I'm bored!

The kids all went back to school today and I have 30 loads of laundry to do, things to put away from the weekend and my house really needs to be cleaned and yet, I feel very bored! What should I do with my extra time? So, I'm taking some more internet surveys. These are way too addicting!

You Are Thanksgiving

You are a bit of a homebody who enjoys being in the company of people you love. It doesn't take a lot to make you happy. You're enjoying life as it is. You have many blessings in your life, and you are grateful for each one. You believe that life is about what you *do* have. You feel like you have enough of the good stuff. What makes you celebrate: Family, friends, and the changing of the seasons. At holiday get togethers, you do best as: The host of the party On a holiday, you're the one most likely to: Spend so much energy preparing that it's a full time job

What Holiday Are You?

(This seems like a no brainer, since Thanksgiving was just last week.)

You Will Not Be a Cool Parent

And that's pretty okay. While your kids may not think of you as a friend, they will respect you. You know that kids need discipline and structure, and you're not afraid to give it to them. Just be careful that your strictness doesn't lead to rebellion. It's good to have standards and rules, but you don't need to have an iron fist when enforcing them.

Would You Be a Cool Parent?

(Darn! Oh well!)

You Should Rule Venus

Venus is a mysterious, stormy planet - shrouded in a thick layer of clouds. You are perfect to rule Venus, because you are quite emotional and volatile yourself. Your emotions change as rapidly as the weather on Venus, and both you and the planet are incomprehensible to others. While you are not a logical thinker, you are quite empathetic. You can care for and understand others, but your emotions swirl too quickly to truly understand yourself.

What Planet Should You Rule?

(Stormy and mysterious...Sounds like I'm a little scarey!)

What silly internet tests have you wasted your time and brain cells on lately?

Thanksgiving at our house!

We had Thanksgiving at our house this year. K's sister J and her husband M and their 3 children, R, W, and A, joined us. It was a fun weekend! We loved having them stay with us. J was a little sick but she loaded up on the medicine and she was off and running...sort of. I worked her! (I'm not that great of a cook and she is a really good cook so I kind of couldn't do it without her.) I thought it all turned out perfect! K did two birds, one in the oven and one in the turkey fryer (Don't let the black scare you. It was the best tasting meat!) He did a GREAT job! The rest was pretty traditional and it was yummy. We tried a new recipe for yams that was a keeper and we won't be doing the cranberries next time, at least not this years recipe. We had a cranberry/apple drink that was very good so maybe we'll get our cranberries that way. The kids played croquet all morning (It was a little cold outside at 20 degrees but the sun was shining so it was hard to keep them in the house all day.) And H was happy to be on clean up duty. Every time the dishwasher opened (which was alot in order to keep up with all the cooking) he would come crawling as fast as he could to get right in there and help. At least he was excited to help, unlike the older kids.Then it was off for some great shopping and leftovers on Friday! It was sad to see it all end so soon!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

It was nice to have a short, sweet weekend to slow down and take the time to remember all the things that I am thankful for because now that it is over, we are racing towards Christmas. Hang on tight! It's my favorite time of year!

Thank You Lord!

Lord, thank you for this sink of dirty dishes;
We have plenty of food to eat.

Thank you for this pile of dirty, stinky laundry;
We have plenty of nice clothes to wear.

And I would like to thank you, Lord, for those unmade beds;
They were so warm and comfortable last night.
I know that many have no bed.

My thanks to you, Lord, for this bathroom,
Complete with all the splattered mirrors, soggy, grimy towels and dirty lavatory;
They are so convenient.

Thank you for this finger-smudged refrigerator that needs defrosting so badly;
It has served us faithfully for many years.
It is full of cold drinks and enough leftovers for two or three meals.

Thank you, Lord, for this oven that absolutely must be cleaned today.
It has baked so many things over the years.

The whole family is grateful for that tall grass that needs mowing,
The lawn that needs raking;
We all enjoy the yard.

Thank you, Lord, even for that slamming screen door.
My kids are healthy and able to run and play.

Lord, the presence of all these chores awaiting me says
You have richly blessed my family.
I shall do them cheerfully and I shall do them gratefully.

Author: Unknown

My moment of PANIC!

Last week I sent A off to school on the school bus. She goes to kindergarten in the afternoons and the school only has one half day kindergarten class (the others are full day) so when she goes to school, there are only kids in her class on the bus. After many tears and weeks of working through some of her fears, she is finally okay with riding the bus to school by herself.

The bus ride home is different. It is a different bus and driver and their are kids from k-12 on the bus with her. She has has a hard time because she is so little and her best friend is the little boy down the street named T so they get teased alot. Up until S switched schools, she was on the bus with A and she could "protect" her and help her deal with the different situations on the bus. When S switched schools, we decided that A would be okay still because she would just walk home with T and his older sister L and another neighbor girl named K.

Last week A's bus driver on the way home from school decided to move the bus stop. It is actually now about a block from my house so I am really happy with the switch. Before, the bus wouldn't come into our subdivision so it was dropping the kids off on the busy main street and then my kids were having to walk 1/2 mile home. Now she makes 3 stops in our subdivision and the kids can get off at the one that is closest to their house. Sounds great, right?

Well, on Wednesday, L and T did not ride the bus home and K walked to her mom's work after school, so A rode the bus home alone. She got very nervous that the driver would forget to drop her off, so she got off at the first stop in our subdivision. Then she walked all the way home alone and cried the whole way because she was so scared. Of course, I didn't know that she was doing this. I had no idea where she was when the bus came by and she didn't get off. But, a couple minutes later, she came walking down the street, so it all worked out okay. We talked about it and she agreed to stay on the bus next time until her correct stop. I reassured her that the bus driver would not forget her and if she did to just speak up and ask her to stop and let her off. Problem solved!

So, on Thursday, T's mother called and asked if they were at my house. I told her no. I hadn't seen the bus yet so I didn't think they were home yet. A couple minutes later I saw K's older sister, K, outside with her dad and so I asked her if she had riden the bus. She said that she had. Then I asked her if T and A had gotten of with her. She said no. She had not even seen them on the bus. I called T's mother and she had already contacted the bus and the bus driver confirmed that they had not gotten on the bus. They quickly checked the other 2 buses and they were not on those buses either. She called the school and their teacher said that they had left with the bus kids and so as far as she knew, they were on the bus. They checked the school grounds though, and no A and T. Okay, now what? They are 6 years old! Where could they have gone? and who was responsible for them?

Before I had much more time to panic, K's mother pulled into the driveway and out jumped A and K. She had just dropped T off at his house. I guess that as A and T were getting on the bus, K had grabbed them and told them that they were suppose to walk with her to her mother's work. They told her that they didn't know that but she said that she had called me and that I had given them permission to walk with her. So they did! K is 10 years old. The 3 of them walked 10+ blocks to K's mothers work. Our elementary school is not in the safest neighborhood to begin with and her mother works down town on Main Street which is NOT where I want any of my children to be, especially if I'm not with them. It's a little scarey down town. Her mother said that K had called her at lunch and asked if she could bring A to her work with her. Her mother told her that she had to call me first and get my permission. But when they walked in and had T with them, she panicked. She doesn't even know T's family and she knew that there was probably no way that his mother knew where he was so she brought them immediately home. It all worked out okay and the timing was perfect. A few more minutes and I would have had the cops looking for 2 missing children. I NEVER would have thought to check at K's mothers work. I don't even know her name or where she works. And if T hadn't gone with them, her mother would have assumed that I had given her permission to walk and she wouldn't have brought her home until after work, which would have been 6 o'clock. I can't even imagine not knowing where she was for 2 1/2 hours.

So, since it all worked out okay and nothing bad happened, I am trying to figure out how to protect my child. This was the neighbor girl, who meant no harm, but she convinced my child that she had my permission to take her somewhere. No one knew where she was, not the school, not the bus driver, not me!

Does this scare anyone else?

My solution: I did not send her to school on Friday and today I will take her to school, drop her off at her classroom door and pick her up myself from her classroom door.

What would you do?

Did you know?

So, because internet test are so accurate and inspiring, I thought I'd share a little about myself.

You Belong in 1956

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

You Are 26 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

You Sometimes Don't Get Enough Sleep

You're often more tired than you'd like, and you're probably not getting enough quality sleep. Sleeping a little more could make you a lot more energetic and happy. Try having a bedtime, keep your bedroom cool, and only eat fruit before bed.

Do You Get Enough Sleep?

Your Brain's Pattern

Your mind is a firestorm - full of intensity and drama. Your thoughts may seem scattered to you most of the time... But they often seem strong and passionate to those around you. You are a natural influencer. The thoughts you share are very powerful and persuading.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

You Are 49% Real

You're pretty real with people, but you can't help hiding a good part of yourself. You're not truly happy with who you are at times... and believe it or not, it shows. Try not to hide parts of your life from the people who matter to you. Your friends and family are probably a lot more accepting than you realize!

How Real Are You?

Your Inner Child Is Sad

You're a very sensitive soul. You haven't grown that thick skin that most adults have. Easily hurt, you tend to retreat to your comfort zone. You don't let many people in - unless you've trusted them for a long time.

How Is Your Inner Child?

You Should Own a Beagle

Low maintenance, very friendly, and sturdy.

What Kind of Dog Should You Have?

What Your Peanut Butter And Jelly Sandwich Means

Your eating style is gluttonous. If you like something, you're going back for seconds... no matter how full you are! You have a total sweet tooth. When you can get away with it, you like to have dessert before dinner! Your taste in food tends to be conservative and traditional. It's likely that you prefer "All American" favorites like mac and cheese or hamburgers. You are probably a fairly normal, upper middle class person. You don't rock the boat too often. You are a tough person who isn't afraid to live life fully. There isn't a lot that scares you. You are a pretty easy person to please, but you do have your own little personal quirks. You're far from neurotic, but you can be a little picky at times.

What Does Your Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Say About You?

So, I guess that's about all there is to know about me.

Have a great weekend and thanks to all of you who sent me your emails. I have a wonderful family and really great friends (old and new!!!)

From Trash to Treasure?

I found this cabinet at the D.I. I loved it! I brought it home and after it sat in my garage for 2 weeks, I decided that it really did look like someones garbage. I hate to waste my money but K really hates me to waste it on silly projects that don't work out or get finished.

I decided to just go for it and see what I could do with it. I had already spent the money so what more could I loose.

It looked much better after it was primed.

I had a good time painting it. K was very unsure about it last night when I showed it to him and told him my plan for it though.

J is home sick today so he helped me put it in the living room. Now that it's all finished, I'm really happy with it.

I hope that K likes it because it's kind of stuck there! (He secretly really does like all my brilliant ideas!)

Good Books!

I just finished reading:

"Tending Roses" by Lisa Wingate

AND

"I am a Mother" by Jane Clayson Johnson

I LOVED them both! Great "Mom" books!

I'm now looking for something new to read. Have you read anything lately that you would recommend?