They're Scaring My Babies

We arrived in town about two in the afternoon. It was a pleasant day, almost summer-like, and the boys were ready to get out of the car. We had travelled for three days, and "We're here!" was music to their ears. We had dinner with new friends, and then headed out to the haunted corn maze to meet others. The corn maze cashier assured me that the scary factor was well within my children's age limits. She was wrong. We rode out to the corn maze entrance on a hayride that had the boys giddy with excitement. Then we started walking in, and all of the giddiness was wiped away and covered over with fear and trembling. We had to start yelling out, "Little kid coming through! Stay where you are!" That was the first day in our new home, five years ago. This is the longest I have lived anywhere as a married woman. A new record that I am very happy to have accomplished. I told one man when we moved here that I would give them two years to let the shoe drop. Our experiences had always included dropping shoes. I had friends; we attended church; the kids had programs and activities, but there was always something missing. My husband assures me we are here to stay, because I am happy here. I told him I have been happy everywhere we lived, but he says this is different. He's right. Our other homes have been full of love and laughter, but not truly home. I couldn't see myself staying put where we were. Now I can. Here we have friends that are like family, and family makes a city a hometown. No shoes have dropped. My babies aren't scared. And I have found what was missing. It's good to be home.

Another Essay

The boys have been focusing on writing in school this year. #1 is definitely not happy. He loves to write, but all of the corrections and rules of Grammar just annoy him to no end. Here is his county fair essay that received Honorable Mention. It was the first night of the 90th fair, and all the animals were going to celebrate. Everyone had gone home, and the people were cleaning up. Step 1 was to get rid of the workers. A goat slipped out of its pen, and the workers ran after him and out the front gate with all of them after him. The party began! The pigs were lining up for the hot dogs. The cows were eating cheeseburgers. The goats were racing. The sheep were dancing. Then, the workers came back yelling, " Get back in your pens!" Don't worry, we'll do it again tomorrow. ------ This was in my scripture reading this morning. I think it sums up the entire Bible nicely. "The Lord God has told us what is right and what he demands: "See that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and humbly obey your God." Micah 6:8

Civic Duty

About two weeks ago, we were part of a Political Meet-N-Greet with 4-H. The kids did all of the planning and invited candidates from the upcoming election to come and speak to us. Each candidate was given 2 minutes to speak, and then was asked a pertinent question by 4-H youth. #1 was on the planning committee, and he lead the American and 4-H Pledges at the beginning of the evening's activities. He was dressed very smartly!

At the end of the evening, the kids were given a chance to vote on a mock ballot. That was what #2 was looking forward to. He will be a good citizen when it comes to voting.

Last Tuesday we went on a field trip to Bentonville. It is the site of one of the last battles of the Civil War. That was our morning visit. Then in the afternoon, we went to Governor Aycock's Birthplace. He was a NC Governor in the early 1900s, and he was responsible for an emphasis on education. We toured a school house, and learned all of the rules. School was a lot more disciplined then. You could get a lash for a dirty face. #2 would be in big trouble every day!

After the tour, we made "Whizzers" out of string and a button. It was a toy that the kids would have played with; you try to keep it twisting on the string. The boys played with them all of the way back home. By the next day they were professionals. #2 can even do it with his teeth! He is hoping to do Whizzer tricks for the talent show.

This tree in Bentonville was there at the time of the battle.

Sock Hop

We went to a sock hop this weekend, and oh what fun we had! It was a fundraiser for the Student Gov't Association for the Home schoolers. There was an Elvis tribute artist, a woman singing 50s songs, a DJ, limbo contest, and hula hooping contest. The boys and I went in costume. #1 definitely enjoyed it more than #2, but they both had a great time. #1 had been reluctant to go because his mother was "tagging along", but I assured him I would pay no attention to him. As it ended up I spent a lot of the time helping out with the contests and other things. I took a ruler with me for fun and went around to all of the couples to make sure they were 12 inches apart. They all took it in good humor. #1 danced with 9 different girls! There were burgers and rootbeer floats for sale. The night ended with a dance contest. It was just all around a fabulous event. I hope they do it every year. --------- Sunday we out for dinner after church. My fortune cookie said: You are a person of culture. My husband responded that I must be some kind of mold. Lovely.

Finally

The kids really enjoyed the otters and seals. They were happy to watch them for a long while; it didn't hurt that we were out of the rain watching them. The seals did lots of tricks and showed off appropriately. I had taken ponchos for everyone, so we were well prepared for the weather. The rain came intermittently at first, but it was steady by the end of our visit. That didn't stop the boys from climbing on these eggs though.

Cold, wet, tired, and hungry the boys waited on a bench for me to stop looking at the elk. "You can see those in Yellowstone, Mom!"

#4 and #5 had a great first visit to the zoo. I thought the leaves on the bench were attractive. Fall is definitely on the way. Now I need to find time to get through the clothes and see what the boys can still wear.

More Zoo

We enjoyed looking at the elephants. There was an educational area about tracking elephants in Africa. We found that interesting after our Africa studies.

The boys liked the baboons. We stopped a couple of times to watch them. There is a baby baboon that was getting a ride on its mother. They were also digging int he dirt a lot. It is amazing how much like boys they are!

This is a neat tree that was perfect for picture taking. They all wanted to sit on it of course. I don't know if it grew like that for a reason or if it was just a fluke. The other picture is an ostrich eating at a termite mound. I don't think the mounds are real, but it was definitely eating something there.

NC Zoo

These are my boys last week at the zoo. It was the first time #4 and #5 had been to a zoo. The NC Zoo is a good one to be a first, since it is so large and the animals are in their "own habitats" so to speak. I will post more pictures in the next few days, but I thought I would start with the giraffes.

There is a deck to walk out on, and the zoo keepers happened to be there feeding some leaves to the giraffes. We were able to feed them, too. The kids held twigs of leaves through the deck fencing slats, and the giraffe grabbed the leaves with her tongue.

All of the boys were able to try it, and seemed pretty pleased with themselves. This particular giraffe is about one and a half years old.

Ghostly Visions of Sleep

I just woke from an hour of blissful sleep. We had a 4-H fundraiser at the Farmer's Market this morning, and it was COLD! I did wear my long socks, a winter coat, and my scarf, but my blood hasn't adjusted yet. So after a bowl of soup for lunch, I burrowed under a blanket on the couch for an hour and tried to recover from the week.

One of the events of the week was a doctor's appointment. I don't know why I don't go more often; it's such a pick-me-up kind of place. The doctor told me I'm old and fat. Thank goodness he didn't add forgetful when I said aloud that I thought it had been two years instead of three since my last visit.

He started by asking if there is anything I think they should know that I didn't already list. I imagine if I thought that it was relevant, I would have listed it. Anyway, I chose not to tell him about my ankle that I think I broke this summer. It's been long enough that it is close to healing on its own. If I can handle a broken ankle, I think I can manage about anything.

He told me I am very healthy, blood pressure at 110 over 70. I'm not sure how that could be when I feel like I am about to explode from stress, but maybe nights out with the girls are better than I realize. I went out that night for several hours with the girls. We enjoyed visiting and laughing, as well as bringing a new woman up on all of the important events in her new hometown.

The last six weeks have been a little more stressful because we have been trying to figure out if #1 is allergic to apples and red dye 40. It is a very difficult thing to keep those out of his diet. I managed to keep the apples out until yesterday, the last day of the apple-free-time. I gave a visual demonstration for the Envirothon team, and afterward gave out apple slices to the members. Without thinking I passed him a piece, and he ate it.

He did seem a little wired afterward, but that was hard to determine if it had more to do with being with a bunch of guys playing football, or if it was a reaction. Today at the Farmer's Market, he bought a cup of apple cider right before we left. When we got back home, I gave him a cup of applesauce and told him to wait 20 minutes before I would give him a test of concentration.

He came back in 20 minutes saying he had laid down, but was too jittery to rest, so he drew for a while. I gave him a math test, and he talked about a myriad of topics while he tried to complete the test. He started scratching as well.

After the test, I looked him over and sure enough, he was covered with a rash. So he took Benadryl, and we now have to wait 24 hours to test the red dye. I had hoped that one of the items is the problem, because I really, really don't want to put the boy on Ritalyn, but I was hoping for dye more than apples. Apples are actually a difficult thing to be allergic to. They are fairly inexpensive at any time of the year, travel well, and are convenient. Applesauce is great for sick tummies too. At least I know now and can try to think ahead before I need the apples.

These pictures have been of our cat, Luke. He showed up in the window a couple of weeks ago to say, "Hi." We opened the window to talk to him a bit, but he cried so pitifully we had to close it back. He reminded me of a ghost, which I thought was an appropriate picture series for today. The boys have been discussing Halloween, and what they want to be, for several weeks. Why don't ghosts come up anymore? Their friends talk about dressing as people I have never heard of, and mine talk about things like hunting ninjas with baseball bats. I was a butterfly when I was 12. Geesh.

Writing

Today is writing class. I have spent this week grading narratives, so that the kids can bring corrected copies to class today. It took me two hours to grade three stories! Something I have learned in this class is that most of the kids are as bad at it as my own children. It was a bit of a relief. I thought I would share #2's essay for the county fair. He didn't win anything, but I thought it was a clever essay. I think the judges were probably looking for more info about the fair itself. The theme was "Celebrating 90 Years at the Fair", and it was to be 100 words or less. Do you know what a cow does when you’re not looking? I do. You see, I learned from a calf named Sophie. She heard about the fair from her ninety year old grandmother who went to the first Pitt County Fair. So, she came to see if it was true. I met Sophie, and we went to the county fair together and had a great time. We ate funnel cakes and cotton candy and rode the rides. She talked to the other cows as I visited with my friends. Later we departed, so she went to her barn and talked to her family. Then my friends and I talked about it for a long time.

Harvest Delights

I spent some time this past week canning tomato products. #2 had a good many tomatoes, and his purpose in growing them was to make salsa to sell at the Farmer's Market. So we made 10 half-pints of salsa, and this weekend we head to the Farmer's Market to peddle his wares. I also found a great bargain on some produce at the store, so I chopped the store tomatoes up and made some tomato sauce. I finally got it canned this afternoon; 4 quarts.

I failed to mention in the last post that my writing students did very well at the county fair. The essays are in grade divisions, and we had 2 first place winners, 2 second place, a third place, and an honorable mention. Even those who didn't "win" were chosen to be in the display case! I will share the boys' stories soon.

Fair Winnings

Here are my "Award Winning Eggs". Yes, it was only second place. As one friend put it, I won 2 out of 1. There was only 'Lil Ol Me in the defunct egg division. HOWEVER, the man who was helping us get our things said that the judges were VERY impressed with my eggs. I told him they should have eaten them, then they really would have been impressed. This is #2's big money maker. He entered the Harvest Decoration Contest and received first place. He made a little town and put piles of leaves around it. $10!! This was the look he was originally going for, but then decided to put his painting in the art division. He got a participation ribbon. This is #1's attempt at a Harvest decoration. At the fair, he decided to put it in the art division, though. No money, but he did get a participation ribbon.

Fair Week

We went to the county fair on Tuesday. We usually go the same day as other friends so that the kids can see what each other did in the exhibit hall, and then they can hang out together on the mainway. We had been having trouble deciding which day to go since the weather was iffy the whole week, but we ended up with a great afternoon and evening. #2 was accidentally hiding in this group shot, but here we all are anyway. This is basically the boys' social group. There are my boys and two other families. We are all in 4-H, and we went to the fair after our business meeting.

This is the ride that #2 finished the fair with last year. Notice he isn't on it again. It is a free fall ride.

We enjoyed watching M. go up and up. She seemed very nonchalant.

Those are are her bare feet hanging over the side. I kept her shoes so they wouldn't fall off on the way down.

Her response was very different than I expected. #2 looked like he was terrified last year, and it was enough to still be memorable to him this year.

#1, I think, was trying to act big for the girls, so he rode a ride that he shouldn't have ridden. He never would have gotten on it in the past. Anyway, he had to stay off the rides for a while, and he drank a lot of water. His face was definitely a green color.

This is #2 and his very bestest friend. Sometimes they are joined at the hip. This ride helped to glue them permanently together!

The swings were popular with most of the kids. I remember hating them as a child. I rode them at Dollywood this summer with my niece, and they weren't so bad.

The funny part, to me, is that the boys like the slide just as much as the big, mechanical rides. I remember going down on feed sacks when I was a kid.

This was taken at the beginning of the evening before everyone was motion sick.

Best Bumping Buddies

The rest of the week flew by as usual. The writing class is going well, but #1's paper on WW1 for history class is beating his touchie. It isn't for writing class, so I guess it isn't as fun.

Co-op went fairly well this week. I didn't have any major problems with missing people. We had our Envirothon meeting afterward, and the boys seem to be doing well to me. Of course, I don't know a whole lot of what I'm talking about, so I am probably easily impressed. I hope to get some guest speakers for them after co-op is finished.

Today I had to get to the grocery store (3 of them) because we were about out of everything. We have taken #2 off of apples and red dye 40 to see if there is an allergy. It has made cooking, snacking, and shopping a little more difficult. We have one more week off of it before we do the testing to see if it is an issue.

Tomorrow we go to the fairgrounds to pick up our exhibits and to claim fair prizes. #2 has figured he won a total of $15. He is very interested in getting his hands on it! Monday we go to the zoo and I think he has plans for the money.

Categories

We have discovered a comminucation problem within our household. The parents thought they were clearly communicating, but alas, they were not. Several weeks ago, we were cleaning out the feedroom of the barn. There is a large pile of miscellaneous lumber in there, and #2 wanted to use some for his fort. He asked if he ought to sort it, and I said yes that would be a good idea. When we returned from burning the straw and feed bags (Mr. Air Quality Man, you didn't hear that.), there was wood laying all over the yard in front of the barn. "I thought you were going to sort the wood?" He did. There was a pile of what he would like to use, but wouldn't be allowed. Another pile for what he wanted to use and thought he could get away with, and a third pile for what he was sure he could have. Each pile had plywood, 2x4's, long pieces and short. By then it was too late in the evening, and he just tossed it all back in the feedroom, hoping for better luck next time. Over the weekend I had the boys help me clean the kitchen and pantry. While I was cleaning the kitchen and doing some cooking, they were taking turns clearing off the pantry shelves and washing it down. Then they would put back the canned goods, etc. When I went to get food out of the pantry later, I was stunned to see what they considered "sorted and organized." Then I saw the method to their madness. In the front of the shelf were the fruits, marshmallow cream, and snack foods. Pushed over to one side and stacked all together in no particular order were all of the vegetables. Their categorization was important to them, not to the cook. Everyone has their own priorities.

Praise the Creator of Heaven and Earth

The following is an excerpt of an essay I wrote this evening. The lightning bugs were on my parents' farm in WV. It was astounding. One evening last summer I sat out in the cool night air and watched lightning bugs. Some people call them fireflies, but West Virginians know them as lightning bugs. Wrapped in my light blanket, I watched, mesmerized, as the first blinking lights began. The bugs begin to crawl up from their grassy daytime nests, and perch on the end of tall stalks of grass. Gently they alight and flicker their greeting to the night and each other. It was a very good year for the lightning bug, and soon millions of them lit up the night. I hadn’t seen so many lightning bugs in my lifetime. When I was a child, I captured the glowing bugs in jars, removing their lights to smear on my bike wheels. The glowing wheels would flash through the dark as my brother and I sped around the yard. But this night was more amazing than any other. My parents retired inside, but I couldn’t leave the outdoors. I was in a trance. Pulled from my seat, I drifted into the front yard to see if the view there were any different. If anything, it was more astounding. From the yard, I was carried by the quiet beauty of the night past the new barn and into the pasture near the pond. As each new flash of light burst into brightness, another light would extinguish. Fireworks could not have been choreographed any better. Flashes to my right would flicker higher and higher, until the left would blaze forth in its own abundance of light. The answering glow of lightning bugs calling to one another left me breathless with excitement. As the night grew late, the light show ended. I watched as the blinking glows slowly gave way to the darkness and quiet of the cool summer air. I knew what I had witnessed was a production of immense proportions. Better than any movie or concert’s special effects, this was the lightning bugs’ praise to their Creator. The rocks had shouted forth, and the lightning bugs had echoed with their soundless worship.

Defiantly Joyful

These pink flowers bloom in the fall after we have a heavy rainfall. I don't know what they are; they came with the house. After we dug the pond a few years ago, I moved the bulbs from around the house to beside the pond. They didn't bloom the last couple of autumns. We had drought. But this year they were beautiful. The sunflower below was one of #2's science projects. They didn't get tall, but they were very cheery looking.

We had a fill-in preacher today since Hubby is out of town. Mark did a good job, though I think he was nervous. He talked about how Judah would turn to God when they felt like it, and then go off with other gods when they felt like it. He told a story of a friend who dated a girl here in town, but she also had a boyfriend back in her hometown. She was happy to be with the guy here, but when she really needed something, she would go back home to her real boyfriend. He compared that to our relationship with God. We stick with God when we really need something, but when it suits our fancy we will take whatever comes our way. One thing the "here boyfriend" said was, "She would be such a joy if she weren't so defiant to me." Boy, could God say that about us? I guess I have been defiant lately. I wrote last week about my husband saying my life is a mess. Basically I have gotten too busy, and I have put other things first. I am sure God is wishing I weren't so defiant. It is just so easy to be unconsciously defiant. I am busy with so many extracurricular activities, that I have about worn myself out. This weekend I have tried to keep going, but I just have to sit down and stop sometimes. I have forgotten that I am working a full-time job with homeschooling. It isn't enough to say that the things I do make a better education for my children if I am too busy to stop and spend time with them outside of school. It isn't enough to say that God is important in my life if I can't find the time to stop and listen to Him. I hope I can become a joy minus the defiance.

Fair or Unfair

These are the best tomatoes you will ever eat! #2 has definitely raised some tasty maters.

We finished fair projects this morning and headed out to get everything registered. The boys enjoy exhibiting articles at the county fair here. Well, not really. They like having the opportunity to get some money! #1 entered a painting and an essay. #2 entered tomatoes, a painting, pottery, an essay, and a contest for a harvest decoration. You see who really likes the money part! I entered eggs.

I have been wanting to enter some of my chicken eggs for several years, but it just hasn't worked out. So this year I planned on getting them there, and I saved good ones for a week. Guess what. No egg division this year. But the wonderful part of being in a "rural" small town area? They will make a division for you. Yep, that's right. They opened up a new division just for my eggs. I hope I win something or it will look really bad.

Last year my mother took the boys to the fair. I was out of town with Hubby at the Zoe conference. This year he is on his own. I was just too busy with the co-ops and other commitments. Yesterday morning I was wishing I had gone with him!

I received a call at 8:30 from a lady who had promised to cover for a teacher who was going to be gone for two weeks. The real teacher had never brought the lessons to her as she had promised. I had an hour to throw together two lessons for her to teach. (The lady teaches two of the co-op classes.)

As it turned out, the woman's husband was able to bring the materials, and it worked out, but man was I frustrated. How could I expect adults to act responsibly? It wasn't just having to come up with lessons just in case, but I was also trying to prepare for our first Envirothon meeting after the co-op. I decided I may not be the right person to sponsor the team. We will just have to learn together.

I had 4 boys, and we worked on lessons on soil and forestry. We found a couple of different soils and tried to determine what type of soil they were. The boys really liked that because they were very filthy by the end of it. They especially liked throwing the dirt balls at trees.

Then we took a short walk and tried to identify trees by their leaves and trunks. Yet another thing I will have to work on.

It all makes me wonder how I am going to have time to go to grad school. I think I should have gone to the Zoe conference with Hubby.