Mom's on the Computer

This post is from Spunky Homeschooler, and I have to say, it hit me hard. Ouch. I enjoy spending time on my computer, and struggle with how much time I am online vs. spending time doing other things. I've been convicted to spend a LOT less time online, and a lot more time in touch with my family.

I purchased a CD of her recent talk entitled "iHelp for the eHome," and have been listening to it in my car. Her talk began with the words from the song below. I wonder if you can relate?

Mom's on the Computer - To the tune of Cat's in the Cradle. You can sing it in your head. :)

My computer arrived just the other day,
It came on the porch in the usual way
So many blogs to read and games to play
My child learned to walk, while I twittered away
And he was talkin’ for I knew it, as my friends list grew
He’d say "I’m gonna be like you mom,
You know I’m gonna be like you."

And mom’s lost on the computer, lettin' dinner burn
Little boy wanders, he just wants to learn
"When you getting off mom?"
"I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then,
we're gonna have a good time then."

My son turned ten just the other day
He said "Thanks for the wii, mom, come on let’s play,"
"Can you teach me how it works?" I said “Not today.”
"I got a blog to write." He said “That’s okay.”
And he walked away while the computer never dimmed
He said, “I’m gonna be like them, yeah,
You know I’m gonna be like them."

And mom’s lost on the computer lettin' dinner burn
Little boy wanders, he just wants to learn
"When you getting off mom?"
"I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then,
We're gonna have a good time then."

Well my son came home just the other day
iPod in his ears, while he texted away,
"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and he said with a smile,
"I'd really like to Mom, but talkin's not my thing.
Check my status, for what's happening"

And mom’s lost on the computer lettin' dinner burn
Little boy wanders, he just wants to learn
"When you getting off mom?"
"I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then,
You know we’ll have a good time then."

Well my blog's retired and my Facebook out-of-date
My son texted, “Hey mom, I just can't relate"
I said, "I'd like to see you if you have some time."
He said, "I'd love to, mom, but Skype if you don't mind.
You see my website's down and my workload just grew.
But it's nice texting with you, mom.
It's been sure nice texting with you."

And as I typed “c u later” it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me,
My boy was just like me.

Seven Years . . .

Happy birthday, Quinn!! Seven years ago today, Quinn was born premature and was in the NICU for a week. It was a difficult time for us, but Brad and I had AWESOME support from our family, pastors, friends, and Sunday school class. I am soooo glad I kept such a detailed scrapbook of his early life. I journaled his entire birth story back then, and I enjoy reading through it on my own each year on his birthday.

It's hard to believe that our little preemie . . .


has turned into such a handsome young man! We love you, Mighty Quinn!

100 Days of School!

Today was our 100th day of school for the year! We celebrated with lots of "100" activities. We took a break from our regular 'book' work and did the following today:

• Wrote about inventions that were not here 100 years ago

• Did 100 jumping jacks, followed by 100 seconds of silence (my favorite part!) :)
• Predicted the amount of times in 100 seconds that the kids would be able to write their first name, then compared it with their actual results
• Tossed a coin 100 times, tallied the results (heads v. tails), and graphed the results

• Ate 100 pieces of popcorn, writing each number as they took a bite (1, eat, 2, eat, e, eat, 4, eat, 5, eat . . . )

• Closed our eyes for what we thought was 100 seconds, and then stood up when we thought it had been 100 seconds - and tried to see how close we were
• Figured out what year we would turn 100!
• Finished this sentence "If I had $100, I would ___________________."
  
• Estimated what the date would be 100 days from now
• Finished the sentence "One hundred years from now . . . "
• Counted by 2s and 5s to 100.
  
• Completed this sentence "I wish I had 100 ____________ because ___________."
• Finally, they had to write a story incorporating any one of the following ideas: 100 pounds, 100 dollars, 100 miles, or 100 years.
  

Add in soccer, cheerleading, and co-op (studying critical thinking/logic this week), and we had a fun day!

Back to regular programming tomorrow, though . . . !!!

Digi Layouts

This post is for Trish (thanks for asking about my layouts!). I mentioned that I would post some of my recent digital scrapbooking pages (and then forgot!), so here they are! So fun to create!

(You should be able to click on them to see them larger.)

Random Q & A!

A fun (long!) Q&A post that I got from Jody's Nitty.Gritty. blog:

1. What is your current obsession?
Digital scrapbooking - so much fun! Easy, less mess, and I can tote my laptop around anywhere in the house (car, library, etc.) to work on it!

2. What are you wearing today?
My favorite jeans and a button-down black shirt. Plus my favorite necklace from Brad. :)

3. What’s for dinner?
Homemade macaroni and cheese from here, (the second of several new recipes I am trying this week!), plus steamed broccoli, bread, and fruit.

4. What’s the last thing you bought?
Shopping at Target this morning - a black ink cartridge for our printer, and a cute $5 Valentine's t-shirt for Riley.

5. What are you listening to right now?
Riley and Quinn chattering about: building a fort, their school day, and setting up a store!

6. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
Somewhere warm and tropical - an island in the Caribbean (though if you had asked me a few years ago, I would have said a remote cabin in the mountains with lots of "woodsy" decorations!)

7. What is one thing you want to change about yourself?
I'd like to be less bossy. :)

8. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Right now, I'd love to be pampered with a full-body massage, manicure, and pedicure - but I can't get all of that in an hour!

9. Which language do you want to learn?
I know some Spanish and quite a bit of French, but I'd love to know French better!

10. What’s your favorite quote?
"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to my death your right to say it." I STRONGLY believe in freedom of speech and allowing others to have their own opinions (even if I don't agree with them!).

11. Would you cook for me?
Yes! I love to cook and try new recipes - come over anytime!

12. What is the right way to avoid people who purposefully hurt you?
I believe the best way is to take it to God in prayer. After that, I think you should confront the issue if necessary, or just let it go if it's truly not a big deal.

13. What are you afraid of the most?
Losing any of my loved ones. Making wrong decisions.

14. Who do you want to meet right now?
I really can't think of anyone I'm itching to meet! I enjoy personal relationships with those around me more than "celebrities" or famous people.

15. What is your favorite color?
Sunny yellow. And this is my dream car. :)

16. Give us 3 styling tips that work for you.
I'm not really into style. :) Have a great hairstylist, buy clothes that flatter you, and always have an easy "go to" outfit.

17. What is your dream job?
A small business owner. Working for myself. Helping others with personal finance and budgeting. Working out of my home. Lots of computer work - spreadsheets especially. :) Hmm - sounds like a business plan already!

18. What’s your favorite magazine?
Just one??!? I LOVE magazines. These are my favorite: World, The Old Schoolhouse, Simple & Delicious, and People. Eclectic, I know!

19. If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?
Digital scrapbooking supplies, and printing some of my scrapbook pages. Send cash!! :)

20. What do you consider a fashion faux pas?
Hmmm . . . sandals with socks.

21. Who, according to you, is the most over-rated writer?
I don't think I have one to mention!

22. What brings a smile on your face instantly?
Tickling my kiddos. My husband's jokes (most of them!).

23. What is one word that you say a lot?
Stink!

24. What kind of haircut do you prefer?
For me? Medium or long length, and straight.

25. What are you going to do after this?
Eat dinner with my family.

26. What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?
Eat (not good, I know!). Cry. Take a nap!

27. What makes you go wild?
Cranking up my iPod and dancing with the kids.

28. What are your favorite movies?
Son-In-Law, A Few Good Men, P. S. I Love You, Shawshank Redemption

29. What inspires you?
Thinking outside the box. Creativity. Bright colors.

30. What do your friends call you most commonly?
Outspoken.

31. Would you prefer coffee or tea?
Neither. I don't like either one. Maybe hot cider or hot chocolate on a really, really cold day.

32. Which other blogs do you love visiting?
Lots. See my sidebar for a few faves. Although I do need to update it with some more!

33. What is your favorite dessert/sweet?
Hands down, strawberry pie! No contest!

34. How many tabs are turned on in your browser right now?
Just one.

35. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
"Oh - I need to brush my hair!"

36. What is your favorite season?
Christmas and Valentine's Day.

37. What is one wish that you really want to see come true?
I'd love to own my dream home in the country someday.

38. What breaks your heart?
Seeing children hurt. Child abuse. Neglected kids.

39. What's one thing you really want to do in life?
Enjoy life and raise great, Godly kids. Maintain a strong marriage. Help other kids. Lead others to Christ. Other than that, see #17 & #37! :)

I Know Karate . . .

"I know karate, I know kung fu . . . you mess with me, I'll mess with you!"

This silly little jingle was about all Quinn knew about karate until the past two weeks. He had the opportunity to take two preview classes of karate and he LOVED it. He is our serious kid, even though he can at times climb the walls and be all-out ornery!

But with the focus, respect and concentration that karate demands, this was an activity that completely 'fit' him! He did great with it and was so excited each week. He's currently not participating in any sports, so we may consider enrolling him in classes in the near future. He also loves golf and the focus it requires, but it's a little cold (brrrr!) for golf here right now!

Now I Know My ABCs . . .

Remember I said that I am doing preschool with Owen? It's a good thing, considering that this is his ABC song! :) (And ignore the ketchup on his face; it was lunch time!)

Fortunately, this was recorded a few months ago, and he does know his song much, much better now! :)

Christmas!

So it might be a little late to blog about Christmas, but one of our favorite things over the holidays was making gingerbread houses. All three of the kids got to help decorate them, and they had a great time (really, what's better for kids than making a mess and eating candy with your friends??!?). :) And of course, we thought they made masterpieces!

MIA!

I realize I've been MIA for the past three months - I'm sorry! October and November were rough months health-wise, and December brought the busyness of Christmas, but I am hoping to get back to writing more often. I'm so thankful to be healthy again! :)

This photo was taken yesterday morning of our boys . . . just an ordinary day in our lives! So thankful for these normal days, and especially thankful that we aren't super-busy right now.

We are keeping busy with school and really enjoying this year. We switched curriculums to this year to Sonlight, and the kids love it.

Quinn is completely immersed in Greek mythology right now. Who knew?? Riley is involved in a lot of musical arts this year (choir, handbells, piano) and she enjoys it. She has quickly developed her piano skills in the past year - so proud of her and the determination she has!

Owen is our crazy little sidekick to our busy life. He just fits into whatever we are doing and definitely keeps us on our toes! I have started preschool with him, and he loves getting to have his "school" time just like the bigger kids!

Brad is staying busy with two jobs (he works so hard to provide so well for us!). He is anxious for softball season to start, though, and getting antsy being inside! It doesn't help that football season (for us!) is over already! :(

I have been spending a lot of time digital scrapbooking, and it is a lot of fun! Fast, and much less clean up than traditional scrapbooking! I've taught myself a ton, Brad has given me pointers, and I've taken some online classes. I enjoy the creative outlet. :) I'll post a page soon that I've done!

What are your favorite blogs to read? I am looking for some new things to read, and would love to hear about your favorites! Thanks for any ideas you have! :)

Happy Birthday, Little O!

Today is Owen's third birthday! Unfortunately, he celebrated today by being sick. :( Poor kid! We're hoping he is feeling much better for tomorrow, because we are doing a little birthday celebration for him at dinnertime. Nothing much, but he loves Mickey Mouse right now, so we have a Mickey Mouse cake and balloons, and he will get his presents (play-doh, a cup with his name on it, and Mickey PJs) from us tomorrow, too.

His sweet Grandma Addie (Brad's mom) sent Owen a few gifts in the mail this week (thanks, Addie!), and among them was the book, "Where the Wild Things Are." This is a fabulous book, and we have never owned it! Owen has been dragging it all over the house asking us to read his "wild" book. :) He loves it!

As I snuggled him in tonight, I reminded him that tomorrow was his Mickey Mouse party. His response? "I want Scooby-Doo!" Uhh . . . too late for that, little man! Silly boy!

Owen has been an absolute blessing to our family. He has very high ups and very low downs - nothing in between for this kid! Right now, Owen, you know your alphabet song, how to count to about 20, your colors, a few shapes, a few numbers by sight, and you love to go, go, go!

You love books, but you like to read them on your own (in your own little way!). You don't like to cuddle as much as you used to, but when you do, you are super-snuggly! You like balls - throwing, catching, or kicking. And you're pretty good with them, too. You love trucks and cars, and climbing. You desperately want to do everything your big sister and brother do, and keeping up with them is a full-time job for you!

Happy birthday, O! We love you bunches!!

(Our family three years ago tonight!)