An Adventure in Argentina

It’s been a long time since I’ve updated here, and we have been super busy. Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we have been consumed with Babes in Toyland. Zack and Michael have roles in the play and Nick is working with the stage crew. Corey has helped with the set building.
So this has taken up a great deal of our time with lots of late night rehearsals and very few days off. But the boys absolutely love it, and it is exciting to see them shine on stage.
In the middle of all the craziness of the play I went to Argentina for 6 days for my brother’s wedding. He married a friend of ours who we knew from high school in Singapore
and whose family is from Argentina. It was an absolute blast!!! What a neat chance to spend some time with my brothers and sisters while my wonderful husband stayed home with the boys. While I was so excited about the wedding I was not sure that we would be able to
afford for me to travel to South America. Many family members were planning to go, and I so badly wanted to be there. So after a yard sale, some creative saving, and carefully watching air fares, I managed to scrape together the funds!
So the week after Thanksgiving I set off on my adventure. Even the 10 hour flight was
fun since I got to fly with a brother, sister-in-law, and sister. We started laughing and taking pictures right away. We landed and were met by the bride (K) and groom (T) at the airport. We
were whisked away for a city tour of Buenos Aires followed by a delicious dinner with K’s and T’s siblings. It was just like old times as the food reminded us of our days in Singapore where we
went to high school and were friends with K’s family.
The next day was the registry wedding (the legal ceremony in Argentina). Then was a fabulous
reception at K’s parents’ beautiful home with delicious food and Tango dancing. It lasted all day, and there was more laughing and photo taking. Friday we finally relaxed a bit.
There was relaxing by the pool, a visit to the grocery store, a trip to a market, and an interesting stop at Freddo’s ice cream where it would have been helpful to know Spanish.
The wedding on Saturday was just perfect. Great weather, a beautiful ceremony, lots of
laughing and crying, and hours of dancing. I loved seeing the bride and groom so happy, and I was so excited for K’s two little girls to join our family. They are 7 and 5 years old, and I just love them! And like I said when I spoke at the wedding, we will miss T dearly, but we loved seeing how happy he is starting this new chapter in his life.
It was truly a vacation for me. I really missed Corey and the boys and I wish they could have been there. But while I was there I decided to live it up. I had such a great time just hanging out with my parents and family and visiting with K’s family after more than 20 years. I loved spending time with my new nieces and seeing a new country. Argentine hospitality is the best! I even picked up some Spanish while I was there. It was wonderful, but it was just as wonderful to see my family when I got off the airplane in Dallas.

My Adventures in Couponing

In my post about extreme couponing a few months ago, I said that I would be content to just be a regular couponer, not an extreme one. While my kids now call me an extreme couponer, I like to think of myself as having reinvented my couponing strategies. Why the need to reinvent? Well, a couple of reasons. For the last 12 year or so I have clipped coupons occasionally and mostly used them for my grocery shopping trips to Kroger. Kroger would double coupons up to 50 cents and triple coupons up to 39 cents. So if I had a coupon for 35 cents off of a jar of relish, and it was on sale for $1, the coupon tripled to $1.05, and I got the relish for free. Since TLC started showing Extreme Couponing, many people have begun to abuse the system, clearing shelves of items, holding up check out lines with stacks of coupons, and probably costing the store too much in labor and revenue. So as of last month the Krogers in my area discontinued their policy of doubling and tripling coupons. I was not at all happy about this.

The other reason I felt the need to revamp my coupon system is our need for Disney vacations. For our family a trip to Disney World is the most perfect way to take a break from our busy lives and enjoy having fun together. There is a level of service, friendliness, cleanliness, and magic that I just haven't seen anywhere else. Last week we booked our first Disney Cruise for the fall of 2012. While Disney vacations can be more affordable than many people think, taking our family of six on a big vacation requires some saving and careful planning. And since I do not have a job that brings in a paycheck, I am contributing to our vacation savings account by saving the family more money through couponing.

I used to buy one double Sunday newspaper and clip the coupons that I thought I might use. Now I will buy two double papers and clip all of the coupons. You never know when a deal will be available to get something for free, and if it is not something I need I can give it to someone who does. I don't normally eat Raisin Bran, but I had coupons and combined them with a sale yesterday that made them $1 a box. I bought 4 boxes and will donate them to the St. Vincent de Paul food bank at church. I don't normally purchase Bayer aspirin, but combining my coupons and a store sale I got 4 bottles for free. I also used to keep my coupons in a small coupon holder that would fit in my purse. Now I have put together a 3-ring zipper binder with clear sleeve coupon organizers divided into more than 20 categories. It is so much easier to find the coupons I'm looking for when a deal becomes available. One of the boys now refuses to go shopping with me if I bring that big green binder along!
I stumbled upon the perfect web site for the couponing Disney fan - Couponing to Disney www.couponingtodisney.com . It is based on using your coupon savings to pay for your Disney trips, so I was immediately hooked. While I don't use all of the suggestions on the site, I have picked up some helpful tips. I have started shopping at CVS and Walgreens since I discovered that I can get many things for free or less than $1 using Extra Care Bucks and Register Rewards (like shampoo, razors, and toothpaste). The website also posts great deals at other stores and on Disney themed deals as well as information on rebates.
So while I still do not consider myself extreme, I have been surprised to find that with a little extra work (3-5 hours a week) I have been able to save a lot more money.

Our Latest Disney Adventure

We just couldn't pass up Disney's free dining offer in September, so it was time for a trip. Nick, Zack and I met up with my mom for a quick 4 day visit to WDW. The weather was gorgeous, the crowds were light, and the "world" was magical as usual. Even though we always visit some of our favorite places and attractions (Soarin, Finding Nemo the Musical, Toy Story Manis, fireworks at the Magic Kingdom to name a few), I also like to try new things each trip. Here are some of the new things we did this year:

1 - stayed at the Caribbean Beach resort

2 - arrived at EPCOT at opening and saw 7 characters within 20 minutes

3 - watched O Canada and Reflections of China in circle vision

4 - ate at the revolving Garden Grill in the Land

5 - visited with Buzz and Woody in the air conditioning at Pixar Place

6 - enjoyed an entertaining meal at the 50's Prime Time Cafe

7 - rode the new Star Tours II

8 - rode the WDW Railroad around the Magic Kingdom

9 - got Gepetto's autograph

10 - ate delicious Italian food at Tony's Town Square

Something I got to do without this trip was pushing a stroller or carrying a backpack. It felt so light and free! Speaking of no stroller, I was a little worried about leaving Luke at home for the first time, but he did great. Of course I'm already planning our next vacation - maybe a Disney Cruise in 2012! We are already saving and putting money away in our vacation account for that one.

It's Time for a Little Pixie Dust!

School is back in full swing. So is soccer practice, dance lessons, and Boy Scouts. That means it's time for our next trip to the happiest place on earth! Next week at this time I will be staking out a spot to watch Fantasmic!

This time the trip will be a little different. Normally we enjoy doing everything together, but only some of us will be going. Earlier this year my husband and 8-year-old went to Disneyland by themselves for a special birthday trip. I will now be going with the 10 and 12-year-olds. Also we are excited that my mom is joining us. Back in May when Disney announced a special package with the free dining plan, we decided that it was our turn. The meals at WDW are some of our favorite things there, so it was the perfect deal.

The one thing I am worried about is leaving the 16-month-old at home. He is still nursing, and I have never left him before. I have no doubt that my husband will take wonderful care of him, but he is very attached to both of us, so I'm anxious to see how he does. On the other hand this means not only a trip to my absolute favorite vacation destination, but a few days to have a break from high demands of having a toddler around. We also know that he would not enjoy waiting in line for rides, and he is not quite old enough to really get the magic of seeing all of the characters. Sure he likes to see Mickey Mouse in books or pictures or on TV, but I think he would be scared of them in person. The next time we go he will be just the right age to appreciate all of the magic and be a little more up for the excitement of it all.

We have a couple more days of school before it's time to pack. It is hard for all of us to concentrate when the boys ask randomly throughout the day things like "What is your favorite thing in all of Disney World?" or "What are we going to ride first at Hollywood Studios?" or "What is your favorite show?". Needless to say, this trip has been or main topic of conversation, and we can't wait to get there!

School Is Back in Session (Sort of...)

I decided to try starting school a little differently than I have in the past. I like to start in late July or early August because it is too hot to do anything outside, and then we finish in early May. Since Zack and Michael have 2 weeks of theater camp, I decided to start with Nick by himself. That gives me a chance to get him started on his own and give him some extra attention. Many times he feels like he has to wait around on my to work with his younger brothers before he can get some time with me to go over his school work, so this is nice for both of us. It also gives me a chance to finish getting my school room organized before I get going with all of them. It is hard for me to believe Nicholas is starting 7th grade (and taller than me)! It feels like just last year we were working on Kindergarten.

Other upcoming events for our house - Zack and Michael will be in a play about pirates at the end of their camp. It will be fun to see what they have learned. Soccer season is coming up, so we will start practicing soon. In September I'm heading to Disney World with Nick, Zack, and my mom. We can't wait!

Our Ozark Adventure

We just returned from a 5 day trip to Branson, MO in the Ozark Mountains. We drove our new travel trailer there and stayed at America's Best Campground. It was a great campground in a convenient location - close to everything but not right in the middle of the noise and busyness of town. This was our first time there, and we the vacation was fabulous. We had some thrilling rides, saw some music shows, and visited a couple of museums.

We spent a day at Table Rock Lake with Corey's family. Corey got to ski, and we all tubed behind the boat. Luke even cooperated, kept his lifejacket on, and didn't jump off the boat. The boys saw some advertisements for the Track Family Fun Parks, so we rode go-carts on a wooden track that had many levels, twists, and turns. They also played mini-golf and laser tag. For most of us our favorite activity was ziplining. Two guides helped us ride 7 different zip lines and 3 rope bridges. Nick and Michael were a little scared at first, but quickly decided it was fun.

Even though the temperatures were in the 90's (while back at home they were well over 100) it was still hot, so we also needed some indoor, air conditioned activities. The Titanic museum was full of stories and artifacts from the ship. It came with an audio tour that helped explained everything. The Dinosaur museum had some really neat exhibits. Michael and Luke especially liked it there. We went to Mass on Sunday at Our Lady of the Lake, and Zack spotted a family there from our own parish!

Branson is known as the music capital of the world, so we had to see some shows. Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede kept the whole family entertained. We had a delicious 4 course meal that was choreographed into the show. There were lots of horses, buffalo, and pigs, and the waiters and waitresses were dressed as Civil War soldiers. We also went to the Eagles Tribute and the John Denver Tribute. Michael and Luke both fell asleep during the Eagles, even with the loud music! We had front row seats for John Denver, and the kids got to get up on stage and get bags of candy. Finally we saw Noah the Musical at the Sight and Sounds theater. We enjoyed the many animals on the ark that were live.

Branson is a wonderful place for families. It is easy to get around, and there is something for everyone. There were more activities we would like to have done, but we ran out of time and reached our budget. I would love to take another vacation there someday!

Cry It Out?

I thought I would have more time to post regularly in the summer, but clearly that has not been the case. We have been busy with summer camps, the water park, and going out of town for a funeral. And I've been trying to get the house in order (as much as possible with 4 kids under the roof).
Anyway, earlier this week I read a post on Facebook about whether or not a mom should let her little boy (2 years old) cry himself to sleep in his own bed so he would stop sleeping in his parents' bed. Many well meaning friends commented encouraging her to "stay strong" and not to "give in". There are many books that explain how to get your kids to sleep by themselves, most of which involve letting them cry it out. The reality is that the U.S. is one of the few countries where babies sleeping in their parents' bed is looked down on and discouraged. And so there are also many books and doctors that encourage co-sleeping and explain the benefits.
We have always had our babies in our bed. Our oldest was a horrible sleeper and we were exhausted. Once we put him in our bed at night, we were all sleeping better. I found it easier to nurse in the middle of the night since I didn't have to get out of the bed. In general I am against the cry it out approach. We managed with one of ours to get him to sleep in his own bed all night, and he only cried a few minutes. That was no big deal, and it did make our lives easier to have a good sleeper. What I don't like is when parents are convinced that the cry it out approach is the only way to go just because their friends and family have convinced them that the baby does not belong in their bed. Babies are all different with their own personalities, and some naturally need more contact (some need constant contact) with their parents. Some don't have any trouble sleeping in their own beds and seem to "sleep throught the night" from the beginning. When babies cry alone in their cribs for 30 minutes or an hour or longer it is heart wrenching for the parents, and to me it is not worth it.
Of course when babies turn into toddlers many parents just want their bed back to themselves, and I understand that. All of ours just simply moved out to their own beds when they were ready. Now that we have a toddler again (who starts out in his pack and play and moves to our bed when he wakes up) and looking back on that time with our older ones I wouldn't have changed a thing. We had some precious times snuggling with our babies, and in the blink of an eye they are too big and don't want to snuggle anymore.
The bottom line is that parents need to do what is best for their family. And this might be something different for each child in a family. I don't think there is any one right answer or method for everyone. Parenting is such a tremendous job that no one should be judged for how they choose sleep in their home. I like to say that as long as everyone is sleeping, and no one wakes me up, I don't care where everyone sleeps.

Conference and Curricula

Last Friday and Saturday I attended the Immaculate Heart of Mary Homeschool Conference for the second year in a row. Until last year I had never been to any homeschool conference. I figured I knew what curriculum I wanted to use with each of the boys and if I went to a conference I would just start second guessing myself and overthinking my choices. Now that I have been I wish I had been going for all of my homeschooling years.

There were lots of vendors with some great programs, and it was nice to be able to see and look at the books in person. I was able to find many of the books I need for next year. But what I found the most valuable was the inspiration I got from listening to the speakers and being in a conference hall packed with other Catholic homeschoolers. This time of year most homeschool moms are feeling burned out and overwhelmed. It was refreshing to be reminded of why we choose to homeschool and to hear some great suggestions on how to run the house and teach the children and stay sane at the same time. I know lots of other homeschoolers whose friendship and support have been invaluable, but at our church where we are involved in many things, there are only 2 other homeschool families who we very rarely even see, so it was encouraging to be around other families who share our faith.

I was hoping the conference would help me decide on a math program for Algebra and a middle school science program, but I'm still contemplating these. I'm trying to decide between Harold Jacob's Algebra and Teaching Textbooks. For science I'm really leaning towards The Rainbow, which is a 2-year junior high program with great reviews. What is holding me back is the price, but it includes absolutely everything - textbook, lab book, teacher guide, and all lab supplies. Then I looked up the absolutely outrageous tuition costs of some of the Catholic schools in the area and decided that an extra $100 for a good science program really isn't that bad. And what should I use for 5th grade and 3rd grade science? I have a few different good programs on my bookshelves, but there are so many others out there that I'd like to try! Luckily I think it is fun to look at different curricula, and by the time we begin our next school year later this summer I will be ready and excited to get started.

Not So Extreme Couponing

I've been watching the new television show on TLC called Extreme Couponing. It shows shoppers who are consumed with clipping coupons and come out of the grocery store with something like $968 worth of groceries for $7.43. My first instinct was to think that I would like to try to save that much money. After I put some thought into it I decided that kind of couponing is just not for me. First of all the people on the show spend 30-40 hours a week clipping coupons, organizing, and studying weekly ads. That's like a full time job. Second, they have stockpiles of food and merchandise that takes up quite a bit of room. That's fine, but much of it seems to be things that they will never use (like 800 tubes of toothpaste or 400 sticks of deodorant or 52 bottles of mustard), but they are proud to have it because it was free. And they have to pay for the coupons, either through purchasing a newspaper or ordering them from a coupon web site. Actually I've seen some of them who dumpster dive to find coupons! Finally, most of them have spent years learning all of the tricks to getting so many free items.
So I'm just not willing to go that extreme. I don't have the time or the energy or the interest. But it has inspired me to work a little bit harder at finding coupons, organizing them, and planning to get the best use of them. I probably spent about an hour clipping and printing coupons for my trip to Target today and for my Kroger trip later this week and then matching them to things that were on sale. I ended up saving about $20 out of $100 today, so I thought that was pretty good. I'm going to be content to be a not-so-extreme couponer.

Michael's First Communion

May is off to a fabulous start. After working all school year in preparation, Michael received the precious body and blood of Jesus at his First Holy Communion! Even though we thought spring was here to stay, we had a cold front roll through North Texas, and it was quite a chilly and windy day. He looked so handsome in his black coat and tie. And despite getting annoyed at me for taking so many pictures of him before and after Mass, he had a smile on his face all day. The Mass was beautiful with great music, and he had lots of family there for his special day.

At this First Communion Mass, the parents got to sit with their children. It was neat to get to walk up with Michael to be right there with him when it was his turn. The only twist was that there was no room for siblings in the reserved seats, so Luke had to sit with the rest of the family away from us. We enjoyed not having to wrestle with the one year old, but we saw him leave the church with Nick, Todd, and then Grandma. Then I had to smile when after all of the First Communion kids had received the Eucharist, we saw Nick carrying Luke up to communion.

We went to Chili's to eat dinner afterwards to celebrate. Michael got to eat some of his favorite foods - quesadillas, french fries, and RIBS!

We are so proud of Michael. Now that he has made his First Communion, he can be an altar server. Tonight was his first time serving, and although we were nervous he did great. It was awesome to see three of my boys all serving together at Mass.

April Activities

April is one of the busiest times of the year for our family. Michael and Luke have birthdays, soccer season is in full swing, and we are all itching to finish our school year.

We celebrated Michael's birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's with friends. On his actual birthday we had lunch at CiCi's pizza and then came home for his big surprise. Nick and Zack created a scavenger hunt for him to find clues that Corey had made. First was a print out of plane tickets, then hotel reservations, next a certificate for 5 shares of Disney stock, and finally he found a page with Disneyland photos that read "Michael and Daddy are going to Disneyland!" He was so excited! He said it was the best birthday ever, and that was before he knew about the trip. At 8 years old Michael is a great kid! He is generous, creative, imaginative, and makes us laugh every day.

Four days later it was time to celebrate Luke's first birthday. Even his brothers said it was hard to believe it has already been a year since he joined our family. He loved his lawn mower and digging into his cake. I made him his own cake to destroy and an ice cream cake for the rest of us to eat. We took lots of pictures and enjoyed the day with him. He is such a joy to have in the family. He is an active little guy, and it takes all of us to keep up with him. He is curious and is really attached to his mommy, daddy, and brothers. He loves to be outside and kick a soccer ball.

Somehow in the middle of the big birthdays I managed to take bluebonnet pictures of the kids. I want to take them every spring, but the only bloom here in Texas for a few weeks, and it has been several years since we have done it. On the school front, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We only have 4 or 5 weeks left before we take a break for the summer. It's been a good year, but we are all ready for a break. It is a challenge to get school done with a now walking baby around, so it will be nice to just enjoy chasing him around for a couple of months. I have also finished my first month of what I call AW365 - my photo a day for a year project. It has been fun carrying a camera everywhere I go and getting shots of everyday things.

The Big Announcement

No, I don't have a big announcement. But today, March 25th, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Annunciation - the big announcement that the Angel Gabriel had for Mary that God had chosen her to be the mother of Jesus.

I wish I had woken up today aware that we celebrate the Annunciation, but I am humbled that I had to be reminded of this by my 10 year old son. We have been attending morning weekday Mass for Lent this year, so I was at Mass this morning with Zack and Michael. I was a little groggy and had not had my morning coffee yet, so my mind was not very clear. I thought it was a little unusual that the Gospel reading from Luke was about Gabriel and Mary and that the homily was about Mary's immediate acceptance God's will, since we are in the middle of Lent, but didn't think much of it. When we got in the car Zack asked if this was a special day since the priest was wearing white since he normally wears purple during Lent (something else I hadn't paid any attention to). Before I could answer he said "Oh yeah, I remember a long time ago Deacon Dennis said that March 25th is 9 months before December 25th when Jesus was born." Then the light bulb finally went off in my head and I realized that it was the Annunciation.

Our devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is something that our Protestant brothers and sisters just don't get and often misunderstand. Catholics do not worship Mary, we honor and revere her as the mother of our Savior, the vessel through which God chose to send His Son to earth. She is the perfect example of what it means to do whatever God asks and to be a follower of Christ.

One of the songs on a CD about the Bread of Life that we listen to has a line in that says "Salvation began when Mary said yes". Happy Feast of the Annunciation!

Spring Fever

Spring is in the air! Trees are blooming, the weather is warm, we are all anxious to get our last 8 weeks of school finished, soccer season starts next weekend, and Michael and Luke will both have birthdays soon. It's been great to be able to send the boys outside to play. Last week the pear tree in our front yard had white flowers on it, and this week it is full of green leaves.

All of the boys had their first soccer practices last week. It was great to see their team out on the field running around and kicking the ball. We are even training Luke to kick the soccer ball, and he loves it! Corey is coaching Michael's team, and I am helping with Zack's. Many will agree that I tend to be a little overcompetive when it comes to the kids' teams. I can't really disagree, although I try not to let that get in the way of all the kids getting to play a lot and having fun. After all, we play at the YMCA where everyone should get his or her fair share of playing time regardless of experience or ability. My goals are to play everyone fairly, make sure the kids have a fun season, help them all to improve their soccer skills, teach them good sportsmanship, and for our team to do the best we can with the kids we have. That's quite a balancing act! Luckily I'm coaching with my good friend, and we can help each other to achieve those goals.

We have finished 28 of our 36 weeks of school! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are all ready for our summer break to begin. We have gotten through enough of our school work that I am planning on 4 day school weeks for the rest of the year. Normally Friday's are a half day for us, but I would like to have a whole day during the week to run errands and catch up on chores. I'm thinking about taking off Wednesdays for the rest of the school year. It might be nice to have a mid-week break, so we are going to try it. One of my goals for this year was to have Michael reading, and it is finally happening!!! He is certainly a late reader, as far as public schools are concerned, but now it is like a lightbulb has turned on, and he is trying to read everything. He is even asking to go to the library to get books that HE can read instead of books that we can read to him.

I can't believe it is already time to plan for birthdays again. Michael, who was the baby for so long will be 8, and Luke will have his first birthday. It goes by too fast!

Photo Fever

It's no secret that I love to take lots of pictures. I also like to scrapbook my photos and use them to make DVD slideshows with music. I've been working on two big picture projects this week. The first one is a DVD slideshow of our Disney photos and videos from our trip in September. I used Windows Live Movie Maker to organize everything - our Disney Photopass photos, 100's of our pictures, and lots of Flipshare videos. I ended up with a 37 minute slideshow, set to some great Disney music. We all watched it today. It was fun to relive those memories, and now we are talking about our next trip. Maybe in the new camper. We will be looking for some good deals to be announced with the rising gas prices.

My other venture is my new 365 project. I am going to take one picture every day for the next year. I started on Tuesday, so I've done 6 days so far. I take SO many pictures of the kids - birthdays, soccer games, baseball games, basketball games, piano recitals, Pinewood Derbies, vacations, holidays. I don't miss capturing any of those big moments, but I don't photograph many of the little everyday things. Our house, cars, my morning cup of coffee, doing school in our pj's. So my 365 project is going to be more for me and taking pictures of little things that are important to me. I'm excited about what this project will teach me and about learning some new photography techniques! I've got lots of ideas that I can't wait to try.

Room Makeovers

We have spent the last couple of weeks painting, moving, cleaning out, and rearranging the boys' bedrooms. My goal was to have everything done in one week, but by the time we got everything cleaned up and put on the finishing touches it actually took two.

What used to be the office/guest room/Uncle Todd's room is now Zack's room. The new wall color is "hazy skies", a blue-gray. We hung 3 framed posters (Toy Story 3, Manchester United, and Messi), put up a baseball shelf for his sports trophies, and organized all his books on a the bookshelf we made under his loft bed. Nick moved into what was Zack's room/the play room. We also painted it "hazy skies". He got 3 new posters - Mario Kart Wii, Star Wars, and a classic Disney. He organized his Legos in the cubes of the bookshelf that we put horizontally next to his bed. It will be a great room for him as he approaches the teen years. Michael and Luke got what was the room Michael shared. Michael wanted a jungle room, so we painted the bottom half a darker brown ("Toffee Bar") and the top half a tan ("Kenya") and put up removable, repositionable wall decals of jungle animals. We put the full size bed from the guest room under Michael's loft bed. He loves it since he can make a fort under his bed.

I am really happy with the paint colors and overall results. It feels great to have everything decluttered and organized (at least for now). And we needed to get it done before soccer season starts as we will have 3 kids playing on 3 different teams. It was exhausting painting and moving 3 rooms of furniture, but I'm so glad it is done.

What's Wrong With That Newbery Guy?

We are reading Island of the Blue Dolphins as a read aloud. At dinner tonight I told the boys that we will finish it tomorrow. Nick said "I hope something happy happens by the end of the book!" We were talking about how so many of our readers and read alouds are depressing. Orphaned kids, parents die, spiders die, dogs die, families lose everything to natural disasters. Charlotte's Web, Sign of the Beaver, Johnny Tremain, Across Five Aprils, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, Old Yeller, Heidi, The Big Wave. All great books, but all filled with tragedy. The boys wanted to know why we read so many sad books, and I told them that people overcoming adversity makes for a good story. Then I added, "Most of the books we read are Newberry award winners." Zack's immediate response was "What's wrong with that Newbery Guy!?! Is he depressed?"

Snuggling on the couch with the kids reading great books is one of my favorite parts of homeschooling. OK, the older boys don't exactly want to snuggle on the couch anymore, but the books are still fabulous. I am now knee deep in researching curriculum for next school year. Maybe it makes me kind of nerdy, but I love it. It would be nice if we had unlimited funds so I could buy all the history, science, writing, math, and language programs I wanted. There are so many neat ones out there.

I'm leaning toward Middle Ages, Reformation, and Renaissance for Nick, with Rainbow Science, and Jacob's Algebra. Zack will study American History, Teaching Textbooks math, and I'm not sure what for science. Michael will learn about World History and stick with Math U See and informal science topics. I do know that we will be reading some great books along the way.

Winter Weather Week

Last weekend we took the new camper out to the lake for the first time. It was fabulous - good meals, s'mores around the campfire, and beautiful weather with temperatures in the 70's. It's hard to believe that was just a few days ago since we have been iced in for the last 4 days.

Monday an ice storm came rolling through North Texas, and the temperatures have been below freezing, so the ice is still here. And it has been cold - temps of 20 or lower and windchill less than 0! The metroplex is not equipped to deal with the road conditions, so most people have been stuck at home. You would think that being homeschoolers that this would not be much of a change for us, but it has been like a vacation. We have still had school every day, but since public schools were closed, all of our evening activities were cancelled. No dance lessons, no scouts, no church meetings or classes, no rushing through dinner, no driving all over town. We have had the fire place going, we've had hot chocolate every night, we've played games and put together puzzles, and we've just been able to relax and enjoy each other's company.

This morning we woke up to a few inches of soft beautiful snow, so the kids could finally go play in it and not just slide around on the ice. They were out there for several hours playing with other kids on our street. They had snow ball fights and made some kind of snow fort. I don't know how our friends and family up north can handle this weather all winter, but it is fun for a short time once or twice a year.

The Puma Purchase

Today we picked up our new Palomino Puma travel trailer! http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBEGtB6ZrP8
It is 33 feet long and will sleep 9 (OK, maybe 7 comfortably). There are 3 bunk beds in the back room and a queen bed in the front room with a sofa, dinette, and full kitchen in the main area. There is a bathroom with a small tub and shower. It also has an outside kitchen. It is quite a step up from our Coleman pop-up camper. We loved our pop-up and made many great memories in it, including 2 trips to Disney World and 2 trips to South Dakota, but as a family we had just outgrown it.

We visited the Fort Worth RV Show a couple of weeks ago and had a blast looking at all of the fancy motorhomes, fifth wheels, camper vans, and travel trailers. We brought along a camera to take pictures of the ones that we really liked for our family. We also have been searching the web for pictures and prices. We seriously considered a Class C motorhome. It would have sleeping space for all 6 of us, and it would make driving so much easier. Ultimately we decided on a travel trailer because it was a fourth to a third of the cost of a Class C and then we would have our car to drive around when we got to where we were going. We didn't want to buy a Class C and not have any money left to travel in it. Many of them also have more interior room than the Class C's.

On Monday we loaded the kids in the car and went to one of the RV dealers from the show. We looked at a few options and decided on the Puma 30KDBSS travel trailer. This morning we took care of paperwork for insurance and storage and then picked it up this afternoon. We are so excited about making new family memories in this camper. We are trying to decide where we will go first and plan some trips. Some places on our wish list are Louisiana for Mardi Gras, Branson MO, Catholic Familyland in Ohio, Washington DC, the Grand Canyon, and of course our favorite Disney World!

Healthy Habits for Our Household

We enjoyed lots of cookies, candy, treats, chips, dips, and special meals over the holiday season. But now that it is over, it is time to crack down on some healthier eating habits. The baby is now 9 months old, and still have 10-15 pounds of baby weight to lose. Now, when I complain about this some people have told me that I look good. While this is flattering, the bottom line is that my clothes don't fit. I have 3 pairs of sweat pants that are comfortable and a couple of pairs of jeans that I can squeeze into but are tight. I don't want to spend money on new clothes when I have a closet full of them, and I know that with a little will power and hard work I can get rid of the rest of the weight that I gained with precious baby #4. Besides my extra weight, a couple of the boys are carrying a few extra pounds (they love food like their mother), and I don't want them to become part of the childhood obesity epidemic going on in our country. If they ate what they wanted whenever they wanted their weight would easily become a problem and get out of hand.

So what are we doing? We are not eating junk food. I'm not buying cookies or candy or chips or fruit snacks. What candy we had left from Christmas I put away. We are having healthy snacks, and instead of 2 or 3 snacks at night they are eating just 1. I am having the kids make sure that they have a normal serving size instead of as much of a snack as they want. Michael found a Dancing With the Stars workout video, so I bought it for him (about $9) and he and I have been dancing off some pounds. It is fun and a great workout. The boys are also enjoying the Michael Jackson Experience on the Wii. It is a workout as well. They are allowed to have a dish of ice cream on the weekend.

I have started working out again. Before I got pregnant, I was working out pretty hard 5 days a week. It feels great to get back on the treadmill again even though it is harder to find the time with the demanding baby. I'm hoping to add in weights in a few weeks. I got a juicer for Christmas, and now I have carrot-apple juice every morning. It is full of vitamins and quite tasty. I make sure I have lots of vegetables and some fruit every day and always drink plenty of water. I'm hoping that when the weather gets a little warmer we can load the baby in the stroller and go for some family walks. My goal is to be rid of the baby weight by the end of February. I'll report back in then!

RV Roadtrip

Instead of packing up the car to go visit our family for Christmas this year, we decided to rent a motorhome. We had several reasons for this adventure. First, the baby would not have to be restrained in his car seat, saving him and us several hours of him screaming uncontrollably. (Please don't judge me - I did my research on seat belt laws in motorhomes and am aware of the risks. I could discuss all of this in another post.) Second, my parents do not have enough sleeping space at their house for all of the people who would be staying there, so the RV gave us some extra room without anyone having to stay in a hotel. Third, with 4 growing boys we have outgrown our pop-up camper and are considering upgrading to a travel trailer or motorhome that can better accomodate us. We thought it would be a good idea to rent one before buying to see how we liked it.

After looking into a few RV rental companies we decided to go with Cruise America since it was the closest one to our house and we were able to get one night free. I had read some questionable reviews about Cruise America rentals, so I was a little apprehensive, but it turned out to be a great experience. We rented a large motorhome that can sleep 7. It had a queen bed in the back, a queen bed over the cab (the boys loved this one), a sofa that folded out to a full size bed, and a dinette table that folded out to a single bed. The driver and passenger seats in the front had lap/shoulder belts and the sofa and dinette table seats all had lap belts. It had a refrigerator/freezer, microwave, stove, sink, bathroom, and shower. We were very impressed with the amount of storage, and it was very clean. In fact we were able to secure all of our things much more securely than when we pile everything into the SUV.

So we packed up our stuff and left our house on Christmas Day for my parents house in Houston. Although it was kind of loud because of the rattling windows and screen door, we couldn't have asked for a better trip. To everyone's surprise, Luke actually fell asleep in his car seat and slept there for about an hour. That was about it for him in his seat. The rest of the time I held him or nursed him in the sling. The other boys played cards and watched movies. It was nice to be able to use the restroom without having to stop, and when we did pull over for lunch we could make our own right there in the RV. We did not have to spend money or wait in line for fast food. We also had plenty of room to bring our dog and guinea pig with us. We all slept very comfortably at night too.

Even when we got home Corey and Michael had a camp out in the RV in our driveway. Michael thought this was a really special treat. Now we are getting RV fever and would really like to buy one. We are going to the RV show in Fort Worth next weekend to check some out and we have been looking online at used ones. I'm not sure if we will end up with one, but it is fun looking. We have made some great family trips and memories in our little pop-up, and we would love to make more, just in something that we can all fit in.