB gun and the .22. They had lots of fun with Dad.

Dad and Colby became good fishing buddies. They really enjoyed the many ponds available for fishing here.

And we couldn't travel anywhere and not visit the train museums! This one is in Chattanooga, TN, but our favorite one we have visited yet. Colby got to ride a real steam train, see this real breakdown train, and watch the engine get turned around on a real turn table.

We did so many more things. Like visit our first Mule Pull (which you can see on my blog under redneck category I think.) We had fun here and will never forget it. We have made many new friends that we will have to come back and visit. Good-bye Alabama . . . until we return.

Holiday Traditions

2007-11-15T06:40:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't posted in a week. I've been busy doing schoolwork, packing, homeschool group stuff, and yard sale stuff. Fun Fun! Over at In Pursuit of Proverbs 31 Amy is hosting a contest for a Toshiba HD DVD A2 Player! So I am participating and sharing my family's holiday traditions.

We don't do a whole lot for Thanksgiving but the last few years we have started a "thankful garland." The kids really like this and it helps everyone's perspectives. The first year I cut out about 50 orange construction paper pumpkins. I took green curling ribbon and stapled it all he way around the living room wall near the ceiling. Each day the kids would tell me something they were thankful for and I would write and draw it on a pumpkin. By Thanksgiving we had a pumpkin patch hanging on the living room wall. The following year we did fall leaves. Now that was a lot of cutting!

For the past 5+ years we have done a "homemade Christmas" with the kids. This has been so much fun! It makes Christmas a very busy time, but I like it so much better. It takes the focus off "commercial Christmas" and puts th focus back where it is supposed to be. I make the kids simple homemade gifts. I have done pajamas and a baby blanket, and my husband made a baby cradle one year. Last year I gave my oldest daughter a "mommy and me" journal. I took a picture of me and her and posted it on the front cover of the book. Then I wrote a note to her on the first page. She loves journals and doing copywork, so she loved this gift! For other family members I have painted stained glass windows, made kitchen goodies, and personalized scrapbooks. I even made my mom a cookbook last year full of y favorite recipes and a decopage cover. My husband has made deer jerky too. We have had so much fun!

Another family tradition is the Jesse Tree. Every year we work through the Jesse Tree. It takes a full month, but is reall fun. One year I painted a tree onto a piece of butcher paper and hung it on the wall and then the kids taped the paper ornaments up each night. Another year We used a real twig stuck in a coffee can. I made felt ornanments to hang on the tree. I'm not sure we are going to get to do it this year since we will be on the road. :( There is a link on the left side menu about the Jesse Tree if you are interested.

The first picture is the framed scrapbook page I made for my sister's dog. The second picture is of the stained glass window I painted for my sister. And the third picture is Shelby helping making hamburger meat and summer sausage. Last year we gave away homemade summe sausage. YUM!

And the winner is . . .

2007-11-05T05:45:00.000-08:00

The Pitter Patter Boutique has won the free book Mothering by Heart! Pleas head on over to her blog page and congratulate her. She sells her homemade nursing covers on Ebay. Check it out.

Thank you for all the participants! I love being able to bless other moms and these contests give me an opportunity to do so. Be sure to visit Cooking for Health and Fun and congratulate the winner there too!

Rainy Days

2007-11-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

What do you do when it is raining outside? I am so busy right now with college classes, that I just don't have time to post a lot of stuff . . . so I am asking you guys to help me! I am tagging Something About Arah, Gerlt House, Just Peachy, and My 3 Boys and I! Post what you do on rainy days and link back to my page.

FYI: Don'f forget I am hosting a Fall Y'all Blog Contest. I am really sad only two people have signed up! I will extend the deadline to Monday to give you guys more of a chance. And not only am I doing the book giveaway - I am giving away free season mixes on my cooking blog. I will extend that contest date until Monday too.

Here is Shelby climbing the door way - that is what she does when she is stuck inside. Literally climbing the walls!

This is how Katy, our pit bull, spends her time inside. Looks comfortable, doesn't she?

And this is what I do when it rains. This is my redneck-made indoor clothesline. It hangs in the school/craft room. Lovely, ain't it?

We're Moving!!

2007-10-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

We are getting prepared for our move to Texas and that means we have to get rid of a lot of our stuff . . . again. I have posted several items on ebay for sale and I will combine shipping costs. I will add a few more items over the next week, so keep checking. Thank you for checking it out and supporting our family.

For some reason Ebay is not listing my stuff on one page. Sorry about that, but here is the link:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZfelipsha3

I am also leaving a list here of the items I am selling since they are not all showing up on one page for you.

Wrangler Shirt
2 White Dress Shirts
Ariat Boots
Yoga Conditioning Kit
Denim Skirt
Western Ladies Shirt
Red Blazer
Green Summer Dress

Fall Y'all Blog Contest

2007-10-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

Note: I have moved the deadline to Monday 7:00am central time. So there is still time! Comment away!

I'm so excited to offer another contest. I really had fun on my last contest and I have another mommy book to give away. Mothering by Heart is a beuatiful book full of inspiring poems and quotes for mothers.

Entering is easy!

1. Leave a comment below. Tell me what you love about being a mom.

2. Please make sure to leave your correct email address and/or your blog address (if you have one, if not just make sure I have your email address so I can contact you if you win).

4. You will need to be willing to send me your snail mail address, if you are a winner.

5. Winners will be notified by email on Sunday, November 4th. Please get back to me with your snail mail address by Wednesday, November 7th or I will have to draw an alternate winner.

6. I am happy to ship to US and Canada.

7. And finally . . . please leave a post on your blog telling everyone about my contest! Thanks.

I want to add that I am also hosting a contest over at Cooking for Health and Fun.

Amish Field Trip

2007-10-29T08:24:00.001-07:00

One thing we always wanted to do when we moved here, was to visit the Amish Country. We finally got to go and here are some pictures of our adventures. We were not allowed to take pictures of the people, so these are what we could get.

Here is a picture of all the buggy's that traveled to town and back. They looked like silhouettes against the rainy sky.

Here is a picture of the buggy we rode. Not authentic, I know, but it was still fun.

Here is dad and Tobie riding on the buggy.

Here is a distant picture of one of the many Amish farms we saw.

An unwelcome surprsie

2007-10-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

We have had a mouse problem since the weather began to change. Now we have placed rat poision in all the dark places (where my children nor my dog would be able to get to), but needless to say, we still have a problem. On two other occasions I have had a mouse climb up into my filing cabinet and then not be able to get out. This morning I noticed the file cabinet open, so I closed it to avoid a mouse getting stuck in there again. A couple hours later, I heard scratching in the file cabinet. Bummer, one already got in there. So I opened the drawer in hopes that the mouse would find its way out. I would rather it die elsewhere than in my file cabinet.

But what did I find as I opened the drawer? Two newborn mice on top of my catalogs! They are tiny! I don't know what I am going to do with them?? My kids don't want me to throw them away, but how am I supposed to feed them? And if I do manage to raise them what do I do with them when they are grown? They are mice! Of course my kids want to keep them. Ugh!

They are active little things. Now they are squeeking. They drank a little milk off my hand. I've got them in a plastic tub on a heating pad, covered with paper towels. I guess I will keep trying to feed them milk. Science experiment? Biology? Zoology?

The picture is the babies and Colby's thumb nail. That is how small they are.

Some Pictures of our Adventures

2007-10-24T07:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the dog all dressed up. Katy is so laid back, she just lets the kids do whatever to her. Here Shelby has dressed her in a colorful poncho, ready for a party!

We got to go to a pumpkin patch this year with our homeschool group. The kids got to pet a lot of farm animals, ride a cow train, go through a corn maze, take a hayride to the pumpkin patch, pick out a pumpkin and then paint it. We had lots of fun!

Cooking for Health and Fun

2007-10-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

I moved my Cookin' It Up Blog and changed the name to Cooking for Health and Fun. You can click on the above title and it will take you to my new site. Currently I am posting about how we have changed our diet. I find it interesting, but you can judge for yourself. I will be adding new recipes over the next few weeks.

Family Update

2007-10-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

I have been using this blog as an online scrapbook, but thought I would take a moment to update all our friends and family of our adventures. As most of you know we sold our house and land June 06 and moved our family into a 5th wheel trailer. We have been able to move around alot and that has been fun. We are currently staying in a small house in Alabama, but are preparing for our return to Texas. When we arrive in Texas we will be moving back into our 5th wheel. We really miss our home on wheels and are looking forward to being back in it!

My husbands dream has been to go to Alaska and homestead. You know, live off the land. My kids know all about Alaska: its animals, climate, survival skills, etc. They can easily identify it on the map (especially since there is a large Alaska map hanging on my fridge!). We moved east first so that my kids could get to know my mom. We have had great fun with Nana. But my husband is getting restless feet. (I just want him to pick a state so we can settle down. LOL) So in December we will be moving back to Texas, but who knows where to next! We all really miss Texas and are looking forward to returning, but my husband really wants a place with large animals to hunt and decent soil for gardening. And a winter! Good luck, right!

So that is where we are an what we are up to.

No Training Wheels!

2007-10-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

My baby rode without training wheels today! Being the youngest of three she tends to do things a little earlier in life than the previous two. Colby and Shelby took their training wheels off the same week last year, so that would put them at 6 and 7 years old. Tobie is a new 5 and training wheel free!! We are so excited and wanted to share that with you!

Happy Birthday Shelby!

2007-10-10T07:30:00.001-07:00

I already shared with you our birthday family tradtion, but we also have another birthday tradtion. This tradition applies to all members! On your birthday you get to plan your birthday meal. This meal is to be eaten on the actual date and you can have whatever you want to eat. Shelby chose mac-n-cheese and nachos with chocolate cake. Yum! It actually wasn't that bad. Oh yea, and you also get to eat your special meal on a special plate. Here are some pictures to enjoy.

Tigers for Tomorrow

2007-10-06T21:19:00.000-07:00

We have a fun family tradition. The birthday child gets to pick a field trip type location to go to. Shelby is our horse whisperer . . . donkey whisperer . . . dog whisperer . . .

Anyway the point is that she loves animals and they seem to love her. So she wanted to pick a zoo. I showed her some choices in the local area on the internet and let her pick what she wanted to see. She picked a place called Tigers for Tomorrow. It is a rescue center, but is open to the public. We got to see tigers, lions, mountain lions, panthers, wolves, emus, donkeys, goats, llamas, mini-horse, zebra and camel.

Here are a couple of pictures at Tigers for Tomorrow. The video is of a lion that did not like a little girl at all. She didn't have any problem with us, but I caught it all on video! Enjoy!

Redneck Kids

2007-10-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

The other day, sitting around the table, my daughter exclaimed "I ain't got no more!" I was talking to my best friend, Josh, on the phone and I couldn't put it better than he did. Being the witty guy that he is, he responded with "Quick, get back to Texas before it is too late!"

We have enjoyed Alabama, but we are ready to see Texas again. Enjoy the pics of my redneck country kiddos!

Jonah and the Great Fish

2007-09-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

We started a new weekly project of acting out one Bible story each Sunday for daddy. So today was our first Bible story and we did Jonah. I hope you enjoy.

Drumroll please . . . and the winner is . . .

2007-09-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

I would like to annouce who won my First Blog Contest. Jacque Dixon won both the book and T-shirt! Please check out her blog and say congrats!

Thanks to everyone who participated. I really had fun and hope to have another contest.

Clean Your Room!!!

2007-09-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna solicite help from my few readers. I am a homeschooling mom, who really does love the fact that I homeschool. I know kids will be kids. I know that there are many things that I need to change about myself as a mother. But what I need help with today is the daunting task of cleaning their room. On a daily basis their room looks like a bomb went off in there. This is regardless of its condition in the morning. I have limited their toys to one bucket and a tub of trains. Each child has their own shoe tub, closet space and two drawers. Organization is not lacking - it is there and easily accessible. I just can't seem to teach them how to keep clothes in the drawer, shoes in the tubs, and toys in the bucket. I even printed out a chart of how to clean your room with pictures, had it laminated and hung it in their room! I want my kids to learn how to take a task and break it down into smaller jobs. I want my kids to grow up and be able to take care of their belongings. I would love to hear ideas on how to encourage the kids to want to clean their room. Standing over them for several hours is not my idea of a good day. They have cleaned their room enough times to know how to do it. It is the "want to" that is missing. Grandma? I know you are reading this. Got any ideas??

The two pictures are after "cleaning" their room for 2 hours. I'm so frustrated.

Free Vacuum Cleaner!

2007-09-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

Every mom needs a good vacuum cleaner - including me! So I entered in this contest at 5 Minutes for Mom for a pink vacuum cleaner. Go check it out!

Contest Reminder

2007-09-23T11:41:00.001-07:00

I wanted to remind everyone that my contest ends Tuesday evening. So spread the word and sign up to win a free book and T-shirt! Click on the link below for details.

http://felipsha.blogspot.com/2007/08/my-first-blog-contest.html

Back in AL

2007-09-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

We made it back to AL this morning at 5:30! Boy were we tired. We unloaded the truck and that was all we did today. Tomorrow I will have to get off my butt and get some work done before the week starts. Here are some pictures of our trip.

Here is our first flat tire on the way to Texas.

First state line: Mississippi.

Second state line: Lousiana.

Katy enjoying camping. She was such a trooper. She rode well in the car and here she chose a comfy spot to rest in the 5th wheel.

And finally made it to Texas!!!! Colby's first thought as we crossed the border was that we could go to HEB now - we were in Texas. What a kid!

Our Road Trip

2007-09-11T20:57:00.001-07:00

Well we made it to Texas! It was a bumpy ride, but we made it. Let me tell you our adventures.

Our trip started out with a good laugh. We pulled out about 8:00 Sunday morning. My husband had used our map program and decided to cut across to the freeway. That didn't work so well and we ended up back in the town we started in! So in an attempt to try it again we thought we would go the route we knew well. Half-way to the next town, I discovered that my thoughtful husband had turned off the electricity to the house. Oh no! My fridge!! So we turned around and headed back to the house. So at 10:00 we are back on the road.

But lo and behold, less than an hour down the road we have our first flat tire. So my capable husband quickly changes the tire and we head for the first Wal-Mart for a new tire. A bunch of money later and we are back on the road. Around 5:00 we made it across the state line and entered Mississippi, so we started looking for a place to camp. We found a nice, shady place with a swimming pool! The rv park said they were modem capable, but my computer didn't have a dial-up service so no internet. This might have been a minor detail, but my homework was due that night via internet. AHHH! I went to bed with the hope that I could email my professor the next day.

The next morning we headed out for Lousiana with the hopes of reaching Texas, our beloved state! 70 miles from the Texas border the A/C clutch went out on the truck, melting the serpentine belt. God was watching over us, because the next exit was a rest area and the belt didn't actually break until my husband brought the truck to a stop. My husband called a local auto parts store and had parts delivered. He is so handy - he had that truck back on the road in about an hour! But alas it is now 6:00 and time to find a camping spot. We almost made it to Texas, but not quite.

We pulled into the first rv park, and although it was a bare spot in the road, they had wireless internet!!! I got my homework turned in and I rested better. We pulled out at 8:00 and before we reached the state line we had another flat tire. My husband changed that tire with speeding 18 wheelers flying past. We stopped at the Texas state line a few miles down the road. Oh the feeling of coming home!

By 3:00 we made it to Isaiah's Place - one of our favorite places in Texas! Ahhh! Next we will head to our hometown for a visit and then bravely face the return trip home.

Contest for a year subscription to TOS!

2007-09-06T07:26:00.001-07:00

I love this magazine. It is a homeschool convention wrapped up in a magazine and shipped to my mailbox! Alligirl is giving away a one-year subscription in honor of her two-year anniversary of blogging. Check it out!

The Mule Pull

2007-09-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

Wow! This was so cool! On Labor Day every year a little town (pop. 800) hosts a mule pull. Thousands of people gather around to watch as these huge mules and draft horses pull incredible amounts of weight. I would love to share this with all of you because it was so cool. Words can't explain it, so I will let the pictures and the video do the talking.

This video is of the draft horses pulling. This was only a little over 5000 lbs for a team of horses that weighed about 4000 lbs. They got up to 7900 lbs!

Here is a picture of how big these mules were:

Here is a good shot of the draft horses:

And of course we had fun too! Here is a picture of the local culture:

And Tobie getting to ride a paint (my girls are dreaming of owning a black and white paint, so this was very special):

Happy Birthday Jeff Cook!

2007-09-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

Recently we had the privelage of attending the birthday party of Jeff Cook here in Alabama. Who is Jeff Cook? Well for all of you non-die-hard-Alabama fans (the band not the state), Jeff Cook is the fiddle player from the group. I attached a picture of us sitting around the table waiting for the festivities to start.

What a night! It all started when we went to pick up our tickets, they had been sold to someone else! Jeremiah's boss had bought VIP ($50) tickets, but now all those tables were full! So to make it up to us, he sent us home with Band ($100) tickets. We were excited! We were supposed to have better seats and a waitress. We show up only to discover they shoved us off to the side and the waitress didn't know they were supposed to wait on us. The table sat at a horrible slant and was under trees instead of under the tent. We tried to make the best of it . . . until is starting raining.

Here in Alabama it doesn't just rain, it storms. You can be sitting outside enjoying the breeze and then all of sudden a thunder storm is on top of you and you are soaked before you can reach cover! So we are sitting at our crooked table and trying to get comfortable, when it starts to sprinkle. We all look at each other and think "Oh no!" We grab our belongings and run for cover. We were only about 6 feet from the tent, but we still got wet! Now this storm starts to blow and within minutes the top of the tent is filling with water. Men were taking folding chairs and pushing the water out of the tent to prevent the topple of the tent. We are having to all huddle in the middle of this tent because out here we get side-ways rain. The band had covered all their equipment, but because of the wind they were having to hold the tarps down. Then a part of the trellis fencing fell down. It was looking bleak.

We had ordered the fancy cruisine that a $100 ticket affords (a BBQ sandwich), but they informed us that they were not cooking anymore. Jeremiah and I decided to run into the building and see if we could get some food. Now to get into the building we had to run all the way around, so by the time we arrived at the front door we were soaked. Then the bouncer had the audacity to tell us he was supposed to charge us the cover charge to get in! He didn't. We found a place to stand inside because there were no more chairs. We finally found a waitress that was willing to help us order some food, only to find out it would be an hour before we could eat! Now for a hypoglycemic who has not eaten in several hours - I'm getting mad!

We took off for the local chicken eatery. We ordered our food in "to go" boxes and brought it back to the bar. The rain had stopped and the band was now in full swing again. I sat down and enjoyed my meal. The band was good, but very loud. And we did have fun despite all the problems. But I will never go back to that bar!

Added note: I learned that this bar is now closed due to a fire that happened about three days after the party. Oops!

Frontier Freedom Magazine Is Ready!

2007-09-01T14:09:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share with my friends and family about Froniter Freedom Online Magazine. I am the homeschool contributing writer for the magazine and really enjoy the content of the magazine. There is also an extensive forum available for discussions on anything pertaining to homesteading.

Check it out at www.frontierfreedom.com.

Shelby went to Texas

2007-08-30T18:35:00.000-07:00

Wednesday morning started early - 4:30 am to be exact. We were on the road by 5:30 and headed to the airport. My 8 year old was flying to Texas all by herself. When did she grow up?

She bravely entered the plane, she didn't even hug me goodbye! I was told to wait at the gate until the plane left the ground, so I sat down and just stared. Wow! A long minute passed and Shelby came running out of the plane crying for mommy! With permission, I joined her on the plane. I introduced her to her neighbor, a nice lady named Janet. Janet immediatly befriended her and Shelby felt better. So I sneaked off the plane and sat back down at the gate. I waited, holding back tears.

What a terrible mother I am! I left my baby crying and scared on a big plane. I waited some more, but the tears are now flowing. I watch the plane slowly move down the runway, turn around, and race for the sky. She's off! Before I even got back to my town, she was on the ground in Texas. Wow - the technology we have today. She called me and told me that she didn't cry and she had a friend. She emailed me that night and said she loved everyone.

Haven't heard from her all day. She must be having fun!

My First Blog Contest!

2007-08-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to annouce that I will be giving away a book to one special person!

Why am I doing this?? I am celebrating many things and wanted to include all of you!
1) My new Cookin' It Up! Blog
2) My new bookstore
3) It's a new schoolyear
4) And this new blog page.

I have had a blast building The Zoo I Call Home and am getting the hang of this blogging thing, so I wanted to give my readers a gift. I don't have gifts for everyone, but I can give this book to one special person. This is how this is going to work. To enter, simply post a comment to this post with your first name, link to your blog page, and answer the following question: Why do you blog? Easy! Please don't forget to leave me a link to your blog page! Part of this is to meet new people and visit your blog pages. And if I don't know how to contact you, how am I going to tell you if you win???

The prize will be Mom: A Record Book for You. This is a book to fill out and give to your child. It is full of fun things to tell your child about you and your family.

Hurry up - Contest ends Sept 25th!
Please also share this contest with your readers. I would really appreciate that.

I am excited to share with you that Homeschool Boutique has donated a T-shirt to the winner of my first blog contest!! Yea!! Check it out!

"Excuse me . . . "

2007-08-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

"Your child is standing on top of your truck." Why would anyone think that I wouldn't notice this?! Let me explain.

This morning my children were playing outside while I was in the house. I do check on them and I generally know what they are doing. My youngest loves to climb . . . especially on top of our truck. So what? What is the difference of climbing a truck than climbing a tree? So this morning a driver-by (we live on the highway) turned around and pulled into my drvie to inform me that my child was climbing my truck. "OK, yea, thanks."

This also reminds me of the many times in grocery stores that customers have the great desire to tell me that my child is sitting on the edge of the grocery cart. "DUH, I am looking right at her!" I admit that these activities are dangerous, but how many of us did stupid stuff and lived through it? Kids are active, busy creatures and need to experiment. I am always there with a watchful eye, but I have to let them explore on their own. I could tell them 500 times that they might fall out of a tree and break a bone, but until they actually fall and hurt themselves, they aren't going to have fear of climbing that tree. I am not a child psychologist, nor am I a child rearing expert, but I can decide the limits for my children.

I also want to note that the majority of the "helpful onlookers" are childless. So to all those that feel the great desire to "help" out - please don't. I understand they are just trying to be helpful and are sincere, but after telling the child to sit down in the grocery cart 20 times, I really don't need to hear it from a stranger. And as far as climbing on the truck . . . please. Our rule is she can't climb on the hood - she is ok with that and I am ok with that. I actually think climbing the truck is safer than climbing a tree and since we don't have any trees in our yard - the truck works!

What a hottie!

2007-08-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

Since I laughed at my husband's outfit the other day I felt the need to share with you what a good looking guy he really is! You probably won't enjoy this as much as I do - but you shouldn't! He is my husband not yours! LOL

Daddy's Boots

2007-08-25T05:20:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love them! I had to take a picture of this - it is priceless. Please notice the neon green muscle shirt, khaki shorts and ariat riding boots. To top it off he is working on the computer. What a redneck! I love that redneck though!!! He makes life never boring.

Cookin' It Up!

2007-08-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

My homestead blog is now transforming into the Cookin' It Up! blog page. I will be sharing my passion for cooking on that blog with recipes and tips. Please check it out and taste test some recipes.

If you would like to be sent an email every time I add to my Cookin' It Up! page, then please email me and let me know. I will add you to the list. And as always you can subscribe to the Zoo I Call Home at the bottom of this page.

www.homesteadblogger.com/felipsha

The Funniest Woman Ever

2007-08-23T07:17:00.000-07:00

I have no words. I am still rolling laughing and can't add anything any funnier. The following is this lady's ebay auction (which is now closed). In the side menu look under Neighboring Zoos and click on "Because I said so" to check out her blog page. Enjoy!

I'm selling a bunch of Pokemon cards. Why? Because my kids sneaked them into my shopping cart while at the grocery store and I ended up buying them because I didn't notice they were there until we got home. How could I have possibly not noticed they were in my cart, you ask? Let me explain.

You haven’t lived until you’ve gone grocery shopping with six kids in tow. I would rather swim, covered in bait, through the English Channel, be a contestant on Fear Factor when they’re having pig brains for lunch, or do fourth grade math than to take my six kids to the grocery store. Because I absolutely detest grocery shopping, I tend to put it off as long as possible. There comes a time, however, when you’re peering into your fridge and thinking, ‘Hmmm, what can I make with ketchup, Italian dressing, and half an onion,’ that you decide you cannot avoid going to the grocery store any longer. Before beginning this most treacherous mission, I gather all the kids together and give them “The Lecture“.

“The Lecture“ goes like this…
MOM: “We have to go to the grocery store.”
KIDS: “Whine whine whine whine whine.“
MOM: “Hey, I don’t want to go either, but it’s either that or we’re eating cream of onion-ketchup soup and drinking Italian dressing for dinner tonight.”
KIDS: “Whine whine whine whine whine.“
MOM: “Now here are the rules: do not ask me for anything, do not poke the packages of meat in the butcher section, do not test the laws of physics and try to take out the bottom can in the pyramid shaped display, do not play baseball with oranges in the produce section, and most importantly, do not try to leave your brother at the store. Again.”

OK, the kids have been briefed. Time to go.

Once at the store, we grab not one, but two shopping carts. I wear the baby in a sling and the two little children sit in the carts while I push one cart and my oldest son pushes the other one. My oldest daughter is not allowed to push a cart. Ever. Why? Because the last time I let her push the cart, she smashed into my ankles so many times, my feet had to be amputated by the end of our shopping trip. This is not a good thing. You try running after a toddler with no feet sometime.

At this point, a woman looks at our two carts and asks me, “Are they all yours?” I answer good naturedly, “Yep!

“Oh my, you have your hands full.”

“Yes, I do, but it‘s fun!” I say smiling. I’ve heard all this before. In fact, I hear it every time I go anywhere with my brood.

We begin in the produce section where all these wonderfully, artistically arranged pyramids of fruit stand. There is something so irresistibly appealing about the apple on the bottom of the pile, that a child cannot help but try to touch it. Much like a bug to a zapper, the child is drawn to this piece of fruit. I turn around to the sounds of apples cascading down the display and onto the floor. Like Indiana Jones, there stands my son holding the all-consuming treasure that he just HAD to get and gazing at me with this dumbfounded look as if to say, “Did you see that??? Wow! I never thought that would happen!”

I give the offending child an exasperated sigh and say, “Didn’t I tell you, before we left, that I didn’t want you taking stuff from the bottom of the pile???”

“No. You said that you didn’t want us to take a can from the bottom of the pile. You didn’t say anything about apples.”

With superhuman effort, I resist the urge to send my child to the moon and instead focus on the positive - my child actually listened to me and remembered what I said!!! I make a mental note to be a little more specific the next time I give the kids The Grocery Store Lecture.

A little old man looks at all of us and says, “Are all of those your kids?”
Thinking about the apple incident, I reply, “Nope. They just started following me. I’ve never seen them before in my life.”

OK, now onto the bakery section where everything smells so good, I’m tempted to fill my cart with cookies and call it a day. Being on a perpetual diet, I try to hurry past the assortment of pies, cakes, breads, and pastries that have my children drooling. At this point the chorus of “Can we gets” begins.

“Can we get donuts?”
“No.”
“Can we get cupcakes?”
“No.”
“Can we get muffins?”
“No.”
“Can we get pie?”
“No.”

You’d think they’d catch on by this point, but no, they’re just getting started.

In the bakery, they’re giving away free samples of coffee cake and of course, my kids all take one. The toddler decides he doesn’t like it and proceeds to spit it out in my hand. (That’s what moms do. We put our hands in front of our children’s mouths so they can spit stuff into them. We’d rather carry around a handful of chewed up coffee cake, than to have the child spit it out onto the floor. I’m not sure why this is, but ask any mom and she’ll tell you the same.) Of course, there’s no garbage can around, so I continue shopping one-handed while searching for someplace to dispose of the regurgitated mess in my hand.

In the meat department, a mother with one small baby asks me, “Wow! Are all six yours?”
I answer her, “Yes, but I’m thinking of selling a couple of them.”

(Still searching for a garbage can at this point.)

Ok, after the meat department, my kids’ attention spans are spent. They’re done shopping at this point, but we aren’t even halfway through the store. This is about the time they like to start having shopping cart races. And who may I thank for teaching them this fun pastime? My seventh “child”, also known as my husband. While I’m picking out loaves of bread, the kids are running down the aisle behind the carts in an effort to get us kicked out of the store. I put to stop to that just as my son is about to crash head on into a giant cardboard cut-out of a Keebler elf stacked with packages of cookies.

Ah! Yes! I find a small trash can by the coffee machine in the cereal aisle and finally dump out the squishy contents of my hand. After standing in the cereal aisle for an hour and a half while the kids perused the various cereals, comparing the marshmallow and cheap, plastic toy content of each box, I broke down and let them each pick out a box. At any given time, we have twenty open boxes of cereal in my house.

As this is going on, my toddler is playing Houdini and maneuvering his little body out of the seat belt in an attempt to stand up in the cart. I’m amazed the kid made it to his second birthday without suffering a brain damaging head injury. In between trying to flip himself out of the cart, he sucks on the metal bars of the shopping cart. Mmmm, can you say “influenza”?

The shopping trip continues much like this. I break up fights between the kids now and then and stoop down to pick up items that the toddler has flung out of the cart. I desperately try to get everything on my list without adding too many other goodies to the carts.

Somehow I manage to complete my shopping in under four hours and head for the check-outs where my kids start in on a chorus of, “Can we have candy?” What evil minded person decided it would be a good idea to put a display of candy in the check-out lanes, right at a child’s eye level? Obviously someone who has never been shopping with children.

As I unload the carts, I notice many extra items that my kids have sneaked in the carts unbeknownst to me. I remove a box of Twinkies, a package of cupcakes, a bag of candy, and a can of cat food (we don’t even have a cat!). I somehow missed the box of Pokemon cards however and ended up purchasing them unbeknownst to me. As I pay for my purchases, the clerk looks at me, indicates my kids, and asks, “Are they all yours?”

Frustrated, exhausted from my trip, sick to my stomach from writing out a check for $289.53, dreading unloading all the groceries and putting them away and tired of hearing that question, I look at the clerk and answer her in my most sarcastic voice, “No. They’re not mine. I just go around the neighborhood gathering up kids to take to the grocery store because it’s so much more fun that way.”

So, up for auction is an opened (they ripped open the box on the way home from the store) package of Pokemon cards. There are 44 cards total. They're in perfect condition, as I took them away from the kiddos as soon as we got home from the store. Many of them say "Energy". I tried carrying them around with me, but they didn't work. I definitely didn't have any more energy than usual. One of them is shiny. There are a few creature-like things on many of them. One is called Pupitar. Hee hee hee Pupitar! (Oh no! My kids' sense of humor is rubbing off on me!) Anyway, I don't there's anything special about any of these cards, but I'm very much not an authority on Pokemon cards. I just know that I'm not letting my kids keep these as a reward for their sneakiness.

Shipping is FREE on this item. Insurance is optional, but once I drop the package at the post office, it is no longer my responsibility. For example, if my son decides to pour a bottle of glue into the envelope, or my daughter spills a glass of juice on the package, that’s my responsibility and I will fully refund your money. If, however, I take the envelope to the post office and a disgruntled mail carrier sets fire to it, a pack of wild dogs rip into it, or a mail sorting machine shreds it, it’s out of my hands, so you may want to add insurance. I will leave feedback for you as soon as I’ve received your payment. I will be happy to combine shipping on multiple items won within three days. This comes from a smoke-free, pet-free, child-filled home. Please ask me any questions before placing your bid. Happy bidding! :)

Her auction closed at $142!! Way to go!

I love Goats!

2007-08-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

This year we started experimenting with goats. When we moved to my mom's house, we parked our 5th wheel in the pasture . . . with the goats. This created a problem from time to time, but getting to watch the goats interact with each other and with us was fascinating! Then nanny goats started having baby goats! And we got to watch!! WOW! This was such a neat experience. We observed how each nanny goat would care for her new babies. Some had only one kid and most had two, but one mom had triplets. She cared for all three and they all grew up strong and healthy. Only one was born still-born. I took video of the triplets - hope you enjoy!

Home Sweet Home

2007-08-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that we have been living in a 5th wheel trailer for the last year. We recently moved into a small rental house, but still consider the 5th wheel home. Many have asked for pictures of our home and I would like to share. Here they are:

Outside View:

Kitchen:

Dining Area:

Bedroom Vanity:

Washer and Dryer:

Frogs . . . well toads

2007-08-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

My kids newest fascination is with the many baby common toads that bounce through the yard. They love to catch them and build them alternative homes. At first they were just putting them in a bucket with water. Colby wanted to learn more about them so got out his reptile and amphibian field guide and found common toad. He discovered that they don't live in the water, just like to get wet sometimes. So they turned a wash tub into half sand and half water. As a homeschool mom, I think this is a great learning opportunity! Of course they are kids and would just as much play with them as learn about them.