In the Newspaper

We are in the newspaper! Really, we are! But that's not the half of it. We are also on the governor's website too. Here - I can show you better than I can tell you.

Letter of the Week


Success Stories

To help you find us - look for Superman.

Catching Up With Alta

I sure hope that no one is upset with me. I know that it has been some time since I have been posting anything here. Things have changed so very much for me. I mean really - they have changed in ways that I never thought about.

Friday, March 28th 2007 was the first day that I had not smoked a cigarette in over 26 years. That is my official quit date. It hasn't been easy to get to where I am now. I had to pretty much give up my computer because I used to sit in front of the darn computer and smoke like a chimney. All I needed was a picture of a fire on the computer screen and we could have hung our stockings by it. Not any more - I am done with that. Been there - Done that!
Oh yeah! I still crave that smoke from time to time. I still want to run down to the corner store and buy me a pack and start smoking again. And there are days that I could run down to the corner convience store and buy a whole carton, sit on the curb and just light the carton on fire and smoke it like a musician playing a harmonica. But I just go on and get past that moment or those moments.

Since I don't know when, things have been changing for me. I think it may be because I'm growing older. Maybe it's because I'm growing wiser. Hmm...I might need to ponder on that a little bit.

The first part of this year I was drawn to read the Bible. I couldn't tell you why if you ask me. It was just something that I wanted to do, something I thought I needed to do. Get this - the plot thickens. I'll get to it before I'm done, hang on...

I talked with Superman about it and I told him that I had no idea why I wanted to start going to church or why I wanted to read the Bible, it's just that I had a craving for it all. My cravings got stronger and stronger. I am pulled by something. I'm being led toward or to this little church. Brother Andy is the pastor, he preaches words that I understand, words that I am thirsty to hear. I'll get more into this also, so hang on again...

May 2008 has brought me to a point in my life that I thought would never happen. This is my official and legal Mothers Day. What a feeling it truly is. I have my wonderful husband, my 3 boys and God to thank.

I'm gonna change the subject a little bit (sorry bout that). Our cat Dusty is now diabetic and has to take insulin shots. Yes he has cataracts like Jack. Dusty hasn't become completely blind yet but I do think that it will eventually happen. We are going to make Dusty as happy and comfortable as we can until he goes over the rainbow bridge. And just to let you know, if I talk about it anymore I'll be crying and snottin all over the place.

In the past 3 weeks we've had 2 deaths in the family. Both on my dad's side of the family - one of his sisters and one of his brothers.

Now that we are catching up with Alta (yep, that's me), I'll tell you about some power surges. I mean some real doozies too. Hot flashes! I personally call them Power Surges. There is no way in this world that what I am feeling is hot flashes. I'm way too young for that. Guess again! I have to schedule myself a doctor appointment. Somethings gotta be done!

I'll try to let you all know where we stand on home school in one of my next post. In the meantime hang in there...

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?

No Place Like Home

There's no place like home. No matter how near or how far, there's no place like home.
Once again we take things for granted and just don't realize that our boys haven't experienced some of the most common things in life. Security is one of them. Having a place to call home and being able to actually go home. Missing someone or something and then finally seeing and being with them again.

All the way from the airport the boys kept saying they couldn't wait to get home and they were glad to be back in Florida. When we pulled up to our gate the boys jumped out of the car and were just full of excitement. We all grabbed bags from the car so that we could get it unpacked and get inside. MJ and JD kept asking if they could go over and get Mindy, Molly and Rocko. Once inside we sent them on their way to Granny Karen's to get Mindy, Molly and Rocko. Later, Granny Karen called me and told me all about the hugs that the boys gave the dogs. They missed the dogs and were really glad to see them. Our boys have never had a home to come home to or pets who missed them or anyone to miss them. Oh the love that they are feeling now.
MJ and JD ran into the house with Mindy and Molly in tow. It was loud and the boys and the dogs were jumping everywhere. So silly! Then they were all off to fine all the cats. Once everyone was found and hugs were given out things began to settle down.

WW, JD and MJ walked around the house checking things out. Maybe to see if everything was just like we left it. They were really worried about all the animals on Thursday when we were getting ready to leave. They were worried that the horses would starve to death and no one would pet the cats and on and on...When we got back home they saw that everything was just fine and they were ok after that.

I am glad that we have these boys and I am glad that we are able to show them love and give them security. We are not rich in monetary value, however, we are extremely rich in love and value. Families need that more than money!

Birthday Shopping

What a fun experience! This was actually our second birthday shopping experience for the boys. The first one was all organized, by that I mean WW had written everything out exactly how he wanted it and so on. He is our organized one, right down to measuring his room and all of his furniture in his room before he re-arranges it. And to the point that he will drive me crazy with his measurements. LOL

JD is the one having the birthday this Saturday. He is the one that flys by the seat of his pants at 90 miles an hour. He kept telling us some things that he wants for his birthday but he didn't make a list. Finally today he made a list. Why? Because Superman told him we were birthday shopping tonight when he got home from work. So there JD went flying by the seat of his pants at 90 mph again. LOL

So off on the shopping trip we went. WW was allowed to go with us because he wanted to buy something for JD and WW knew what JD wanted. So he was given the responsibility of keeping a secret and playing an adult by keeping the secret. He really likes feeling important like that.

Superman was a real trooper while we were shopping. He followed the list that JD had given us and started thinking about filling the buggy up. Oh the wheels were turning in his head. We started in the toy section and finished in the sporting goods - That's were Superman really came to life, he was in his element. With JD being so much like his dad and having camo as his favorite color, there was no way that Superman could go wrong.

Saturday we will get to see JD's face light up as if it were Christmas. He has made the comment that he has never had a good birthday or a good Christmas. We intend to change all of that for all 3 of our boys.

Oh yeah - another early morning in the morning and once again into the city and into the "Not NASCAR" traffic.

Day After Yesterday

Hmm....Now wouldn't the day after yesterday be today. Yeah, that's what I thought too. Hey - IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! Oh that's right, Karisma reminded me that I am gettin old. Gee thanks, Karisma. Just kiddin! Thank you so very, very much for the birthday wishes.
This is how Superman told me happy birthday..."Last year you turned 45 and you had 4 acres and no kids, this year you are 46 with 44 acres and 3 kids, how's that for a birthday." I thought it was sweet.
We had to buy 2 new tires today for the truck that Superman drives to work. He said that he was going to Walmart and I could give him the grocery list. I thought well heck, why don't we all go and get the shopping done. So that's what we did. Superman got all checked in and the tire thingy going, WW and JD took off together to the sporting goods section and the toy section. Me and MJ? Well of course the tire area is right next to the craft area, so guess where we headed. Oh yes, right into the craft section for about an hour. I love the craft section in Walmart. I think I looked at every bolt of material there. Poor little MJ, he was so bored but quiet the little trooper. While I was looking through one of the pattern books, MJ said "momma, I think we are supposed to buy groceries, not looking through books". LOL Superman joined us in the material area and I said I was going to buy me some material. Check this out - Superman picked out as much material as I did. Now I have lots to sew. WooooHoooo! Yippie! And the boys are at camp this week. I think I'll play with my material.

Ok, I have my material and a few notions, we are off to buy groceries. MJ was a wonderful help today. I think he wants to follow his brothers when they are with us and I think that he just acts out and gets into trouble. There wasn't any peer pressure today and his behavior was more what I expect and appreciate. It's the behavior in public that makes a mom proud.

Unpack the groceries, put everything away and everyone goes their own way. WW and JD off to granny Karen's to help her finish their job. MJ off to play somewhere. Me and Superman sneak off into the bedroom and talk about the boys. Me - oh now I need a little nap, 30 minutes. That's what I ask for and that's what I got. I love my husband! He keeps everyone quiet and let's me nap. During that 30 minutes my mom called but I called her back later. She just wanted to give me my birthday wishes and sing happy birthday to me. Thank you mom!

We sat down for supper and WW and JD kinda looked at each other and then they told me that I had to close my eyes, so I did. They brought in a beautiful little blue velvet box that had 3 tea light candles in it. The best part was the note that they had written to me. It said that I am the bestest mom ever. Those guys are wonderful!

Superman said that he was sorry that he didn't get me anything for my birthday and I explained to him that the property, him being home today, the boys, and everything that they all do for me is my gift. It is my gift from their heart to my heart that is given to me every day.

Superman, WW, JD and MJ, I love you all with all my heart!

Superman Returns

6:30am EST the phone rings. It's my wake up call from Superman. Oh and to think that I coulda slept in until 7am. The additional time gave me some quiet time before I had to wake the boys up. That quiet time is certainly needed with 3 boys, well it is for me anyway. Remember that up until March 20th we had no children and since then there are 3 that are 9, 11 and 13. Oh heck no, I'm not complaining.

I think I got the flight arrival times mixed up. LOL I was only an hour early though, not to bad. I used that time to take the boys on a couple of escalators at the airport. They loved it! And shoot - so did I. My mom went with us and she was so darn funny when she got off the escalator. She kinda did a little hop and then a step. Or was it a step then a hop?! Regardless, it really was funny. Keep in mind that she is 72 years old. I remember trying to get her on the Merry-Go-Round years back and I almost had to drag her to get her on it. She was scared silly the whole time. My dad was the adventurous one that rode all the wild rides with me and got me hooked on them. I'll tell more about my dad in another post. The memories are still very tender to me, so I have to work up the courage (that way I don't soak my keyboard with tears). Back to reality now...I also had time to walk the boys inside the airport and show them a few things. They were able to find the sign that showed the arrival and departure flight numbers and times. They saw a jet taxi down the runway and take off. There were about 25 service men and women in a group walking and we moved over to the side and stood still to let them walk pass. I told the boys that they should show respect to them at all times and I explained my beliefs of the situation. It was all a wonderful experience for the boys and for my mom and myself.

Finally - And to think that Superman would never walk down that long hall. I stood there and said "I wonder where Superman is?". With that said, I saw him. Walking toward us and wearing his Superman shirt. Now how darn cool is that! The boys gathered around me and JD and me started waving. Superman was looking right over us. He thought that he was gonna land and then direct connect me and we would pick him up outside the front doors of the airport. Surprise, surprise! He saw us when he was about 5 foot in front of us. His face lit up and JD ran to him and jumped on him, followed by WW and then MJ. I waited patiently for my bear hug and my sweet kiss. What a wonderful homecomeing for our Superman!

Superman Trips

Well - not really. I should say, Superman's trip. But that doesn't even sound humorous, so I just changed around a letter. I figure what the heck, if the School Board could leave an "s" out, then I might as well use it.

Superman just direct connected me on my walkie talkie phone. That means he is closer to civilization. LOL He actually called me 2 times today on the land line, to tell me about what he found and the offer he was going to make. We discussed the property and in all honesty, I am kinda confused. But with the last call (the direct connect) here is what I know for a fact.

A CONTRACT IS SIGNED

Isn't that exciting?! And to think - I couldn't sleep before. I know I need to go to bed now but I will not be able to sleep. No need to tossing and turning and just messing up the bed more than I do already. Mmmmm...7am sure is gonna come extra early in the morning. I wonder why I feel like I am about to enter in the panic attack world right now? Excited? Not sure. Maybe it's that 7am thingy! Not that I can't get up at 7am or that I don't usually get up early, it's just knowing that I'm not gonna get much sleep tonight.

Sometime this afternoon I pulled out 3 Rubbermaid tubs that are full on my hoards of yarn, material, patterns and just bits and pieces of craft things. I started sorting through it and now it is laying all over the place. Well not all over the place but all over the dining table, my desk and a few dining chairs. I want to organize all of these things, but then I ask myself...If I organize it, will I be able to find any of those things? Maybe and maybe not. Ok, I know what I need to do. I need to sit and just go through some of my yarn, material and patterns. I have a couple of ideas and that is what led me to pull all of it out anyway. So off I go to play in my tubs of stuff. Have a great night or day (whatever time it is in your part of the universe)!

Stay tuned for "Superman Returns".

Boys Will Be Boys

Boys! I love our 3 boys. There is no doubt that "Boys will be boys"! But isn't that why we love them so. With all of the issues or problems or whatever you want to call it that JD (our middle son) has or reportedly has, he never ceases to amaze me. He has to be pretty darn upset for either myself or Superman not to make him smile. But generally, if we keep after it, the smile will peek out from under the frown.
We are gradually reducing his meds. Today I discussed this with his therapist (who wasn't happy about it), but then decided that it may just be time to reduce them and that is just what the therapist did. And - get this...The therapist ask when school starts and so on and so on...I told the therapist that I would be homeschooling JD and his brothers. Well with that said the therapist had to ask me why. Oh yeah, I told him why - peer pressure, bullies, crime, lack of one on one time and more. Making a long story short, when I got back home and checked the mail there were letters addressed to the "Parents of" all 3 of our boys. Here is a quote from the letter from our School Board - "Please only return the attached transfer application if you would like to transfer your child to Florida Virtual School or want your child tranported" to another school (I didn't list the school name). Look at the bold in that sentence. Yeah - I know, we all make mistakes. But really - from the School Board?! One would think that they would use spell check or something.

Today he discovered spitting out the car window. Sometimes I just have to giggle to myself. It's the kinda thing a parent does when they look the other way - that's only because we don't want the kids to see the smile on our face. LOL
Not only did he discover this new thing today, but yesterday he found out that when you put the hose nozzle in your mouth and then pull the trigger that your cheeks pop out and water sprays out your mouth. Oh yes - he just had to show me that trick yesterday. Funny thing is - when his cheeks pop out, his eyes get as big as saucers. They really do!

The last couple of days WW and JD have been helping Granny Karen move furniture, take out carpet and tack strips and paint the floor in her bedroom. They finally got half of the floor painted. I don't know why they are doing it in halves but that's what they are doing. Today WW, JD and MJ all sprayed their feet with spray paint and walked across the painted floor. Don't panic! That is how she wanted the floor done. I think it is a pretty darn cool idea. I guess over the next couple of days they will finish the other half. Once it's done I will have to go and see what it looks like.

Uh Oh! I forgot to call my sister yesterday. I know, I know! Today I called and there was no answer, but I did leave a message. Well - we left a message. The boys and I sang Happy Birthday on her voice mail. It was so cute, it kinda reminds me of the animals in Madagascar singing Happy Birthday. Hopefully she still has her sense of humor and will get a really good laugh at it.

Did I tell you about the ring tone that the boys wanted me to put on my cell phone? We listened to a couple of ring tones and the boys wouldn't have it any other way than for me to have "Bad Boys" as my ring tone. Now they laugh everytime my cell phone rings.

We did get to go swimming this week. Once! A darn thunder storm came up and out of the pool the boys had to get. Today is Friday and I finally see the sunshine. That was some thunder storm. LOL But that dosen't mean this was the last week of swimming. Summer isn't over yet. The rain hasn't slowed the boys down any at all. Since we havn't had any lightening I just let them play outside in the rain. What the heck, they would have gotten wet if they would have went swimming. JD thanked me over and over for letting them play in the mud all week. Summer camp is next week, it starts on Monday. This will be their last week of camp for the year. I will finally have a little time to myself. I'll probably be lost and not have a clue as what to do with my free time. Imagine that!

Today

Today is my sisters birthday! Wow - she must be old by now - 43 years old! Hey, I got it - I think that the boys and I will call her (probably wake her up) and sing Happy Birthday to her as loud and off key as we can. Loud and off key shouldn't be a problem for us! LOL
Oh My Gosh! That reminds me that I have a birthday in 3 days! And to think that I am older then her - schew - only by 3 years though. Hmmm...doesn't that mean that 50 is approaching really fast. Oh well, like I always say - I may get old, but I refuse to grow up!

Our boys don't think that I am old, they say it all the time. Maybe that is because of the way I act and carry myself.
The other day we went to Walmart, and I like to enter the store through the garden area. Walmart has concrete block set up with post sectioning off the plants and patio furniture and such. As me and the boys were walking up to the area, I just jumped over the fence. The boys thought that was the coolest thing and of course they had to do it too. And to think that at the river I am the one to climb the tree and go off on the rope swing. It probably puts you about 20 feet above the river before you plunge in. It's a blast! Once I did it, WW had to try it. Now we both think that it is the bomb! Going off the rope from the ground is like riding the merry-go-round. And of course the other day when we ate lunch with Becky, it had rained and there were some really great puddles in the parking lot. Oh yeah! Splash time!
And there are days when I am out in the yard playing kick ball with the boys. Running around as if I am 12. Superman said about a month ago that he looked out in the yard and saw an extra youngin running across the yard and be darned if it wasn't his wife. LOL It wasn't very funny though when I tried to do some really quick turn and stop all at the same time - I kinda did a split and then fell in two different directions. I didn't know my body could do that. Needless to say that the boys laughed so hard it hurt. Once they recovered from their laughing spell, they all had to high 5 me. Wait until we have paint ball guns and 4 wheelers! They better watch out!

If You Haven't - You Should

Lived! If you haven't - you should! I met with my best friend today that I haven't seen in years and years. We have know each other since we were 11 years old. Becky looks fabulous! Let me tell you - she hasn't changed a bit. I really think that is what I love so much about her. The boys love her! They call her Aunt Becky.
The boys got to swim in the pool while we talked and got caught up. Of course with Florida weather, a thunderstorm came up and the boys had to get out of the pool, not without complaints of course. We ate lunch at McDonalds (not my favorite cuisine by not means). Then we parted ways and promised to get together this week and go to the springs. Oh yeah! If I forget this part the boys will wanna pinch my head off. LOL When we left Micky D's, Becky gave them each a $5 bill. Oh yes they thanked her and they talked about her all the way home. All of Becky's children are grown now and she is a grandmother. Shoot - me - I guess I am just a little late at the whole kid thing. But that's ok with me, I waited for the best kids. LOL

During our conversation today, we talked about growing up then and growing up now. Times certainly have changed. We got into all kinds of trouble when we were kids but it was silly stuff and not stupid stuff. Becky gave me an old picture from 1978 of another of our friends, her and me. It must have been "Old Fashion Day" at school. The picture has survived all these years, including a house fire. I am going to see if I can get it restored. By the way - we have no idea who the goat is.

If you haven't lived your life you better start now because none of us is promised tomorrow!

Another Week Gone By

My goodness! So much going on this week that I can't see straight. The adoption is getting closer and closer to the finalization date. We went this week to see our attorney (assigned by the state) so that our oldest son could sign the paperwork stating that he wants to be adopted. This is a requirement by law because he is 12 years old or older. Also we had to sign the legal documents about their birth dates and their names and so on and so on...Now we have an official court date and case number. We finalize the adoption on Wednesday, July 25th, 2007.

Maybe this is a good time to give each child a name instead of saying our oldest or our middle son, etc...because of freaks that are online I will assign each one a name for online purposes only.
WW is our oldest, he is 13.
JD is our middle child, he is 11.
MJ is our youngest, he is 9.

I have been working in the yard a lot this past week. Moving the horses from paddock to paddock to help save the grass. Superman cut down some low hanging limbs in the back yard and of course I had to get them up before all the leaves fell off. Well I didn't have to, but I certainly didn't want to rake them up. WW really was a huge help. He loaded most of the limbs on the little trailer we pull behind the 4 wheeler. Of course he got to drive the 4 wheeler. I say little trailer, shoot it is big enough that we haul a lawn mower on it and pull it behind our vehicle sometimes. It took us 2 days to get that done and then we had to burn the limbs.

This is the note that JD brought to me while I was

still in bed trying to catch up on my sleep. I thought that it was very thoughtful of WW to write this note to me. When

I called him on the Walky Talky, he was sitting and waiting patiently at their clubhouse. I told him to let me get dressed and brush my teeth and I would be right out.
I had to save this to show Superman and then I just had to take a picture of it for our family picture book.

I managed to do a little rearranging of a few patio stones around the back door. There was so much sand being brought into the laundry room that I thought that our next garden would be indoors. I cleaned the gutters and now they drain like RotoRooter has been here. I finally finished taking apart a couple of palates that I want to do a few crafts with. Maybe, just maybe I can get started on some cutting this weekend. I mowed my mom's yard (1 acre), I mowed our pasture (3 acres), I mowed our yard and the roads beside our property about another 2 acres. I managed to get caught up on smashing the cans that we recycle. WW and I went for a 4 wheeler ride, just for the heck of it. And I ran umpteen dozen errands.
I piddled around and got more things done, I just can't remember all of them.

I finally managed to start the LIFEPAC Placement Test with WW and JD. No, the test that I ordered did not come in before I started the testing. However, this afternoon I did get the call that the packets are in and I can pick them up any time. Things happen for a reason...
When I graded WW and JD's books that they finished, I was shocked. But then again I really have to wonder how many children could have scored the 70 that they are required to score in order to be in a grade level. I started WW and JD on a 3rd grade level and they both didn't score enough on grades 3, 4, 5 or 6 to be placed in either grade level. I don't blame them and I am certainly not upset with them. I know that it is the system and the public schools that are failing our children. With everything that the boy's have been through, I am not surprised. I have ask for some help from other home school parents in my yahoo home school group. And if you have any suggestions, I will gladly accept them.
I spoke to Superman about their scores and right now we are leaning toward starting them both at a 5th grade level and getting them some lower grade work books that may help them advance. Yes, we are still open for suggestions.

I called the home school store and ask for advise and now I am waiting on a return call. I see no reason to test the boy's anymore at this point. I know that they will give me a credit on the material that I ordered and paid for. The credit will come in handy, because I intend to buy more material.

Homeschool - The Beginning

Okay, I admit it. I took the plunge. Yeppers. While the boys were at camp this week, I snuck off to the home school store and started asking questions and I brought home a catalog and a little starting point guide. I have just about worn out the pages on both tidbits of information. The boys found my guide and my catalog and they had all kinds of questions and really showed genuine excitement.

Today I took a friend to have a medical procedure done, had to have my mom pick up the boys from camp because I wasn't able to be there on time. What a blessing both ladies are. I called my mom and ask her to meet me with the boys so that I could run an errand with them. She met me and when she pulled up beside my car, the boys called "Hey Mom!". What a feeling. I gather them up and off we went to run our errand. Oh yeah - that was after I thanked my mom and told her to be careful and that I love her. The boys were so curious about where we were off to. We are off to the home school store. "Oh did dad give you money to buy our test"? "Yes he did, are you excited about taking your placement test"? I could hear a chorus of 3 say "Yes Ma'am". Now that's what I'm talkin about! I really think that their excitement cup runneth over. And that's a good thing.

While we were at the home school store the boys were on their best behavior. I was very proud of them (to say the least). Darn it - they only had one placement test package. No big deal though, I ordered 2 more of the packets. We are getting all set and ready for action. When we got in the car, our middle son claimed the test packet as his. He wants to take it now. Mr. I don't like school wants to get started, NOW.

The placement packets should be in one day next week. I am considering getting them all started on taking this set of test now. There are 5 test books in the packet, History and Geography, Science, Language Arts, Math and Bible. It is the LIFEPAC collection. I could start one on Science, another on Math and another on one of the other subjects. And when the other 2 packets come in, I could continue on from there. One of the boys wants to wait and do it as a team and the other 2 want to get started now. I will have to see how our weekend goes. I think I may just wait on the other books. Then again...I am anxious to get started - NOW.

A Mother's Work

A Mother's Work is Never Done and That's Just Fine with Her.

Ask any mom how becoming a mother feels and she’ll tell you it is the greatest experience of her life. Nothing can top motherhood! Ask her again after a few months of little to no sleep, when her 2 year old has ransacked the entire house or her teenager has just started driving. She may give you an overwhelmed look and let out a heavy sigh, but her reply will remain the same. She wouldn’t trade the title Mom for the world, even on her child’s worst day. Just take a look at some of these real-life examples to see what we mean.

One mom of two, ages 4 and 5, had this to say when asked what she finds the hardest, yet most rewarding part of being a mom.

“I find disciplining them really hard. Sometimes you just want to give in and make peace, but when you hold out, they really start to get it and become better people.

I also love answering their questions, but find them challenging at times. They ask me what certain words mean or why something is a certain way. Often, they're asking about things no 4 or 5 year old should be concerned with. Not that they're taboo things or anything, just complex things that are tough to explain.”

Here’s what another mom of 2, ages 9 and 1, feels makes it all worthwhile.

“The other day my 21 month old was testing every thing with Mom. Getting into things he knew he shouldn't be, throwing tantrums and refusing to take his nap. You name it he was trying his hardest to see how far he could get with me. Needless to say, no work got done that day, the house was a disaster and this mama needed a break! I was almost ready to give up and say "Oh go ahead and tear all the DVDs off the shelf and have fun! Then, he came running up to me with the biggest smile on his face and his arms outstretched and gave me a big hug, patted my back and puckered his lips for a kiss! My heart melted, I smiled back, gave him a kiss and told him I loved him while all the stress and built up frustration of the day melted away!”

Being a mother is the toughest job any woman will ever have, but it also takes top honors as the most satisfying. There is nothing else in life that can make a woman ready to pull her hair out and scream, while evoking an extreme feeling of love at the exact same moment in time.
Moms invest so much in their children, most of which goes unnoticed until they are older. She gets tired, but never gives up because she knows the rewards for her perseverance will be awesome.

A mother’s work is never complete. Even when her children are grown and have children of their own she wouldn’t want it any other way.

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125 Pounds vs 1500 Pounds Times 3

I walk around my little 4 acre farm and I think of things to write about. By the time I finally get sat back down at the computer all of my thoughts are one big blob. LOL Could that be were the word blog came from? A misspelled word like blob. Just a random thought that went through the fog in my head.

I haven't mentioned the name of our children because the internet is not the safest place. I like the way Karisma from Down Under has talked about her family and the names that she uses for them. For my husband I use the word "Superman". Why? Simply because that is what he is to me and our boys. It isn't easy to give our 3 boys names because they are intersted in so much. Their interest include hunting, camo, guns, knives, fishing, 4 wheelers, critters of all sorts, football, baseball, camping, swimming, mother nature, video games, movies and so much more. If I think and pay close enough attention I suppose I could pin point one thing about each one. Now the question is, can I remember them. LOL Guess I better get to thinking and paying attention.

This morning as the boys went off to school, I decided to turn the horses out early. I put up the barrier (survey tape) across our dead end road, opened the gates so that the horses could go from our property to our neighbors property. I come back inside to get the laundry out of the drier and do a few other things inside. I hear our little beagle barking and stick my head out the door to check on her. I take a closer look and see that our horses have past the barrier and are now in another neighbors yard enjoying their beautiful grass. Oppsss. I call and I call and the horses just lift up their heads with a mouth full of grass and kinda grin at me. Silly little things they are. Little really isn't the right word for a 1500 pound horse. But it will work for now. Ok - what to do? Go to the barn and call and call. Didn't work. Grab the carrot stick and head over to the neighbors house. Aha - I got in front of them and headed them out the gate. Good deal! Nope - they go the wrong way down our dead end road. Of course they do, there is always greener grass on the other side. Now I have to cut through the neighbors yard and get in front of them again. I did it! They trotted back in the right direction, kicking their heals as they go. Oh they are taunting me. LOL Now that I have them on the correct side of the barrier, I put the barrier back up and start back to the house. And they taunt me some more. Our little filly just has to walk right up to the barrier and touch it with her chest. Then she keeps walking into it and stretching it and waiting for it to just break so that they can be free again. I head back toward her and she turns with the bright orange survey tape down her side and across her back end. Trots off kicking her heals and tossing her head. Taunting me again. My turn now! I encourage them to go onto the correct property and then I close the gate. No more getting out today. Hmmm...I certainly hope the neighbors front gate is closed. LOL Maybe I should check that out.

Now to finish hanging out the clothes and get started on all the other things that either need to be done or that I want to do. Oh yeah - the gate...gotta go...see ya!

Karisma from Down Under

Welcome aboard Karisma. You can read more about Karisma in her
introduction. She has joined Love Country Living and we are so glad to have her. Karisma is from Australia. I love the way it is called Down Under. Karisma homeschools and crafts. I am very thankful to have her with us.

The Tooth Fairy

The first night that the tooth was pulled my little one completely forgot to put his tooth under his pillow. Yes, I know I was supposed to remind him. But it was so exciting and funny to actually get the tooth pulled that I forgot. Last night I finally remembered to remind him to put the tooth under his pillow. He was so concerned that she may not find the tooth. And I assured him that the "Tooth Fairy" was getting a signal at that very moment. And he looked at me and said "It's you, isn't it". Of course it isn't me, I don't have time to visit every little boy or girl that puts their tooth under their pillow. He just giggled and was at ease with my answer. Off to sleep he goes, dreaming about a little fairy coming to get his tooth and leave him money.

This morning he made his bed and then he came running into the dining room and announced that he found a dollar under his pillow. I said "Of course you did, it's from the tooth fairy". His reply was "Oh yeah" and smiled! My middle son then said, "Let me put it this way, there is no Tooth Fairy". I called his name and he knew that I meant to be quiet about the subject. He is the one with a loose tooth now. Hmmm...No "Tooth Fairy". When his tooth comes out I think he will believe again.

Oh to be so young and innocent and believe.

Today I saw the "Tooth Fairy". She was on the counter at the dentist office. She was beautiful. I had to tell the boys when they got home from school and they had all kinds of questions. What did she look like? What was she wearing? What was she doing? She is beautiful, she was wearing a georgous purple dress and she was napping.

My First Mother's Day

Today was my day! Mother's Day! Today was every Mother's Day!

With this being my very first official Mother's Day, I thought that I would tell you a little bit about how it went.

I got to sleep in, I didn't get out of bed until 9:30 am. Yes, it was nice. Once I got out of bed I could hear all the chatting with the kids. It was a sweet sound for my ears. This was the first time in my life that I have ever heard this sound on Mother's Day.

I started my morning task of brushing my teeth and getting dressed. I walked out of the bedroom and told everyone good morning. No one mentioned Mother's Day. The boys were doing their breakfast thing and going about their morning routine. I checked a few emails and then my dear Superman was starting to get out of bed and move around. After about 30 minutes I had to go and turn the horses out. I thought that I would just kinda piddle around the barn and in the yard, so that is what I did for about another 30 minutes. As I walked around the barn area and the yard, I was smiling and for some reason I felt happy in my heart. A happiness that I never remember feeling before. It felt really good.
When I walked in the house the kids were in their rooms doing something that their dad had them doing. Of course I knew that they were all up to something. LOL

My husband ask me to sit down and then he called in the boys. He huttled with them a second or two and then they ran off just a giggling. Then they all came back and presented me with the most adorable hand written cards. The youngest had made a gift in art class for me. They presented me with all the cards, a white paper bag and a little box.

I read the cards from each of the boys and cherished every word that was written, no matter how it was spelled. Then I opened the little white paper bag and inside was beautiful blue tissue paper. I teased them and ask if there was anything in there that would bite me. They giggled. Then I ask if I had to feed or water it. And they giggled even more. Finally I opened the little white paper bag and pulled out the beautiful blue tissue paper. I opened the tissue paper and wrapped inside was a beautiful little lady bug pin. Oh boy - now the eyes begin to swell with tears. Knowing that lady bugs are a sign of good luck and that the lady bug is used as the symbol for adoption, I knew that everything was coming together. I opened the box from my husband and the boys and inside was my gift card to my favorite store - Barnes & Noble Book Store. Loving the feeling of being a mom and loving what Mother's Day meant. All of the boys ended up in my lap with hugs and kisses and giggles.

Later in the day we all took a ride to the ocean. On the way to the ocean, we rode through the woods and looked at dear tracks. We talked with the kids and showed them how to spot a dear track. They loved it. My husband loved it. And, I loved it.

What a simple, joyous, wonderful day today was. My first Mother's Day.