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Let's Play I Spy

Now, I wasn't kidding when I said my house has been a terrible mess since we had about three solid weeks of sickness around here. The living room looked like the toy box vomited all over it, dirty dishes were stacked head high in the kitchen sink and we lived out of clothes baskets.

So to make y'all feel like supreme housekeepers, I decided we should play a little game...at my expense. So here we go. I Spy in my living room.

I Spy With My Little Eye:

20 Wooden Blocks

A Urinal

An Orange Flyswatter

An Empty Caulk Gun

A Pink Stuffed Dog Toy

A White Sock

The Movie "Cats and Dogs"

A Plastic Bag

A Dolphin

A Canning Ring

A Backpack/Lunchbox

A Bread Machine

The Bread Machine's Broken Lid

The Book "Brown Bear Brown Bear"

A Power Strip

3 Shoes

An Ostrich

A Zip Line Handle

The first one to find all the above items is the winner! And what does the winner receive? Bragging rights and the comfort in knowing that there really are houses messier than theirs. What? I'm obviously not organized enough to put together a prize pack! Thanks for playing :)

Weekly Wrap Up - Highlights

This week was blessedly uneventful and we stayed on schedule (have I mentioned my fear of getting behind during the holidays?). But it was frustrating because I just can not seem to get caught back up on the housework! When the boys were sick I we were in survival/make it through mode for about three weeks. I have a whole new respect for people with chronic illness in their family...I don't know how they do it. In those three short weeks my house fell apart and I haven't been able to recover...yet. But I'm determined to pull it together next week, come hell or high water.

Not a whole lot changed this week curriculum wise so I'll just give you the highlights. If you'd like to play along share your week and link up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

I am really enjoying the devotional I'm reading with Fox; GOD'S WILL, GOD'S BEST by Josh McDowell and Kevin Johnson. It's all about attaining your goals while humbling yourself before God and submitting to His will. Fox and I are both getting a lot from it. I was really excited because as I was searching for a cover image I found where you can DOWNLOAD IT FOR FREE. If you have teens or pre-teens I highly recommend checking it out!

Fox has also started to read A GATHERING OF DAYS by Joan W. Blos. He's enjoying it so far, though it's not his favorite because it's all about girls. :) It's about a journal that a grandmother passes down to her grand daughter in an effort to teach her about life and encourage her to be unafraid in making life's tough decisions. Fox did get one fun idea from it, he wants to make Snow Candy. I don't see how it's considered candy...it seems like a maple snow cone to me...maybe the syrup hardens on the snow. It appears they still make it in Vermont.

For my General Science class in co-op I found a great experiment from Professor Beaker for inclined planes. I had to tweak it a bit and make it a bit more challenging, but it's great for elementary kids.

As for Bram, he watched his Your Baby Can Read DVDs. We did lots of coloring and read his favorite board books again and again and again. We also picked potty training back up now that he's feeling all better. We're using the run-around-nakey-all-day-and-run-to-the-potty-if-he-shows-signs-of-needing-to-go method. It works really well, he's only had a few accidents and is now recognizing when he needs to go and making his way to the potty on his own! Woo Hoo! The only drawback is that he loves to be nakey and throws a royal fit whenever we need to get dressed to go anywhere :) Other than that we worked on the fine art of beater licking.

And of course I just had to share, Hubby and I began our 11th year in marriage this week. Saturday was our 10 year anniversary and I posted photos of our wedding day. Here we are, 10 years later, a few pounds heavier and infinitely more wise :) I'm excited to see what the next 10 years has in store for us.

Do You Have Patterns or Rules For Naming Your Kids?

Have I mentioned that I love the Duggars? I just adore their family. When I first started watching their show I found it mildly irritating that all of their names (except for the mom's) begin with a J. I understood how it happened though. They never expected to have so many children. They gave the first 3 J names then, thinking that every child which followed could be their last, gave each addition a J name so they wouldn't be the one sibling without a J name. 18 kids later they have a crazy amount of J names. I vote they name their 19th child Jay!

Then I found out that one of my regular reads is expecting her 8th child and that all her children's names end with the "N" sound. She should name this on Octavian.

I share the naming patterns of these two families not just to amuse you but because, well, they make me feel sane. I have a naming pattern...one I don't mention too often because people look at me like I'm crazy when I mention it. It has to do with numbers. Can you see it? Our names are:

Shane Allen

Cheryl Lynn

William Fox

Bram Caesar

Yup, 10 letters each. Our last name has 4 letters in it so if you total the letters in our names, we each have 14-letter names. Nuts, I know but I prefer to think of it as subtle insanity.

We kind of fell into this by accident. I didn't realize this fascinating bit of trivia until Fox was about 3. But as soon as I did, I decided that all of our other children had to have 14 letter names too...I wouldn't want them to be left out. But if we ever have a girl all this meticulous planning will likely go out the window when she gets married...*sigh*...

So what about you? Do you have any crazy patterns or rules when it comes to naming your children??

The Best Split Pea Soup Ever

This recipe is pulling double duty today. It is serving as my Works For Me submission as well as my What Can I Eat That's Gluten Free recipe. My family loves this soup, my WHOLE family. People request that I bring it to family functions or make it for get-togethers at my house. It's really rich and yummy and even better the next day as leftovers. I hope you enjoy it as well.

I had tried many, many split pea soup recipes looking for one that was uncomplicated and delicious. I didn't have much luck, they were either too complicated or unpalatable. So I took what I liked from about 3 or 4 recipes and left out what I didn't to come up with this recipe. I also used the basic techniques I learned from my Amish cookbook. Seriously, if you are looking to buy a cookbook you must buy either an Amish cookbook or a kosher one. I have only one of each but they are my favorites, the food is so simple and so delicious it's unbelievable. But back to the soup!

The Best Split Pea Soup Ever

1 lb yellow split peas*

6 cups water

6 cups chicken stock*

1 lb bacon*

cheesecloth

1/2 tsp salt

18 peppercorns

baking soda

2 cups chopped celery

2 cups chopped onion

1/2 tsp savory

1/2 tsp thyme

Securely wrap the bacon in the cheesecloth. In a large soup pot combine the split peas, water, chicken stock and bacon. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat-watch closely so it doesn't boil over. Once it has come to a rolling boil throw in a pinch of baking soda and skim off the foam that rises to the top, repeat this three times. Then re-cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the bacon from the pot and cheesecloth and place on a cutting board to cool. Add the celery, onion, savory and thyme to soup and simmer for 30 minutes more, uncovered. While the soup is simmering, chop the bacon and toss it in a pan over medium heat, fry until it reaches the desired crispness. Once the veggies are tender the soup is ready. Serve it with the bacon bits and enjoy. My husband likes his with a big dollop of sour cream in it. This soup freezes exceptionally well.

*feel free to use green split peas if you like, I just prefer the yellow. You can also substitute turkey bacon if you don't like pork. Or you can omit the bacon and use vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock if you're a vegetarian.

Hello, My name is Cheryl...

...and I am a comment addict.

Is there a twelve step program for this? I spend way too much time checking my inbox for comments. I get way too big a thrill when someone says hi, leaves advice or offers encouragement. Truly. Thanks to everyone who helps support my habit...you beautiful enablers you!

Music Monday #23

It's Monday and I'm ready for some music! How 'bout you? Music Monday is a weekly meme where you can express yourself through music. If you'd like to play along be sure to read the guidelines and link up. Don't forget to include a link back here in your post so your readers can find us and play along too.

As I shared last week, November 7th was my 10 year wedding anniversary. I highlighted my 1st dance song last time. This time I'd like to share my choice for the father-daughter dance. I agonized over songs, I had such a difficult time finding just the right one. I searched and searched the stores and bought countless cassettes (remember those?). Finally, while searching through my boss' music collection, I found the perfect song. Enjoy.

Perspective

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about perspective; what it is and how true perspective is impossible to achieve. Perspective is based on facts and personal experiences. True perspective is based on the picture as a whole. We, as humans, can't have all the facts or experience everything, we don't have the whole picture. That basically tells me our personal perspectives are fundamentally skewed.

I formed this opinion when I was about 16. There was a very specific incidence that helped me to form it. I don't share this story often, not even in real life, because it upsets me. While nothing tragic happened to me directly, it was an experience that shook me up and opened my eyes to life, real life. It was the first time I understood that you really can know someone without knowing them at all, that facades are real, that picture perfect isn't really perfect and that we should never take our blessings for granted. I'd like to share the story here.

When I was young my parents had a rather unhappy marriage. Their unhappiness affected me (and my younger brother) and I would find myself wishing that they could just get along or get divorced. I was tired of all the fighting. My mother worked outside of the home, so every weekday she would take us to our babysitter's house a few blocks away. We would catch the school bus from there.

Just around the corner from my babysitter lived a sweet, artistic, funny-story-telling boy named Ben. Ben and I rode the same school bus and would play at the bus stop with the other children. I'd also see Ben in my neighborhood from time to time because his friend "liked" (we were only 8) my best friend and neighbor. Ben and I weren't quite friends, but we were more than acquaintances.

One summer day I saw Ben and his parents at the local park where a band was playing sock-hop music. Ben's parents worked the dance floor like pros! They did all the whirls and twirls. They moved together with fluidity and looked so happy. I found myself standing there awestruck, dripping with jealousy. I wanted to switch places. I wished for Ben's family. If only my parents could be like them, if only I could have Ben's life.

Well, my parents eventually divorced and my mom moved us kids to another town. My best friend moved to another state and I eventually lost connection with my childhood friends. Then one day, when I was probably 15 or so, I saw Ben on TV. He was on the show Americas Most Wanted.

Apparently Ben's adolescence didn't go so well. His parents had divorced shortly after I moved. As Ben grew up he struggled with severe depression and erratic behavior. A series of failed suicide attempts landed him in a rehabilitative facility. He wanted out. In a tragic and brutal escape, Ben stabbed and killed his nurse attendant-a single mother of two young children. He was on the run for three weeks before he was captured, and then sentenced to life in prison without parole.

When I learned about Ben, my mind instantly went back to that day in the park when I had fleetingly wished to trade places with him. I nearly wished away my blessings for what looked like picture perfect but in reality was not. I did not know Ben well, I had never walked a day in his shoes. I could not see what was to come. I had no perspective.

This experience taught me that, at best, we humans can only make educated guesses in life. When making plans and laying foundations I need to weigh the facts and make the best decision I can. But I need to realize that I don't have all the facts. I cannot see the future and my knowledge is limited to this realm.

This is why faith is paramount, why I must align my heart with the will of God. I can build my foundations but I must accept that they are built upon sand. I must be flexible and open to God's master plan. He is the only one who knows all the facts, He is the only one who can see the future. His perspective is whole, His perspective is absolute.

10 Years Ago Today

I married the man I loved, not knowing what real love was. I married my best friend, not yet understanding the depth of true friendship. Together over the years, as we've grown and matured, we've learned the true meaning of love, friendship, togetherness, unity, pain, loss, forgiveness, faithfulness, joy and loyalty. Here's to many, many more years.

I wanted to scan a few of our wedding photos to share with you...but I'm busy reminiscing with my hubby. So here are a few pictures of our pictures :)

Weekly Wrap Up - What Day Is It??

Wow. It's Friday? Are you sure? This week has been a bit of blur...I don't know why. I've continually gotten my days mixed up. But it was a good week so I can't complain. Fox was on top of his schedule with no problems. I'm starting to try to implement a better schedule with Bram. I want to introduce him to educational and constructive activities while I'm busy with Fox. So this week the main distractions activities were blocks, pretending to cook and playdough.

Monday - Fox and his father play the online game World of Warcraft. There was something exciting going on with the game this week. Being that he can't play the game until all school work and chores are done, let's just say he was motivated. He had all his independent work completed by about 9:30 AM. Yup. So we were able to finish with everything before lunch! Woo Hoo!

Tuesday - Co-Op went well, I was really impressed with my General Science students. They picked up quickly on mechanical advantage equations.

Wednesday- This day was almost identical to Monday. Fox completed his work early so he could play WoW. We started a new bible study reader, God's Will, God's Best: For Your Life.. We're about 20 pages into it and I'm really liking it so far. It's doing a wonderful job teaching that we need to align our plans with God's will for our lives to have true success. As for the book on Benedict Arnold, I know realize written from the point of view of the country he betrayed, but I don't think I would have liked the man...a very obnoxious and selfish personality it seems.

Thursday - This day went pretty smoothly also with Fox being efficient in the name of getting to play his game. There was a bit of a hiccup with math, but those Math-U-See videos are sooooo helpful. I love that curriculum! I did notice that I haven't checked any of his work in about a month, since they got sick! So I have a lot of catching up to do!!

Friday - Hubby had off today. He had taken off because SATURDAY IS OUR 10 YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!! We were originally going to take a mini-vacation. But, when we changed our health insurance we opted for a large deductible because we're (thankfully) rarely sick. Then the boys got really sick and over two weeks we had 2 doctor visits and a trip to the emergency room. So we decided that tomorrow we should just do dinner and a movie and wait for the medical bills to roll in. LOL

That's it for my week. It was a nice smooth week and I am so thankful for it after the weeks of sickness we had. I'm ready to get into a bit more of our 'normal' schedule. I guess I can squeeze in a few weeks of normal before the holidays begin in earnest. How was your week? Hop on over to Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers and join in the Weekly Wrap Up!