Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Vbac?

I keep going back and forth on my decision to have a vbac or a scheduled c-section. I have read pro's and con's on both. I thought I'd ask for your help or opinions on this..... Has anyone had a successful vbac? I had a c-section a year ago due to fetal distress. I labored for 10 hours then was rushed in. The recover was very hard and painful. My doctor normally does not do vbac's but she said she will offer me the choice because she thinks I make for a good candidate. I have had 3 normal deliveries one baby being almost 10 lbs. She says my body has proved itself and thinks my uterus can handle it. I just don't want the down time that a c-section requires. Anyone have advice on this??? I need to have my decision made up by my next appointment which is this Friday.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Insomnia

Every time I am pregnant I get really bad insomnia. I can't sleep! I wake up to go to the bathroom and just lay there wide awake. I read, I pray, then I end up doing ridiculous things like.......

Rolling hundred's of diapers to make a diaper cake:




folding mini boxes and making flower arrangement signs:




making over 300 little tea sandwiches:


melt candy and make ducky molds:


But I must say thank God for insomnia or I wouldn't of been able to pull off such a nice baby shower for my sister. This is her first baby and I'm really excited for her to become a mommy.





Farrah helping auntie open her presents





Yea! auntie got a pack n play


Day of Biology

I'm ready mom! Ready to dissect!

We woke up early and headed out to Glendora for a day of Biology. A wonderful teacher named Mrs. Sutton who is a high school biology teacher had her class set up workshops for home school children. We attended fourteen workshops each workshop lasting 10 minutes. Each workshop was hands on and very informative. They were long enough to learn and short enough so even Landen sat through them and didn't get bored. Some of the workshops were intro to Echinoderms, Intro to Arthropods, and Intro to Mammals. They also were able to dissect owl pellets, earthworms, and flowers.










Note To Self

Next time you make a big deal of pulling out one of the kids teeth before they go to bed make sure you or your husband have "small bills" or change on you. Faith's front tooth just cost me $20 bucks.. I had no cash on me and Justin only had a $20 bill on him. We had to put something under her pillow... I couldn't do an IOU Love, the Tooth Fairy. Her other front tooth is about to fall out any day. I'm sure she is going to expect another $20. I think I might leave a note: Dear Faith, the $20 was for both teeth. Love, the Tooth Fairy.
With braces to pay for I do not have money to be tosses out $20 dollar bills every other night when a kid loses a tooth.

Friday, April 25, 2008

School Pictures

The kids go to school every Friday. They had school pictures and these are their Friday school classes...
Austin 3rd grade



I don't know why Austin gets so nervous while taking school pictures. I mean come on I take a million pictures of my kids a day. The camera should be second nature to them. For some reason he stiffens up and does these weird smiles :). Also, he thought that the top button of his shirt should be buttoned he thinks it makes him look more sophisticated...LOL



And Faith says : I love homeschooling they let me tilt my head and pose in the school picture. She's a natural..haha!





Faith 1st grade

Because I Said So....


Because I said so doesn't work for my daughter Faith. She wants to know why??? Why can't I? Why not? Why, why why???...... She refuses to put the letter "k" in the word "knife." She say's it should be spelled "nife." Which she's right but because I said so isn't good enough for her she wants to know why???? So, does anyone know why the letter "k" is in the word "knife"??? Is it a Latin root or something left over from old English? I think Faith takes after her mama just a little (stubborn?)

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Floor Drain?

Our house has wood floors and after breakfast I am on my hands and knees cleaning. Then after lunch I am on my hands and knees cleaning again. Then after dinner guess what I am back on my hands and knees cleaning up all the food from the kids. I REALLY WISH this house had a floor drain so I could hose the house out after the kids are done eating.

Look Mom!


Landen was outside playing and caught a butterfly all by himself! We let it go before he even thought about ripping the wings off or something. I told you he's fast!

Friday, April 18, 2008

Go Green

In honor of Earth Day next tuesday I tried to add in some fun ways to teach the kids about "Going Green." Ok, so I'm not setting a good example driving around in a Hummer but I am trying to teach them some simple ways to be eco- friendly. Not because it's trendy but because I really believe we should try and take care of the Earth God created for us.



Expelled

The movie Expelled, opens today! In case you haven't heard what it's about, here is the link www.expelledthemovie.com. It exposes the suppression and intolerance of a Creation Science point of view in higher education and even in high schools. The purpose of the movie is to confront the issue and get educators and students to question why there are no other views other than evolution being accepted in public education.

If you get a chance to see the movie SAVE YOUR TICKET STUB! Ben Stein is the producer of the film and he is giving a cash award to the homeschool group with the most ticket stubs .
For those of you in our group we will be putting a drop off box for ticket stubs at park days and Friday schools. Or you can mail them to me at P.O. Box1042 N. Mountain Ave #B595, Upland CA 91786.

Why I'm Smarter Now That I'm A Mommy

I constantly hear things like this all day...mommy, mom,did you know??? mommy, mom, mommy guess what??????.........

Did you know killer whales are actually dolphins?
If you could travel at the speed of light you would never get older.
A peanut is not a nut.
Bats are the only mammals that fly.
Warm frogs croak faster than cold frogs.
Animals that lay eggs don't have belly buttons.
Some snails have 15,000 teeth.
Just some of the things I learned on our drive home from LA.
See how smart I am now that I'm a mom to two National Geographic nerds (but cute nerds!)

Thursday, April 17, 2008

BodyWorlds




We have been studying the human body so I thought it might be fun to take the kids to see the Bodyworlds exhibit. (My kids don't get grossed out by this kind of stuff.) My grandparents watched the two little ones while the older kids and I headed down to LA.
We started the day by watching the IMAX film, "The Human Body".

Then we worked our way into the exhibit....WOW! I really wished I could of taken pictures but they wouldn't allow any cameras. :(

The kids were just amazed with their mouth's hanging wide open the whole time! Austin, said "Do you know why the human body is the most amazing machine mom?" I said why??? "Because God made it!" He's right after seeing how the body works I don't know how anyone can argue there isn't a God.
The kids kept saying "cool" and were full of questions but felt as if they had to whisper (kind of like a funeral) It was weird.
It's hard to wrap your mind around the fact that everything you see is real human bodies and parts.





One part of the exhibit that I hope will stick in the kids heads is how bad smoking is when you see the black lungs, or how bad over consumption on alcohol is when you see sclerosis of the liver. Also you get to see what a poor diet does to the intestines. Then we saw a obese man (a slice of him) and after seeing that you will know why eating less and exercise is so important. Belly fat compresses the organs, causing less blood to reach them. They are essentially suffocating! The heel of the foot was damaged from holding all that weight as well.


A smokers lungs...black



We got to take a look at the skeletal system,the muscular system, the circulatory system,the nervous system, immune system, digestive system and the respiratory system. We discussed what we had been learning and the kids were able to see it (the real thing) Amazing!
Then we walked through the baby exhibit. Still, the most remarkable, yet disconcerting part of Body Worlds. This section was very disturbing and depressing because, well, we were walking through a room filled with dead babies.It was very tragic but, very informative.
The babies that were located against the walls in glass cases ranged in age from 12 weeks through 34 weeks. It was astounding, especially seeing a fetus so close up that you could see its features – some even had eyelashes, and finger and toe nails. It was weird to me to see a baby at 27wks.(Which I am) I was able to show the kids how big the baby is in mommy's tummy. In the middle of the room were eight glass cylinders with embryos inside at different stages of development spanning conception to eight weeks. The last couple of weeks were the most amazing because you could see a surge of development and notice the formation of their tiny fingers and toes. At only nine weeks you could make out the face.
The last body we saw before we left was a man holding his own skin. Creepy!




As we walked out the kids were getting hungry. I had lost my appetite but they wanted to eat. So to make it easy and to try and leave before traffic we headed over to the McDonalds that was in the same building. I started to order for the kids.... Hamburger or Nuggets??? I asked. They just looked at me with a scared look on their face.... Neither Mom, Can we just get apple slices? I think after showing them the clogged arteries they won't be eating junk food anytime soon.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

No School Today???

The dreaded question this week.
Taking the kids to doctors appointments or to run errands during normal school hours is always fun when facing this question.
On Monday the girls had doctor appointments. Farrah is still having breathing problems and Faith has to get her adenoids and tonsils taken out.

As I handed the two little ones suckers and books in their stroller and begged the two older ones to remain quiet until the doctor came in the room. I tried to take control as we all squeezed in the little 3x3 room. In the mean time I was on my hands and knees trying to clean up all the gold fish crumbs off the floor Landen had smashed. That's when Dr. McDreamy came in. Me on my all fours. What a sight!

Dr. McDreamy: Oh, Wow looks like we got the whole crew today?

Me: Yes were all here, Sorry I will get all these crumbs picked up.

Dr. McDreamy: So, no school today kids?

The room gets silent. No one knows what to say. I was to embarrassed by the mess and the way the kids were acting to admit I homeschooled. I so badly wanted to just lie and say it was in service day at school or something but what kind of example would I be to the kids if I lied.

Faith finally answered, "We don't go to school, my mom teaches us at home."

Dr. McDreamy: Oh really!

Me: still trying to get my big pregnant self up off the floor, yep that's me the teacher (feeling like an idiot)

Then yesterday we went to the orthodontist for Austin. He needs braces and surgery to remove his frenum under his upper lip. What's one more surgery right?

As the hygienist peered into Austin's mouth, she made friendly conversation with him. To most others, her line of questioning would be nothing other than small talk, but I stood in the doorway listening, palms sweating and heart thumping, waiting for the conversation to take its usual course.

"So, don't you have school today?" she finally asked. I gripped the doorframe as my son shot me a scared glance and mumbled under his breath, "I don't go to school. My mom teaches me at home."

"Oh, my," she replied and crammed the mirror back between his molars.

My heart skipped a beat as I wondered if all my intentions to give my children the very best in life and education was counterproductive because of the self-esteem they would suffer in explaining it.

Standing there, it struck me that the explanations my children and I have to make about homeschooling are the most difficult part of the whole venture--often harder than the actual schooling itself.

On our way home I asked the kids "Do you know why I teach you at home?" They both looked into my rear view mirror and said, "Because you love us." I said that's right! We continued our conversation by talking about how next time the doctor or grocery store clerk asks the question, "No school today?" We need to simply say proud with a big smile, We Homeschool!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

My DREAM Home

I found my dream home big enough for our growing family. I could even have a classroom again. It is an old victorian house built in 1892 (my favorite) that has been restored. It has a big yard with a tree in front perfect for a swing. Did I mention it even has a red door. Anyone who knows me knows I love my red doors. I'm in love! We went and looked at it last night and I couldn't think of a better house for our family. Justin on the other hand couldn't believe I liked it. He stood there looking at me rolling his eyes as I drooled and planned out where the furniture would go. He said, "Don't you notice something important missing?" I couldn't think of one thing. I thought to myself, It has a big yard for the kids to run around, nice size rooms, it's in a good area, everything we want in a house.

"The Garage!, there is no garage! Every guy needs a garage! arr, arr, arr," He said.

"Oh, who cares the front porch is WAY cuter than a garage door would be." Plus I told him he would have to sell his quad and the rest of his toys just so we can afford it. The shed will work just fine for the bicycles.

AND THE BIRTHDAY PARTY EMMY GOES TO........

NOT ME. In fact, there is no birthday party Emmy. That's right. No Emmy, no award, heck, there ain't even a competition.




Okay, so how old is she? Oh, she's one.
So what is it that one year olds do at parties anyway? Every party, every year I plan these big themed parties. One year it was sharks, the next it's airplanes, then it was frogs, the month before the party my mind is on that one thing. Frogs for example everything I saw that had a frog or was green on it I bought. I plan these exciting parties and the kids don't even notice detail. Or I watch the kids play with a balloon or wrapping paper or something like that. Something simple. They could care less about the green frog shaped jello jigglers.

So this time around I told myself this party would be different, it would be...less. Less people, less food, less games...less work. And it started out that way, I planned to make some homemade little sandwiches, and I told myself, NO THEMED PARTY. So I invite less people then normal, throw together some sandwiches and meat in a crockpot and I'll just add some fruit and veggie trays, simple right? I think to myself she's one, she'll be happy just tasting and licking the frosting off the cake, she won't need much. OH, wait forget the cake how about cupcakes. I'll just do some cute simple cupcakes, no cake. I'll skip out on the three hours of decorating a strawberry shortcake liked themed cake at 2 am the night before. (right Brianna?)Sounds perfect.





But then it happens.............. Something inside of me, this innate competitive drive within me, it kicks in. A light bulb goes off and I think CUPCAKES..how cute. Then I get online, and I start to Google I google, cupcake everything. Eh, it won't hurt to have just have some stickers made with her name and cupcakes on them right...click!, oh I could make suckers with this cute cupcake candy mold...click! Oh my gosh cupcake shoes how cute...click! and a cupcake dress, oh wait they make it in Faith's size too and on and on...... I can't resist it. I GO CUPCAKE CRAZY! Do you know how much stuff they have with cupcakes on them??? So here I am again......

Why must I do this to myself? I don't know. It's not like she'll remember any of it. Maybe deep down my hopes are that the older kids will remember it, and they'll remind her of her big grand cupcake party that her mama threw for her. (HA) Or maybe I'm just waiting for the day when they do hand out awards for birthday parties. The sad thing is, even if they did, I'd still lose. . Parents now days rent companies that bring the zoo to them. They hire fairytale princesses and ponies and rent limos. C'mon, who can top that? Just do me a favor and remind me next time when the other kids birthdays roll around, that there really are no birthday Emmys and to stay away for THEMES!

Ok....so now that I got that off my chest. Farrah did have a great day. She enjoyed her cake and seeing all her family and friends. Happy 1st Birthday Farrah! You are so worth it!





U Pick

Thursday after we finished school it was such a nice day outside I wanted to take the kids somewhere outdoors. Something different than the same old parks. Since I have been craving strawberries I thought I would take them down to Cal Poly Pomona and pick their own strawberries. Each of them picked all the strawberries they wanted and mom got all the strawberries she wanted:) Thanks kids! They estimated how many pounds they had picked, weighed them and brought them home for strawberry shortcake. Yum! We even had our friends over to help us eat some:)






Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Ten Reasons I love Being a Homeschool Mom

(10) The only drugs my children receive in school are Tylenol and Motrin.

(9) I always get to be the chaperone on field trips.

(8) I can sleep in on rainy mornings.

(7) My pajamas are my work uniform until noon.

(6) The teacher-student ratio can’t be beat!

(5) I can kiss the school principal in the faculty lounge.

(4) Integrating God in our school lessons is always encouraged.

(3) I do not have to stay up late at night helping my children study for tests and complete homework assignments.

(2) I have the opportunity to instill the love of learning.

(1) I am the recipient of hugs and kisses all day long.

I think it hurt me more than her


Yesterday we took Farrah to get her ears pierced. When Faith was just three months I rushed to the mall to get hers done. I just couldn't wait with Faith but for some reason this time I kept putting it off with Farrah. We planned to go to Jc penny's since that's where they did Faith's. Come to find out they don't do it anymore so we had to go to the little accessories store. Of, course I had my camera ready...This is a milestone for anyone with a little girl. I held her still as the multiple-pierced lady ensured me that the marks on her lobes were perfectly aligned. "Are you sure?" I argued. I of course made her change the dots around a couple times and made Justin double check to see they were perfect. I held my breath as the piercing gun went off silently, but in my imagination was as loud as a revolver. And then I cuddled her as she cried for a second and remembered she had a sucker in her hand then she was happy. I on the other hand was still crying...LOL. The kids felt so bad for her but then everyone got treated to ice cream and it made it all better. Now Farrah has pretty little
diamonds just like her big sister.



Me looking at Justin like are you sure their even????






Look Daddy, don't I look pretty?



Now, that wasn't too bad.