Tuesday, January 27, 2009

His mind

Joel has such a quick mind and likes to talk non-stop, so I have many stories to tell you! Here is our latest thing that he said. He has a real fascination with "bad words" his favorite being the word...stupid! He is not allowed to say stupid. For weeks he has been telling me over and over again, "I not say that bad word." I just respond with, "Good Joel, thank you." This has gone on for weeks no joke. Apparently not saying the bad word was just killing him. The other day he started something new.

Joel-"Mommy, did you hear that?"
me-"No, Joel I did not. What was it?"
Joel-"My truck just called me STUPID!"
me (acting very sorry and concerned)-"Oh no Joel. Please tell that truck not to call you names like that."
Joel (very sternly)-"Truck, my mommy said no call me stupid."
He went back to playing nicely for about ten minutes and then the truck got mouthy again.
Joel-"Mommy, my truck called me stupid again."
me-"Joel tell your truck, if he can't talk nicely we will have to get rid of him."
Joel-"Mommy?"
me-"Yes, Joel."
Joel-"The couch just called me STUPID!"

What do you think....do we get rid of the couch or Joel?

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

My first day

Yesterday was my first day of Algebra. I LOVED IT!! I loved the whole being taught process. I loved doing homework. I loved getting out of the house. I loved coming home to my family!!

I am very happy that Jeff is a whizz at math, because when I was all done with my homework we went over it together. It was so much fun to do it together! I just hope he still enjoys doing homework with me next year and the year after.
For now....we are not going to get a computer at the our house. After being without it for a little over a week, I realize how addicted I had become to the stupid thing. I have neglected A LOT, because I was on the computer. I am sure that we will get one again someday......just not in the near future!!! I feel so free and I love it!!!!!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

A story and a couple of statements

Hey ya all. How are you doing?

I'll do the statements first.


  1. Still no computer at home...using Jeff's office computer now.

  2. Karen, I need you to make me a fun winter background! PLEASE!!!

  3. The falling snow is absolutely beautiful today!!!

Onto my story....

Jeff's back has been bothering him so he has been sleeping out on the floor by the wood burning stove each night. I get the huge bed to myself!! Lastnight Amy had a friend sleep over, so I gave them my bed and I slept in the girl's room in Amy's bed. (Side note...her bed is very comfy!) In the middle of the night Joel woke up. He got out of bed, walked over to Emily's bed, and woke her up. He told her that his foot hurt. I was two feet away, but neither of them was aware of it. Emily took such good care of Joel and I got to hear the whole thing. She picked him up and put him in her bed. She found out which foot hurt and she rubbed it until he said that it didn't hurt anymore. Then she went into his room to get him something. She came back, told Joel to lay down, and they fell back to sleep cuddled up in her bed together. I often find Joel in Emily's bed, but I have never heard her take care of him in the night. It warmed this women's heart to hear the love that was demonstrated and see the love this morning when I woke up!!


Saturday, January 17, 2009

Thanks for the encouragement!

You all are so sweet.  Thanks for all of your encouraging words!
 I went to the college on Thursday, just to check out some stuff about spring classes.  Well...I am starting my first class this week!!  I am going to be taking Algebra twice a week for two hours each day.  I am SO excited about using my brain to solve real problems!  Unlike what my brain has been solving the past 14 years or so.  You know some of the problems that I face most everyday.....
  • who bothered whom first
  • who is really telling the truth
  • who has to put it away...the one that got it out or the one that last played with it
  • what were they thinking
  • are they really starving or can they wait 30 minutes until the next meal
I am actually looking forward to homework!!!!  It will be the excuse for not being responsible for the house for a little while!! 

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

I am going to college!!

Lastnight I went to take my college assessment test.  I did much better than I ever imagined that I would!  I figured that I would totally fail the pre-algebra part, but apparently reading Lauren's math book over the weekend really helped me!  My score was a 99, which means that I just tested out of my first class!!  I do not need to take pre-algebra!!  I am not sure if I am smart or if the test was just easy, but I will take it however I got it!  I got a 95 on the reading part and an 84 on the writing part.  This is not a brag post I promise.  I am just so surprised and excited at how well I did.


I may not be able to post for a while again.  I am actually using my wonderful next door neighbor's computer for this post.  Our computer has burned up...literally!  Did you know that you should vacuum out your computer every now and then, or else the dust inside could over heat and catch fire?  Neither did I, but I do now! Well if this had to happen, I will say that the timing was great.  We were given a couple of gifts of money for Christmas, which means we will be able to afford to get a new computer at this time.  I hope to be back to blog land real soon, but I must admit.....I am getting a lot done without the computer pulling me away from my duties.

Friday, January 9, 2009

This is what he said...

Yesterday I needed Joel and Amy to be busy while the older girls and I were outside stacking wood on our porch. I sent Joel upstairs to get any video he wanted to watch. It took him a little while, but he found it. He announced to us why he had chosen this particular video. "Mommy, I want this one. She's a CUTIE! She's a cutie!" He kept saying it over and over again while he was bringing it down the stairs. I was very curious as to who this cutie was.
When he brought it over for me to see I laughed so hard and then I became really concerned. Ya all....my just turned three year old can really pick out a little CUTIE!!
The movie is Little Princess with Shirley Temple. Which he sat down and watched the entire 90 minute movie.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

I have a lot of catching up to do

A lot is happening here at our house.

The biggest news is that I am seriously thinking about going to college to become a nurse!! I have always wanted to do this, but never had enough confidence in myself. Not that the confidence level has changed much, but I really think that I can do this. Jeff and the family are fine with it. The only thing holding me back is the winter weather that I would have to drive in. I know that that sounds really lame, but I am not a big fan of icy snowy roads!!

Our next bit of excitement is that Lauren is going to be going to our public high school this next school year. I have home schooled her all the way up to this point and I am so scared of making a mistake by sending her to public school. I am very excited about not being responsible for her education, but I am afraid of all the junk that comes with public school. I have so many questions. Will she really get a better education than what she can get here at home? Will her homework be so intense that we don't even see her anymore? Will I regret this choice? Will she thank me later for sending her to school or will she wish that I kept her home? I know....I over analize EVERYTHING!!! I am sure that I will relax much more with each child going to high school, but this first one is freaking me out!!! It doesn't help any that when I tell people about it the majority of the comments are not favorable at all. I feel very looked down upon for sending her. Jeff and I are totally united on this though, so that helps me some.

I NEED to potty train Joel SOON!!! In March we are heading out on annual drive in the van for 5 FULL days (at least 10 hours a day/ one as much as 15 hours) to visit family and friends. We go to Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and then home to Michigan. We do this all in 2 1/2 weeks or so. I am not sure that I really want Joel out of diapers during this trip, but I don't think that I will have much time to do it when we get back home. I just need to start doing it or I will never get it done.

I totally cleaned out some major clutter in our house recently. I filled the van FULL of trash and then again with Goodwill and garage sale stuff. It feels so great to be clutter free. Things now have a place and it is so much easier to keep clean!! I actually feel like someone could walk in my house and I wouldn't be embarrassed. It is such a great feeling. It almost feels as good as losing 20 pounds!!

My dad got us a Wii for Christmas. We are LOVING it!!!! My favorite game is the golf targets. He also got us the Wii Fit, but we have not opened it yet. I am afraid of it at this point. I don't want to break it. Yes, I know that it is not doing us any good in the box. Maybe we will get it out tonight!!


Oh yeah...I never told you all what I did to myself the other day. I was closing the sliding door of our van and I shut my finger in it!! It was wierdest thing, I saw my finger before I felt the pain. I hurried and got it out and then it started to hurt. In fact it still hurts me, but I have great hope that it will stop hurting soon.


I hope to talk to you all again soon. Have a great day!

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Want to join us?

I am joining Beth Moore and about 3000 other women in making this a Jesus year! We are going to be memorizing scripture together this whole year. You can read here Beth's original post all about the challenge. You get to pick your verse or verses on the 1st and the 15th of each month. I don't know about you, but I NEED to memorize scripture!! If I do this and stick to it...I will have at least 24 new verses put to memory!! I am so excited. Here is my verse for the next 2 weeks.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline. 2Tim. 1:7
If you are like me, you have GREAT intentions each year to do scripture memory.......BUT NEVER SEEM TO DO IT!!! Please comment here on my blog, if you are going to join us. Then go over to Beth's blog and sign in.

2008

I am borrowing this fun idea from a couple of blog friends. The idea is to write the first sentence from the first post of each month and a little update for the entire year of 2008.

January
This has been such a big week of firsts for our family.
(The beginning of the year must be BIG for firsts. I did another first this week too. Shut my own finger in the van door. I hope to never do that again!!!)
February
A quick note to let you know that Joel and the rest of the family are much healthier now.
March
Today was a Tea time for ladies at our church.
(I love spending time with friends.)
April
The children have started their own blog.
(Here is a link to their latest post.)
May
I am able to get on other people's blogs again.
(I am notorious for making myself totally give up doing something for a certain amount of time. My way of practicing self-control.)
June
Life in a nut shell.
(I so enjoy making lists)
July
Daniel's fun thing for today was listening to a CD while in bed.
August
I have to post today.
(Summer is such a hard time for me to blog. We are so busy.)
September
Top ten reasons why I am voting democrat.
(This post and my post for an easy breakfast casserole were my most visited posts of 2008.)
October
Wasn't Jeff an adorable baby.
(We have two months with Birthdays on the first.)
November
Just wear your "I VOTED" sticker to Starbucks for a free coffee....
(I absolutely LOVE getting FREEBIES!!! Here is my favorite link for free item info.)
December
I am a little frustrated today.
( I dislike ending my year on being frustrated, but frustration is a real thing in my house sometimes. I love that my blog is real, but I hope that I am much more postive than negative in my daily perspective. It is totally my desire that 2009 be a Jesus year. I do not want to get in the way of what Jesus wants to do through me this year.)
2008 was a great year. Thank you to all of my faithful readers who check in on my family everyday. I am so encouraged by your comments and your blogs. I SO enjoy keeping up with your family too!!!
I love you guys!!!