Things Every Kid Should Experience

I grew up in the country and I thought that my parents were so strict because it seemed like I couldn't do anything.  I bet at some point in our lives, we have all thought that about out parents.  As I grow older wiser, I know better.  My parents gave me all they could and that was what I needed.  Today I greatly appreciate everything they gave me.  Yes, even the things I didn't think were necessary.

I was scanning the web today (yes, like most days) and I ran into an article that said "8 Things Every Kid Should Experience".  I read over the list and I thought about my childhood years and all the things that I experienced.  Hmmm...I'm lucky I'm still alive!  LOL  


I would really like it if you would go and check out the link, but just in case you don't, I'm gonna list the 8 things here.

1. Being part of a team
So many kids today play sports and that automatically puts them on a team.  As for me, I grew up on a team.  It was called family.

2. Camping
Can you believe that some kids have never, ever been camping.  We used to camp out in the back yard.  We didn't have a tent but we would drape sheets or quilts over the clothesline.  And I have very fond memories of my dad packing up the car and us driving to North Carolina and camping out for a whole week.  I still have stories to tell about the panthers that were really racoons and the racoons that stole our mayonnaise.


3. Chores
Oh my gosh!  That is a very ugly 4 letter word.  Yes, the dreaded chores.  I had my fair share of them and so do my kids.  But...that's where the team comes in to play.

4. Snow
In Florida?  Once!  And I remember my sister and I chasing my dad trying to hit him with a very dirty snowball.  A real snowball.  Now my sister sees snow almost every year.  And for me?  I think it's snowed one other time here in Florida.  I can't wait to take the boys to see and play in their first snow.

5. Farm life
Pea pickin, garden growing, pig raising, egg collecting, the smell of cows and horses and so much more.  I remember shelling peas during my summers.  I shucked my fair share of corn and feed my fair share of cows and pigs.  But that's ok, I didn't go hungry in the winter either.  Kids should defiantly experience the farm life.  Especially the cow patty fights!

6. A lemonade stand
I don't necessarily agree with having a lemonade stand.  It can just be too dangerous because of inviting strangers to come around.  Ok, with adult supervision.  I think there are many other ways to earn a few dollars and to learn about buying and selling.

7. Flying a kite
Oh yes!  I wonder exactly how many of these I have flown over the years.  And, get this...I still love to fly them.  As a matter of fact, just last summer while we were vacationing at the beach, we flew a kite.

8. Bowling
Yes indeed!  And, ha - we did this about a month ago.  How awesome is that?!

Now it's your turn to tell me some of the awesome things that you have done or would have liked to have done.  It's not too late ya know!

Lazy me

I know somebody somewhere thinks I sit around watching soap operas all day and that I never get anything done.  Well you know what? They are wrong.  Some days I never get anything done but it isn't because I sit around watching soap operas.  So...here is a little bit of what I do...
These things are not in order of how they were done.  Sometimes in a world of chaos, we just take things as they come, order or no order.

We moved a chicken house. 

I crocheted a few (at least 75) flowers for a wonderful person.

We found a corn snake and put him in a safer place.

I finally learned how to make a "tooth brush" rug.

I found a sunbeam in my yard.

We hiked 3.2 miles and swung on a vine.

We saw a Fox Squirrel on a post.

The dog even helped roll the kids around in the barrel.

We rolled our kids around in a barrel.

We stuffed a kid in a barrel.

Almost 50 pounds of sweet potatoes.

Me and the boys dug some sweet potatoes.

The SWAT bus I drove in the memorial day parade.

I bought the piece to fix the toilet.  I was going to fix it but

 my husband beat me to it.

 

The tiny screen from the cold water for the washing machine.

This is what came out of the screen.

This is what it should look like.  No sediments clogging it up.

I fixed the washing machine while Superman was out of town.  This was to fix the agitator.

Halloween

Do you celebrate Halloween? As a kid growing up, we dressed up and went door to door and called it "Trick or Treating". We never, ever did any tricking. Hmmm....must not of been allowed. As I grew older, I "Trick or Treated" a lot less. Now that I have kids, I certainly have mixed emotions about "Trick or Treating".

How about this...

Do you celebrate Fall Harvest? Our church does have a Fall Harvest and it is just that. We celebrate, Jesus and fellowship and the harvesting for preparation of the approaching winter.

Regardless of what you call it, there is a history behind it all.

Here is something taken from History.com...

"Halloween has long been a favorite holiday, a day for trick-or-treating, parties, costumes and candy. Where did these Halloween traditions come from, and what was their original purpose? The one-hour documentary The Real Story of Halloween uncovers the true history of the holiday, from its sacred roots to today's secular celebrations of hidden identity and marvelous masquerade. The special explores Halloween's origins, tracing it back to the Samhain festivals of the ancient Celts, when communities would gather around November 1 to mark the end of summer. This was also the time of year when the spirits of those who had died were thought to return to visit their homes. As a result, ghosts and fairies became associated with these observances, including the Roman festivals of Feralia."

Whatever you call it or however you celebrate it, remember to keep it safe for everyone!

Came to my Senses

Did I get burned out? I'm not really sure. I really just wanted to put the kids in public school, saddle my horse and ride off into the sunset. I'm not kidding!

Then I came to my senses and cried. I cried because I didn't no way, no how, not happening - I refuse to ever send them to public school.

Maybe the kids came to their senses and I cried because they did. HaHaHa
I like that better!

Fun Monday

Karisma over at Karismas Kids has talked me into it again. Ok - not really! ssshh don't tell her
What? I just knew you were going to ask. Well - Karisma is hosting "Fun Monday" this week.

She has even gotten more participants to join in.

Get a load of what she is asking of us...
Your task.........We all know our kids and pets are often a great source of amusement to us at the best of times. I want to hear a funny, silly or just downright cute story about your pets or your children. Have they ever done anything to totally embarrass you in public? Have they done something you thought was outrageous at the time, only to laugh at it later? Have they outwitted you in some devious way, only the way a kid can? Come on, out with it! Lets hear the juicy gossip! For those of you who are too lazy to write, how about posting some funny pictures instead! (Must be of your pets or offspring though!) Have fun with it!

The funny part is that my kids or pets have never embarrassed me. I know - imagine that! But I have come up with some ways that I just may have embarrassed them. When they were doing their silly little things, they had no idea that the pictures and the video that I would take could ever come back to haunt them. But you know what? None of them really read this, so - who cares!

Hold on and be prepared to giggle just a little.

So you have to understand that it just isn't possible for me to get embarrassed. Not living with this crazy gang. I mean look at this. I actually met him at the alter and married him. LOL

But gosh - our kids turned out normal. It's not like they look like the milk man or worse yet, the Easter Bunny!








The one time that I am glad that our preacher wasn't here was the one time that a teeny tiny spring decided to spring to the darkest corner under my husbands desk. I sent the youngest son in armed with a flashlight that is bright enough to land aircraft. He is wadded up under the desk and I ask him if he sees anything. He responds with an extreme serious voice. "Mom, the only thing I see under here is perverts."

He now knows that those are not perverts, they are just dust bunnies.

Snake in the Napkins

Ok - not really. There really isn't a snake in the napkins. I used that to get you interested and so that I wouldn't forget what I wanted to talk about. Pretty smart of me! LOL

Snake - It was AWESOME! Camera? Oh yeah - it was in the house. I have heard a lot about teachable moments. Well today was a teachable moment. I don't even remember what I was doing outside. I walked by our garden and I just happened to see a snake. Of course I called the boys over and we admired it's beauty. I was amazed at myself for remembering the name of it. Oh yes - it was my time to shine! Once we oohhed and aawwed until the snake was tired of us entertaining him, he decided to crawl out of the garden and into the flower bed. I immediately came inside and googled our snake. You are gonna love what I found...

Masticophis flagellum better known as the Eastern Coachwhip and here is another awesome website Coachwhip

I read that the coachwhip snake is very slender bodied and extremely fast. I saw it first hand today. What was the most unique to me was half of it was black and the other half was a light brown color. Interesting indeed!

What a teachable moment!

Oh yeah!!! I almost forgot! Napkins
With times the way they are and money kinda tight, we have been cutting back on lots of things. One of those things that I ranted about the other day was the use waste of paper napkins. Use it once and throw it away. Not anymore at our house. I announced to everyone at supper that there would not be anymore paper napkins bought. We will now make our own napkins and not waste another penny on something we are only going to throw away.
In my mind I had this idea about how to make our cloth napkins. I thought hmmm...if I can google a snake, why not google a napkin. So I did and this is what I found.

Molly's Handmade Napkins and Rebecca Writes Cloth Napkins
I really think that you will love the handmade clothe napkins on both of those sites. I know I sure will be doing some sewing in the next couple of days. I have some scrap material stowed away just for such projects.

Money and more

$700 Billion - How in the world can someone or something get that far in debt? How can it possibly cost that much to clear up a mess? Shoot, when we spill a glass of milk it only cost a few cents. Ok - maybe a whole dollar now that the price of milk has gone up. I just really have a problem with this whole economy thing. Isn't it all just ridiculous!

Me and the boys save some money today. We turned off the air condition and opened up all the windows. Oh it was a beautiful day today. We are starting to feel fall in the air and it is a joy to have it. I'm either getting older or wiser...LOL...maybe both. I am noticing things that I knew about before but I didn't really notice them. Now not only do I know about them but I notice them. It's pretty awesome.

The boys have grown so much! Not only have they grown taller but they have really matured mentally. Some of the problems that we had before are a thing of the past.

School is going really well this year. I am so proud of all of our accomplishments. I'm gonna scoot outta here for now. Everyone is asleep but me and I want to do a little reading.

The Hits Just Keep on Comin

Right when I think that I am finally going to get caught up - The hits just keep on comin.

Honestly they do! I still have a mound of paperwork on my desk. This morning I started going through some of it and I actually threw some things away. I'm sure later on I'll be wondering where they are, but that's ok. I'll just deal with it then.

Over the last 2 weeks I have been really slack in the boys schoolwork. We have strayed from the books and did some fun projects. I sure wish that I would have taken the holidays to do that. Live and learn! LOL

This week I am really trying to get back into the book work. It's going pretty well - so far. Since we had 2 weeks of slacking, the boys ask if they can do this or that. I think I may have made an impression on them with some fun activities. That's not a bad thing! Our homeschool group is really picking up with activities. Now throw up the activities with the Boy Scouts and once again - the hits just keep on comin.
Ok - throw in a Valentine supper. I really wanted to have the kids do some Valentine decorations but there just isn't enough hours in the day. One thing I have really figured out is this...Kids have to get out and run to burn off that energy. Really, they do. I have noticed that our bad days are mostly because they didn't burn off enough of their energy.
Oh yeah - I almost forgot. It's garden planning time. Mention a garden and they boys just go bezerk. Really they do. Is is because they like to watch things grow or because it gets them outside. I don't know - I just like the fact that they are interested in it.
I sure do remember being in the garden with my dad. I also remember all the good meals that momma used to cook from the things that dad grew. Mmmmm - I can smell it cooking now.

Ok - that reminds me that I need to finish cleaning off my desk. Help the boys with their school work and I want us to take a little walk after lunch today. Have a wonderful day!

"Meanest Mom on the Planet"

"Meanest Mom on the Planet"

‘Meanest mom’ sells car after finding liquor.

After finding alcohol in her son's car, she decided to sell the car and share her 19-year-old's misdeed with everyone — by placing an ad in the local newspaper.

You have got to read this! It is awesome! I am so glad that a parent actually took action.

It's Almost Here

Christmas is almost here! We are counting the days down. I'm not sure who is more anxious about Tuesday more...Superman, the boys or me. Me - I'm not really anxious, I'm just thinking in my head of how the boys are going to be, how they are going to act and how their little faces will look when they see everything under the tree. Superman - well this is his time of year. All he can do is call me into any room that there isn't a child in and whisper to me about this gift or that gift and what we should do and blah-blah-blah. LOL

The boys - well that is a different story altogether. They stare with complete bliss on their faces as we tote in packages wrapped in beautiful paper. It's almost like they become zombies. I know that Christmas morning is going to be extremely eventful around here.

Now I just have to wonder...What time will they wake me up on Christmas day?

Busy Again

Yeppers, I've been busy again. Imagine that! LOL

Friday night we had a Boy Scout Yard Sale Organization Party. There was a bon fire with hot dogs and smores. The Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts had planned a yard sale for Saturday and so many items were donated. All of the kids were wonderful with organizing everything. Once everything was organized it was all put into bags or boxes and loaded into all of our vehicles.

Saturday was the big day! We had stuff everywhere. Oh yeah - the forecast was RAIN. We started setting up at 6am. Only 2 of the boys actually got up at 5:30 with me. JD had to get his beauty sleep. That's what MJ had to say about JD sleeping in. I wasn't really surprised when WW and MJ got up that early with me. They are pretty good about getting out of bed.
MJ was wonderful with the customers at the yard sale, he walked around with them and would tell them the price of items. Sometimes he would tell them way too much but the customers would just kinda giggle at him (not to hurt his feeling, but in an understanding way). We were going to have the yard sale between 8am and 12pm, but we decided to keep it going as long as the kids could mind their manners and the customers kept coming in.
Around 2pm things started getting really slow and the kids started getting board. Time to wrap it all up and head for home. And that's exactly what we all did. We made a total of $110 and that's after we bought pizza for all of the kids for lunch. Not a bad day at all!

Sunday we all slept in. Oh how wonderful it felt! A lazy day for us all to recoup from our busy couple of days.

Our Christmas Tree

We are in the process of decorating for Christmas. I'm not much in the mood, but that's a long story. Regardless of my mood, Christmas is on it's way. The boys are so excited about the whole Christmas thing. For them to have done without for so long, they deserve every happy moment that they have.

Friday - All 5 of us went out to eat and then off to buy Christmas decorations. I'm not sure who wanted the most decorations, Superman or the Boys. I think it may have been a tie. We didn't go over board at all, but we did get some really nice things. The decorations that we got are mostly for the tree, we did get a few for inside the house. We also bought a few presents, some of them are for the boys to make for their grandparents. The boys and I will be doing a few crafts for school work. We will all color a few pictures that we can hang up and of course the crafts for gifts.

Saturday - Time to get a tree. We went to a Christmas Tree Farm to find the perfect tree for us. Why a tree farm? I am more an artificial tree person myself, but Superman is all for the real thing. Superman likes the smell, he is the one that does most of the work with cutting it and hauling it, so I am ok with that. What really amazed me about our tree is that it only cost $25. A 7 foot Christmas tree for $25. Now I like that. Especially when the places around town are asking $75 and more.

We walked and walked, looking for the perfect tree. You could tell that most people didn't walk very far from the little shed where you picked up a saw and a cart to carry your tree. I guess the walking and smelling the fresh air was just way too much for them. Not for us! We walked some more. Then we turned around and went back to the front of the property. Then we turned around and walked back down the rows of trees. They were all so beautiful and it was a tough decision.

Finally, we decided on which tree to take home. It had an aroma that was so strong, it smelled of the outdoors and of the tree itself. This is it we all said - this is our special tree. So we start the process of cutting it down. Everyone had the chance to saw a little bit. Once it was cut, we loaded it on a cart and took it to the shed. Once we got to the shed, the tree was put on a shaker machine - this shakes all the dead nettles out of it, then it was wrapped with some type of net material - this is to hold it together for the drive home. We loaded it on the car and off down the road we went.

Once we got home we took the tree off of the top of the car, carried it to the front door and then started getting it into the stand. Once it was inside we had to adjust it. We all worked together to make everything come together nicely.

We set up the video camera and that's when the fun began. Shoot, we haven't even watched the video yet, but I can tell you right now, it's gonna be fall-on-the-floor-split-your-sides-laughing-funny. No doubt about it.

Here we all are in front of the tree. What tree? Next year we may all have to sit in front of the tree, just to be able to see it.

The Taste of Soap

I bet you know what I am about to say. Yeppers - your right. The taste of soap is bad. I have tried and tried to stop the sassy mouths of the boys. JD is the one that has the worst mouth when it comes to sassing. On Monday, I sat a bar of soap on the kitchen counter and I gathered all 3 boys around and explained exactly what the bar of soap was for. They have had to taste soap before, just not with me.

Today, Mr. JD had the sassy mouth to die for. Ok - that's it, let's go taste the soap. More sassing from him. Every time he sassed was one good lick of the soap. He got the bright idea to just barely touch the soap to his tongue. Didn't work!
"I'm not doing it!" Lick #1.
"But mom!" Lick #2.
"I hate school!" Lick #3.
Yeah - it went on. Lick #4. Sass! Lick #5.
A total of 5 licks. After 5 licks he had nothing else to say. Three minutes later, his words were as kind as can be.

For now it is working. I don't know what will happen next time. Only time will tell. I have got to get control now. The longer I wait and the longer I let it go will only make it worse. JD is 12 years old, 10 pounds lighter than me and as tall as me. In a year or 2 he will loom over me. I will look like a little drill sergeant, looking up at him, trying to get him under control. What if he gets it in his head then to challenge me? Somebodies gonna get hurt.

If it takes the taste of soap to get your child under control, then do it. Take time now to get control of what could later become a very bad situation.

School After Thanksgiving

Give em 4 days off for Thanksgiving and they forget how to read. What's up with that? I fear the summer if this is how it's gonna be. Speaking of summer - I think I will homeschool them through the summer, just not as many hours in the day. I'll think on it and figure it all out. Maybe! LOL

So now that the holiday is over, we are back to our normal routine of school work.

I am so thankful that Superman has returned to his line of work. Now he has more time off during the week to help with homeschool. It's not that he helps with the school work so much as helping with JD's attitude. I need help with that more than anything else.

JD can come up answers that are so out in left field. Example: How do humans get their energy? His answer was, "They get their energy from drinking soda". There is no way that was in his Science book. He just wrote something down to get to go outside. He just writes things down without reading or looking back in his lesson.
Because of answers like that, he must write the page number where he found his answer. We have tried taking all of his privileges away from him and giving him a few of them back at a time. He whines and complains and just sasses me so darn bad. Since Superman is home today and there were some issues, we have decided that JD will be sitting on his bed when he is not doing his lessons. That will remain in affect until he gets it in his head that he must read the lesson, answer the questions correctly and write the page number where he found the answer.
That is all I know to do right now. I really am about to pull my hair out when it comes to him getting his lessons done.

Why Mothers Eat Their Young

I figured out today why mothers eat their young. I mean the animal mothers of course. And of course this is a funny and not a serious.

Today my kids have driven me slap up the wall. I think that my head may have actually spun around and flew off.

This is what I have heard today...

Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?Mom?

I tried to pretend I didn't hear them. But it only got worse.
I tried listening to them. But it only got worse.
I tried talking to them. But it only got worse.
I tried and I tried. But it only got worse.

I finally hid escaped in my bedroom. I think they know that when I hide disappear into my bedroom that I need some momma time. They were quiet at little mice for the rest of the afternoon. How come I couldn't figure it out before I climbed the wall and my head spun around and flew off? I don't know. I think moms are supposed to do that every now and then. That way they don't eat their young.

Family Fun Day

I think that every day should be family fun day. I bet you think the same thing. And then again, being moms, we're both saying..."How in the world can it be family fun day when there are piles mountains of laundry." And what about the dishes that someone left? And the muddy tracks in the laundry room? Yeah - family fun day isn't so fun when you think about all those things. I know, I'm a mom too.

Whoa! Hold the phone! Everyday can be family fun day. I promise. Yes, even with the little stacks of laundry and the muddy footprints, the dishes and the rooms that haven't been cleaned since who knows when.
How? Focus on the little things. Whisper in one of your children's ears that you love them. Call your mom or your dad on the phone and say something like this..."I was just thinking about how much I love you". What about your spouse...Put a note in their lunch box or pin it to their shirt. Family fun doesn't have to be going to Disney World and spending thousands of dollars.

Relax and relieve the stress. I did that today for the Family Fun Day at Partnership For Strong Families. The boys had a blast - as usual. I think they may even be in our local newspaper. We left Superman at home because he needed some time to prepare for his new job starting tomorrow. I'll update you on that in a little bit.

We have told the boys that the closer we get to all of these holidays, that the parties will be many. I love all the kids parties! Even us old fogies get to be kids! Isn't that wonderful?

Look Out Cause We're Back

Our HomeSchool Group

Back at the homeschool group meetings again. It seems like forever since we have been to one of our homeschool group meetings. With all the surgeries (grannies, boys, cats) we were not able to go to our meetings every week. Everyone is finally on the mended side, so we are finally getting back in the groove of things. You really don't appreciate something until it's gone.

Today at our meeting there was a reporter from one of our local newspapers, the High Springs Herald. She was pretty darn cool too. Just about all of the kids in the group were able to ask her questions. She also tagged along with us as we walked up river collecting Apple Snails, Shrimp, Snails and many more wonders. We catch, talk about, look at and release.
And once again my camera sat at the house - as usual. Oh but hold on! Our fearless group leader emailed me some pictures.

There is no doubt that we play as hard as we learn and learn as hard as we play. We love every minute of it too!

I Gotta Think Simpler

Will today ever end? That's what I was thinking early this morning. And I was thinking it late this evening. It was one of those days when nobody understood anything. You say times or multiply and I'll be darned if they don't add. You say divide and they can only think of multiply. I don't get it! LOL That's the newest term around here. When the boys don't understand something, they say "I don't get it".

Well. You know what? I don't get it either. Why in the world when I say multiply, would you add? I gotta think simpler.

MJ did this problem like 4 times today and kept coming up with the same answer. Here's the problem...9+8=___
We all know the answer is 17. Right? Right. And MJ knows the answer is 17. Ok - most days he knows the answer is 17.
Today he added and added and added. He came up with 9 every time. We talked about it...over and over. I ask him, "MJ how can you have 9 and add 8 to it and come up with 9". Finally he looked up at me and held up 9 fingers, "I don't know why mom, but today it equals 9".
You gotta just shake your head sometimes and go on. I did - I shook my head a couple of times. I tried every way I knew to help him come up with the right answer. And when the light bulb comes on...It really comes on.

Tonight JD had some math to finish up. He and I were laying on the floor in the den, working on a couple of problems. Yes - it was division. Oh yeah, you guessed it. He wanted to multiply every time. While he was working on these math problems, his feet were just a swinging away. He kept picking up the cat cubicle with his feet. Me just about at my wits ends finally ask him to keep his feet still. He kept them still, for all of about 5 seconds. Somehow, someway the cat cubicle managed to reach over and hook itself on his foot. He started shaking his foot trying to get it off - finally he said "Get off me you foot snatcher". I lost it! I busted out laughing and I couldn't stop. I couldn't even explain what the heck I was laughing about. I would get calmed down enough to start explaining and I would just bust out laughing again. Side splitting, jaw cramping laughter. It took me well over 10 minutes to finally be able to explain what I was laughing about. Yeah they all giggled, but to me it was hilarious. Guess that just goes to show that I really lost it.

Update on Tigger - Put the Cotton Away

This morning I called the vet and set up a 2:30 afternoon appointment. This appointment was for our vet to see the progress that Tigger had made. Tigger has made a full comeback!
The vet was very impressed with Tigger. Dr. Bennett is our vet. I have been taking my animals to him since the early 80's. He has always been very honest with me and he has always treated my animals the way that I believe they should be treated. Dr. Bennett said "you are very lucky that Tigger made it". According to Dr. Bennett, not many animals in the condition that Tigger was in would have pulled through.

Dr. Bennett ask me where the boys were. I told him and his assistant that I had to have a few minutes with some adults, so I left the boys in the car. He was rather disappointed and he even said so. LOL He said that they are very entertaining and he really enjoys them. He said he didn't have anything to give them and then he ask me if they could each have a syringe. Of course I said yes, so he sent them each a syringe.
On the way home all 3 of the boys played with their syringes. They figured out how to make them stick to their lips and their tongue. JD ask me if they could call him and thank him for the syringes. I think we will all sit down and write a thank you note to Dr. Bennett and all of his staff.

One last thing - When I started to walk out the door, Dr Bennett said, "tell the littlest one that he can put the cotton away".
If you don't remember, when Tigger first got sick and we all took him to the vet, MJ said that if Tigger didn't make it, we were going to stuff him with cotton and keep him.

WoooHooo! Put the cotton away!

Pumpkin Carving

I was amazed when our boys told us that they had never carved pumpkins. I am still amazed about it. People just take so much for granted. Such a simple thing as carving a pumpkin for Halloween and they had never experienced it until last Wednesday night.

On Wednesday I surprised the boys by buying them each a huge pumpkin. They wanted to buy one at the beginning of the month, but I have seen what a pumpkin does ones it is carved. They sure don't last long. I promised them at the beginning of the month that I would buy them each a pumpkin when it got closer to Halloween. When we got home with the pumpkins, they wanted to carve them right then. I ask them is they could wait until their dad came home from work and we would all carve them together. All 3 of the boys were just fine with that. After supper the fun began.

MJ and I were in our front room (the one we use for the classroom) with a serrated knife, trying very hard to cut the top off of the pumpkin. I heard these 3 giggling and I snuck around the corner. Superman and his bright ideas - using the electric knife. Smarty britches!




The electric knife thing was pretty cool, but we all got our hands gooey - even Superman.












Let the carving begin!













This is WW's masterpiece!
















This is JD's masterpiece!

















This is MJ's masterpiece!










This is our first year of carving pumpkins for Halloween with our boys. Now it will be a family tradition.