Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Not a Good Day

I suppose with homeschooling you have some bad ones. (I don't think it's just us.) There are days you seem to do nothing right and your children want nothing to do with learning (or you.) Ahhhh, those are the days.... Breathe in, breathe out. I miss having my friends here. It's days like these I feel quite alone, but He is there. I'm thankful that God does fill my heart with peace. He gives me a patience I never would have without him. Tomorrow, is another day.

A Trip to Tennessee


Friday was spent giving haircuts and finishing up the first week of school. One of my boys helped me out with their haircut. Hmmm.... I do believe there are barber schools around here.








Jordan loves having the school room in his room. He's right at home doing his work in the 'teacher's' chair and listening to itunes. Jordan believes that everybody knows the best way to work is with music. Hey, whatever works! All my Little Men had a great week.

What's school without a field trip? Right away we take off for Tennesse. Although Hurricane Irene was on her way up the coast Saturday, our reasoning was for Shane's (my brother-in-law) birthday. We had some rain and wind as we were leaving. This little guy was staying behind to ride it out, along with Lily.

It wasn't too long before the rain and wind was left behind. I-40's a beautiful drive, especially through the Smoky Mountains. I don't ever tire of the picturesque mountains and valleys. The boys love going through the tunnels. It's amazing to be driving through a mountain...


The boys settled in right away at their Aunt Jan's. John roped Jan into playing checkers at once. A cousin, Keely was there with a friend. They all had fun playing outside and climbing fences. To be young again!  We've been told it's their second home next to our apartment. Joe's ready to move in. He wishes he could wake up there every morning. I wonder if it has anything to do with the spoiling his Aunt does on him? :)

Most of the family gang came over Saturday night for Knight's pizza and wings. Absolutely the best! (Well, a pizza place in John's Pass Village, Madeira Beach, Fl, might have them beat. We'd have to try both in a blind taste test.) I only wish I hadn't had a horrible migraine and could of enjoyed both food and company more. Thanks, Heather, for having a 'sympathy' migraine, too. ;)

This was a short visit and most of it centered around family and food! We did get a chance to see Donna and Shane's new home. Very lovely. Max even has his own throne! Before going to their house on Sunday, we did visit Generations Church with Heather, my niece. The boys loved the kids' zone... and the goodies they were able to bring home. It was great worshipping with Heather and Jan, if only it wasn't such a commute!


Dinner was in celebration of Shane's birthday (and so was lunch... Mexican!) at Maggiano's. What a fun evening! Great food! Great family & friends! The kids enjoyed having their own booth behind us. Their waiter was patient, fun, and joked around with them quite a bit. Shane was quite surprised when lemon cookies came out with candles on them. Happy Birthday!


We headed back Monday, but not without a detour. Tim left his credit card at Maggiano's and two of our boys decided to toss their cookies (left that pic out) on the way there... too much of a good thing? We were fortunate that someone was at Maggiano's, and then on our way through the mountains again. We were hoping to visit my Aunt Jan in Fountain City (Knoxville), but it just didn't work out this time... next time. :)

 Today was spent unpacking, cleaning, and laundry. I did read the NC drivers handbook this morning and Tim and I took our driver's test (passed with flying colors!) One step closer! In a week or two we should receive our licenses and then we'll get our plates - wahoo!!!! John and Joseph were fitted for new glasses. Joseph was displeased until he found the perfect pair... you'll have to wait for them to come in for a picture! Poor Jordan. The one with perfect vision longs to wear glasses. John and Joe tried telling him how lucky he has it. The grass is always greener....

btw... Have ya ever seen your vinegar separate in oil to a face? Only Britt & Jenny!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Three first days of schooling...


We're definetly getting back into the swing of things. It's very different being in a small apartment instead of a roomy house with our own yard to experiment on. But, we're loving it! Wherever we live, we're a family and we're at 'home.' Some things with schooling get easier as my Little Men are growing (and will someday be men...), and some aspects are more difficult.

One of my children is going to be President of the United States someday. His first act in office will be making a law that kids don't have to do school anywhere at anytime. He had a lot of 'fun' during school today and said he might have to change his position on where he stands about schooling when President, lol! Watch out, DC!


Hmmm... Our boys had a science project to identify and observe leaves, including their midribs, cells, and stomatas. Somehow the magnifying glasses ended up being used to smoke some pine needles on our patio. They wanted to show me what Papa had taught them, lol! Only with adult supervision of course....
On our walk Monday, (I've been trying to walk everyday with the boys. At this point, only a mile) we came across a couple of dead snakes. The boys showed their Dad when he came home. I had him bring the camera. Only one was to be found (Jordan had thrown the other into the bushes - yuck!) and it was now covered with ants. The guys thought that was way cool and needed to be in the blog.... this one's for you! (Too bad I couldn't make the picture any smaller!)


After that snake picture, I can't believe I'm going to show pics of food. During my homeschooling days, meals usually tend to be irregular (and the housework falls behind, and probably the blogging....) I have had the opportunity to make a couple of dinners. One of our family's favorite is Cheese Pie (Quiche to most, but 'Pie' to guys since 'real men' don't eat quiche, lol!) Joseph picks all the bacon out. He's not a big bacon eater unless it's very crunchy, and still not all the time. Next time we'll make it with spinach. I can't believe my boys are spinach eaters! (Not complaining, though!)


Our family really enjoys Indian food. We can't wait to check out some of the restaurants in this area. We've found a mix (Yes, a mix. Those who know me well, know that I don't usually use a mix.) for Butter Chicken.... yummy!!!!! It's very tasty! We served it with basmati rice and stewed tomatoes... Yes, the tomatoes weren't an 'Indian' dish, but my boys love stewed tomatoes with Parmesan cheese on them roasted forever. Next time I shall have plain yogurt on hand to make riata, though. It's the perfect side to an Indian dish... along with Pappadom and chutneys, too! ♥

                                                             Oh, the foil trick is one my Mom taught me;
                                                             it keeps the crust from getting dark.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

End of Summer

I spent most of Saturday getting ready for homeschooling and digging around in a hot garage for either my highschool diploma or college degree.... I'll be making phone calls tomorrow. I can't believe that tomorrow will begin our 7th year of homeschooling! There were scary times ('What if I'm not teaching them the right things or equipped to give them all they need?....'), but I totally LOVE teaching them, watching them grow, and getting able to spend so much time together as a family. We were spoiled with a special schooling area up north. Here, the school room is share with Jordan's bedroom. He loves having the table and computer (sorry, password protected). I'm wondering what kind of mess we'll be schooling in, lol! Tomorrow, we're going to go to the apartment office and see if they'll allow us to dig a hole, put a canning jar in, and try to catch insects for a couple of days. Lol! It's different not having your own woods when it comes to using the woods and ponds for science (and art.... spray painting outside, etc.) We'll make do. :) I'm also not going to be able to post my Little Men's work all over the walls... we'll just have to be creative. I wonder if we could use the clubhouse to display their work? ;)

This morning was a great time of worship at Providence. The kids really enjoy it there and we found out about different Sunday School classes for them... so many for us to choose from. We're thinking about plopping ourselves down and ending the search... we'll see. Jordan said he really liked it even though he didn't fall asleep. What a guy!



We celebrated our last day of summer with a movie night. Tim took the guys to see Harry Potter. Jordie and I went to Maggie Moos before watching Spy Kids 3D. It was suppose to be 4D. We both agreed that didn't go over too well. We were given these scratch n sniff cards that you scratch when the coinciding number flashes on the screen. Jordie and I thought they all smelled pretty much the same with no distinct smells. It was still a fun movie. John and Joe were thrilled to finally have seen an HP on the big screen. All in all a delightful evening.




Btw... I love avocado! ♥

Friday, August 19, 2011

A Lazy Day...

I do believe all of my energy left me last night while watching soccer, or maybe it was my lack of sleep? The boys and I started the day off with a walk. Our complex doesn't have a walking trail per se, but the sidewalks along the second entrance do fine. The boys stayed outside by our patio to play soccer for awhile. I could just see the ball going through a window. I'm thankful it's soccer and not baseball, lol!


Poor Lily would love to be out with them. She did escape the other day and I ran like a young whippersnapper to get her. Hmmm.... harness shopping would be good.



I did get a load of laundry done. This is very significant, because as I was pulling the wet clothes from the washing machine, this nasty humongous beetle (okay, a little over an inch long and about 1/2" wide) was having a party in the bottom. Not cool!!!!



On to better things; the boys enjoyed making pretzels this afternoon and into very interesting shapes. They sure do like being in the kitchen. Then during the hottest part of the day I was searching in the garage for my diploma. I need to send it in to the state for homeschooling. No luck.... it's in one of the boxes marked, 'basement.' All my other boxes were so detailed - drat! Tomorrow, I'm going to have to dig in and get dirty!

My Little Men convinced me into taking them down to the pool this afternoon, while I sat there working on lesson plans. One of these days I'm going to dive in with them! Well, goodnight my friends! (as my husband is patiently waiting) ♥

Our new life unfolding....

After several months of not knowing where we'd land, our Dailey clan has arrived in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area of North Carolina. My most amazing friend, and sister for life, Val, saw us off along with her son, Luke. Ugh, I miss them like crazy! (and the rest of her gang!)

The boys said their goodbyes and had 'nice' pics before the silly ones. I like this one of them showing their personalities. Luke was saying, "Take me with you!" Jordie tried sneaking him into the van, but Val put her good sense to use, lol!... He could always share a room with Jordie! :)




While adjusting to apartment living, I believe my guys' favorite part is the pool. They enjoy it as often as possible. It's such a joy to see them so happy. Right now it's like a long vacation. We'll see what happens when we start school up next week, lol!


The boys and I arrived here Aug. 9th. We're pretty much settled in; I'm still planning on continuing to simplify. It's amazing how much a family accumulates over the years. While unpacking and organizing, we checked out a few new restaurants, and of course, the boys' favorite fast food ~ Chick-Fil-A! We even pulled Tim away from work to join us in the first family movie in forever ~ the Smurfs! Oh, my! My Little Men are ready to see it again.

We've already had visitors! Of course, it was such a blessing to have Val & Luke help us move stuff down in July. We can't wait for them to come again!!!! Our wonderful friends, Marc & Stacy, came by for a visit on Wednesday while in this area. Tim was going to surprise them and come by, but ended up being in a meeting all day ~ bummer! We still had fun... the boys were thrilled that M&S wanted to eat at Chick-Fil-A, and watch them swim and even try to pull Marc in.



We haven't just been eating out. One of my many 'projects' I'd like to do ('cept schooling's starting up again...) is play in the kitchen. My Little Men love to join me there, too. We've tried something new... bbq chicken with bacon & cheese ~ ALL the guys loved it! (and we have some picky eaters!) Also, a favorite, bocatini (different pasta for us, and yummy!) with my throw together sauce, and many salads. Oh, I did make butter tarts for the apartment office.... Hmmmm, where's the pic? Oh, well, I guess I'll have to make them again so I can take one!


As it's getting very late, (and my Little Men don't sleep in) I'll end for now with soccer. While searching for upward sports, (last night) I came across Colonial Baptist Church in Cary (and evaluations were tonight!) They have several sports! John and Jordie both wanted to play soccer (Joseph is holding out for basketball). They also offer martial arts and archery among other sports and have a homeschooling group ~ way cool!!!! Both Tim and I had a chance to talk to parents (from all different churches), while watching the boys' evaluations. It was fun for all of us. We sure do miss family & friends in the North Country, but are full speed ahead in our new adventure. ♥