Falling like dominoes...

"What's that noise?" One of my children asked me today during school. As we left our classroom table and went around the corner the noise got louder and I suddenly knew the answer....a chainsaw. My neighbor was at it again. It's quite a sight to see really. Allow me to explain...

We live in a neighborhood with a wooded lot that backs up to a creek. It's quite nice really with all the trees in the summer as most of our backyard is quite shady and cool. Sure in the fall, it is a bit of a pain to rake all of the leaves, but the colors are the most brilliant reds and yellows. It's quite beautiful. Well, apparently, this was not to my neighbors liking, for his lot used to look like ours.

It began one day with one tree, he choose to cut down, then another and another. He just didn't stop. So today I wasn't at all surprised to see that a team of tree cutters were there cutting down almost all of his trees on his lot. They fell like dominoes one after another until there were about three small ones left. Now, these aren't your everyday trees, these are enormous ones with huge trunks.

So as we ate lunch today and watch one tree fall down after another, my little one turned and said..."I guess he really doesn't like trees." "Yep, I guess you're right"...sadly.

One little invention...

Friday's are our special day. It's a slow school day and the kids and I always try and go do something fun. I try not to drag them to the grocery store on this day (but I admit that's hard sometimes...especially when you go through a gallon of milk a day). This past Friday we decided that we would go to our Science Center. It really is quite a nice place to visit and has some wonderful exhibits that the kids love. So as we went from room to room and the kids touched and played with everything under the sun, I decided that one little invention (located all over the Science Center) was a good thing....a really good thing...

...hand sanitizer

Voracious readers...

Our children, by all means, are what I like to call, voracious readers. It's not just that they love to read, it's that they HAVE to read. You will always find a book with them if we are out shopping and probably not far from them where they are playing in the house. While my smallest one is still in the process of learning to read, I have no doubt that she'll follow suit with her siblings.

This being said, we spend A LOT of time at our library. And to tell you the truth, I love the library just as much as the kids do. I mean, who doesn't love the fact that you can "request" any book, movie, CD or anything really from the comforts of your home and then they will e-mail you when it's ready to pick up. If they don't have the item already, then they'll buy it and you get to be the first one to get it. Best yet...it's all free!.....How awesome is that!

Now, if they could just do my grocery shopping for me or even a little bit of laundry...is that asking too much???

Celebrating the little things...

The first Monday of every month (for a couple of hours) I get to go to a wonderful homeschool group. Basically, it's just a bunch of homeschool moms who get together and talk about how their schooling is going and learn from one another. We talk about what things are working for some people and what's not for others. Every month there is a theme and last night at my meeting the theme was celebrations.

Now this was something I could really relate to. I love to whoop and holler and get excited about stuff (and to have a reason to and not just look like you are crazy...hey, that's even better). It was such a wonderful perspective on how to celebrate the small things in your child's life...so you never miss it. Case in point...one mom said she had the "special red plate" she used. When her child finally mastered something she had worked hard on (such as her multiplication facts) then that night she got to eat from the "red plate". Another said that she journaled back and forth with her husband because she felt that she was missing out on their busy lives together.

When I left the meeting that night I realized, it's not really important about what you do exactly, but just that you do something. Whether it's praising someone for a good job or serving them on a "red plate", the fact that you acknowledge them for who they are makes it worthwhile. It's just down-right, good ol' fashion enjoyin' the moment.

It's hard enough going through this life as a child or an adult, wouldn't it be more fun to celebrate the little things as we go along.

Candy Bar Cake...

O.k., I have figured out what to do with some of the "left-over" candy in our trick or treat bowl. My favorite aunt in the whole world has a fantastic recipe called Candy Bar Cake. So kudos to her and this delicious cake. Enjoy!

Candy Bar Cake
2 big candy bars (or a whole bunch of little ones) - freeze for a while in the freezer
1 dark chocolate cake mix
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 12 oz cool whip

Cake: Mix cake mix as directed and put into 3 small round cake pans (could use 2 if needed). Cook as directed on the box.

Icing: Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, granulated sugar and cool whip until smooth. Chop up candy bars into little pieces and mix in with the icing. Assemble cake in layers and then make sure to refrigerate cake afterwards.

The race is on...

Lately, I believe my children have declared a growth spurt race and failed to mention it to me. For the past few days, my children have put on clothes, which were just bought for this winter, and they have now become "high-waters". And it's not just one child...it's all of them.

My son is so tall (and incredibly skinny) that I've had to make his winter pj's because he needed the long length in pants but not the width you get in the bigger pants. I've even had to "take-in" elastic waistband pants because I was desperate to find the length. (and yes...I have tried the "slim" fitting pants...still too big. That boy is a bean pole, I tell you)

Right now, it's a good thing that I'm in a sewing mood...because my kids are really putting me to the test on just how many things can I sew...and fast.

Pumpkin Party...

Last night our church offered a wonderful pumpkin party for the kids to go to. There were inflatables (what's a party without those, right?), games, balloons, and of course candy. The kids got to dress up in their costumes and had a fantastic time.

Funny thing is, we don't really eat candy all that much. Hmmm....what to do with all the candy in my house??? I think it might just go into the "trick or treat" bowl. Of course, then the kids will go trick or treating and then the candy is back in the house again....ahhhhh!!!...it's a vicious circle, I tell you.