June, June, June

June has turned out to be so far my busiest month. I haven't danced through it gracefully at times, in fact I can usually be found doing that funky dance that Elaine Benes did on Seinfeld. But July is just around the corner.

We've had school finals and MAP testing, two school pool parties, two used curriculum sales where I shopped not sold, a dermatology appt., eleven dentist appts., Awana Awards, my oldest son's 30th birthday and his party, I had two haircuts in one day, helped on a field trip, helped at the Wacky Olympics at school, my high school senior went to his senior prom, threw a graduation party at the bay for Joe and his friend, our third son and his wife are here visiting, went to two school award ceremonies, high school graduation, my two middle school boys went to Mexico on a short-term mission trip, I've worked in the preschool and nursery at church, helped out at the Ethiopian church on two Sundays in the 1st-2nd grade rooms, VBS for a week, and we're hosting a combined co-ed baby shower for two of my sons and their wives. WHEW! Are you tired yet? I'm losing my noodle.

                                                       Joe ready for prom.

I found this chart online and reconfigured it. At the Ethiopian church the kids were told to have the names of   

Jacob's wives, their handmaidens, and his sons memorized. I found this and found it helpful for myself.

Joe receiving a scholarship from the PTSA.

Dad with Abi Mulu and Addis

The birthday boy

                                                         Arianne & Scotty

                                      Distressed Makenna because she has sand on her hands.

                                                         Smiley face Elizabeth

                                                     Miranda & Makenna

                                                 Sarah & Elizabeth

                                                    Meskie

                                                               Anna

                                                         A boy and his stick

more pics tomorrow......

My look, it is a changin'

Over the course of the last year and a half since I've had Bell's Palsy the way I look has changed. It changed dramatically with the onset of the Bell's, the droopy mouth, the funky eye, the crooked smile. My face is slowly going back to normal, but it's still not the same.

The other thing that is changing is my hair. I've had to color it every two weeks to keep it brown. Every.two.weeks. That is not only money slipping away but time spent in the salon getting it done. Since I'm now in my fifties I've decided that I'm going to let my natural color come in. For me I've come to the same thought pattern when I gave up birth control over twenty plus years ago. God knows the best hair color for me at this time in my life. Why in the world do I think I know what it should be more than what He has ordained it to be? Thus, I have entered that transitional time of letting the gray come in and taking the color out.

These are some pictures of me since January of this year. Not only am I going from dark to light I went from long to short. I'm getting used to the short hair, but can't wait until it's long and silvericious.

May Happenings

There has been so much going on here that it seems as though I'm going from event to event or preparing for the next event. I'll actually start at the last two weeks of May to catch up.

Joe's high school volleyball season had come to an end so we attended his volleyball banquet at an Italian restaurant. The coaches put together the photo collage and the team managers (high school girls) gave each of the boys a pink crown with their names painted on the front. Joe won a total of three awards that night which we were very blessed to see he did so well.

Joe had a soccer tournament in San Bernadino. I think we went two of the three days, but that was a month ago so who knows. I know we went on Saturday and didn't go on Sunday, not sure about Monday. We didn't go on Sunday because of the dinner at the Ethiopian church. San Bernadino is about two hours or so from us. That Saturday we only took Sarah and the baby. She needed a break from Little Man so he stayed home with his aunts and uncles for the day.

We have connected with an Ethiopian church here in the San Diego area. Marantha Ethiopian Evangelical Church is renting space from another church and would like to have a building of their own. They held a fundraising dinner where the church members as well as the adoptive families of Ethiopian children were invited to attend. They served delicious Ethiopian food as well as some pasta dishes, which was a blessing for some in my family who don't care for the Ethiopian food. Most of us LOVE Ethiopian food, but what can I say other than some of the men/boys are picky eaters.

The girls wore their Ethiopian dresses to our regular church, which all the older people loved, and then they fit in at the Ethiopian church because the ladies were dressed in their dresses also.

Since Monday the 27th was Memorial Day Steve and I went to the cemetery to honor my uncle who had died in the Vietnam War. My grandparents are buried on each side of him. We placed flowers in the vases and made mental notes that we need to come back and spruce things up like cleaning the granite headstone and gluing one of the vases down.

Even though the girls are in school I like to be involved as much as possible. I was asked if I could go on a field trip to the Space Theater/Science Center. My three youngest went and we had a great time learning and playing. http://www.rhfleet.org/

The next night Addis and some of the high school girls did a Spa Night fundraiser for camp and a mission trip. I signed up for the works. Got a manicure and a pedicure, a massage, and a facial. The girls each made about $50 which we're very grateful for since the camp runs about $500 and Addis wouldn't be able to go if we had to for the whole thing. There are monthly rummage sales, they can get work for people, and there are other fundraisers for the kids to help raise the funds. My boys have done yard work, move a mattress, helped someone run their kayak business. If it's something they can do then they work for their way to camp.

May ended with the piano students from school going to see The Wizard of Oz put on by Christian Youth Theater. The show was excellent. The kids who performed did an outstanding job. We rode the bus about an hour each way. On the way there we stopped at a park and had an early, early lunch. It was a fun, fun day, exhausting, but fun.

To Arizona and Back

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've posted. The time has flown since we have added three family members to our household. Sarah and her two children have moved in with us for the next year while her husband is deployed.

The two youngest girls, John, and myself drove to Sarah's to clean her house and move them to our house. Since they lived on base she was given a three page cleaning list for her house and yard that needed to be accomplished before they could pass inspection so she could leave. We cleaned under, inside and around the fridge, closet door and sliding door tracks, inside and outside of cupboards and shelves, washed windows, raked the yard, you name it we did it. We were up well past midnight cleaning since we could get a lot done while the two little ones were sleeping.

The movers came the first day so that meant no furniture, no beds, no pots and pans, nothing! Thankfully I had brought my air mattress that I bought myself. Poor Sarah though was sleeping on the floor with a nursing baby.

We had debacle after debacle which at the time didn't seem very funny, but now they give us great stories to tell. My fifteen passenger van was loaded to the gills and off we went in our two car caravan, needing to pull over a little early so Little Miss could nurse. The little ones were crying part of the way so Sarah was a little frazzled by the time we got home, but I had the older kids and our van was a little quieter except for my music.
                                          

It's been a month and we're having fun with our grandson/nephew and our granddaughter/niece. Having little ones does take a little getting used to again. Things don't seem to stay put very long where we put it. Isaiah likes to explore and has his own ideas on where things should go. And poor Elizabeth, my goodness, she's so starved for attention. NOT. That girl is picked up so much that Sarah only has to hold her to feed her. If it's not grandma or grandpa picking her up she has all of her aunts and uncles as well. Poor thing. :-)





We've settled into our new normal for the next year and look forward to our Jesse boy and Sage girl coming home this month for a two week visit, adding in two more to our Crazy, Big, Happy Family. By the way-Jesse and Sage are expecting!!!! We're adding grandbaby #6!!!

 

Treadmill, Thrift Store Run & Odd Girl Out

I finally got back to the gym after taking about two months off. I stopped going because I was sick, and then I just never got back into the groove of going. My house needed cleaning, everyday big-time, but it's a little more in control now.

I was able to go and walk two miles which is a start. I try and keep my treadmill pace at 3.5 once I get warmed up. I try and go up to 3.6, but I get worn out faster, so I drop it back down. My heart rate should be 110% when I'm going, but it doesn't seem to get up to that until I'm almost done. The trainer told me a few months ago that I'm in better shape than I think I am, probably because I have three lower elementary aged girls I have to keep up with, and a three year old granddaughter I usually have a few times a week.

On Friday afternoons I used to take myself out to Ross, Target and run any errands I needed to run for the week. I've been stalking the library bookstore but it wasn't open yet. I headed over to Goodwill which is the next best thing.

I found some clothes for the four youngest girls, some badly needed coffee mugs-Pier 1 and Food Network-yay!, and some books.

 I found a book that piqued my interest-Odd Girl Out; The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls by Rachel Simmons. It was in new condition and this is an issue we've been dealing with at school and at church. The book I found was not this version, but the first edition. The one pictured is the new and revised version with cyber bullying and helping girls handle the dangers of life online.

  Rachel Simmons: Odd Girl Out

From her website: When Odd Girl Out was first published, it became an instant bestseller and ignited a long-overdue conversation about the hidden culture of female bullying. Today, the dirty looks, taunting notes, jealousy and social exclusion that plague girls’ friendships have gained new momentum in cyberspace; we need fresh, innovative strategies to help our girls come through it all.





I'm hoping this book gives us some insight and answers to behaviors. We as a family are just not like that. We try to see the best in everyone, be helpful, go outside ourselves to help others feel welcome. Not so much with girls we know. We've gone to a baseball game with our church before. There were about four-six girls sitting together. When one of them decided it was time to go to the restroom or the snack bar, all of them, except my daughter. They all made sure their "buddy" went, but no one considered my daughter their "buddy." Unfortunately, she knows what is going on. She recognizes it. She's not popular, she's not in the clique.

 It's even prevalent among homeschoolers. We went to a co-op every other week and my daughter (different one) was the one not invited to the parties. She was fun to play with in P.E., and fun enough to play with every now and then, but not welcome to the parties. She wasn't loaded into the 15 passenger van with all the other screaming, giggling girls. She caught it. She knows. She's not popular, she's not in the clique.

I tell my girls it is really the parent's fault. They should teach their daughters to go outside of themselves and include EVERYONE. Not the popular ones, not all the Caucasian ones, not all the ones wearing pink jeans, but EVERYONE. If you've never been in the minority, try it. It's a must. Now. Go. Get out of your comfort zone.

There really is no excuse except selfishness. Most people today are so self-centered they can't possibly see needs outside themselves. For girls to bully and behave in such ways shouldn't really be all that surprising. I'm just surprised they learn it so young.

My son on the cover of Makita Tools

This is my son Jake. He's my second born, hardworker, and family man.

He was working on a job one day and the Makita tool people came and asked permission to take pictures. They decided to place him on the cover and some of the inside pages.

Ordered my Curriculum

I decided to go ahead and order the Robinson Curriculum CD's. I've printed three of the books off Book Depository. The books I've printed are The Tale of Solomon Owl, The Tale of Chirpy Cricket, and the Tale of Jolly Robin. These books are written by Arthur Scott Baily of whom I had never heard of until I saw the Robinson Booklist which you can find here. www.robinsoncurriculum.com/view/rc/booklevel.htm



A little write-up on Arthur Scott Bailey on Book Depository:
Arthur Scott Bailey (1877-1949) was the author of more than forty children's books. Bailey's writing has been thus described by the Newark Evening News: "Mr. Bailey centered all his plots in the animal, bird and insect worlds, weaving natural history into the stories in a way that won educator's approval without arousing the suspicions of his young readers. He made it a habit to never 'write down' to children and frequently used words beyond the average juvenile vocabulary, believing that youngsters respond to the stimulus of the unfamiliar."

My printer has a booklet option, but only prints on one side which makes the books bigger since I need to use more paper. I used a laminated cardstock cover, staples, and some duct tape and bound my "book" together. I'm stalking Rose Gate Harbor because she gives very useful tips  http://users.gobigwest.com/rosegate/index.html and why re-invent the wheel?

We priced laser dual side printers last week and decided we were going to check prices at some other stores. Well wouldn't you know that they went on sale this week at Office Depot? We scored! It was $80 the regular price making it $199 and if you bought toner at the same time they took $20 off the toner and they included a free label maker as part of the deal. After it's set-up I can print to my heart's delight! We decided on the color one because it has wireless ability and even though I wouldn't know how to use it now, it's nice to have the option. I will still use my ink jet printer for general use, but use my laser printer for printing the books. The laser printer also prints dual sides automatically so that will be a big timesaver and paper saver.



The first level readers are the McGuffey Series so I found a set on Ebay and ordered those which came to about $39 and they are in pristine condition. I've never used McGuffey's or even been exposed to them. I've homeschooled for twenty-four years and I don't know why I've never come across them, but I haven't. This set didn't come with the Parent-Teacher guide so I ordered that off Amazon. The set I bought are the reprints from Mott Media.
http://www.mottmedia.com/pages/publications.asp?Pub=McGuffey
   


On the Blessed Heritage side of the curriculum I have been browsing and buying some of the readers recommended. I found that I have a few of them, but need more. I went to the library bookstore and found a younger children's version of a book about Duke Ellington. I bought two books on ebay, one on Phillis Wheatly and one on Benjamin Banneker. I found a nice thicker book on famous African-Americans.

I have been busy and we are excited for our next year. We're trying to finish out the school year at the little charter school they go to. For our two oldest girls the social drama makes it tough, but we know we only have another month to go. If they said the word they would be out of there in a heartbeat, but for now I'm letting them work it out as long as they're comfortable with doing that. I've had enough kids to know I can't fight their battles for them, I can be their advocate, and I can stop them from being exposed to others, but they're learning to speak up for themselves and at this point, that is a good thing for them to learn.

Education With a Twist

I wrote in a previous post that I was looking into the Robinson Curriculum. I couldn't put my finger on what wasn't clicking for me. The books in the curriculum are written for the Caucasian homeschooler. Well, that would have worked for my eight bio kids who have ancestors from England, but why would these books be of interest for my girls from Africa? They have a history, they have a heritage, and it's not the one form England.

On the other hand, their heritage is not the one that African Americans have either.  My girls are African, Ethiopian to be more precise. I'm entering into an area I don't have experience in, but I'm willing to learn right along with them. I've always been interested in Harriet Tubman, Amos Fortune, Sojourner Truth, and others like them.

In my research I came across Blessed Heritage-Educational resources to foster understanding of the spiritual and racial heritage of children of color.

I've ordered:

 Nuturing Christian Character Through the Black Experience. http://www.blessedheritage.com/christcharacter.html

Our Story, His-Story
http://www.blessedheritage.com/elemhistory1.html

This Far by Faith
http://www.blessedheritage.com/midhistory1.html

I've also gone to paperbackswap.com and ordered a few books that I found in Great Books for Girls by Kathleen Odean.

I'm looking forward to walking this path with my girls. If anyone knows of a child's study of Ethiopian history I would LOVE to know about it.

Happy Birthday, Little Miss

We decided on a Dance Party for Amy's party. She loved it!

 

Learning the cha-cha

                                                                Gangam style!

 

   I told my husband this is my alter ego. He just looked at me with one eyebrow raised.

 

                           Me doing some weird thing. You can see the start of my gray hair.

                                                           Fun girl, Abi

                                                                Love her smile.........

                                                                       Gifts!!!

                                           Arianne led all the dances. She was a lifesaver!

                                                                    Addis & Joe

                                                               Look what I got, Mom!

                                        Happy Birthday, girl. You're one in a million.