Wormy Has Gone "down under"...

Three weeks ago this coming Sunday my 9 year old found a BIG green caterpillar in my mom's front yard near her rose bush. My boys have been looking for a REAL butterfly-changing caterpillar for years and they FINALLY lucked out! Anyway, we brought it home and stuck it in a big clear bug box with some leaves and have happily watched him crawling around and munching ever since. About a week ago I finally took the time to look it up on the computer to see if I could find out what kind of caterpillar it was and what it would turn in to. Sure enough we found JUST the one! (see above picture..) A white-lined Sphinx Hummingbird Moth. Cool, isn't it?...

So, we did some more looking and discovered that this particular 'pillar' as my oldest son calls it, doesn't become a butterfly, but a moth. A "Hummingbird" Moth. The name is obvious when you look at the end result... (see second picture...) Anyway, we learned that not only do they eat lots of leaves, but this particular worm will go underground to pupate, so we added a few inches of dirt to the container. Today, after #1 son went out and got fresh leaves for Wormy, we noticed it crawling around and round the circumference of the container and not really paying any attention to the new leaves. I told my son to leave the lid off, he couldn't get up the sides, anyway, and maybe it was too stuffy with the lid on (it was 106 degrees today... blech!) A few hours later he came to me and told me the "pillar' had escaped... and it was MY fault... oops...

A quick investigation proved what I had hoped REALLY had happened, which is that Wormy had decided it was 'time' and dug his way under ground. How exciting for us all! : ) And I was off the hook! lol! Now if I can just get the kids (especially the younger ones) to leave Wormy alone in his pupating slumber for the next couple of weeks until he emerges a beautiful moth... I'll keep ya posted!

FINALLY!! Something GOOD to Report from THIS Election!!

So, I got back from my 3 hour glucose test this morning just before my husband wandered in for lunch. Having pretty much JUST walked in myself, and checking in with what the kids had gotten done while I was gone I hadn't done much else when he asks, "Did you hear who 'your buddy' picked for a running mate?"...

"No. I just walked in... I heard that Romney and Lieberman were out... I didn't think he was going to announce until this weekend..." as I continued picking stuff up off the floor...

when he hesitated I stopped what I was doing and looked up at him... He TRIED to keep a straight face, "Al Gore..."

"very funny..." and I gave him 'the look' and went back to what I was doing...

Laughing he then didn't even get out "Alaska Gover..."

"YOU ARE KIDDING ME!!! I can't believe he had the guts to choose who I would have chosen!! OMYGOODNESS!!"

I had heard McCain say that he would choose a pro-life running mate but I was completely shocked with this one!! I am COMPLETELY ecstatic! I learned of Sarah Palin last Spring when I first read about her giving birth to their fifth son, who happens to have Downs. She had such a beautiful testament about the value of life and family, I was truly touched. She, for me, is TRULY a STRONG woman in EVERY sense of the word, including femininity, unlike Hillary... Strong, independent, convicted, yet loving, LIFE GIVING.... She's a mom... I can TOTALLY relate! : )

It is my opinion that this choice by McCain will either be a BRILLIANT victory, or basically bury him... God Bless him, though, because he made the RIGHT choice... He went all out there and did the right thing in choosing her... Now it is up to our Nation to choose if they want to continue on in this "culture of death" or TRULY make a "change" MUCH UNLIKE the "changes" that the "Obama-mites" are chanting about... This election is turning out to be better than I had anticipated... I'm actually a little excited about it now... : )

According to Obama, Fatherhood (but NOT Life) Begins at Conception

This is outrageous! And would be funny, if it weren't so sad.... Again, thanks to ProLifeBlogs for bringing this to my attention...

ANRTL Reveals Record Breaking Sign

Apparently, they chose a location near Lookout Mountain that would be easily seen by all of the DNC attendees to view their record breaking protest sign. First revealing the giant yellow letters vertically "D - N - C", and then revealing the rest of the letters built off of the original three. According to the American Right to Life:

Guinness assigned American Right To Life an official world record attempt
number: 228132. The protest sign weighs more than 2,700 pounds and was sewed
together with more than four miles of seams connecting 2,400 sheets and backpacked
onto location and unfurled by 44 letter carriers with spotters a mile away to
ensure proper letter placement. ARTL commits to removing the DNC Sheets Of Shame and
leaving the area cleaner than it had been.

In the way that God ALWAYS brings good from evil, you have to admit that He has done a wonderful job with this election... As scary and frustrating as it has been, it has definitely succeeded in bring the Right to LIFE to the forefront, again... And it's nice to see more and more Christian Soldiers stepping up to do battle... This sign is really cool....

This Reminder Brought to You By... 1Peter 2: 20-25

Sometimes it's TOO easy for me to feel sorry for myself. Right now I know people who suffer from MAJOR illnesses, have lost children or other loved ones in death, are out of work, are hungry, and other life sufferings... It's good to be reminded how BLESSED I really am... Thank you Jesus for Your MANY Blessings! Help me to be EVER grateful for the MANY Blessings you have bestowed on me!

"Beloved: If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this
is a grace before God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also
suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His
footsteps.

He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth. when He was
insulted, He returned no insult; when He suffered, He did no threaten; instead,
He handed Himself over to the one who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in
His body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for riteousness.
By HIS wounds you have been healed. For you have now returned to the Shepherd
and Guardian of your souls."

Amen and Amen....

USCCB respond to Pelosi's Mis-Representation

Praise the Lord! From the USCCB website:

Bishops respond to House Speaker Pelosi’s misrepresentation of Church teaching against abortion
WASHINGTON--Cardinal Justin F. Rigali, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop William E. Lori, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, have issued the following statement: In the course of a “Meet the Press” interview on abortion and other public issues on August 24, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi misrepresented the history and nature of the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church against abortion. In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law." (No. 2271) In the Middle Ages, uninformed and inadequate theories about embryology led some theologians to speculate that specifically human life capable of receiving an immortal soul may not exist until a few weeks into pregnancy. While in canon law these theories led to a distinction in penalties between very early and later abortions, the Church’s moral teaching never justified or permitted abortion at any stage of development. These mistaken biological theories became obsolete over 150 years ago when scientists discovered that a new human individual comes into being from the union of sperm and egg at fertilization. In keeping with this modern understanding, the Church teaches that from the time of conception (fertilization), each member of the human species must be given the full respect due to a human person, beginning with respect for the fundamental right to life.
***************************
I am THRILLED that they made a stand AND a PUBLIC statement! : ) Do you think Nancy is listening?... I know we need to pray for her...

Now This... You Probably Want to Watch this on an EMPTY Stomach...

I get annoyed enough with the pro-death fanatics with their grumbling about the "mean and nasty anti-aborts" aka: "PRO-LIFE people", yet how loving and caring they are for standing up and speaking for "women's Rights" (because an unborn baby, apparently has NO rights, and according to Pelosi and her "like-thinkers" unborn babies aren't people at all...) but those who claim *their* version of Catholicism PROUDLY, and then turn around and speak "authoritatively" about what THE CHURCH teaches, or how the CHURCH is "wishy-washy" or "unclear" about it's stance on certain things, like, ummm... oh, I don't know, like WHEN LIFE BEGINS!!!??? I get REALLY annoyed... Has anyone heard the LATEST load of garbage spewing from Nancy Pelosi's mouth?... I have to admit, I can't even watch her pretty much most of the time... if it hadn't been for Pro-life Blogs bringing this to my attention...

Okay, first This...

It's Monday, and as usual, I have a full plate, including school, but there were a couple of things that I came across this weekend that I wanted to share. First this BEAUTIFUL video shared with me of a computer animated growth of a human fetus. The narration is in French, but no matter... it's cool, all the same... It is truly AMAZING how God has designed us! Enjoy!

We Survived!

We have officially finished our first week of "back to school"! Yippee!! All went well, and fairly smooth... but I know that it will get rockier in time... #1 son has started Jr. High and his Algebra book is already looking a little overwhelming to me... The sad part is, is that I majored in Elementary Education, and I actually took a class on TEACHING algebra! lol!! But, hey, that was AT LEAST 18 years ago!! So, I sort of have an excuse... : ) Time will tell... I found a program that lets me print out pages to help him take notes on the chapters and then has step by step practice pages and puzzle worksheets to help keep him interested and focused.

#2 son seems to be making leaps and bounds in the reading and writing department and we only had one or two "melt downs" ("I CAN'T DO THIS!!! THIS IS HHHAAAAAAAARRRRDDDDD!!!) this week : ) He has a hard time sitting still and focusing and is delayed in his reading, but as I was hoping, as he matures, he seems to be able to catch on a little quicker than he used to, and sooner or later it will all just sort of "click" and he'll take off... I am also learning to "make" him do more on his own, so that he's not so dependant on me to help him out so much... it's a fine line sometimes, and hard to determine...

#3 continues to do well, as I sometimes stop and wonder how she would be in a regular classroom. Her knack at being a "social butterfly" makes me think that she would be spending WAY MORE TIME "visiting" than learning... She seems to be a natural for reading and enjoys writing... so different from my boys... she's SUCH a girl... : ) But she is doing very well...

And #4 decided that today would be an uncooperative day... : ] Yesterday, from the very start she decided that she was going to wear her "chonies" and was using the potty pretty well until late afternoon. For some reason she grows weary of the efforts in the late afternoon and really just doesn't care anymore about staying dry... But today, she was ready after she got up to put on her big girl chonies only to turn around and wet not one, but four pair by lunch... And THAT was with the reminding AND the physically taking her to the bathroom and setting her on the potty to go at regular intervals. She'd promptly get off and go pee in her pants... *sigh* I slapped a diaper on her and called it a day....

And NOW?? Wouldn't you KNOW it?? As I type this my #1 son, moments ago says, "I smell poop..." I said, "well, is #4 still wearing her diaper?"

"Nope. Here it is. I'll check it... nope, not in her diaper..." (she is in the habit of removing, or at least trying to remove a stinky diaper as soon as she's done with it...)We start to scramble in search of... only to find LOW AND BEHOLD! She had gone to her potty chair in the hall outside the bathroom door and pooped all on her own! Woohoo!! she apparently knew I was typing about her... lol...

After much festivity and fanfare and wiping fannies, she happily marched away, only to pee on the floor in the hallway moments later while brother was rinsing out her potty chair... *sigh* it's a work in progress... : ] I still have time before Sam arrives... Please pass the carpet cleaner/refresher...

You Are My God...

Late this afternoon I was starting to feel especially grumpy... Not really sure of why, exactly... a combination of feelings, circumstances, hormones... But one of those days when the tears just sort of well up in the back of your eyeballs waiting to burst forth at the first opportunity that someone looks at you cross-eyed...

Anyway, then I found this in my email from a good friend and CONSTANT prayer warrior for me and my family... It couldn't have come at a better time... Those tears came, but not in a bad way, as they could have... Just a reminder from my Creator that He is still here with me and will take my burdened yoke in exchange for His that is easy, and light... Thank you, Jesus!

If I'm not mistaken, the writer and performer, Tony Melendez is the same person that I saw on his debut, at a youth day with Pope John Paul II in 1986, at the Universal Studios Theatre in Los Angelas. I was a young, single college student, then, but I will never forget that day. You see, in case you don't know, Tony has no arms, and there he sat in complete humbleness before our Papa, playing his guitar with his feet and singing his heart out for him, for God and for all of us there lucky enough to witness the moment... Even better, I was only about 8 rows from the stage where I could see JPII VERY well and the expression on his face, how touched he was... When i saw that this was one of Tony's songs, it made the music and video that much more special to me... Enjoy...

A Visit with Sr. CM...

Well, we had dinner at my sisters last night and a nice visit with Sr. Catherine Marie... all too short, and wishing we had more time... but as it goes, when you only get home to visit every 2 to 3 years, EVERYBODY wants a chance to see and visit with you! It was SO GOOD to see her, again! She is as beautiful and vibrant as all the pictures and letters have indicated... She spoke very excitedly about all the new people she met on her trip home. No doubt she turned more than a few heads... : ) At least in THESE parts, a nun in FULL habit is a rarity... she was laughing about all the questions and comments people make. Everything from what she wears to what she eats and why... and how one couple on one of her connecting flights made their relief clear as they borded and saw her seated... "Look, honey! See who's flying with us? Nothing to worry about!" : D

I'm hoping that I will get at least one more chance to stop and visit before she returns to Michigan. It will be another 3 years before she returns home... :( During that time, though, she will be busy with finishing school and her teaching degree, and then student teaching. The Sisters have 2 local elementary schools (K-8) that they teach at, and are in the process of building a highschool that they hope to be opening in the Fall of 2009. She told me that she doesn't have a preference right now as to what grade she teaches, though she likes things about both age groups. She commented that for the "sake of the elementary kids education" she should maybe teach highschool, as she tends to feed off of the younger kids energy and would be happy to teach PE and recess all day long! lol!! So, time will tell... she told me that after she has completed her degree, the door is open as to where they may send her... She may stay close to the convent in Michigan, or they have 4 other mission schools in California, Florida, South Carolina and Arizona, right now, with possibilities of opening more in Texas and/or Wyoming.. Lucky them! : )

Nastia Got Robbed!!

Did you see the uneven bar competition last night? Oh! I was SO tired but couldn't turn it off until I had seen the end (about 11:30pm). Okay, the He Kexin girl is cute and she's pretty good, but I didn't think she was BETTER than Nastia... and I was happy when Nastia tied, but was completely FLOORED when I saw that she STILL took second place!!??

It wasn't until AFTER the fact that the "tie breaker" system was explained, and pardon me, it was late and i was tired, but if I understood it right, that was just really wrong... The judges scores went up - tie for He Kexin and Nastia. So, the system takes the high and low scores off the chart and re-tally's. Still a tie, so the NEXT step was to remove the low score off of each and re-tally again. He-Kexin's low score was 8.9, and Nastia's low score was a 9.0. Nastia lost a BIGGER score!! She lost because she had a BETTER score to lose?? If someone saw it different or if I got this wrong, please enlighten me...

Poor Nastia... She is such a beautiful girl and is just poetry in motion on those bars... She really deserved that gold. According to the commentator (and i really don't know who HE was, but apparently has some kind of gymnast back ground...) felt that Nastia was better than He Kexin over all, anyway and there shouldn't have been reason for a tie-breaker in the first place... God has His reason's I guess... Hopefully Nastia will get her chance for that next gold tonight on the balance beam! It will be another late night for me!

Obama-vs-McCain at Saddleback

I watched the debate the other night... well, okay, in all honesty, I have a hard time listening to Obama... I just don't trust anything that comes out of that man's mouth and i just get irritated and end up turning it off... But i did watch McCain, for the most part and I thought he did very well. Granted, I have a hard time trusting ANY politician, ESPECIALLY when they are running for the most powerful office in the world... But I DID notice, when asked about when he believed a child had rights he didn't even hesitate to say "at the moment of conception". Good for you, John. Good answer. : ) When I read what Barak had answered to the same question, I could have choked at the flip-floppy answer... "theological.." "scientific..." "above my pay grade..." wha?... huh?!... What the heck is he talking about?

At this point, I don't know that McCain is the "best" candidate for the job, but I know that Obama ISN'T who I want in office. The man is a lot of talk that says, really, nothing... He is a dynamic/charismatic speaker and that is what scares me... He draws people in who really aren't "listening" to what he's saying, they are just cheering in the name of "change" like he's going to burst on to the scene and just save the day... I don't think so, Tim... He's young, cocky and thinks WAY more of himself than he needs to and just doesn't really have any experience... He is too much of a "I can make everybody happy" talker, that wants to say whatever it is he thinks people want to hear and avoid giving straight answers... Of the two (and I believe, as history has shown... there is either going to be a Democrat or a Republican in office, so voting otherwise, unfortunately, no matter HOW much more you agree with another party, is really just giving your vote to someone you really DON'T want in office...) I feel that I am pretty much forced to go with the lesser of two evils, or the one that shares more of my beliefs, morals and standards.

I know that the anti-life league is getting desperate and they are out in droves to squash out the voices for the smallest and the weakest. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness can not happen for ANYONE without the most basic gift of life... young or old... So we must do what we can now to protect THAT most basic gift as well as we can, given the circumstances... It's not going to be an easy election, that's for sure... God have MERCY on us all...

Sam I Am...

Here he is... my beautiful Sam! I had a final/follow-up visit with the Specialist, so he could get a better look at what he wasn't able to see three weeks ago. Okay, so, regardless of how much I keep telling people that Sam is going to be my "perfect" child : ) he's already proving to be quite uncooperative in utero! lol! But the nurse technician did the ultra-sound today while the specialist made his observations! She was much more comfortable, I gathered, in instructing me in what she needed me to do, or how she needed me to move so that they could get a better look at the baby. So! With my rolling from one side to the other, in order to keep up with the active little guy, they were able to get some really good angles and the measurements that they were after. I think the most fascinating part was looking at his strong little heart. Actually being able to see all four chambers as it pumped along rhythmically was just awesome to behold... God is truly awesome but most especially in his design for man... My little Sam was absolutely beautiful! And the specialist said, by all observations and measurements, Sam looked to be like a perfectly healthy little boy... : )

So, I had an appointment with my regular OB yesterday, and all things were good. Well, except that I will have to go BACK to the lab sometime in the next 3 weeks to do the 3 hour glucose testing... BLECH!! I absolutely HATE the lab!! And I can't remember if I did it with all my previous pregnancies but I know I have at least with 2 others, had to do the 3 hour glucose test.

I did my second one-hour test for this pregnancy on Tuesday. Normally, easy enough... but for WHATEVER reason... let's say, the Devil knew I was hot (temps and humidity have been icky...), and grumpy, AND especially hormonal that day... I had a technician that INSISTED that I give her a urine sample BEFORE she would give me that nasty sugar drink... I drink water all the time, and normally pee AT LEAST once an hour. But wouldn't you know it? I went to the bathroom before I left home, and so when I got there I didn't need to go. "Oh, we need 'ureene sample"... in her thick accent...

"Yes, mam, I realize you need a urine sample, but I don't have to go right now... can't I drink the sugar drink right now, so that we can start the hour timer and give me the cup so that when I have to go, I will go..."

"No. We need a ureene sample first..."

"But I can't have the glucose drink right now?"

"No. We need a ureene sample..."

grrrr.... "So, I can't have the sugar drink and start the hour time until the blood draw BEFORE I pee in the cup?"

"Yes, mam, you pee in the cup..." with a big smile on her face like she had NO clue...

Now at this point I was the ONLY one in the lab, so I took the cup and went in to the bathroom, and waited, and waited.... and waited.....

"are you okay?..."

And in my 'not so nice' tone I responded, "yeah, but I really don't have time to wait to take a pee right now! I have kids at home and I have a VERY limited time to be here and do this!" (My husband was home with the kids on his lunch hour.)

"oh, okay. We can do it later.. It's okay, we can wait..."

(inside my head) *scream!!!* - when I came out of the bathroom, I saw that I was no longer the ONLY one in the lab... sorry, lady...

So when I came out with the little bit I was able to go, apparently she was able to make do... She gave me the sugar drink, I downed it in about 45 seconds (much to her surprise - I told her I was in a hurry...) and she told me to be back in an hour...

An hour later I was back, ANOTHER tech drew my blood (the first had apparently gone to lunch) and I was on my way... sheesh... I have to laugh, now, at how I had called my husband, during that hour wait, crying I was so annoyed, and he was trying to calm me down telling me it was over now, and to calm down and not cry... lol... hormones make you crazy...

So, when my doctor told me yesterday that the results were inconclusive and I would have to do the three hour test he sensed my displeasure in the HUGE sigh I let out... lol... so I had to tell him my story. Such a nice doctor... : ) He listened patiently and said, "Gosh, she just had no flexibility, did she?.." I smiled and let it go... Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to do with the kids for three hours while I have this other test done... Then it's back to the doctor in another 3 weeks.

Outside of the inconclusive glucose test, my blood pressure is AMAZING!! In past pregnancies (with the exception of my first where my BP was fine all the way up until my last check up 2 weeks prior to my due date...) by this point with the preceding 3, it started to go up by month 7, give or take... But, for whatever reason, it was a terrific 122/76! My only explanation and what I have done differently is taking the fish oil caplets everyday that my Doctor recommended when I first started seeing him. They really seem to work! With my last pregnancy, the walking everyday made a definite difference, but even still I was running 130's and 140's over high 80's all the way up until about the last 3-4 weeks before I was due and then there didn't seem to be anything I could do to make a difference. The doctor had me taking BP meds, but they didn't seem to help, other than to make me sleepier than I already was...

But with THIS pregnancy, my BP was worse, 3 months ago! lol!! Before the fish oil caplets, it was already running 130's over high 80's... Anyway, I couldn't be more pleased with these results.... Call me crazy, but I'm even starting to wonder if a VBAC would be possible... my first child (after it was determined that I had developed pre-clampsia) was born after I was induced and delivered almost 18 hours later, with my falling in and out of consciousness and my BP bottoming out a number of times. As a result, my later 3 children were all delivered c-section once my BP started rising and withing 2-3 weeks of my due dates. So, it's just kind of playing in the back of my mind if a VBAC would actually be possible at this point, as long as everything stays as it is... Time will tell, I guess... Thank you so much everyone that has been praying me through!

First Profession - Update!!

As promised, Pictures!! The Sr.'s of Mary Mother of the Eucharist, in Ann Arbor Michigan, last Wednesday, August 6, had 14 brand-new "baby nun-lettes" make their first profession and exchange the white veils they have worn for the past 2 years, for the signature Dominican black ones... My sister, her husband and daughter made a whirl-wind over night trip last week to be there for the ceremony. Unable to take pictures during the service, she did get these after wards at their reception gathering. You can almost FEEL the glow from those beautiful Sisters faces!

My sister told me that the Mass was beautiful, the Bishop was wonderful, and her favorite part of the service was when the sisters re-emerged in to the Church in their newly donned black veils... Sr. Catherine Marie will be home to visit in just another week!

Celebrating "Gay Day" in California Public Schools??!!

Oh, for the love of Pete! Now for the sake of remaining "fair", I don't need a special "day" to celebrate ANY ONE'S sexual "lifestyle", hetero, homo, trans, or otherwise! Why on God's green earth would I want a "day" for my CHILDREN to celebrate something that has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with their education, IN SCHOOL??!! Forget about the fact that this PARTICULAR "celebrating" completely contradicts the religious and moral values of my home and family. Do you think that the California Legislature would be so eager to pass a Bill that celebrates "conservative/traditional" (can't use the word Christian, let alone Catholic!) family values?.. Just one day to have "suitable commemorative exercises" and talk about families that have one man and one woman married, together with children... But I guess that would be too boring, and no doubt there would be those that would jump up and protest, saying that a day like that would be prejudicial and detrimental to children that don't live in that "type" of environment... I would really like to see "common sense" make a come back... California Legislatures would do well to concentrate on making sure that our schools are teaching actual educational classes in reading, writing and arithmetic. They don't want my religious views and opinions to interfere or be forced upon them, then they shouldn't be trying to FORCE their views on me, and especially MY children... Believe it or not, people still ask WHY I choose to home school...

Preparing for Back to School...

So, I'm one of those people that gets focused on the task at hand and doesn't like to stop until it's d-o-n-e, done. Instead of starting my lesson planning at the beginning of the week, like was my plan, I spent it "preparing" to do my lesson planning. I've been going through my school cabinet, sorting through, cleaning out and organizing. Cleaning off the school desks, etc... FINALLY, this morning, I was able to start the actual planning. I have managed to write out the first 16 weeks of my son's Catechism, Reading, Writing and English lessons! I'm SO proud of myself!! Those subjects are the hardest for me to organize and get straight, and it usually takes me a bit to get the "rhythm" of the books and lessons that are handed to me from our resource teacher, so I feel pretty accomplished, now. I'd like to just continue, but I think tomorrow i will work on his lessons for Math, History and Science for those same first 16 weeks... I wanted to do my oldest son's lessons first, because this is his first year of "junior high" and so, a little more difficult, and I don't want him getting behind, especially during my "down time"...

The best part is, when I was skimming through the new math book I got for him (which I was really kinda worried about... pre-algerbra... yuck!!) It came with a tutoring CD with interactive learning guides, activities and other cool things to help him (and maybe me!) get the concepts better! Cool!! so, I'm a little less worried, now... : )

After I get a good head start on #1's lessons, then I will start on the other two, for 1st and 4th grades. I still feel pretty competent in those grade levels, so I'm not too worried, yet! lol!! And those lessons should be a little more easy to plan out.

As I watch my stomach continue to pop forward, I find myself "nesting" in preparation more and more. After the lesson planning, I still need to get a start on the girls room, so that I can get #4 out of my room and sleeping in a room with her sissy, in order to make room for #5. But I still have PLENTY of time, right? lol! Sure!! : )

My VERY 'Cherubic' Grand daughter...

With big families and busy work schedules we don't always have the opportunity to see and visit with my son and his family as often as I would like... but I wanted to share a GREAT picture I took yesterday of my daughter holding her baby niece... I just love her red hair and she gets very excited, wanting to jump and kick her legs when you talk and coo to her... At 5 months she is already trying her best to get up on those knees and crawl. And no doubt, the moment she does there will be NO stopping her and all her cute little cherubic rolls will melt away...

My Grandkids...

Yeah, that's right.... My husband has two children from a previous marriage. I have a step-daughter, 27, married with three sons of her own, and my step-son, 26 and married, also has two boys and a new baby girl... We haven't had contact with my step-daughter for several years, but think of and pray for her and her family often. My step-son I am in contact with, at least by phone, every week or two. Last Wednesday was his oldest son's birthday. The BIG #5... and I just can't help but grin when i look at him and see how much he looks like his dad... His dad was only 3 the first time we met and I think we hit it off shortly after...

I was very fortunate in that I never had a cross word with the kids mom. Not to say that it was always easy. There were ugly times of court hearings and arguments and kids caught in the middle that I wouldn't wish on anyone. But the kids mom and I never crossed words. I tried, I like to think , as best I could to stay out of the conflicts between she and my husband and to be there for the kids, however they needed me to be. With the two kids both grown and married with kids of their own, now, it all seems like a lifetime ago... but, yeah, I'm the mom with kids ages 12,9,6, almost 2 years old and one on the way with grand kids ages 8,7, 5, almost 3, almost 2, and 5 months. So my two, soon to be three younger kids have nieces and nephews older than them! confused yet? lol!

I refer to my step-son as my oldest son. I have always thought the world of him and I think that bond grew even closer when he chose to move in to our home when he was 10, and before I had had any of my own kids, until he moved out after high school and joined the CC's. Despite his rough and tough exterior, and his problems with a bad temperment in school, deep inside, I knew he was just a sensitive kid. His eyes would melt me every time... When my husband and I did have our first child together, that sensitive side of my step-son really did shine, as he had no problem jumping in helping me to take care of the baby. I have always teased him about having "the touch" when it comes to calming baby's and putting them to sleep. His wife has informed me that he still has this "gift" with his own... : ) I always knew he was a good kid... : )

I am recalling all this as I think about my visit yesterday to see his wife and kids and give his oldest son his birthday present yesterday. Already 5, and now ready to start kindergarten in just over a week... Looking just like his dad at that age and ready to go conquer the world, I'm so proud of how my step-son has turned out and I'm proud of his family... He's a hard worker that supports his beautiful wife as she stays home with the kids. Not too many families have that "luxury" these days... and she seems to be the perfect balance to him as they work hard together to raise their family in this less than perfect world. Despite his own topsy-turvey and not always so smooth childhood, he seems to be doing his best to make the lives of his wife and children better than his own was.... Such a great kid...

First Vows...

Tomorrow's the BIG day... I can't believe that it's already been three years since my niece chose to leave UCLA her junior year to answer God's call to be His bride... wow...

My six year old daughter reminds me of her in so many ways... mostly her outgoing personality... She easily captures the attention of any room she enters... But tomorrow, Alicia, MY "Weesh", now known as Sr. Catherine Marie, will join 13 of her fellow Sisters to make their First Vows before God and families and receive the black veil. August 6, the Feast of the Transfiguration (how COOL is THAT?!) the biggest group to make First Vows since the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist first started in Ann Arbor eleven years ago, with only 4 Sisters. The group, counting all Postulants, Novices, Temporary and Final Professed, now number 75, and growing, expecting another large number of women to join them in the next few weeks. The average age of the Sisters is 28...

Wishing so much I could be there to see this momentous and beautiful event, I will be there in spirit. And I know that Sr. Catherine Marie and her sisters will continue to lift us all in prayer. In the mean time, I'll be waiting anxiously to see pictures from her mom, who left today with her other daughter and husband to go to the ceremony, and then Sr. CM will be coming home for a visit (the first in two years!) in a couple of weeks. Be sure I'll be filling you all in!

Somethin's Up...

It's one of those mornings... I get up and the kids are NOT fighting, they are cooperating with EACH OTHER AS THEY DO THEIR CHORES, and using foreign words with each other, like "please" and "thank you"... I wonder what they are up to?....

What'dya Think?

At the suggestion from a fellow blogging mom, Almost Catholic Momma, I got a wild hair and decided to check out the Cutest Blog on the Block and try out a new look... So, what'dya think? I'm still not sure I did it right, because the middle section didn't change, just the sides, but then I'm still pretty amateur at this stuff... But it's fun to try something new and different!

It's the MOST Wonderful Time of the Year....!

I think of one of my favorite-funny commercials whenever this time of year is upon us...



Yes, it's that time of year again... Even though we homeschool, my children are just about as excited as the kids in the commercial... lol!! Summer break is just NEVER long enough for them! As for mom, well, sometimes it's a little too long... But with my husband working for a local school district HE tells me that summer break for the public schools was actually cut a week short this year. So my kids shouldn't really feel too bad...

Anyway, we saw our resource teacher last Friday, collected up our books and I will hopefully spend the next few days putting my lesson plans in order. My hope is to get as much done ahead of time as possible, before little Sam's pending arrival. As the clock ticks down to the end of October, given my past history with pregnancy, I need to be prepared for major changes in my health and possible hospitalizations, etc... God willing, NONE of that will happen. I mean, so far, my health has been surprisingly good. My blood pressure, the biggest surprise, has been in the 120's/70's, and I can only credit the prayers of support and perhaps the fish oil caplets that my doctor recommended awhile back. But BP has been the biggest culprit for making me sick during the last few weeks of my pregnancies, so, that's what I'm going to keep my eye on.

In the mean time, my kids will circle around these next few days moaning and groaning about not wanting to start school again, and summer was too short and the ever famous "It's not FAIR!!"... Oh well! Life, my children, is not fair... That's why we have FAITH! : ) Got to fit those catechism lessons in there too! : )The school year "officially" starts August 18th for us, but I hope to get a head start on that too, just in case I'm out of commission when the baby comes and I'll have a few days to play with. Suddenly I feel like time is just FLYING by!!

She Said "Banana"!!

Okay, well, it was more like "blamalamma", but it was SOMETHING!! : )

This baby will be 2 in September and the extent of her vocabulary has been stuck at "mama" , "dada", "ha" (with a wave of her hand, for hello, or when she answers the phone...) and the rest of her communication skills consists of hand gestures, whines, grunts, tantrums, and moans.... not necessarily crabby moaning. She'll carry on an entire conversation moaning her tones up and down and waving her arms... but to try and get her to put her lips together to make a /p/, /b/, /g/ or /n/ or any other consonant sound has been unsuccessful. I figured out awhile back that she really hasn't needed to talk. She has 3 older siblings that will jump to/for her at just about every little need she has. ANYTHING to get her to be quiet! lol!! The sad result is, is that she doesn't talk... I have friends with babies younger than mine that have entire conversations!! They know abc's and numbers and colors... and i seem to recall my other 3 spoke at about the same age/rate... Heck! my 6 year old started talking early and is in constant competition for the the most words spoken in a single day!! But not this stubborn one of mine... even simple things like holding up her drink cup and asking her "drink?" or "juice?" or "milk?" will bring on the most dramatic meltdown moment you will ever witness... Heaven forbid I EXPECT her to mimic "juice" back to me before I hand it to her....

So! I was both shocked AND elated when she brought me the banana's and I opened and cut one up for her, handing her the dish back saying my usual "banana", mostly just for my own amusement, and to let her know what they are called in case she ever wanted to ask for one by name, and she took the dish and said back "blamlala..." as she walked away... : ) made my day...

Help! The Ants Are Taking Over!!

In the 20 years we have lived in our home we have had the occasional roach, a mosquito or two, skeeter hawks, daddy long legs, and a few wood spiders, and of course one house fly is too many... But never, NEVER have we had an ant problem... Well, guess what?... This summer, the tiny, little, random, black ants have made their presence WELL known... Argh!

I don't get it... We have NEVER had ants, ever... and these little buggers are frustrating the heck out of me, to the point where I have resorted to chemical war fare, which I really don't like to do with the baby around... I have a friend in South Carolina that swears that Dawn dish soap and warm water directly on their ant hill will take care of the problem, but I have had no such luck... part of the problem is that I can't ever find a trail or where the heck they are coming from! They just appear, randomly, anywhere!! The really curious area was in the MIDDLE of my living room! The kids and I would spend hours on the floor trying to find WHERE they were coming from and going to, and it was almost like they were emerging from right there in the middle of the room...

Now, My sister lives in a newer home, built on what was formerly just a big dirt field. Cement foundation, and ants were pretty much expected every summer. We live in an older home, probably built in the 60's, with wood floors and about a 2-3 foot crawl space underneath, but I'm not sure if these ants could actually, or why they would actually start coming through the middle of the floor. The good news is after pretty much DAILY vacuuming they seemed to have disappeared from the living room, but have reappeared in the dining room, kitchen AND bathroom. Yuck! So far, the bedrooms have been clear...

So, I am open to any and all suggestions... Any ideas?...