Next Stop, MLB

Rey – Midget T-ball, 2010

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday – Think He Needs More Brothers?

Yes, this photo will probably come back to haunt him someday, but this is *proof* that there are just not enough boys in this family – at least not enough that are close to Rey’s age. The poor child; a three-year-old with his closest siblings being 5, 7, and 8 year old SISTERS, endures many hours of tea parties, make-overs, and playing dress-up (princess-style) — and he *enjoys* it! (He especially relishes in having his toenails painted — he’ll even sneak the nail polish to paint his OWN!)

There is a REASON I am signing him up for peewee t-ball this season. Is it too early to buy him his own set of power tools?

Wordless Wednesday – Mmmmm

Wordless Wednesday – Greenery

Wordless Wednesday – Springtime

Homeschool Memoirs – A Thankful Heart

The homeschool memoirs theme this Thanksgiving week is, appropriately, “A Thankful Heart”, where we are asked to list 27 things to be thankful for. Here are 27 of mine:

1. Jesus – for saving me.
2. Sunshine
3. My home – after losing our home in 2004, and spending the next four years renting and moving multiple times, 2008 marks the year that we were once again blessed with the opportunity to purchase our own place to call home.
4. My husband, who works extremely hard to provide for us. He is gone over 11 hours a day for his full-time job, then does extra work on the side to make ends meet.
5. Great Friends!
6. The freedom to homeschool. There are so many freedoms we take for granted in this country, and this one is substantial. We have the rights (for now), as parents in this country, to education our own children in the manner that we deem the most appropriate.
7. The freedom to worship as we choose. I am thankful to not be living under persecution; to have the right to attend church, read the Bible, and to legally and openly live my life as a Christian.
8. Soldiers. I am thankful for those who give freely of their time, and even their lives; sacrificing their comforts and time with their own families to make sure that we, my family, can continue to enjoy our freedoms.
9. A paycheck. As previously mentioned, Rob works very hard, but in this economy, jobs are hard to come by. Businesses are shutting down and contracts are going away — and the new jobs just aren’t out there. We have spent more than one Christmas season with no income. We have lost a home to a previous job loss. So I can’t be more thankful than I am for having a paycheck to deposit every two weeks.
10. Our little one in utero. I honestly thought our “baby days” were over, so news that we were again expecting came as a big pleasant surprise. I am delighted by every one of her little movements to remind me that after Christmas, I will once again be snuggling with a newborn.
11. Warm weather. As I wake up in an un-seasonably cold house this morning (36 degrees outside, brrrr!), I am thankful to be living in Florida, where I know it is just a cold snap — rather than in a frigid northern climate where 36 degrees would be a warm day.
12. Animals. I love animals, and feel very blessed for the wildlife that God has provided for us to enjoy. We have a “pet” raccoon who visits every evening – sometimes with her four babies. We enjoy watching the deer and the sandhill cranes when they visit our back yard. They are all just such beautiful creatures and bring us lots of joy!
13. Nature. We are so blessed by our natural surroundings. Can you imagine what the landscape would look like without something as simple as trees and flowers?
14. Books. I know, I am a bit obsessed with books, but I feel genuinely blessed to be living in a time period in which we are able to obtain books. I am thankful for the printing press. I am thankful that we need not have to use scrolls, or <gulp> have no access to the written word at all!
15. Computer. The computer has changed my life in so many ways. I don’t know how I spent the first 28 years of my life without it. It has simplified my life, been such a terrific time-saver and money-saver, put an entire world of resources and reference at my fingertips, and opened up a vast network of friends that I otherwise would have ever met. I even had a child whose LIFE was saved, due to someone I met online (Hi Christie!).
16. Other modern technology that we so often take for granted, like electricity, telephones, the dishwasher, hot water heater, air conditioning, indoor plumbing, gas and electric kitchen appliances, vehicles, washer and dryer, and so much more….
17. The Ocean. I just love the ocean!
18. The ability to use my five senses to be able to appreciate all of creation to its fullest.
19. Audrey, and the way she stands steadfast in her beliefs.
20. “Gator”, and his love for cooking and take-charge attitude (can you believe he already has a few of the Thanksgiving dishes already prepared and in the refrigerator waiting to be cooked?)
21. “Ant”, and his willingness to bake treats for his mama.
22. “Dinky”, and her encouragement, general good attitude, and helpfulness.
23. “Lefty”, and his intense love for wildlife
24. “Boo”, and her femininity
25. “Cricket”, and her inquisitiveness
26. “Curly-Top”, and her energy and “spark”
27. “Rey”, and his cuteness and ability to make me smile

Psalm 95:1-6
“O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.”

Wordless Wednesday – Serenity

Homeschool Memoirs: “Mom” Help

The theme for Homeschool Memoirs #13 is “Mom” Help, asking the question, “What do you do when you need to clear your head and take a breather?“

For *me* the answer is always “the great outdoors”. I tend to get cabin fever easily, and when I really need to unwind, I head outside. In fact, I head outside at every given opportunity, even opting to do school work outside when possible. Weather permitting, every afternoon we either take a walk, hit the nature trail, head to playground, or splash in the pool. Other times, when I am just *totally* exhausted, I will sit on the front porch rocker and watch the children ride their bikes or skate out front. The key is sunshine and fresh air.

Another wind-down time for me is in the evening. I am VERY serious about children going to bed at a certain time so I can get that “me” time at the end of the day. Without that time, I have difficulty even winding down enough to go to sleep. What do I do with that time? On the occasions that my brain hasn’t already turned to mush, I catch up on email, check facebook, read blogs, or catch up on a large family message board that I am a part of. On the other occasions (such as lately), when my mind is too far gone to concentrate, I veg in front of the television or play a mindless game on the computer — something that requires little to no thought, such as Peggle, Bejeweled, or MadCaps.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Great Snacks for Autumn

 

The theme for Homeschool Memoirs #7 is “Snack Foods”, where Jocelyn requests:

There are so many different kinds of snack foods, store-bought and homemade, and I would like to invite you to share what snack foods your family usually snacks on throughout the week. You’re welcome to make season lists too. I know there are different meals we eat during the colder seasons than we do in the warmer ones, and I imagine there are also seasonal snack foods as well.

In answer to this request, we are not big “snackers”, although we do always keep a big bowl of fruit on hand — apples, bananas, grapes, pears…Mmmmm. Having fresh fruit readily available at all times greatly discourages “snacking” on such non-healthy items as chips or cookies.

For a special treat, however, the Cookie Queen (aka Dinky Tumblina) will make up a batch of her FANTASTIC chocolate chip cookies. When I say Cookie “Queen” — I mean it. She has spoiled me. Her cookies are *the* best. Whenever I try to eat other cookies now, I am left feeling dis-satisfied. (And no, she won’t share her recipe. I have asked. Her brothers have begged. She chooses to keep it “her secret”.)

As for autumn, there are a few “comfort” (although not quite so healthy) snack foods that we just can’t really don’t want to live without:

Kettle Corn

Originally posted on Nov. 10, 2005

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Place the popcorn and sugar in a large pot with vegetable oil. Over a medium heat, begin to pop the popcorn.
Constantly shake the pot to ensure that the popcorn kernels and oil do not burn. Once the popping has slowed, remove the pot from heat.

Caramel Apple Dip

This is a delicious way to serve apple slices!

16 servings

Ingredients:

32 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/2 cup water
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 cup brown sugar

Directions:

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, or in the microwave, melt caramels with water, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar. Fold in caramel mixture. Serve immediately.

Apple Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1/3 cup apple juice
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped apples
1 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Cream together shortening and brown sugar. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt and spices until dampened. Stir until smooth. Mixture will be very thick.
2. Stir in nuts, apples and raisins.
3. Drop by tablespoon 2 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in a 400 degree F (205 degrees C) oven. Let cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet.

Protected: Welcome Fall…Goodbye Summer

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Struggles in the Homeschool

I believe the powers-that-be over at the Blogger Friend School got their assignment dates mixed up, because it was that first week of the assignment that I was really wading through the mud. Now I’m sailing along, to the best of my ability, and the current assignment is based on struggles.

 Assignment: This would be a good week to tell about your worst struggles with a lifestyle of homeschooling.  Tell about something you’ve struggled with and how God’s mercies gave us the strength to get past it.  Also, share any curriculum/homeschool methods that have been a relief to you, i.e., a particular Teacher’s Manual or Homeschooling method that’s been easier for your family.  Talk about how you felt when the burden was lifted and Oh, What a Relief it is!

I blogged, back in 2006, about a particular struggle I had and how it was overcome. It was a matter of focus; that is, having the WRONG focus, and how it was changed, primarily through a series of moves/being uprooted…as in multiple times in a very short timespan. (The title of that post: “Back to School” – January 4, 2006).

This has remained a struggle over the years (and yes, even through our 8th move in 4 1/2 years) — keeping everything in the proper perspective. By nature I am an extreme “Type-A” personality. I thrive on organization, lists….order — and when circumstances don’t permit me to maintain the level of order that I feel I need, I *stress*. BUT, that is, as it was back in 2006, an example of putting my focus on the wrong thing(s).

I need those constant reminders….

Matthew 6:19-21
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,
where moth and rust doth corrupt,
and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt,
and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Where is your treasure? Is it in the schedules or the grades…the academic achievements…the meeting of state standards? Or is in the hearts of your children…their characters…their souls?

Best Curriculum = Lifestyle learning + Love.

Blog Trip: Days Three and Four

I never made it back “on the road” for yesterday’s (day three) blog trip…so today is a two-fer.

When visiting the Tampa Bay area, there are some definite “must tries” when it comes to eating establishments.

I tend to avoid chain restaurants, preferring to give my business to “Mom-and-Pop” establishments. Here are some of my faves:

Salt Rock Grill

Visiting the gulf beaches for the day? After a day of sun and surf, stop by the Salt Rock Grill for some wonderful steak and seafood. When we lived down at the beach, this was our favorite “date night” restaurant. My husband proclaims their Filet Mignon kabobs (available on the early-bird dinner menu) to be the BEST meat he has ever eaten).  I am a vegetarian/pescatarian, so I am more partial to their grouper and tilapia.

Although this restaurant is a bit pricey (like I said, it’s a DATE NIGHT restaurant — not a place to take nine children), it offers the best food available at the beach, ambiance, great service, and waterfront dining.

Candy Kitchen

It sure doesn’t look like much, but if you are spending the day at the gulf beaches, this little “hole-in-the-wall” candy shop should definitely be on your list of places to visit.

Located in Madeira Beach, FL., the Candy Kitchen isn’t just a candy store. Although they have a huge selection of unique candies…even all of those retro candies you didn’t even know still existed — it is the ice cream that keeps us coming back. The Candy Kitchen has been making their own homemade ice cream, fudge, and Italian Ices since 1950 — and the ice cream is to die for. And did I mention it isn’t necessary to rob a bank in order to treat a family of 11 to a cone? The prices are the best I have seen since the 70s (sure beats Baskin-Robbins), and the servings are large — in fact, I usually get the kiddie cone, and it is more than enough.

Be prepared to wait in line though. Word has gotten out about the Candy Kitchen, so it is always crowded. Best to go before sunset, or you’ll find no parking and a line of people about 60 deep (no kidding).

Christo’s Family Restaurant:

If you wander north of the tri-cities (Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater), and find yourself in Pasco County, you must try Christo’s Family Restaurant. They are just that: a family restaurant. It is owned by one family, and several different members of the family work there. With the actual owners operating the restaurant, you can be assured always of only the best food and customer service. And the service is friendly (a rare find these days).

Although not a “fancy” restaurant, the atmosphere at Christo’s is pleasant. Children are always welcome. The menu selection is ENORMOUS (featuring Greek, Italian, and American fare)…and very affordable. The portion sizes are large (most meals include bread, salad, a side, and a dessert), and everything is made fresh to order. Want something that isn’t on the menu? Just ask and they will do their best to accomodate.

Best Pizza:

I am a pizza girl. Although not kind to my waistline, pizza happens to be one of my greatest weaknesses, so as you can imagine, I have scoped out just about every pizza joint in the Tampa Bay area in the 3 1/2 years I have lived here. And the winners are:

Thick Crust: For the best deep dish pizza, you need to travel up to Hernando County, FL., to the small town of Brooksville, where you will find a small Italian restaurant tucked into a strip mall. The name? Besta One Italian Restaurant. Although their offering of Italian cuisine is delicious as well (I LOVE the eggplant rollatini), their thick crust Sicilian pizza really is the best, beating out even my previous favorite, Giordano’s. The one “con” regarding Besta One – price. They are a bit pricey for our budget if you are ordering an entree…BUT *one* of the large Sicilian pizzas will feed our family of 11. One piece will fill you up. Cost for one pizza? – less than $25.

Thin Crust: Two thin crust pizzas stand out to me: Ledo’s in Tampa, FL. and Guido’s in Spring Hill, FL. Both restaurants are low on ambiance, moderate on prices, friendly in service, and serve a tasty, crunchy thin-crust pizza.

At the Beach: If, after a day of playing at the beach, you find yourself with a craving for pizza, check out Original Pizza of Madeira Beach and Treasure Island. In all honesty, the pizza is just so-so, in my opinion. Not bad, but not something to write home about. BUT, it is the best at the beach. The service is great, it’s convenient, and they have wonderful garlic toast.

Argento’s Italian Bistro & Pastry Shop

If you want *the best* Italian cuisine in Florida, again, you have to take a little road trip — up to the small town of Hudson in Pasco County. Now, I still maintain that Besta One has great Italian food, and Christo’s offers the best value, BUT no one beats Argento’s. The service is wonderful, and, in additional to delicious Italian entrees (I like the eggplant), is the bakery/pastry shop. (Need I really say more?) No more paying $6 for a tiny piece of cheesecake for dessert. Simply stroll over to the bakery display case to choose your selection of fresh-baked inexpensive treat. The only downfall to Argento’s — they charge for plate-sharing. I HATE it when restaurants do this. My husband and I *always* share an entree because we choose to eat in reasonable portions. Should we be penalized for it? I mean, it isn’t costing them anymore for us to do this! — it’s the same amount of food! How much does it cost for them to wash one extra plate?! Sorry – soapbox issue for me.

Shopping, huh? Where to shop?  Well, 95% of my shopping that isn’t done online is done at Kohl’s, Beall’s, Target, Save-a-Lot, Publix, Sam’s Club, and Costco. That’s about it. I am not much of a mall person; malls just don’t fit well with nine children (can you say chaos?).

Occasionally, however, we will stop by some of our favorite touristy kind of shopping arenas. These aren’t typically the places where we buy anything, unless we are looking for something out of the ordinary, but rather these are the fun “browsing” areas. Of course they have to be kid-friendly, so I will highlight my children’s favorite shopping areas:

The Sponge Docks of Tarpon Springs:

The Sponge Docks of Tarpon Springs is the hub of the local Greek community. Here you can shop for all sorts of quality sponges, homemade Greek soaps (made of olive oil or goat’s milk — it’s where I buy ALL my soap), and other local and Florida-themed merchandise. There are many gift shops and specialty shops, Greek bakeries (Mmmm) & markets, fabulous Greek restaurants, boat tours (including sunset cruises), and trolley tours. It is a great place for homeschoolers to go to learn the history of sponge diving as well. It is one of my children’s favorite places to visit.

John’s Pass

While visiting the gulf beaches, John’s Pass of Treasure Island offers a nice little shopping district, complete with a boardwalk, where one can often see dolphins playing and egrets fishing in the intercoastal waterway. At John’s Pass you will find restaurants, gift shops, art galleries, souvenir shops, as well as boat and jet ski rentals. It’s your typical touristy spot. What can I say?

One of my favorite stores is the Bronze Lady, offering gifts, collectibles and art, a very friendly staff, and one of the few stores which still allows for lay-aways. I bought my absolutely favorite piece of (Gene Rizzo) art there.

One store to avoid at all costs in John’s Pass though, is Grandma and Grandpa’s Puppets. Grandma and Grandpa? The owners are more like the grandma and grandpa from h*ll. I have never seen such unfriendly, bitter people in my entire life! — if you own a toy store, it should be a pre-requisite that you also like children…or at least pretend to.

My children’s favorite thing about John’s Pass? – Its close proximity to the aforementioned Candy Kitchen!

Baywalk/The Pier

I guess I kind of lump these together, the Baywalk and the St. Petersburg Pier, when I think about downtown St. Petersburg. Both are touristy little shopping spots complete with unique “goods” and overpriced restaurants — but the window shopping is so much fun! And when we visit one, we generally visit the other. Park and walk, or take the free pier trolley — either way, downtown St. Petersburg has much to offer, including a small beach, a playground, museums, the (small) pier aquarium, and numerous festivals and festivities throughout the year (many of them free!).

Honorable Mentions:

 The Channelside District of Tampa (near the Florida Aquarium), Old Hyde Park of Tampa, and Ybor City of Tampa.

Blog Trip: Day Two

It’s blog trip day two and, out of respect for following the rules, this will be the most boring blog post you have ever read. (Fair warning) That’s because I don’t know the answers to the questions!

Since this is our own twist on a Road Trip … of course we want to know how much Gas is in your area.
Some ideas to consider:
- post how much gas is in your area
- You can even take a photo of how much gas is where you usually fill up your tank
- You can also blog about what you do to save on “gas” – like, do you walk to the store instead of driving when you can?

Umm…I have no idea. I don’t pump the gas. I rarely drive, and I haven’t left the neighborhood since Saturday, at which point I really didn’t pay attention. I do know that Rob filled both vehicles up on Saturday morning because Gustav was sending gas prices up. I also know that, since we drive a big 15-passenger van with a 30 (or is it 35?) gallon tank, we often debate taking out a second mortgage every time it’s fill-up time. I also know that recently Rob started adding acetone to the tank when he fills up and that has increased his gas mileage significantly. But, as far as gasoline in central Florida is concerned, that’s all I know.

Sheer Exhaustion

*SIGH* Ever have one of “those days”? I wish the Blogger Friend School Assignment wasn’t today, because I want to be upbeat and positive about our homeschool, and today is one of those days when I just want to crawl into bed and not get back up. I have managed to get all of the “basics” done, except for Lefty’s English — I’ll get to it later…but I haven’t gotten any Konos or Tapestry done today.

I’m in a fog. I’m not getting much sleep these days. In fact, I wake up feeling like I haven’t slept at all. Then to make matters worse, today my ten-year-old daughter decided to wake up at 4am. She couldn’t get back to sleep, so she started talking to *me*. I am not a morning person when it is TIME for me to be up, let alone hours before that time, and after having gotten only a couple of hours of sleep to begin with. So today I have been sleepy, and angry, and irritable, and exhausted, and feeling overwhelmed.

….and it’s when I feel like this that the children purposely push my buttons — arguing, bickering, picking at each other, not doing chores, losing their English book and not even pretending to be concerned enough to even go look for it.

I tried to nap – I begged them for just a half hour. That didn’t work. Even with a pillow over my head, the escalating noise in the next room wouldn’t allow it. So I am up…and stewing…and blogging in an attempt to keep from bawling.

So…the blogger friend school assignment for today…

Assignment: Take time this week to write about YOU and your feelings of trials and triumphs with homeschooling.  Touch on when you first heard about the concept of home schooling and whether you tip-toed into the idea or just jumped in and never looked back.  Share your schooling as a child and how you compare it to what your goals are for your children.

How about I just write about the *trials* right now (like today), because I don’t feel very triumphic. As a long-time homeschooler (what has it been now? 11 years?), I am the cheerleader…always trying to encourage everyone else in their homeschooling endeavors — but today…and possibly for the rest of this very exhausting pregnancy, I think *I* need some encouragement. Sorry to be a downer.

But…in all things I will praise God. My praise for today is that I live in a free country that even gives me the option of homeschooling. Whether or not we get much done in a given day, it (my children being here at home, together) is better than the alternative.

Now…off to find some toothpicks to hold my eyelids open.

Isaiah 40:29-31

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Why I Do What I Do:

Blog Trip: Day One

It’s Day One of the Blog Trip hosted by MommyCommunity, and I shall begin the trip with an introduction:

About Me:

My name is Janne (pronounced “Jan”) and I am a Christian homeschooling mother of nine children  – with number 10 due to arrive in January. I am originally from Indiana, but consider myself a southerner, having lived most of my adult life (from the age of 19) first in Tennessee, then in Alabama. We moved to the Tampa Bay area of Florida 3 1/2 years ago, and although I LOVE the beaches and the Florida winters, I miss the “true South”.

Some Photos from my “neck of the woods”:

A local resident: Mote Marine Aquarium in Sarasota, FL

A sunset over Redington Beach, FL

Exploring downtown St. Petersburg, FL via trolley

Strawberry picking in Dade City, FL

 

The Local Wildlife:

(Disclaimer: My apologies if you have seen these photos previously posted on my blog. They are some of my favorite “life in Florida” snapshots, so I am sharing them again).

Blogger Friend School Starts Back this Week

…and this year, they are beginning with a giveaway!

Blogger Friend School is having a
BACK TO SCHOOL GIVEAWAY!

August 25th – October 6th, 2008

In honor of BFS’s 3rd year together, we have put together a Nature homeschool package and want to give all our Blogger Friend School students a chance to win!

Come join our class in 2008/09! Make new friends and enter to win!

Homeschool Memoirs – Agendas

The theme for the second week of Homeschool Memoirs is “Agendas”:

This week’s theme is about sharing your 2008-09 homeschool agendas and plans. You’ve been preparing your plans for sometime and you’re ready to go. Or you’re still in the planning-stage and need some inspiration or tips on what to use. Because many use different curriculum and methods there is always something new to be gleaned from other homeschoolers. It’s always fun and interesting to see what other’s are using and the WWWWH as Robin Sampson suggests. So this week I hope you will share what you’re doing this year for your homeschool agenda. Share the different curriculum you’re using. You can also include what age/grade you’re using it for, how long you’ve been using it, and why you like it.

Well, if you are a regular reader of my blog, you are probably aware that I just shared on this very topic quite recently; so recently, in fact, that to spare y’all any repetition, I will just invite you, and all of my new “class mates”over to that post: Back to (Home)School.

Protected: Homeschool Memoirs – All About Me

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Protected: Wordless Wednesday – Dolphin Surfing

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Protected: Wordless Wednesday – Focus

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password: