Getting Hotter

I really believe that every year it is getting hotter here in Florida. I have lived with 20 miles of where I was born and where I grew up all my life and I really feel like it is getting hotter and hotter every year. That may possibly be proof of global warming. Honestly, I believe in global warming.

And to think that it is so hot that the boys come inside between 12 and 1 and they are covered in sweat and dirt. They are pretty much done outside for the day. Shoot, when I was a kid we didn't have air conditioning, so we had just as soon played outside as inside.

This morning we all decided that more cleanup around the barn was necessary. We all headed to the barn and the shade. You walk out the door and it's like walking into an oven. And that is at 9 in the morning. We pulled the 4 wheeler and the push mower out of the barn, hooked the trailer to the 4 wheeler and off we set to load, haul and unload compost. A much better name for our compost pile is Mount Manure. We loaded, hauled and unloaded the compost - 3 trailers full. By that time it was just blazing hot and the sweat was in all of our eyes and I had a salt buildup on my glasses that was horrible.

Tomorrow we go on our very first home school trip. We are meeting people from one of our groups. Yipee - we are swimming!

Biscuits In The Dresser

Biscuits in the dresser! Yes, that is exactly what I said. Not only are was Biscuit in the dresser but the napkins were in the refrigerator. There are some weird happenings around here. Biscuit is one of our cats. Now napkins - those are just plain napkins that you wipe your mouth and hands on at meal time. I think it was Monday when I hadn't seen Biscuit all day long. I thought and thought but all I could remember was that I saw her before I took the boys to day camp. I wondered if maybe she ran out the door. Biscuit always tries to blend in with us when we are heading out the door. I have no idea why she thinks she can pass for one of the kids. I mean really, she stands less than a foot tall and weighs less than 10 pounds. Maybe she thinks she's invisible and just sneak through the mass of legs trying to get out the door. With the boys an myself there are a total of 8 legs trying to get outside at one time, so I guess Biscuit thinks, what the heck would 4 more legs hurt.

Anyway - once I picked up the boys from camp and got them inside, I said "we have to have a cat search". We have them from time to time. Living with 3 cats means that 1 is always hiding somewhere. So our search began. We found tuffs of hair (cat hair) but no cat (these are the tuffs of hair that we have to throw away before they get a name). We continued our search and whoa and behold - MJ comes out and announces that he has Biscuit. We all flock around him as he holds Biscuit while she yawns like she was just disturbed from a long winters nap. MJ says "Momma, she was in my dresser". Oh my - poor kitty (I think to myself). But knowing Biscuit, her yawn was her expression of the kind of day she had. The napkins in the refrigerator - that happens around here, and so does eye glasses in the freezer and butter in the oven. We just laugh and blame it on the gremlins.

Summer Is Almost Over

Or so they say. Here in Florida in the month of August, we break a sweat just thinking about going outside. Seriously, we do. And it's a good thing that we have cloth seats in our SUV, if we had leather or vinyl...we would have fried thigh. LOL Funny how our hottest month is almost the end of summer. We swim up until the weather gets cold though and that could be until Christmas. And to think that Christmas is just around the corner too. Wow, I haven't even mentioned school starting again either. Yes, school is almost here too.
Do you have any big plans for the last days of summer? Anything up your sleeve for the few days left before school starts? We have more swimming days planned. We didn't get much swimming in last week because of all the rainy days. I mean every day it rained and rained and rained. We need the rain though.

The boys were supposed to go to camp this week. JD didn't want to go today because of issues with 2 or 3 kids that keep picking on the other kids. It was his choice whether to go or not. And today when JD and I picked up WW and MJ, we heard all about all of the picking on the other kids is still going on. This is 4-H camp! How can this be happening?! And it is the same 2 or 3 kids that keep causing trouble with the other kids. It has to stop. At this point I am considering writing a letter. Superman is not happy with it either. WW and MJ said that they don't want to go back to camp this week. I will not make them go and be uncomfortable and submit them to being picked on and talked down to.

I did a little more sewing today. I made some really cool curtains for our den. The only thing is - I can't seem to get the bottom material to match. In other words the curtains are kinda like cafe curtains. A curtain at the top and one at the bottom. I am thinking about buying some crocker sack material and seeing if that will match. My batteries for my camera are on charge right now, so hopefully I will be able to get some pictures and show them to you in the next couple of days.

Tomorrow I have a swimming trip planned to the springs. The boys are all excited about going to the springs. They have even ask Granny Karen to go and she said yes. I think the boys finally got their job done for her. WW and JD came home yesterday with a 100 dollar bill. I had to go to the bank today and get it changed for them, but I got 2 fifties and gave them each their money. Now they want to start a savings account. Well I am off to do a little more research because I just came across an awesome homeschool website.

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!

Here Lately

Here lately we have been busy. We have started a club house for the boys. It is a work in progress and Superman has some really big plans for it. But then again, so do the boys. I will have to take some pictures and post them here. It's a pretty awesome project. The boys enjoy it because they get to use the power tools.

I am still working with the boys (and sometimes the neighbor kids) on Summer School. It was a bit much on me and our boys for the neighbor kids to come every day. It certainly has been a challenge with them, but now I can see some progress. Superman and I have decided to homeschool all 3 of our boys. I am not sure what program (or whatever it is called) that we are going to go with. If anyone has any suggestions, they are greatly appreciated.

Day camps start again next week. I am really looking forward to a little quiet time here at the house with the critters. I may even be able to get a few things done around the house, like cleaning. Oh how I hate housework. I could always spend one quick day doing housework and then I could be out at the barn with the horses the rest of the week. Now that sounds like a plan.

We have been getting a little more rain and we are thankful for that. Every little bit sure does help. The grass that we first planted didn't do very well because we just didn't have much rain. We replanted about 4 weeks ago and it is doing really well. I have been using the sprinkler but it sure is a pain to move around over 2 acres. Our soil is pretty sandy so the water just soaks right in. We have had to mow it one time. The boys sure did like that. If they just keep up with wanting to mow, I will be able to concentrate on other things. They keep begging me to go over and mow my mom's grass. We have mowed her yard two times but they want to mow it two times a week.

I am off to do a few more things before I head to bed. I would really enjoy reading any comments that you have about homeschooling. Hope to hear from everyone!

Summer Camp

And they're off!

I finally get a little bit of a break. Well that is what I call it anyway. The boy's started 4-H Summer Day Camp today. They are taking Sports Fishing I. The boy's have signed up for 3 camps this Summer. All of the camps are day camps. This means that I drop them off in the wee hours of the morning (8am) and pick them up everyday at 4pm. This morning they were so excited and full of energy that is was hard for me to contain them.

I have always dreamed of sending my kids to camp. Even when we didn't have children, I dreamed of someday, someway being able to send our children to a Summer Camp. Today that dream came true, not only for me, but for my husband and for our 3 boy's. Of course they have never been to anything like this before. We have talked to all of them about maybe joining something like Boy Scouts or 4-H. Anything to get them involved in that represents something positive in their lives. Before Friday they really didn't care anything about Boy Scouts or 4-H. But that was before they heard all of the wonderful things that the 4-H does and has. That was before they went with me to sign them up for camp. Now it's all a different story.

My middle child said that there was no way he was going to join the Boy Scouts because he did not want to stand in front of Walmart and sell cookies. He was so serious and funny when he said it. My husband and I tried our best to explain that it is the Girl Scouts that sells the cookies in front of Walmart. He still thinks that it is the Boy Scouts. LOL

Ever since Friday all of the boy's are all wanting to join 4-H. They want to join all the camps, clubs and groups that 4-H has to offer.

Me - well I am certainly enjoying my little quiet time. A great big thank you to my husband for allowing me to have this time to and for myself. Another great big thank you to our Gardian Ad Litem for making 5 people's dream come true. Thank you Superman! Thank you Ms. Maggie!