When Madeline Was Young

When Madeline Was Young

by Jane Hamilton

Published by Anchor Books

Reviewed by Amanda Schafer

You grow up, you get married to the woman of your dreams. But then all of a sudden she has a bicycle wreck that leaves her living life with a 6-year-old mentality. What do you do? Do you stay married? What happens to your wife? We find in this touching story that the decision of one man was to take care of his wife as she was his own child. He raised her with his children (from a second marriage) and loved her nonstop.

Mac is this man’s son who grew up thinking that Madeline was his sister. Mac took Madeline to the park, to the ice cream parlor, and defended her against bullies who called her dumb or tried to take advantage of her. Somewhere along the way, Mac learned the truth about Madeline, but still continued to love her like a sister. Mac takes us through his journey as he remembers it when he gets the call that his cousin’s son has been killed in action. Mac tries to decide whether or not to go to the funeral and in doing so, relives his years growing up with Madeline.

Somewhere along the way, I lost the point of the story being Madeline–and it became more about Mac and who he was. Madeline was mentioned occasionally, but mainly as a background character. With the title being about her, I thought the book would have centered more around her rehab, therapies and life after the accident.

Jane Hamilton has a gift in writing that makes it easy to read. While this story is a beautiful one, it was a bit confusing from chapter to chapter. I never knew what decade was being discussed. The story seemed to bounce all over the place with flashbacks that came without warning. It also seems very odd to me when a female writer writes from the male perspective and vice versa.

I think this book could have been better as a finished product if it would have had a little more organization to the story line. The story was there, it just needed some redirection.

Armchair Interview says: A story of extreme caretaking that most would or could never do.

A new week...

Well, we're at the start of a new week. We're already busy...the weekend was just one busy time. We haven't stopped since....well, since August 1, really. :) HA!

We have so much going on this week...my sister will be arriving on Tuesday sometime to help me get ready for our 'Ladies Weekend' this coming weekend. 4 other girls (besides us) will be arriving at my house on Friday to spend a no-kids-no-hubbies-girls-have-fun weekend. I can't wait...not exactly sure what we'll do, but we'll have fun just doing nothing! :)

The boys and I are going to Beggs Family Farm on Tuesday to have a hayride and look at pumpkins. We'll hit the maze, see the animals, and who knows what else! I can't wait.

Clayton is still getting things for his birthday....he got more presents this weekend. He finally got a monkey! (A stuffed one of course!) He decided this morning that he needed to name it Peyton. I asked why and he said that it did something bad and he said, Peyton, Stop it! So he just decided it should be Peyton! LOL

Janice is still in MoBap...but she's finally out of ICU. That makes visiting a bit easier. The kids are still trying to cover every day, but I don't know how much longer they can keep that up. Hopefully, she will start doing some therapy and start eating and doing what she's supposed to do and get out of there soon. We hope and pray! :)

Well, it's late and the boys are still up playing Ninja Turtles in their room. Better get them to bed...we have alot of school to do tomorrow...we didn't finish Friday's stuff, so we have to do that and THEN do Monday. LOL

Have a great week!

Weaver Believer

I just have to share about a wonderful group I was just informed of! :) It is a family who have been playing instruments together for a few years and have started singing and doing shows....check out their site and listen to the music! If you like bluegrassy/banjo/southern gospel type of music you will LOVE this!

Weaver Believer

One of the members of the family is Anna, a fellow PBS'er and GREAT gal! :)

The "Fort"

Well, last week we were going through some new words in our vocabulary, and we came across the word 'fort'. I asked B if he knew what a fort was, as I do with all words I think he doesn't know.

He said, "Mom, you know..."

I just looked at him and said, "Well, I do, but I want you to tell me what you think it is...."

He said (with a grin on his face), "Well, it's a not-nice-word some people use for when you toot."

Well, of course I just about lost it, but composed myself quickly and explained the true meaning of it to him.

So when I told T later that night about it, he just started laughing and said, "So that's why he looked at me like I was crazy when I asked him last winter if he wanted to go play in the fort."

LOL

Hey God...

A couple weeks ago, when we said the prayer for dinner, Brent prayed and had a LONG list of things he was praying for. We absolutely love his prayers and enjoy being able to 'see' into his mind and heart through his prayers. But this night, he apparently forgot something (I honestly don't remember now what it was, but it must have been important at the time...).

So after the Amen, Clayton pipes up and says, "Oh, we forgot...."

Dad says, "Okay, Clayton, go ahead and say it then..."

Clayton: "Hey God, we're back....we forgot to tell you...."

LOL I just about snorted in the middle of his sweet prayer! :) I truly love the 'open' relationship my boys have with the Lord through their prayers!

Kids say...

...the funniest things! Okay, most people around us know the boys have been wanting a pet (mainly, a dog) in the worst way for the last 6 months or so. Well, a couple days ago and dog (we assumed was stray) came over to the house while I was out getting the mail one evening. She had obviously just had puppies in the last couple of weeks, as she was 'sagging' considerably. LOL Anyway, she is your basic 'mutt'...her feet look like a BIG dog (lab or Rottweiler?), her coat is short and black/brown with white peppery mix. She actually looks like she might have some heeler in her. Well, she went away after that first day, but the boys saw her from the window.

Last night, we got home from TKD and the boys were outside riding their bikes and again here comes this same dog. Brent gets completely freaked out by her and stands UP in a chair we have out there and won't let her near him. Clayton just took to her and started petting her.

Terry got up and got a nerf football and threw it for her...she took off after it like most dogs will. But she was such a tease...she'd come back to him and then duck her head with the ball in her mouth and kept turning her head so he couldn't get the ball. After about 5 minutes of this, with the boys saying, "Here doggie...let me have the ball....", she took off down the hill around the house and Brent went chasing after her. All we heard from the side of the house was "DOG! Give me back my BALL!!!!" We just rolled with laughter.

A bit later, she starts off again with the ball in her mouth and went running around the van. Clayton says, "DOG! Hey, Mister....You in the black.....bring the ball here!" You in the black??? LOL

We just had to laugh at it all. She finally left when her owner stopped and picked her up (we didn't know at that point she even had an owner....). But now after seeing the light in their eyes, we're gonna have to do something about the pet situation in our house!

Funny thing is, it almost seemed to me that Terry really enjoyed the time as well. He had a 'fun' spark in his eyes that hasn't been there in a long time.....

Who knows what the next couple of months will bring....

Hungry Hippos

We decided to play some games this morning (really I was having trouble motivating!) and C chose Hungry Hungry Hippos. So after setting it all up and getting the 11 balls ready (instead of the 20 we are supposed to use...wonder where those balls are???) we all popped them out and C said, "Okay...MUNCH!" and we all started chomping away.

Well, on the second round of the game, one of the balls was flung out of the 'rink' and all I hear is, "PAUSE!" ....in goes the missing ball....."MUNCH!" and we continue chomping.

Chomp, chomp, chomp...

"PAUSE!"

In goes the ball that committed Harey Carey....

"MUNCH!"

More chomping....

A ball inadvertently gets popped back into the start position....

"PAUSE!"

Flip the little button that pops the ball back into play...

"MUNCH!"

and we chomp again!

And on and on it went. We continued like this for about 30 minutes until my hand couldn't munch anymore!

:)

Where exactly is the brain?

While doing school today, I received a phone call from Leaps and Bounds in St Louis. They are a therapy place that works with kids who have processing disorders. (I had written them after hearing them speak at convention this year and asked them to call me.) Anyway, when I get off the phone, the boys of course ask who it was. So I tell them that it was someone who might be able to help us with teaching Clayton and helping him understand things. Clayton said, "Yeah, cuz I don't do things good." (break my heart!)

So I pulled him on my lap and we started talking about that it isn't him that does things wrong, it's that his brain has had trouble figuring things out. I logged on the Internet and showed them a virtual brain and we talked about the corpus callosum and how it works to keep things communicating between both sides of the brain. (So cool to have your 5 and 6 year-old talking about the corpus callosum! LOL) Clayton got very excited when he thought there might be someone out there who could help him work through all of this.

Anyway, Brent starts talking about how since Clayton is young his brain is way down here (pointing to his waist) and that the older you get and the more you learn it starts to grow up to here (pointing to the chest) and then when you're a teenager it gets to here (the neck) and when you're an adult it finally gets up to here (the head). Now, I had to chuckle a bit at this explanation...but he kept on. He told Clayton that since he was having trouble, his brain was still probably down around his waist instead of nearing his chest like it was supposed to be. LOL I just had to laugh. Where do they get this stuff????

Well, it gets better! Then Clayton starts playing with this little guts and brain person that we got at the dollar store (I think) and the internal organs can be removed and you can see through the 'skin'...pretty cool. Well, based on Brent's description of where the brain starts out when you're little, Clayton looks at the toy's guts and intestines and says, "Hey, Mom, if this is where the brain is, does that mean that this is where our peepee brain is?" LOL I just had to sit there and chuckle....I didn't mean to laugh at him...but for many men that IS where the brain is located! LOL

All in a day of homeschooling!

Busted! (Twice)

Well, it's been a slower week this week than we've had. Thank the GOOD Lord for that! :) Janice was transferred to a rehab facility closer to home and she's much happier being there. So since she's happier, her rehab will go much smoother, we believe. We're just glad to have her out of Barnes.

The other night, I was fixing supper (which was late as usual!) and C kept saying, "Mom, I'm just soooooo hungry!" I kept having to tell him it was cooking and we'd eat soon. Well, while I was cleaning up the kitchen (while water boiled), I was going to put up the peanut butter (still out and open from lunch...oy) and thought, 'hmmm, a spoonful of pb sounds good...'. So, I grabbed a spoon and licked it clean, put the lid on and put the pb up. While the rest of supper finished, I walked to the living room to cuddle with the boys and C (who was sitting by me) says, "Mmmmm, I smell peanuts! Where are the peanuts??" GUILTY! LOL I just said, "Don't know...." Busted, first time.

Well, yesterday afternoon, we went shopping for groceries. B was so concerned that we were low on syrup (even though we haven't had pancakes in several weeks!) and make sure to find the syrup at WM. See, they like Mrs. Butterworths (at least, they like the bottle) and always want that. Well, I refuse to continue paying that price for basic syrup and have just been refilling the bottle we have with Great Value brand. So, B walks up to me in the store with a Mrs BW bottle and I say, "Oh, please go put that back...I'll take care of picking out the syrup." So when I walk by that part of the aisle, I grab the GV brand and stick it in the cart. So later last night, I have the non perishables on the island (just never made it to the pantry) and B sees the new bottle of GV brand on the counter and says, "OH, MOM! You got the wrong one!!" Busted, again!

Just goes to prove that I can't outsmart my kids anymore. Gone are the days when I can sneak one over on them. Gone are the days when I can grab a snack when my sugar gets low without them catching me and then wanting something themselves...normally something unhealthy. Those days are GONE, my friends...and GONE forever!!! :-(

Oh, well. Probably better for me anyway. LOL

We're home this weekend for a much needed rest and relaxing time to get things done here that have been neglected. I know, doesn't sound very relaxing. But believe me, it will be. :)

Better hit the sack!

Hospitals are crazy!

I just don't understand how hospitals get such good reviews....someone is lining someone else's pockets! Poor J has NOT been receiving good care at Barnes and we're very unhappy about it. She had to ask for over 2 hours just to get some sort of pain medication yesterday. The day before, she asked for a bedpan and they didn't bring her one...so she had to just go in her bed. She sat in p**p for 45 minutes before they came to bring her a bedpan...by then it was too late and they just had to clean her up. Grr....

The dr's and nurses say she's doing better and they are talking of transferring her to rehab tomorrow. But I'm going up there tonight to see for myself how she is doing. I want to know that she's okay for transfer. It's been a week since I've seen her and if I don't go and something happens, I would regret it. I feel like I need to see her.

Other than that, the boys and I are working on getting the house cleaned up and some schoolwork done. It's so hard and stressful...my mind is just not there.

Better go...have hungry children! :)

Things are slowly improving...

For one, the maggots are GONE! :) I worked really hard on Wednesday to get the kitchen cleaned up and get all of them out of the house that I could see. Now, granted, I didn't move the refrigerator or the stove, but I moved everything else that was moveable and swept them all up and got them outside for trash day on Thursday. Time will tell in a few days if we start seeing hoards of flies in the house...then we'll know I didn't get them all! LOL Oh well....lessoned learned. A HARD lesson learned. I still have this smell in my kitcehn (which permeates the rest of the house) that is just an old, dirty, icky smell. I have cleaned everything I can find that might be the source to no avail. I've burned candles and incense and it's still there. I'm wondering if it will just take time and lots of candles to get completely rid of it. I'm also thinking that we will open the windows this weekend and air out the house with the attic fan. Perhaps that will help.

T's mom is doing much better. Her kidney levels are coming down and she's sounding more and more like herself. She still has a long way to go to get out of the hospital and then even longer with rehab. But at least her rehab is supposed to be closer to home (30 minutes from home for her as opposed to 3 hours) and will make her feel better. We're so thankful that things are turning back in the right direction for her.

We had TKD last night, after a VERY long and eventful day yesterday. The boys got to spar for the second time and they really like it. They just love the opportunity to hit and kick one another and it be okay.... LOL.

C also started his last year of Thursday School yesterday morning. He has been so excited about going back to TS and really had a great day yesterday. While he was in TS, B got to start doing a state study with our homeschool group. One of the moms has volunteered to teach it to several of the kids and we're going to be doing one state per week. It's so neat to learn little tidbits about the states...the flower, the bird, the motto, population, etc. She's really put alot of effort into ths and we're so thankful! :)

Well, I need to clean our schoolroom and get somethings done before the day totally gets away from me. The boys want to play outside too....fine with me....I get to read more when they play outside! LOL

Happy Friday!

When it rains it pours...

Well, we've had some eventful days~

We had our annual family 'camp-out', which ended up being a 'camp-in' this year!, in Branson. What fun we had! We spent the entire weekend playing games, watching the kids play and visiting. No one got sick. No one got hurt! (I think that's a first for our little family in a while! LOL)

But we're home now and trying to get things back in order.

On our way home, we went up to St. Louis to see J in the hospital and she's just not doing well at all. She's completely bruised up from the accident, but her kidney's are the biggest concern. She's talking out of her head and that just isn't like her. We're hoping it's only from the kidney failure and that that will get better in a couple days.

Then when we were almost home, we got a phone call the Brother Dale had passed away. We're so sad, but rejoicing at the same time. He's been suffering from cancer for so long now, and we know he's finally at peace and with his Father. The boys and I went to the funeral home this afternoon (along with mom) and the family seems to be handling it well. I think the saddest part of it all is that Dale will not be able to see all the new grand babies he has coming in March. But the Lord knows best....the families are all taken care of and that is what he would have wanted. We're convinced that was what he was waiting for.

Of course, then this morning, I'm sitting down at the table to have a bowl of cereal and get half way through my bowl, when I see this little white worm crawling across my table! Ewwww! We had a smell when we came in last night, but it was late and I didn't feel like dealing with it. I just figured it was the bad tomatoes we had on the counter from the weekend. But the more I get looking and cleaning this morning, I realize that it was from a bag of deli meat that had been left on the table ALL weekend long....and what I had were maggots. (shivering and gagging as I'm typing this!) So, I spent the next hour taking out the offending bag, cleaning up the kitchen, lighting candles, and picking maggots up off the floor (with napkins, of course!). Then I get home from the funeral home, and there are MORE of them crawling across my floor! Ugh! So now, I know I'm gonna have an infestation of flies in a few days and I'm just gonna have to deal with it, cuz I have no one to blame for all this but myself. I was the one that left the deli meat out and didn't get it in the trash on trash day. Ugh. Just more frustration for the week, I guess.

Ho hum.....

I will go for now...have to get the boys ready for TKD...they have some sort of weird energy they need to get rid of....where they get it all after the weekend we've had, I'll never know. LOL

Cuz I'm the Mom!

Someone sent me a link to this...just had to add it!

How do they know these things?

Okay, so we're doing school just now and C has a page that has all kinds of pictures on it. Matches, a needle, an ax, a ball, blocks, a doll, a sled, safety pins, a pitchfork, and broken glass. He was to circle the pictures that were okay for kids to play with and X out the ones that weren't safe. He gets to the safety pins and says, "Mom, I had to X these out cuz these are for keeping babies diapers closed and we don't want to play with those."

So coming from a kid who ALWAYS had disposable sticky-tab diapers and NEVER had safety pins on his diapers (I don't even know if we have any safety pins in the house!), just exactly HOW did he come to this knowledge? LOL

It's just so funny to me how they inherently know some things and yet are oblivious to others.

Is that another beaver??

No...it was a ground hog. LOL Well, I went to the store last night and as I was driving home, I saw some roadkill that hadn't been there when I left. My headlights shone on it and I was sure it was a beaver. But, no...not in town. So I drove on. But then remembered what was in the newspaper about the lake that was near our neighborhood being 'trashed' by a family of beavers. So I went around the block to get a 'better look.'

Well, it was still there this morning (of course) when the boys and I went to run an errand. I was now sure (in the light of day) that it was a beaver...only the tail looked different. So I called Terry and asked if he saw the dead beaver on the road near the house. Here is the conversation that followed:

Terry: Are you sure it was there when I went to work?
Me: Yeah, why do you ask that?
Terry: I don't know...I was just wondering if you just saw it or if you are trying to tell me you hit it this morning. (chuckle)
Me: No...it was there last night and was definitely dead when I saw it, smarty.

Well, after thinking more about it, I realize the tail just wasn't right....so I looked up ground hog....and sure enough. It is a ground hog...which is in the beaver family, hence the similar markings.

Oy, what is it with me and these rodent creatures???

Hilarious Ebay Auction 2...

I decided to move this description over here to my blog as a follow up on the post below. I know that after a certain amount of time, these item descriptions time-out and I wanted to have this one saved for posterity! LOL This woman had 53 watchers during this item auction and ended up winning $142.51 for these piddly cards. Yowza! LOL


I'm selling a bunch of Pokemon cards. Why? Because my kids sneaked them into my shopping cart while at the grocery store and I ended up buying them because I didn't notice they were there until we got home. How could I have possibly not noticed they were in my cart, you ask? Let me explain.

You haven’t lived until you’ve gone grocery shopping with six kids in tow. I would rather swim, covered in bait, through the English Channel, be a contestant on Fear Factor when they’re having pig brains for lunch, or do fourth grade math than to take my six kids to the grocery store. Because I absolutely detest grocery shopping, I tend to put it off as long as possible. There comes a time, however, when you’re peering into your fridge and thinking, ‘Hmmm, what can I make with ketchup, Italian dressing, and half an onion,’ that you decide you cannot avoid going to the grocery store any longer. Before beginning this most treacherous mission, I gather all the kids together and give them “The Lecture“.

“The Lecture“ goes like this…

MOM: “We have to go to the grocery store.”

KIDS: “Whine whine whine whine whine.“

MOM: “Hey, I don’t want to go either, but it’s either that or we’re eating cream of onion-ketchup soup and drinking Italian dressing for dinner tonight.”

KIDS: “Whine whine whine whine whine.“

MOM: “Now here are the rules: do not ask me for anything, do not poke the packages of meat in the butcher section, do not test the laws of physics and try to take out the bottom can in the pyramid shaped display, do not play baseball with oranges in the produce section, and most importantly, do not try to leave your brother at the store. Again.”

OK, the kids have been briefed. Time to go.

Once at the store, we grab not one, but two shopping carts. I wear the baby in a sling and the two little children sit in the carts while I push one cart and my oldest son pushes the other one. My oldest daughter is not allowed to push a cart. Ever. Why? Because the last time I let her push the cart, she smashed into my ankles so many times, my feet had to be amputated by the end of our shopping trip. This is not a good thing. You try running after a toddler with no feet sometime.

At this point, a woman looks at our two carts and asks me, “Are they all yours?”

I answer good naturedly, “Yep!

“Oh my, you have your hands full.”

“Yes, I do, but it‘s fun!” I say smiling. I’ve heard all this before. In fact, I hear it every time I go anywhere with my brood.

We begin in the produce section where all these wonderfully, artistically arranged pyramids of fruit stand. There is something so irresistibly appealing about the apple on the bottom of the pile, that a child cannot help but try to touch it. Much like a bug to a zapper, the child is drawn to this piece of fruit. I turn around to the sounds of apples cascading down the display and onto the floor. Like Indiana Jones, there stands my son holding the all-consuming treasure that he just HAD to get and gazing at me with this dumbfounded look as if to say, “Did you see that??? Wow! I never thought that would happen!”

I give the offending child an exasperated sigh and say, “Didn’t I tell you, before we left, that I didn’t want you taking stuff from the bottom of the pile???”

“No. You said that you didn’t want us to take a can from the bottom of the pile. You didn’t say anything about apples.”

With superhuman effort, I resist the urge to send my child to the moon and instead focus on the positive - my child actually listened to me and remembered what I said!!! I make a mental note to be a little more specific the next time I give the kids The Grocery Store Lecture.

A little old man looks at all of us and says, “Are all of those your kids?”

Thinking about the apple incident, I reply, “Nope. They just started following me. I’ve never seen them before in my life.”

OK, now onto the bakery section where everything smells so good, I’m tempted to fill my cart with cookies and call it a day. Being on a perpetual diet, I try to hurry past the assortment of pies, cakes, breads, and pastries that have my children drooling. At this point the chorus of “Can we gets” begins.

“Can we get donuts?”

“No.”

“Can we get cupcakes?”

“No.”

“Can we get muffins?”

“No.”

“Can we get pie?”

“No.”

You’d think they’d catch on by this point, but no, they’re just getting started.

In the bakery, they’re giving away free samples of coffee cake and of course, my kids all take one. The toddler decides he doesn’t like it and proceeds to spit it out in my hand. (That’s what moms do. We put our hands in front of our children’s mouths so they can spit stuff into them. We’d rather carry around a handful of chewed up coffee cake, than to have the child spit it out onto the floor. I’m not sure why this is, but ask any mom and she’ll tell you the same.) Of course, there’s no garbage can around, so I continue shopping one-handed while searching for someplace to dispose of the regurgitated mess in my hand.

In the meat department, a mother with one small baby asks me, “Wow! Are all six yours?”

I answer her, “Yes, but I’m thinking of selling a couple of them.”

(Still searching for a garbage can at this point.)

Ok, after the meat department, my kids’ attention spans are spent. They’re done shopping at this point, but we aren’t even halfway through the store. This is about the time they like to start having shopping cart races. And who may I thank for teaching them this fun pastime? My seventh “child”, also known as my husband. While I’m picking out loaves of bread, the kids are running down the aisle behind the carts in an effort to get us kicked out of the store. I put to stop to that just as my son is about to crash head on into a giant cardboard cut-out of a Keebler elf stacked with packages of cookies.

Ah! Yes! I find a small trash can by the coffee machine in the cereal aisle and finally dump out the squishy contents of my hand. After standing in the cereal aisle for an hour and a half while the kids perused the various cereals, comparing the marshmallow and cheap, plastic toy content of each box, I broke down and let them each pick out a box. At any given time, we have twenty open boxes of cereal in my house.

As this is going on, my toddler is playing Houdini and maneuvering his little body out of the seat belt in an attempt to stand up in the cart. I’m amazed the kid made it to his second birthday without suffering a brain damaging head injury. In between trying to flip himself out of the cart, he sucks on the metal bars of the shopping cart. Mmmm, can you say “influenza”?

The shopping trip continues much like this. I break up fights between the kids now and then and stoop down to pick up items that the toddler has flung out of the cart. I desperately try to get everything on my list without adding too many other goodies to the carts.

Somehow I manage to complete my shopping in under four hours and head for the check-outs where my kids start in on a chorus of, “Can we have candy?” What evil minded person decided it would be a good idea to put a display of candy in the check-out lanes, right at a child’s eye level? Obviously someone who has never been shopping with children.

As I unload the carts, I notice many extra items that my kids have sneaked in the carts unbeknownst to me. I remove a box of Twinkies, a package of cupcakes, a bag of candy, and a can of cat food (we don’t even have a cat!). I somehow missed the box of Pokemon cards however and ended up purchasing them unbeknownst to me. As I pay for my purchases, the clerk looks at me, indicates my kids, and asks, “Are they all yours?”

Frustrated, exhausted from my trip, sick to my stomach from writing out a check for $289.53, dreading unloading all the groceries and putting them away and tired of hearing that question, I look at the clerk and answer her in my most sarcastic voice, “No. They’re not mine. I just go around the neighborhood gathering up kids to take to the grocery store because it’s so much more fun that way.”

So, up for auction is an opened (they ripped open the box on the way home from the store) package of Pokemon cards. There are 44 cards total. They're in perfect condition, as I took them away from the kiddos as soon as we got home from the store. Many of them say "Energy". I tried carrying them around with me, but they didn't work. I definitely didn't have any more energy than usual. One of them is shiny. There are a few creature-like things on many of them. One is called Pupitar. Hee hee hee Pupitar! (Oh no! My kids' sense of humor is rubbing off on me!) Anyway, I don't there's anything special about any of these cards, but I'm very much not an authority on Pokemon cards. I just know that I'm not letting my kids keep these as a reward for their sneakiness.

Shipping is FREE on this item. Insurance is optional, but once I drop the package at the post office, it is no longer my responsibility. For example, if my son decides to pour a bottle of glue into the envelope, or my daughter spills a glass of juice on the package, that’s my responsibility and I will fully refund your money. If, however, I take the envelope to the post office and a disgruntled mail carrier sets fire to it, a pack of wild dogs rip into it, or a mail sorting machine shreds it, it’s out of my hands, so you may want to add insurance. I will leave feedback for you as soon as I’ve received your payment. I will be happy to combine shipping on multiple items won within three days. This comes from a smoke-free, pet-free, child-filled home. Please ask me any questions before placing your bid. Happy bidding! :)

What a day!

Whew! We have had quite the day with schooling here...so frustrating on some days and so exciting on others. Today was one of those frustrating ones. :( B and I just had constant issues...well, he had the issues. He just wouldn't concentrate and kept complaining about things being boring and wanting to take a nap and then being hungry, on and on it went. We started school at 10 AM and didn't finish until 5:30 when Terry got home. That is the longest school day we've ever had.

Then when Terry got home, I asked to have a 'parent teacher conference' with him....so we talked about everything. He agreed to have a 'talk' with B tonight while I went to the store. When I got home, I found out what all they discussed and I really think that our school will go better tomorrow. We're going to revamp our math stuff and see what I can do to make things better for him and he will buckle down and focus more. We also talked to C about staying out of the schoolroom while B is doing his school, cuz it would be a distraction to have C in here so much. We'll see how that goes. So hard to keep a 5 year-old occupied while the older one does his work. Hmmmmm.......

I am hoping that Terry got through to him. Sometimes it just takes that little bit of, "wow, dad is saying the same thing that mom is, so maybe she's right.' I don't know. The boys just seem to put so much stock into what dad has to say that sometimes when he says it, it actually sinks in. LOL

Terry is back on meds for his staph infection...his toe is really nasty. Well, probably not now..they cut away all the nasty tissue and now he has to deal with the pain and achiness that will come with the healing process over the next month or two. Oy. I feel so bad for him. His diabetes is the main factor of why they are doing such an aggressive approach to it all. They don't want to take the change of it going further than his toe and creating more problems. I hope this time it works. :)

Time for bed.... More later!

End of the week!

Well, it's Friday and we've gotten through our second week of school! :) So glad to be working on some sort of a schedule, even it if isn't completely consistent yet! LOL

The boys are going to mom's tonight to spend the weekend. They are so excited and I am looking forward to sleeping in tomorro morning! LOL

We have had a relatively quiet week...just school, house, laundry, and school pictures. We got them done at WM portrait place....they look so good. WM was so nice to us, letting us do the whole homeschool group! :) We get them in a couple weeks.

Well, that's it for now...don't have a whole lot to say. I'm tired. That about says it all, huh? LOL

Hilarious Ebay Item Description

Okay...you have to check out this item description. LOL It's too funny...someone sent me an email asking me to read it and it hit way to close to home!

Go to Ebay and paste this item number (130144061675) in the search box.

It's been awhile!

Well, it's definitely been a good long while since I've posted anything...things have just been so crazy here. The boys got home from their VBS week and we've just been running ever since.

While they were gone, mom came and helped me 'deep clean' the house. We worked ALL day on Monday and cleaned closets, floors, bathrooms, etc. I even shampooed my carpets late that night. :) But boy was it nice to have the house clean (and stay clean!) for more than 2 hours! Three whole days of a clean house!

I worked on curriculum and got things more organized for our year, but just didn't get it all finished. There was just so much to look at and thumb through, that I had a headache by the end of the day!

Terry and I took an afternoon and evening of just 'vegging' and watching movies. It was really nice to just do nothing. We sort of regretted it after the fact, simply cuz there was so much more that we could have done. but we both needed it. :)

When the boys got home, we went to see a Cardinals game...and they won! :) It was a family birthday present for J and I really think she had a great time. The next morning, she was put in the hospital for a pacemaker and hasn't been able to stay out of the hospital since. :( We're trying to figure out what to do with her...not sure if she needs to be where she is, or in St. Louis. She just seems so weak.

We started school this week instead of last week. We did school on Monday, but didn't do any on Tuesday or yesterday, cuz we were in S for Uncle D's funeral. The boys got to play with K and had a great time with her. Discovered that they all like Legends of the Hidden Temple! Woohoo! LOL While we were gone, I ended up with stomach flu and have just been very weak and dizzy since. I haven't gotten much done and we of course haven't done school today. But I hope to get laundry caught up and get the house straightened if nothing else.

Hopefully, we'll keep things updated from here on out.

O! And C did a dot-to-dot in school the other day and then colored it and said it was Grandma and Grandpa's car. Here's the pic:

School starts....

In 2 weeks!!!!!!

I can't believe the summer is already gone and we're getting ready to start school again! The boys will be leaving on Friday to go to VBS with Aunt D and I will have a whole week to get curriculum together and organized for the year. I have schedules to work on, chores to organize, and would like to have it all set up and ready to go when the boys get home.

Are they ready? I think so. They have been really needing some scheduling in their days and really need to be more organized, which comes from me. I think with more structure, their attitudes will improve and we'll get more accomplished with our days.

They also will be starting Tae Kwon Do (TKD) when they get home. We had a 'practice' class last night (and have another one on Thursday) to see how they like it and if they can handle it. B did really well...I think he will really enjoy TKD and it will do him a lot of good. C on the other hand, had a meltdown in the middle of the class because he couldn't remember the order of the instructions. He got embarrassed and just came running to me, crying. I felt so bad for him, thinking maybe he wasn't ready for TKD. The instructor (Mr. J) said he'd do fine and really encouraged C through the process. Told him that everyone forgets things and that C needed to just do the best he could and ask questions when he needed help. Mr. J thinks C will do fine, but we need to talk with him (C) and see if he wants to continue with TKD. If he's not all that interested, we can wait a few months and try again.

Now, we're gonna go outside after eating some lunch and see what kind of fun we can have in the pool.....

The Lake House

with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves

A good movie with a PG rating, but very slow! Kate leaves the Lake House and puts a letter in the mailbox for the next renter. Alex retrieves the letter and reads it, but gets confused by her statements. Writes her back basically telling her she's daft. Kate then informs him it is 2006 and gives her address...which in his time (2004) hasn't even been built yet. They continue their correspondence and even 'take a walk' together through Chicago. The end of the movie offers a twist that makes the movie worth the wait! Do they end up together? OF COURSE! It's a movie after all!

Freefall

Freefall by Kristen Heitzman

ISBN: 978-0764228292

She feels herself falling and then feels herself trying to grab anything to pull out of the water. Disoriented and confused, she knows instinctively she must follow the water and she might find help. After showing up at someones doorstep and collapsing with exhaustion, she wakes and realizes she has no memory of what's happened and even who she is. Her new host, Monica, names her Jade. Monica then calls her investigator brother to help with this confused one.

Cameron, or Kai as Monica calls him, comes over to protest his sister, but finds himself protecting Jade instead. Not believing her story, he continues to question her and help her go back to the area where she fell in the hopes that her memory will return. As they discover that there is someone out there hurt and waiting for her, Cameron finds out she's really Gentry Fox: movie star.

While the press hounds them about the condition of the man she left behind, the tabloids do everything possible to destroy him and her. But what caused Gentry to go over the falls? Was she pushed? And who would want her dead?

Heitzmann's writings always draw me in from the onset and keep me till the very last page! I love reading the mystery and romance involved in almost all her stories. An easy (and intense!) read.

Abide with Me

Abide With Me: Home Ties Trilogy

ISBN: 978-0373785698

Delia Parr

Three sisters (Andrea, Madge, and Jenny) gather for special occasion's to eat breakfast together. But these occasion's are just birthdays and anniversaries. They are for the birthday of a loved one's death, or the loved one's anniversary. They get together and share 'laughing' memories of that person along with that person's favorite treat from the local bakery.

Andrea has just found out her bladder cancer is back and she doesn't want to tell her sisters. Cancer is what has taken so many of their family, including one of their sisters. Jenny is working as a nurse at the hospital so her husband can stay home and fulfill his dream of writing a novel, while watching and caring for their girls. Madge is the one who has it all together...she's in every volunteer organization and is always seen flitting about the town. Until one day when her husband shows up on a stormy afternoon with a little girl in his arms. Who is this child and what does it mean for them?

Follow these sisters as they deal with the many blows that come to us in life: love, heartache, sadness, fear, anger, grace and forgiveness. Parr has done it again...another great novel!

Safety City, USA

C finally learned to ride his bike last week, so we decided to take them to Safety City in Jackson on Sunday afternoon. By the time we got there, we had to wait through a down-pour (the first two pictures!) and then they could play. They had a lot of fun and got dirty too! (Look below...B got in the mud, of course!) We also saw the geese that live in the park...they were honking and flying all over the place in between storms. :) Was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon together as a family.

The end of T-Ball

Well, our last game (Tuesday night) was rained out! :( B was sad, but we still had a party at the house (with the grandparents) and I'm going to stick in some pics now of game shots. There is one of the whole team...so fun. B had some GREAT coaches this year.

Here is a video of B's last score for the team!

Next up is Tae Kwon Do. B (and C) are SOOOO excited!

Last Game of the Season

Tonight is the last game of the season....we are supposed to have an awards ceremony of sorts after the game is over. Then we're coming back here to the house to eat supper and have cake and ice cream to celebrate with Brent. Grandma J is here and the other grandparents will be here as well. It will be a fun night. I have a short video clip on my camera of last night's game and lots of pictures (including and team pic) that I will post on here tomorrow. He has had so much fun this year playing T-ball and C has had fun playing with M! :) Till then!

False Fortune

False Fortune

Twist Phelan

ISBN: 978-1-59058-363-0

Reviewed for Armchair Interviews

Before she can blink, Hannah Dain of Dain and Daughters Law Firm finds herself maneuvering down an embankment to help the woman stuck in the car that just flew over the cliff and into the lake below. Fighting memories, fear and soreness, Hannah helps the woman out and hears three words before paramedics take her to the hospital: “….should have died.” Haunted by this, she then finds herself being named lead counsel for the plaintiff in a case being handled by her sister. But this case was to be quickly settled…Hannah was only supposed to close the deal. What has she gotten herself into this time? Quickly Hannah realizes nothing is safe: her apartment, her life, her family. Through the determination of a new sister, Hannah follows the evidence and discovers more about herself than she ever realized was there.

False Fortune is number 4 in the Pinnacle Peak Mystery series, and Twist Phelan does a great job of continuing the story. These stories must be read in order, however, because if they are not, there are definite pieces missing leaving the reader to feel as if the story is incomplete. Phelan’s descriptions of the land and the Indian reservation were absolutely on target and she definitely leaves room at the end for another book in this series.

Update on B

Well, we finally have some answers! :) On Wednesday morning, I got a call from the Dr's nurse telling me it was NOT meningitis (praise GOD!) and that it was a tick-borne illness that is not contagious as long as there is no fever.

T and I got talking about everything that's happened and can't remember a tick bite recently, and most tick fevers that I've read about happen within a week of the tick bite. But we remembered some tick bites back in May, and about a month ago B broke out in a rash on his arms and legs. We were told by a nurse at church that it was probably just contact dermatitis (which, from what I gather is what they call things when they don't know what it is!) and it went away. We also talked about the fact that the dr told us to keep the rashes/hives at bay in the future months, we would use Claritin or Singulair on B. WELL, we realized that for seasonal allerges, we did have him on Singulair at the time of the break out about a month ago...and wonder if he actually contracted the virus back then.... and that it flared up again now, but since B wasn't on his allergy meds (we got lazy!) it got really bad this time. So now we have even more incentive to be consistent with B's allergy meds! :)

I'm just so thankful that things are fine with B. He's been very cranky and cries at the least little thing right now, but he's like his momma in that respect.... LOL. But he's been up and playing and finally has his appetite back! We went out last night with a cousin of mine that was passing through town. B ate ALL of his own dinner and about 1/3 of mine! He just kept saying, "Mom, this is all so good, I'm just so hungry!" LOL I was happy he was eating....and figure the appetite will normalize in a few days.

Time to get ready for dinner....

Eragon

Eragon

Rated PG

My rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Here is the blurb on the movie from Plugged-In Online:

Based on Christopher Paolini's huge bestseller, begun when he was just 15 years old, the film version of Eragon tells a familiar fantasy story. The title character is a 17-year-old boy raised by his uncle in the small town of Carvahall in the kingdom of Alagaesia. When he stumbles upon a remarkable blue stone that turns out to be a dragon's egg—and its winged occupant suddenly hatches right in front of him—Eragon quickly realizes he and she (Saphira) share a telepathic connection.

Eragon seeks answers from a local storyteller and soon-to-be mentor named Brom. But before he can get very many of them, the two humans and their dragon pal must run for their lives when Galbatorix, the evil and wrongful king of the land, sends powerful and maggot-faced Ra'zacs to kill the newly discovered dragon rider.

On their journey to join forces with the Varden, one of the last remaining groups still resisting the king from its hidden mountain fortress, Brom trains Eragon in the history of the dragon riders, sword fighting, and the magical words of incantation from the ancient language of the elves. Then Eragon takes a detour to rescue Arya, a beautiful elf connected to him through his dreams and held captive by an evil sorcerer, or "shade," named Durza, a servant of Galbatorix. Before it's all over, there's a massive, underground battle between the Varden and the king's army of Urgals—and a final face-off between Eragon and Durza.

*****

I watched this with the boys last night and was actually finding myself enjoying the movie! :) I was pleasantly surprised with the features and Saphira (the dragon) is really cute! (I know, I know...such a girly thing to say!) The boys espeically liked it and I figure it is one we will purchase in years to come. I don't remember any language that was offensive, although the content may be too much for some kids. We figure since the boys have watched (and loved) all the Star Wars movies, Eragon can't be too much worse for them! LOL

Mysterious Illness

While in Oklahoma for the Prugh wedding, B came down with a mysterious rash that at first we assumed was just a really bad case of chiggers. We soon realized that it wasn't chiggers at all. We gave him Benadryl and used hydrocortisone cream to relieve the itching, but it was only temporary. He was also complaining of a stiff neck, but we assumed that was due to the drive out there and how he slept. On Sunday morning, we began the long drive home (10 hours) and did our best to keep him comfortable. He threw up about 1/3 of the way home, and by the end of the second third of the journey was itching so bad we stripped him down and covered him with cortisone cream and put a 'daddy' shirt on him so that the waist of his underwear and pants wouldn't itch him.

These pics below are the first ones we have of the rash on Saturday.

After we got home Sunday night, I put him in the tub with Epsom salts and cool water, but he wasn't much better when he got out than when he got in. I had made the boys and myself some dinner and went to get him to come to the table when I looked at him and he was just covered from head to toe with welts and almost blister-like areas. We decided at this point to take him to the ER, knowing that our medicine wasn't working anymore and we'd all be miserable through the night if we didn't.

These pictures below are from when we first got home Sunday night...before they got all blistery.

The ER doc said we'd probably never know what causes the reaction, but mentioned that it might be worth having him allergy-tested to see what his allergies are. They gave him a shot of hydroxyzine (an anti-histamine) and within minutes B was asleep. We kept him medicated all night and through the next day (yesterday) with the meds they gave us for the itch. The itch went away and the spots went down some. But by evening that changed again.

Around supper time last night, I noticed that his hands were really red again. So I checked his temp and he had a fever of 101. So we watched him through the night again and just kept track of the fever and the hives. But we decided at that point to definitely take him to the family doc this morning.

However, before i could even call the dr's office, T called me to let me know that there have been several cases of meningitis reported in our town. Oy! Then B woke up and was so swollen and puffy in his hands and face that he looked odd. :( He also walked down the hallway crying saying his feet were hurting to walk. So is this joint pain? Not sure. So I called the dr's office and got him an appointment. They questioned us on all sorts of things and the doc said he suspects it's viral and probably tick-borne. He acted like it could be meningitis, but didn't say for sure. He also ordered blood work and we're waiting for those results now. Hopefully we'll know for sure by this afternoon or evening. Doc did say that kids like this who get hives from viruses tend to break out several times over the course of months and that he expects B to be sick for another 1 to 2 weeks.

This morning at the dr's office...doesn't he look pitiful??

The White Cascade

The White Cascade

by Gary Krist

ISBN: 978-0805077056

Long before cell phones, before airplanes, before cars were the common mode of transportation, even before Titanic, there was the great avalanche of 1910 in Wellington, WA. Gary Krist takes the reader on an incredible journey of the facts leading up to the avalanche: the weather involved, the men who made the decisions, and the passengers on the train. Each area is crucial to the ending of this tragic event in our American history. Krist is able to tell the story truthfully while being able to make it read like a storybook. The characters come to life on the page and the struggles and feelings they all dealt with are felt by the reader.

The weather had a great deal to do with the deaths of nearly 100 people that day, but certainly responsibility also falls on the superintendent of the Wellington area, James O’Neil. Although all court decisions deemed him free of any wrong-doing, it becomes very clear that O’Neil ignored the passengers on the train that was hovering over a 1,000 foot drop. Granted he was working to clear the tracks and never rested for days at a time, but he failed to meet the basic need of his charges: reassurance. However, it was very clear by the end of the lawsuits that the railroad had learned its lesson about building track on or around mountains. They found new ways to rebuild the track with less risk to passengers, and also built structures as a means for shelter for the trains during snow season.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. It’s not one that I would typically pick up and read but I’m glad I had the opportunity to learn about this point in history. Gary Krist pulled me in and held my attention the entire time. I especially enjoyed reading his personal notes from his research, which are included at the end of The White Cascade. Kudos to Gary Krist on a job well done!

Bonkine

Last week, we were going across town for something and we drove past this field that had a bunch of tractors for sale. C starts shouting from the backseat, "OH, It's a bonkine....a bonkine....look, a bonkine! Dad just like we saw before...a bonkine!" We looked around and saw the tractors and realized what he was talking about: a COMBINE! But in his mind, it was pronounced bonkine. :)

Remembered

Remembered

by Tamera Alexander

ISBN: 978-0764201103

Reviewed for Armchair Interviews

Veronique Girard, a Paris native, has just buried her mother and now finds herself being out of a job and shipped to America. Scared, frustrated, and emotional, Veronique nevertheless goes on her way without argument or complaint. Her mother’s last request was for Veronique to go and search for her father, who had left them many years before. His last known address came from Willow Springs, Colorado and that was where Veronique was going to start her search. She didn’t expect to meet up with someone as handsome and equally frustrating as Jack Brennan. We remember Jack from his experience being a trail guide in Rekindled, and now Jack is back guiding Veronique through the many mining towns surrounding Willow Springs in search of her father. Along the way, we’re reacquainted with many members of Willow Springs whom we’ve known before: Reverend Carlson and his family, Miss Maudie, and of course, Larson and Kathryn Jennings. But will Veronique find her father? Is he still alive? What memories will be dredged up in her mind and also in Jack’s?

Tamera Alexander had me a bit skeptical at the start of this book. By starting in Paris and showing us immediately a character that we’ve never seen and who is so far removed from the other people in her previous books. However, she very quickly ties everything in and creates and wonderful story of love, memories, and passion. Many times we’re shown the natural passions of a man and woman and how they keep those impulses in check so as to honor one another and honor God. Remembered is an absolutely wonderful continuation of the Fountain Creek Chronicles.

Facets

Facets

by Barbara Delinsky

ISBN: 978-0446580274

Reviewed for Armchair Interviews

The St. George mining company is based on people. Helping them. Knowing them. Providing for them. Until the day that John St. George, son of founder Eugene St. George, takes over the company after Eugene’s death. His sister Pamela is now under his control, as he has legal guardianship of her, and she will have no say in any part of the company until she’s 25. Pamela has secretly been meeting with friend, Cutter Reid, who has helped her through many situations regarding John and also helped her become a woman in the truest sense of the word. What will John do when he finds out?

Journalist Hillary Cox is a longtime friend of the family, but also a longtime lover of John’s. When she finds out he’s engaged to be married, she’s furious and is determined to write a book about him that will expose who he really is. But Hillary finds out much more than she’s bargained for…many people have been hurt at the hand of John St. George. And he thinks he is invincible…untouchable. Who is going to prove him wrong? Hillary, with her book? Or Pamela and Cutter with their patience and scheming? And can Hillary deny John (and herself) the physical closeness they find when they are together?

Barbara Delinsky is a wonderful author who truly shows her talents in this novel from early in her career. John St. George as the villain does enough to make even the most ornery person dislike him and want to do him bodily harm! Filled with great passion and many sensual scenes, Facets is a book that will draw you in and make you keep reading to find out what will happen next. A true page-turner!

Catching up is hard to do!

Well, I haven't been on here much over the past week or two...so much has been going on and I've gotten lazy. ;( So, I am going to offer you a brief overview of our weeks of late.

Starting with last week....
We had 2 games last week that both went really well. B seems to be improving with every game and we keep seeing more and more that he's 'getting'. It's nice to see. I told T that he would most likely have it all down pat by the last game and then forget it for next year! LOL But that's okay.

C has been the big cheerleader on the sidelines and has found himself a little friend to play with during the games. The other night, T and I ended up being a maypole that they ran around the entire hour! :)

Last weekend, we finally got the house sprayed by the Bug Guy! :) So very happy about that....I'm sick of seeing spiders in my house!

Sunday, we were invited to lunch after services at the Veterans Home with one of our Veterans and his daughter. He's such a sweet man....I'm truly in awe of him. We found out he was in the navy when he served our country...T and I both thought he was army for some reason. -shrug- After lunch, they gave us a tour of the Veterans Home and it is really nice....our veterans are totally deserving! B and Mr. R played a game of Connect Four and B really REALLY enjoyed that. After we got home, we all crashed for a couple hours before returning back for services that night.

This week brought an evening of rest on Monday (whew) and then a game on Tuesday. B made us so proud....he caught a grounder while he was playing shortstop and ran to second base with the ball to get the player out! He was so proud of himself...kept giving up thumbs up after that! LOL

Tonights game was rained out (and we were supposed to be the ones with snacks!) and B is pretty bummed. I can't say I am though....we're tired and all need our rest. Besides, the garden has needed the rain!

This weekend, I have Friendship Sisters on Saturday and then nothing else for a few days. WOW! :) We will begin the prep for going to OK for the wedding, but that will be done starting Monday....I just can't think of it now! LOL