I Beat My Time

Last Saturday Jon and I ran in another race. Normally I wouldn't have run one because on Friday I ran 20 miles . . . my poor body was really tired. However, some of our running friends were heading this up, so we wanted to be there for support.

My friend, JJ, ran in it also. She is new to running, and I am so very proud of her. I think the bug has bitten her and I hope she is here to stay.

JJ is one funny character. I always say she is the type of person that just says what everyone else is thinking, but doesn't have the guts to let it spill from their mouths. She keeps me laughing all the time.

Jon got 1st place in his age group. I was so hoping I'd beat him. . . no chance. He was right behind this guy he plays soccer with. This man started yelling, "Don't let him pass you. Don't let him pass you." As Jon started to pass him the man yelled, "No. . . don't do that man." He crossed the finish line with a time of 22:50.

I got first place in my age group and had my best 5K time ever . . . 23:10. It was a cold day and a hilly course, so I'm really hoping my next 5K I'll do even better. There was this girl behind me close on my tail. A man near the finish line was yelling, "Don't let her pass you. Don't let her pass you." My legs have never ever gone so fast. I wish I would have been first female to cross, but some young girl who has actually broken records for her high school came in way ahead of me. I knew there was no chance I was catching her.

It was a great way to start out a Saturday!

I love days like this

The homeschooling days that I love the best are certainly not the ones when I'm making assignment after assignment for the kids to complete in their books . . . on their own.



I really thoroughly enjoy the hands-on . . . the "fun" stuff of learning. Although this requires much more planning and dedication on my part, it is all very much worth my time.



Last week, we had a GREAT school week. . . not that the kids' attitudes were any different, or my house was any cleaner, or our schedule was less filled with busyness.



The thing I think that made this week such a great success . . . all started with me. I was much more organized and I had previously had the week very planned out. Failing to plan is certainly planing to fail. When I take the time to write out detailed lesson plans, have all supplies and materials that will be needed, ready and waiting for us on Monday morning. . . our week is so much smoother. . . and we have a much more productive, fun week of learning.


Here's some snippets from our week:

Hanna got to learn that autumn leaves a "sweet tooth". . . she first had to learn about chlorophyll though by hiding this leaf away from any and all sunlight. . .

She learned that when the chlorophyll is gone (b/c of no more sunlight) what is left is carotene which reflects orange and yellow colors.

For the folks out there with the "sweet" tooth. . . the autumn leaves of red and purple, orange and yellow share your "sweet" love. Wanna know why? Cooler temperatures increase the sugar content in leaves. Leaves that produce red and purple colors produce red and purple pigments (also known as anthocyanins - Hanna didn't learn this . . . this is just some extra info for all the star students out there). . . During autumn when the days are bright and sunny and the nights are much cooler, the leaves that produce this red and purple pigment change into these beautiful, glorious colors. Leaves not having this pigment still have carotene in them when the chlorophyll (where the green color comes from) leaves, thus producing the bright yellows and oranges we love to see.

Ashley built molecules with marshmallows and toothpicks. She learned that molecules must have "rules" otherwise there would be absolute chaos. . . and that God is a God of order. This girl came up with some funky molecules . . . definitely breaking any and all "molecule" rule. I told her she was creating a "marshmallow" bomb.. . heehee. . . we tried to use more marshmallows than we ate . . . unsuccessful in that department.

Alec learned to make an egg float by using salt water. The purpose of this experiment was to teach him about the different variables in an experiment and how they affect the outcome. He did learn that salt water is more dense than pure water. There is a really cool picture in his science book of people actually floating in the The Great Salt Lake in Utah because of the salt content. He had to add teaspoon after teaspoon of salt and record how many teaspoons or tries it took until his egg began to float.

We also learned about the Spanish-American war, how Joseph Pullitzer and William Randolph Hearst sensationalized newspaper stories to get people to buy more papers. The kids had to pick a current article out of the newspaper and sensationalize it themselves. These were a hoot and a half to read. We learned how Liberia was a protectorate of the U.S. and was a country formed by the U.S. for freed slaves. Liberia was free to govern itself, but being a protectorate of the U.S. it had to get permission from the U.S. before dealing with any other country. Also put into our history head of knowledge we learned about Alexander III's (czar of Russia) tyranical rule and how he treated nobleman wonderfully and gave them great riches and priviledges, all while treating the poor and Jews terribly . . . placing higher taxes on them, not allowing them to move whereever they pleased, not allowing the Russian Jewish children to go to school. This day the kids had to make a flag for their own country. They were given a chart of what different colors and animals symbolized and had to incorporate the values that were important to them into their flags. These were really cool. I let them hang them in their rooms.

Just like with anything in life . . . you get out of if what you put in. . . the more of myself I put into educating my children the more I, myself, get out of it. . . the children and I get to spend good times learning together, laughing together, and just being together. It is well worth every single minute I put into it . . . I need a sign posted all over my school room reminding me of this when I'm so tempted to allow myself to be drug away but useless, meaningless tasks.

The Running Idiot

No, the below picture is not my idea of a bad Halloween outfit. . . No worries, I didn't revert back to 8th grade when the "Punky Brewster" look was in either. . . it is actually a picture of an idiot, who has lost her ever-lovin' mind. . .
I had to bundle up BIG TIME this morning, as here in the ol' South it is a whopping 35 degrees outside. My running buddy and I were due to run a 12-miler today at 5:30 a.m. . . . in the dark . . in the freezing cold. I have to say though that the night sky was amazingly beautiful this morning. . . so crisp and clear.

My outfit was so bad when I got to her house, she said to me, "Don't you look cute. You make me not feel so bad," as she showed me her mismatched gloves.

It was cold, folks, brrrrr, cold. We warmed up as we ran, but my nose and my toes no longer have feeling in them. . . even now as I sit in the comfort of my warm house.

Since Jon did not see my running attire this morning before I left, when he saw me when I got home, he looked over at me and said, "I don't know if I'm going to be able to handle you in the winter." Lovely. . . just lovely. He teased me about being a fashionista unless it came to cold weather, then I just don't care.. . . yeah, you think? The above outfit is clearly one that someone wears who cares NOTHING about fashion or clothes or accessories or cuteness or sanity for that matter. Stacy and Clinton would be SOOOOO disappointed:( I had a breakdown. . . a breakdown of preferring comfort over cuteness. Forgive me Stacy and Clinton.

I promise this is me above. . . I even did my MHT (Michele head turn) so everyone would know it was authentic.

Happy Monday!!! When you're out driving look out for other running idiots that are running in this insanely cold weather. . . please report back to me if any of them look worse than I did. . . it will truely make me smile:)

Sweet Words

The sweetest conversation occurred between Hanna and I one Wednesday night at church.

It was just she and I sitting at the table. . . Jon was working, so he didn't make it that night. . . Alec and Ash headed off to do their own thing before their classes began.

Hanna: Mom, why do you wear makeup everywhere you go?

Me: Well, babe, if I let you wear makeup, would you wear it everywhere you go?

Hanna: Yes, 'cause I want to be just like you.

A Fun Day with My Favorite American Girls

For the girls' birthdays this year we told them if they wanted to opt out of a birthday dinner out. . . then we could go to the American Girl Bistro. . . . they, of course, squealed with delight.

They saved up their birthday money and were ready to spend, spend, spend. . .

What a fun thing to have girls . . . my favorite part of the entire day was seeing them walk through the mall. . . bags in hand. . . ready to take on whichever store our path crossed. . . I told Jon these are the moments you dream about when you hear those words, "It's a girl."

I made them these matching outfits, and I was excited they didn't buck me on dressing alike.

We ate the Bistro. . . and it was so neat and cool their American Girl dolls got to have their very own seats. . . .

Even though they had their own money the 'Bargain Betty' in me had to tell the girls about Target's "Our Generation" brand . . . I just love saving money . . . so I have more to spend. I did tell them it was totally up to them what they bought and how much they spent. I thought they did really well. They each had enough $$$ to buy a new doll if they wanted, but they opted for accessories instead. . . my kinda' girls.

Ashley bought the golf and tennis outfit and a kit called "feel better" kit.

Hanna got the ballerina kit and "Grace" Kit's dog.

We then walked through the mall and I discovered my new favorite store, "Forever 21" . . . let me tell you, cute stuff and GREAT prices. I'm actually glad it is an hour away from where I live because otherwise my family would have to live on beans and cornbread to support my shopping habit.

After finishing up at the mall, we headed to Target. Before prancing ourselves around the store to finish spending birthday money, I stopped by Starbucks and got a Pumpkin Spiced Latte. Can anybody say yummo? Actually this cup of coffee cost more than one of the shirts I bought at "Forever 21". Too bad Starbucks doesn't have clearance cup of coffee.

While the girls were away the boys did play. . . video games. We thought our X-BOX 360 was broken. . . apparently not . . . it was like a new toy for both of them because it had been in our closet for so long.

I'm Marking This One off my Bucket List

Jon's parents just bought this new condo in St. Simons Island. We are thrilled beyond belief. It is less than 1/2 mile from the beach and the village. This past weekend we dropped the kids and the dog off at Mama's and headed to SSI . . . to work, of course.

The condo was owned previously by these people from Germany. Everything in it is very European. . . . including this. . . .

in case any of you are wondering. . . this is a bidet. . . it makes me giggle to even type about it.

Being that I'm from the South and all, you just don't see these things around our parts . . . so I couldn't wait to try it out. . . but then, honestly, I wasn't really sure what you're to do. . . here are some of the questions we were pondering.

Do you still use toilet paper or just allow the bidet to work it's magic?

Do you hover over it or sit right on the lid?

When we got back home, we goggled bidet . . . none of our questions were answered because either are acceptable.

Here's one thing we found out after we experienced the bidet that google didn't tell us.

It has both a hot and cold knob. Hot water to your booty feels a whole lot different than it does to your hands. . . . let's just say the hands are bit tougher. . .

Isn't this just hilarious. Cracks this Southern gal up!!!

Truthfully, this was not on my bucket list. . . but just for laughs and giggles I added it, just so I could mark it through.

Mission Accomplished!!!

Encountering Ms. Swan While Making Reservations

Ms. Swan . . . from Mad TV or rather, here in our household we go to youtube and watch her. . . she is H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S. Hanna does a great impersonation of her that sends us all into hoots of laughter.

Last Monday night my sweet hubby called me and asked me out on a date. This just touched my heart. We are together so very much with him being self employed and all, which is great. . . but there is just something very sweet about a phone call . . . when they are away from you. . . to know that you're being thought of.

I could have cared less if we went to Krystal or somewhere really nice. . .I was just tickled pink he asked me out. He wanted to go and try this relatively new Japanese place here in town.


We were a little unsure of the dress or if we needed reservations. This is the following conversation that took place between Jon and the Ms. Swan wanna be.

Jon: Do we need reservations?

Ms. Swan: Yes.

Jon: When do you have avilable?

Ms. Swan: Anytime.

Jon: How should we dress?

Ms. Swan: Yes, off of North Expressway. (she thought he said address)

Jon: Okay. Well, what kind of clothes should we wear?

Ms. Swan: Close to Belk ( Jon thought she said belt).

Ms. Swan: Walmart. (Jon then knew she was referring to the address. She never answered his question about what we should wear).

If you've ever seen Ms. Swan, this is really funny. We couldn't stop laughing.

If you don't know who she is go to you tube and search her. I promise it will put a gig in your giggle.

My Baby is 6

It is so very hard for me to think of my baby as 6 years old, but she is. . . September 27, 2009 was the big day . . . She was so funny . . . on her actual birthday she didn't want anyone to know it was her birthday. It was a Sunday, and she begged me not to tell anyone. She does NOT like any attention on her (just like her Daddy). . . She wouldn't even talk to ANYONE on the telephone . . . only kids she said, no grown ups.

At her birthday party the silly thing plopped this big bow on top of her head when it came time to open presents.

When everyone started singing "Happy Birthday" to her at her party. . . she ran up to me and buried her face in my legs.

My Mom made her this sweet cake. . .

I still can't believe I had to put 6 candles on it. . .

The best part is always making a wish (*side note* check Tiffani out in this picture. Click on it if you need to. I have no idea what she is doing, but it is cracking me up!)

For her birthday dinner she requested fried bologna sandwiches, mac and cheese, and a cookie cake. With all this crud we are eating for THEIR birthdays I may request cantaloupe rind juice, spinach salad ,and hummus for MY birthday dinner. . . ha!ha! just kidding. . . . maybe. . .

A Great Race

My little sister came into town to celebrate Hanna's birthday and hang out with us. There was a local 5K going on, so I signed she and I up to run.

I was so excited. I got 1st female to cross the finish line. Actually only 2 men beat me for winning the whole shootin' match. I've never done that well in a race.

My goal was to beat my best 5K time . . . which was 23:21 . . . know what I ran? 23:21. Shoot!!! Oh well, just a good excuse to sign up for another one.

I won a medal and a plaque. . .

Kristen won 1st in her age group. I was very proud of her. I kept teasing her saying we looked like the dudes from A Night at the Roxbury with our matching outfits and hats. . .

These are Jon and I's sweet running friends. The lady in the blue is Jon's favorite teacher from high school. She is a sweetheart. The other lady is Jon's best friend's sister. She is super sweet too. I love running into them. We see them at all the local races. They are gearing up to run the San Antonio marathon in November. I asked them what their goal time was . . . "To finish vertical" was their answer . . .

That's the thing I love about running . . . community . . . it's great!!!!

Route 56 and Footsteps Lead Worship

We have a ministry at our church called Route 56. It is 5th and 6th grade students who are all taught together, take trips together, etc. It is to prepare these kids to merge into the youth group. Although Alec is in 7th grade, since we came from a very tiny church. . . we thought it would be best if he stayed in this ministry. He agreed. . . . Also that is why the band is playing . . . they lead Route 56 in worship every Wednesday night.

They even have a little lead singer. . . isn's she precious. No, she isn't a Zorro wannabe . . . my red-eye fixer messed up and made her face look that way . . . but I didn't want to leave her out.

One Sunday night "Footsteps" along with the Route 56 choir were asked to lead worship service.

This Mama here was so proud . . . and teary eyed . . .

That boy of mine was nervous . . . and anxious . . . and probably wished his Mama would have sat down and shut up:) His guitar teacher even showed up (Thanks Barry and Steph . . . you guys were so sweet to come).

I remember the days

I remember the days when I took my camera everywhere and it seemed as if I always thought in "blog" . . . do you know what I mean. . . something funny will happen and you think to yourself, "That is a bloggable moment." I've even been caught saying that out loud.

I haven't felt that way in weeks . . . maybe months now . . . and when I think about weeding out things that take up my time . . . things I could do without. . . . I go look in my blogging archives . . . archives where I've stored up my memories for the last year . . . and I smile . . . and think to myself. . . ."Okay, I can't, I just can't weed blogging out. Maybe I can just be better organized with it. . . more on top of it."

I don't want to lose that place of stored memories, so I'm gearing it back up girls and for the one guy (Barry) who reads my blog . . . I'm back . . . and hoping to stay. . .

Throughout my stressful 2 weeks I am realizing some things that I make into a huge big ordeal just really are not that important. If it is not life or death or heaven or hell, I'm going to work . . . hard, very, very hard (it will require much effort on my part) . . . to not stress over it. . . "Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff," . . . at least that's what I've heard . . . Hee!Hee!

With that being said, all week long I'm going to be playing blog catch-up. . . . so here we go . . .

About a month and a half ago some girlfriends and I went to see Grease at The Fabulous Fox . . .

We all decided it would be so much fun to get really dolled up. Now, mind you, we didn't talk ahead of time about what we were wearing . . .

We ALL wore black except for Suzanne. . . . she just had to stand out *wink*wink*

Here is our "sexy" pose . . . or so WE think anyway. . .

After much debate about where to eat we opted for this wonderful Mexican restaurant . . .

Here we are outside of The Fox.

Here I am outside posing in front of the Grease poster. I love this dress I'm wearing, but I don't get out to too many places to wear it. It was a dress my SIL gave me that didn't fit her. . . I want to find somewhere to go so I can get to wear it again. . .

To top a wonderful night off. . . we got to meet. . . . Mr. Teen Angel himself . . .

Taylor Hicks . . . what a great "icing on the cake"

He was so very nice. He seemed a bit shy. I, of course, let him know we voted for him on American Idol.

We were like giddy 15-year-old girls . . . so fun. . . we headed to "Noah's Ark" and this is what everyone proceeded to do . . . .

Text and call their loved ones about who we just met.

Thanks ladies for a super fun night out on the town. . .