Kids Say the Darndest Things

Join Us for Kids say the Darndest things

The Archangel had always loved playing the classic Cootie game that my parents had at their house. So, for Christmas in 2006, a few months before he turned 4, my parents got him his own game. He was so excited. "Now I have Cooties like Grandma!"

LOST Linkage (2nd Post for Today)

Casinodad & I love LOST, but we haven't been hooked from the beginning. We watched the first episode, but for some reason it just didn't capture our attention. It wasn't until the end of the first season, when we caught bits & pieces of a couple episodes, where we actually said, "Hey, this is pretty good, after all!" Once the DVD set came out at the end of that summer, we spent a couple weeks catching up so we'd be ready for Season Two.

Throughout the series, we've loved the character development & relationships, the Christian themes, the mystery & wondering, & just LOVED getting LOST each week! This past Sunday's series finale did not disappoint. Sure, it answered some questions, but left many more unanswered, but we expected that. I had an idea of what the island was & surprisingly, I was partially correct.

As soon as it was over, I went directly to several sites/blogs to read their reviews & thoughts, hoping perhaps they had answers to our questions. Rather than go into a deep, personal reflection, I thought I'd share those sites/blogs w/ you. I loved what they had to say.

WARNING: THESE ARE SPOILERS, SO IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE END YET, YOU PROBABLY DON'T WANT TO CLICK ON THE LINKS!

1) I LOVED Kimberly's perspective. She caught some great references, not only to Christianity, but to the Buddhist, Muslim, & Jewish faiths.

2) Danielle Bean wrote up her thoughts for National Catholic Register.

3) Danielle linked to an blog post by Tony Rossi. See his thoughts HERE.

So, if you're having trouble finding answers to LOST, click on the links above. They won't answer all your questions, but may put your thoughts in perspective.

Small Successes

"It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that."

1) I deep cleaned our bedroom...dusted, swept, reorganized stuff, removed unnecessary things, etc. It's almost the sanctuary it should be (about 98%) & is so welcoming to walk into now.

2) Yesterday, I noticed that a sippy cup of milk had spilled in the fridge. In only 15 minutes, I cleaned the four larger shelves. I removed all the items, scrubbed the gunk off of them, & used bleach spray to disinfect them. And surprisingly, there wasn't a lot of outdated food to discard...that's a success in itself!

3) Also, yesterday, I washed, dried, AND put away all the munchkins' clothes. That last part is the toughest to complete & the clothes usually sit in the basket for several days...at least!

How's your week been? Check out Faith & Family Live to share your successes & see what others have been up to.

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

Judy over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

Because it is still so fresh in my mind, this week is my Dayton Homeschool Conference Thanksgiving Edition!

1) I'm thankful for the time Casinodad & I had to spend together. I'm so glad he wanted to go w/ me &, while we missed the munchkins, it was nice to have that time alone.

2) I'm thankful for the money I was able to save on some school books for next year. I've been perusing the catalogs the past couple months, picking out what we'll use so I had a good idea of the cost. When I saw a bunch of the books cheaper than the catalog, I had to get them!

3) I'm thankful to have met two great Catholic celebrities, Danielle Bean & Regina Doman. The money I saved in school books went towards to purchase of one each of their books...which they signed for me. See my Celebrity Status post for more details. (Judy, I even mentioned you in the post!)

4) I'm thankful for all the wonderful, inspiring speakers who were at the conference. Casinodad & I came away w/ so many great thoughts & ideas for our family & homeschool life.

5) Overall, I'm thankful that everything just fell into place for us to be able to go this year.

Celebrity Status

Celebrity: famous person, hero, hotshot, immortal, luminary, notable, personality, star, superstar, VIP, worthy

Who are the celebrities in your life? Miley Cyrus? Donald Trump? Tom Cruise? The cast of LOST or Glee or whatever your favorite show may be? The next American Idol, perhaps? Sure, those are some famous people but, do they challenge you to become a better person? Do they have a positive influence on your life?

The last couple of days, I've been thinking about the celebrities in my life. In writing this post, I really had to wrack my brain to come up w/ those mentioned in the above paragraph. The ones who are most important to me are the inspiring authors & bloggers I've met in the Catholic educational world: Judy from A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings (& several other great blogs), Elizabeth Foss of In the Heart of My Home, Kimberly from Catholic Family Vignettes, & Danielle Bean (blogger & editor of Faith & Family Magazine), just to name a few.

This weekend, I got to meet two of the wonderful women mentioned above...Kimberly & Danielle Bean. Casinodad & I went to the Dayton Homeschool Conference. On Saturday morning, as we were walking through the vendor hall, I saw Kimberly. I went up to introduce myself to her & she recognized me from my blog. Both of us are in the same homeschool group, but due to various schedules & such, we've never met. She hugged me right away & I felt like I'd known her forever! She is a VERY SWEET person & after years of following her blog, I was so happy to have finally met her.

Danielle Bean was one of the speakers for the weekend. Her talk, "What Happy Mothers Know," was uplifting, fun, & full of her great family tales. When her talk was over, Casinodad & I headed to the vendor hall to her table, where she was meeting people & signing copies of her books. I walked up to her, shook her hand, & said, "Danielle, I love you!" I then told her I'd been following her blog & that I love the Small Successes she hosts every Thursday at Faith & Family Live. We talked a little more & she asked about our family. I bought a copy of her new book, co-authored w/ Elizabeth Foss, Small Steps for Catholic Moms. Of course she signed it for me.

I met two other celebrities who spoke at the conference...Regina Doman & her husband Andrew Schmiedicke. I really didn't know much about them prior to the conference. I knew she had written Angel in the Waters, an excellent pro-life book, & a series of novels for teen which are modern re-tellings of fairy tales. (A special preview copy of her newest book, Alex O'Donnell and the 40 Cyber Thieves, was available at the conference. Of course I purchased a copy & she signed it.)

Both of their talks were very inspiring. Regina's was a very tough one...sharing the loss of their son using an unusual re-telling of the story of Job. She had some great reflections, especially for those who are suffering in any way. Andrew's talk was geared toward fathers, but we mothers got a lot out of it also. When I purchased Regina's book, we thanked Andrew for his talk. Casinodad asked him a question & we had a nice discussion w/ him for several minutes.

There were several other speakers, just as inspiring & uplifting. We came away w/ so much great information & encouragement, not just for homeschooling, but for our family's faith formation too. THESE are the kinds of celebrities I look up to. I hope that, as we continue to educate & raise our munchkins, they too will be encouraged by faith-filled celebrities.

Small Successes

"It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that."

Seems I'm on an every other week run for Small Successes! Must be the end of the school year :)

1) Yesterday, I washed all the bed sheets & comforters, then put them all back on the beds too!

2) I've been slowly working on straightening/cleaning out/organizing my bedroom. According to all those home shows, the bedroom is supposed to be like a sanctuary...peaceful, calming, etc. Well, ours is anything but! It has managed to be the "catch-all" for our clutter & the dust...well, I won't even go there! So, each morning, I've been doing about 10-15 minutes of something in there. By the end of the year, it just might resemble a bedroom again...LOL!

3) Last week, Casinodad mentioned a meal I'd made several months ago that he really liked. Guess what I made for dinner last night! (It was cooked linguine, tossed into a skillet w/ a clove of garlic, a tablespoon of olive oil, a can of pinto beans, & some frozen broccoli.)

So how are things in your world? Share your successes & check out more at Faith and Family Live.

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

Judy over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

Dear Heavenly Father, I am full of thanks for the following things:

1) Thank you for a little extra sleep this morning. The Prophet helped by getting The Saint up & giving him some breakfast. The only thing he didn't do for me was start my coffee!

2) Thank you for the rain we've had the past couple days. Even though it is VERY dreary & the munchkins have major cabin fever, it is much needed. And there are so many beautiful shades of green outside.

3) Thank you for the homeschool conference coming up this weekend. I've been wanting to go for several years & everything just fell into place for us this year. Casinodad is going w/ me, while my mom comes Friday afternoon to stay overnight & his mom will watch the munchkins on Saturday.

4) Thank you the tutor who's been coming a couple times a week to help The Prophet. There were a few areas in Math & Language Skills where we were having some trouble, so it has helped to have someone else present them in a different way.

5) Thank you that we only have another week & a half left of school. It's been a long year for us & we'd gotten quite a bit behind, so we've been working hard the last couple months to catch up. All of us are anxiously awaiting the upcoming summer break!

My Love of Books & the Spurts I Go On

I think I've mentioned this before, but I LOVE TO READ & have been a reader since Kindergarten. My first grade teacher was faced with a challenge because I was the only one in the class who could read at the beginning of the year. Throughout middle school, we'd get those Scholastic Reader order forms & I would easily order 10 books at a time. I'd pick up another 10 or so every time I went to a book store. I much preferred reading over going outside. I always had my nose in a book & always had one w/ me in the car or wherever we went.

Nowadays, I go in spurts when I read. Sometimes, I may read 10 books in a month. Other times it may take me three months just to get through one book. If I start a book & am just not captured by the second or third chapter, I stop reading it. There are SO MANY GREAT books out there, that I don't want to waste time on something that is just not interesting. However, if it is something that has been recommended or has gotten great reviews, I may revisit it at a later time. (It took me three tries & several years before I finished Little Women...not that it wasn't a good book, I just couldn't focus on the story the first few tries.)

Also, I usually don't re-read a book for the same "so many great books" reason. (Obviously The Bible does not count in this category...that's one GREAT book that I'll re-read forever! And of course, children's books...who hasn't read the same book over & over & over & over & over...?) There are a few that I've read twice, but not many. And usually if I do re-read one, there are many years in between readings.

Another spurt I go through is the type of books I read. I may be on a kick to read a bunch of novels, religious books, non-fiction, etc. This leads to my current run of books...autobiographies! Now, I am not one to watch all those entertainment shows or read the magazines. I have no interest in reading what the media has to say about the private lives of the stars. Most of the time, they just make up stuff or only report one side of a story. But, if there is an autobiography about a star I like, I will read it.

Last Fall, my dear friend Lawgirl let me borrow her copy of Prairie Tale by Melissa Gilbert. I LOVED Little House on the Prairie as a little girl & even remember having the portable B&W (that's black & white for you young'ns) TV brought into my bedroom so I could watch while I was sick. (It was the episode when the blind school Mary & her husband ran caught on fire.) In the book, Melissa Gilbert was honest about the addictions she faced (& overcame) growing up & continuing into her adulthood. And, did you know that, even though Laura Ingalls & Nellie Olsen were rivals on the series, they were best friend in life?

Fast forward to this past month & the last three books I've read have been autobiographies. I read Kirk Cameron's Still Growing (yes, I thought he was a hottie when I was a teen!), Home by Julie Andrews, & The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.

In Still Growing, Kirk talks about his rise to fame as an atheist actor & how became a Christian. He & his wife, Chelsea Noble (who played his girlfriend on Growing Pains), have six children...the first four adopted. I love how they chose to adopt first so the kids would know that they were really wanted.

Home is Julie Andrews memoir of her early years...her birth until she was cast in Mary Poppins. Her mother (a pianist) & her stepfather (who sang) realized that she had an incredible, coloratura voice at an early age. She started performing on stage in their shows & once others heard her voice, she started to get many offers all over Europe & the US.

Now, The Glass Castle is one I'd not heard about. A good friend of mine mentioned that it had been one of our library website's recommendations & she read it. I didn't know who Jeannette Walls was, but her story sounded intriguing...a child of nomadic parents who had some strange ideals on life & raising children. Her father considered himself an inventor of sorts & was always looking for that big gold strike. Her mother was an artist, who preferred painting over cooking meals & was an "excitement addict." Despite the drunken episodes w/ her father, the lack of parenting skills causing the children to fend for themselves, & the constant moving (usually in the middle of the night), she & her siblings found ways to make it on their own. She has gone on to become a journalist & contributor to MSNBC.com. What I really liked about this book was that, even though many people would consider her childhood years as full abuse & neglect, you can tell that she felt loved by her parents & loved them greatly in return. Her father was a smart man, & even when the children were not in school, they learned a lot just by living & exploring the world around them.

I suppose you're wondering what I'm going to read next! Well, I have both of Carol Burnett's books on reserve at the library (one is waiting to be picked up today!), Sean Connery's Being a Scot (Do you think it was written w/ his beautiful Scottish accent?!?!), & I also have a book about Shel Silverstein. Although it's not an autobiography, I thought it sounded interesting. Who knows what my next book reading spurt will be...

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Join Us for Kids say the Darndest things

The Saint has been broadening his vocabulary in the past couple months, so today I think I'll share some of his versions of various words.

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Dadden = Daddy
nack = snack
dih dit = cheese stick
lid-dah-lih = Legos
Doh-ra = Dora the Explorer
Helloh = Hello
Dute = Duke (the dog that lives behind us)
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dat-dats = nunchuck (for the Wii controller - Yesterday he came up to Dadden, saying that & pointing to the end of the Wii controller. It took a bit, but once we said nunchuck, he smiled & ran to the shelf.)
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Whenever we tell him that we love him, he says, "Ooo too!"
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I'm sure there are many more that he says & many more cute things that he will say, so I guess you'll just have to stay tuned for more of The Saint sayings!

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings (2nd Post Today)

Judy over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) Thank you, God, that Casinodad's best friend has made a miraculous recovery! He came home from the hospital on Monday.

2) Thank you, God, that our neighbor was able to install a new sliding glass door for us. He still needs to do a little work on the inside, but the outside is done AND we can now open the door to enjoy the fresh air.

3) Thank you, God, for a nice Mothers' Day visit to my in-laws. My SIL made dinner for all of us & the munchkins got to enjoy a lot of outdoor time at Grandma's

4) Thank you, God, that The Prophet is now old enough to mow the law & help us out. He does a great job, too!

UPDATED TO EDIT: The Prophet mows the LAWN...NOT the LAW!

5) Thank you, God, that we are winding down the school year. We have about 2 1/2 weeks left. I'm not sure who's more excited...them or me!

Wordless Wednesday - Precious Cargo

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Join Us for Kids say the Darndest things

When we were visiting my parents last weekend, my mom was flipping through the kids' TV stations to find something for all nine of her grandkids to watch. She stopped at one & The Princess said she couldn't watch that show. (I don't remember what it was.) When my mom asked why, The Princess said, "Because it will affect me."

Have your kids said anything memorable lately? Click on the graphic above to join in this weekly blog hop & share. Have a great weekend!

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings (2nd Post Today)

Judy over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) I'm thankful for all the prayers for Casinodad's best friend this past week. He's doing so much better than expected. He was taken off the ventilator Monday & has been talking.

2) I'm thankful for a great visit w/ my friend & her kids yesterday. Our kids gathered up any toys they didn't want anymore & traded. Then any leftovers are being donated.

3) I'm thankful Casinodad has Thursday & Friday off this week. We're going to spend a lot of family time together!

4)I'm thankful for my mother saving us a lot of money. I mentioned last week that I was looking at buying new comforter for our bed. She had one that fit our bed perfectly & is a great match for our walls.

5) I'm thankful that a potentially stressful situation did not happen. It worked itself out!

Wordless Wednesday - The Reading Bucket