I swear, I'm not a bad mom, really!

As you can see, we have a little refrigerator outside on the patio by the pool. We keep sodas, water, juice boxes and yes, Chris' beer out there. The weather was so lovely the other day that the boys and I took our lunch outside. After lunch I took our plates inside and came back out to this:

(No, he's not really drinking the Guiness!)

The next day the boys ran outside to play while I was getting dinner ready. I heard a "concert" going on outside and found all of Daddy's beer bottles on the table.

I think I'm scared to let Colin go off to college...can you say Harvard Homeschool?

Art & Me

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Conscientious, Fulfilled, and Spiritual

25 Renaissance, 11 Islamic, 1 Ukiyo-e, -39 Cubist, -35 Abstract and 19 Impressionist!

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that profoundly affected European intellectual life. Beginning in Italy, and spreading to the rest of Europe by the 16th century, its influence affected literature, philosopy, religion, art, politics, science, and all other aspects of intellectual enquiry. Renaissance artists looked at the human aspect of life in their art. They did not reject religion but tended to look at it in it's purest form to create visions they thought depicted the ideals of religion. Painters of this time had their own style and created works based on morality, religion, and human nature. Many of the paintings depicted what they believed to be the corrupt nature of man.

People that like Renaissance paintings like things that are more challenging. They tend to have a high emotional stability. They also tend to be more concientious then average. They have a basic understanding of human nature and therefore are not easily surprised by anything that people may do. They enjoy life and enjoy living. They are very aware of their own mortality but do not dwell on the end but what they are doing in the present. They enjoy learning, but may tend to be a bit more closed minded to new ideas as they feel that the viewpoint they have has been well researched and considered. These people are more old fashioned and not quite as progressive. They enjoy the finer things in life like comfort, a good meal, and homelife. They tend to be more spiritual or religious by nature. They are open to new aesthetic experiences.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

No, no and no

This must be a refrain that my kids hear from me because they are starting to use it back to me. It got me thinking how often I must say "no" to them...
"No, you can't go outside right now."
"No, you can't have a snack now."
"No, don't hit your brother."

Well, you get the point.

Now, some things require a no. Like when Colin is wanting to draw on the television (like right now!), or when Sean is scratching at Colin or Brian's face, or when Brian pulls out a big knife. Safety aside, I want to be a mom that is more of a "yes" mom. Not that I want to be a doormat or let my children run the roost. There are certain boundaries and rules that are in place to try and keep our house and family running well, but for the other things, my goal is to say "yes" when my previous instinct was to say "no".

"Yes, we can go outside and play"
"Yes, I will play trains with you now"
"Yes, I will read this book to you again"
"Yes, you can have a snack now - would you like an apple or a banana?"

Are you a "yes" mom or a "no" mom?

Boo at the Zoo 2008

Friday night we met up with Tommy, Kellie and Leighton for a night at Boo at the Zoo. Our local zoo closes early the 2 weekends before Halloween. Then at 5:30 they re-open for some trick-or-treating throughout the zoo. Last year we went to Boo at the Zoo - I'm seeing a tradition coming on here. The only downside of going to the zoo in the evening is that most of the animals are already put away. It's still nice to walk around since our zoo is very tropical in nature - it almost seems as if you are walking through the animal's natural habitat. So without further ado, here is a quick slide show of our evening. You'll notice towards the end that someone put on his cranky pants!

Umm, what exactly are you saying, Sean

I have a similar scale to this in our bathroom. Colin loves to press all the buttons and hear the beeping noise.

This morning, Sean was playing around with the scale. I told him to hop on it and stand very still and we would see what he weighed. 35 pounds. Great job Sean.

He hopped off, stooped down to look closer at the scale and said, "Okay Mommy, time to monitor your fat." (The scale reads "Tanita Fat Monitor") Sometimes this early reading this isn't so good for Mommy's self esteem!

Snow in Florida

So down here in Florida we don't get much in the way of snow. Brian has been asking repeatedly over the past year when we were going to get some snow. It's so hard to explain to him that we live in a tropical climate and that the chance of snow is, well, pretty darn slim.

So, what are some ingenious boys to do while their momma is occupied? Create their own snow! If you saw on St. Anne's Academy, today we made Ziploc Freezer Bag Ice Cream. Required salt to be mixed in with the ice prior to all the shaking. Let's just say that my big box of Kosher Salt
is completely empty now. Our playroom on the other hand looked like a winter wonderland. I was too upset to think about taking pictures, but I'll just let your imagination fill in the blanks here.

New Vocabulary

On the way home from CCD this afternoon.

Sean: Mommy, what day is it?

Mommy: It's Tuesday, Sean.

Brian: No Mommy, it's Tues-night!

Too funny not to post

In case you didn't stay up on Saturday night to watch this live and in person, I'd like to share one of the funniest skits I've seen out of Saturday Night Live in a long, long time. In fact, viewership for SNL last Saturday was the highest it's been in 14 years due to the appearance of Gov. Sarah Palin. Enjoy!

H is for Happy Birthday

In the spirit of "H" week around here, I want to say a big Happy Birthday to my now 4 year old Sean! How did you get to be 4??? It seems like just yesterday I was at my doctor's appointment with Dr. Felluca and she sent me over to the hospital for a contraction stress test. This was the first test you failed (and hopefully the last!) and the next thing I knew, Dr. Felluca was pulling strings to get us into an operating room and there you were! With your older brother I was in such shock at seeing a little baby that I never cried. When you were born, tears came streaming down my face - I knew then what a special little man you were.

Your biggest achievement this past year has been learning to read all by yourself. You started amazing your daddy and I last December when you pulled out a book that you hadn't seen for over 6 months and started reading it (that would be How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten). And we haven't been able to stop you since. You devour books. You take a book with you wherever you go. You sleep on top of your books - really, there's no room on your bed for you at night...it is covered with your favorite books!

I am so proud to be your mommy and can't wait to see what this year brings. Happy Birthday Sean.

6th Picture Post

So the instructions for this meme are very easy:

Go to your picture folder - go to the 6th folder and then the 6th picture in that folder and post it.

Now, I'm kind of cheating. I have this folder in my picture folder that doesn't have any pictures in it. So this is my result if I go exactly by the letter of the law:

This was last November. We were living in our sparsely furnished apartment while waiting for our house to be finished. We had nothing to put up for Christmas until my sister Lori lent us her extra Christmas tree and some ornaments. Chris and the boys are setting up our tree.

Now, if I go by the spirit of the law, this would be the 6th picture in my picture folder.
This picture was taken last November also - at Thanksgiving. All of my brothers and sister came to town as well as my Grandma Summers and her husband Lyman. My parents had a photographer come to the house.

If you feel like playing, leave me a comment and let me know - I'd love to see your picture/pictures!

HT: Kimberly

Puppet Show for the Letter G

This week we are studying everything to do with the letter "G". Today we made giraffe stick puppets. Brian & Sean decided (on their own) to have their own little puppet show. And now, for your entertainment...Brian Giraffe & Sean Giraffe!

Before & After

It's amazing what a little haircut can do.

We have had our first sighting

I came home from t-ball with the boys this morning, and as I looked out the back door I saw something sticking up slightly from the water in the lake. When I went outside to investigate, my suspicions were confirmed - we have an alligator. I called our neighbor and she ran down the block to gaze in horror at the site with me. Looks like we'll be playing inside the house today!

Another reason why I'm so glad

1) we don't live in VA anymore

and

2) we don't send our kids to school to see this overt effort at swaying children.

When I started my teaching career, Chris warned me that the teacher's unions are forcefully liberal, and he was going to keep an eye on me to make sure I didn't get brain washed. And yes, the liberal "junk" was all over the place in that little school. Fortunately the teacher across the hall from me was an ultra-conservative, so we were able to vent about this issue. I've never understood why teachers, as a rule, are so liberal. Conservatives don't want to crush the teachers - they want to offer choices to parents. The option of having vouchers and letting parents send their kids to another school if their school is failing scares the beejezus out of most teachers. It forces them to look at themselves and realize that they can't just sit on their tenure and get by.

And don't even get me started on the No Child Left Behind policy - which by the way keeps getting blamed on George W. Bush, but in actuality was a bill proposed and co-authored by Ted Kennedy - a Democrat in case you weren't aware. All this bill does is cause teachers to feel forced to teach to the test. So if you teach science and you are studying the solar system, and your students get really excited about this topic you have to stop studying because you have to move on. This crushes the natural excitement that children have for learning. We are teaching our children to just be memorizers, not learners. All in the name of getting a high enough score to please the federal government. What?? Does that sound like a way to get our children to the next level? I don't think so.

Kelly for President

Your result for The Presidential Capacity Test...

Presidential Success!

79% Values, 95% Charisma and 82% Judgment!

"In America, anyone can become president. That's one of the risks you take." -Adlai E. Stevenson

Congratulations! You encapsulate everything that a successful candidate should encapsulate.

Crack open the whiskey and break out the celebratory cigar. You are destined for success in the Presidential Campaign. You exude confidence and charisma. You exhibit true leadership abilities and demonstrate the ability to make snap judgement calls if the need arises. You are well-respected for your strong values and your steadfast stance on honesty and loyalty.

The USA needs a President like you. You are one of a select few deserving of the influence and recognition commanded by the Presidential title. Congrats!

Other possibilities:

Take The Presidential Capacity Test at HelloQuizzy