Thanksgiving 2009 Photo Essay

How was your Thanksgiving? Sorry for the silence in here, but we had traveling plans and there just wasn't a good time to break away. I wanted to share a little photo essay of the wonderful time we had at Aunt Terry's house for Thanksgiving with you. Taking pictures is my favorite thing to do (even more favorite than blogging)... so I really love holidays.



Obviously I didn't take this one. Aunt Laurie took it. Nice of her to offer to get a picture of me. I'm usually in about 1 of 100 shots. That is one of the reasons I love being 'the photographer'. Notice the 2 inch roots on my July highlight job. Yep. High class, let me tell you. At least we make cute babies.

You'll notice that Aunt Terry and the rest of the family are missing from the pictures here. Wouldn't want to get in trouble for sharing photos without permission (and limit my Christmas gift opportunities). We drew names for Christmas with Kev's mom's family. Something we do each Thanksgiving. Not tellin' who's name I got. You can't make me spill the beans.



Speaking of beans (even though this has nothing to do with this post)... I've been making refried beans around here. I soaked them the night before last, cooked them last night, and plan to refry them today. If they turn out tasting as good as they smell, I will most certainly share the recipe on my food blog for all to enjoy.



Above are Terry's pumpkin rolls. I think I like the sweet potato better. That's another recipe I need to put on the food blog. So sad that I neglect that part of my trio of blog efforts. There's only so much of me to go around with a baby in the scene (especially one that is pulling up and crawling at the speed of light).

Evidence:



One of my favorite things about Kev's mom's side of the family is their sweet tea habit. It helps if you don't have a six hour drive after about six glasses of said tea, however. It really tends to extend your travel time if you overdose on sweet tea. Nuff said.



After we drove to College Station, Texas (home of the Aggies), we drove to Texarkana (on the Texas-Arkansas border). Pretty original name for a town on the Texas-Arkansas border, eh? As strange as it sounds, Mike Huckabee was in town and we missed his book signing. Family is more important than famous people that make great blog photo-essays.



Texas in the fall. Such a strange phenomenon. We don't get any showy color until the week of Thanksgiving. The leaves are in rapid-change mode by late November. If you blink, you'll not only miss the color change, but you'll also miss the actual 'fall'. Before we left home on Thursday morning, the trees were green with only a few signs of fall (mostly in the grasses)... when we returned on Saturday, half of the deciduous trees had already LOST their leaves. No fair! Morgan took the photo above. She was begging me for the camera all day. She's really quite talented... but I'm even more stingy. {MY CAMERA. Back off, chick!} No small wonder that she put "camera" on her Christmas list.



I might be content to believe that the reason for Thanksgiving was to eat sweet potatoes. Seriously. It's as good a reason as any.

Aunt Terry lives in the woods - on a few acres of land. She has all sorts of creatures: Chickens, dogs, cats, lizards, fish, spiders, etc. My kids adore being out there to explore and play. They spend more time outdoors than inside with the big folk when we go eat Thanksgiving lunch there. This is one of her dogs...



... that had a favorite leaf. We don't know why she carried this leaf around. Maybe she was being festive for the holidays? She wanted to sit in Morgan's lap while Morgan drew chalk pictures. Why do dogs always want to love on cat people? We got to smell this sweet puppy all the way to Texarkana. No, really, she's a cute dog. A little eccentric maybe, but certainly nice - for dog people.



I knew there were more reasons to carry a box of wipies in the car than just one, poopy, 8 month-old hiney. Baby wipes also help to keep a six hour car trip less messy after your BIG kids get covered in dog, dirt, Thanksgiving dinner, bubble soap, crushed leaves, and LOTS OF chalk dust.



Kisses for Thanksgiving. How sweet.

Here's one of my favorites shots of a little cousin below:



Amazingly, I liked the soft look that these "straight-out-of-the-camera" shots had. I didn't do much to any of them, aside from the ones that are black and white. I used my Canon 40D and a 50 mm portrait lens for everything. Most of them were shot in P mode, too. I didn't want to have to "think" before clicking. Funny how thinking gets me in trouble when it comes to camera stuff. The camera and lens I was using for these shots was the exact same one that my cousin's wedding photographer used for her wedding pictures. I got to see the whole slew of those while I was at Terry's house, too. It gave me hope that one day I can make some money taking pictures... since they didn't look too difficult to take once I saw them.



Kohen's favorite part of the day was standing up at the coffee table with his legs spread to prevent a fall, eating Aunt Terry's wicker coaster set. I'm sure she enjoyed all the slobber he shared. You gotta share things. It's part of the golden Thanksgiving rule.



Kaden's favorite part of being at Aunt Terry's was the trampoline, the garden, hanging out with cousin Jason, being free to dig in the dirt and pretend to shoot things, and of course - Merlin the magic black cat. Merlin liked Kaden, too... because I'm sure Kaden slipped him a few tiny slices of turkey when no one else was looking. See? All my kids are 'givers'.



There's me acting goofy. Self portraits in the car are always nice. Gets a giggle out of the kids, anyway.



Then I handed the camera to Morgan. Here's what she caught. Mooshy stuff. Oh, well. At least she didn't catch H1N1. There are worster things than seeing mommy and daddy give each other a Thanksgiving kiss. As long as he keeps his eyes on the road, that is...

Brainy Baby & Handsfree Mommy

There are times when you just have to put the baby down. No, no. I'm serious. If I held him all day (as all of us would love to do)... the laundry, the schoolwork, the cooking, and all of life as we know it would grind to a halt.

I know you are shaking your head in unbelief. "Who would put a baby that cute down in a walker? Are you kidding me? And in front of a television set?"

Sad, isn't it?

Life must go on - even with a cute baby in the house.

Being a mama that doesn't like television that much, I have to rely on videos we purchase, rent or get as gifts. We chose to prevent TV from rotting our brains a long time ago after noticing that almost all TV was trash anyway. I don't like having control over the agenda (and there's a lot of agenda-pushing these days - even on children's programming). Oh, I'll watch TV now and then. I have been known to sit through a Law and Order marathon when visiting the in-laws over holidays - to be sure... just so you know I'm not trying to make anyone feel guilty.

We're a 'prime-time'-challenged family. Don't ask me who is an American Idol because I will only stare at you and blink. I have never watched a full episode of Glee, or Lost, or Desperate Housewives. I can also finally admit that I've only seen one series of 24, too. I haven't even seen a day's worth of PBS programming since my ten year old was about 2. The brief year that we did pay for cable, we were sickened by the advertisements (too many companies catering to non-kid-and-family-friendly bents) and astonished by the amazing amount of unwatchable gobbledygook available to fritter our brains away on.

Our past experience with TV and Cable Programming is why I have some standards for my videos. I didn't say HIGH standards because I'm sure there's a stricter and more godly mom out there. Certainly there are more classy and polished homeschool families as well... some that might scoff at us for allowing our kids to see Lord of the Rings or collect Sponge Bob DVDs. I met a Christian homeschooling mom once that didn't allow her kids to watch Veggie Tales, either. Even the adults like them in our house - sorry, but we don't find being silly offensive even in a serious world. We aren't above enjoying some twaddle now and then, but it has to be clean twaddle.

Lately we pretty much watch any videos we have that will keep baby's attention long enough to afford us thirty or forty-five minutes of free time. Free time offers us the ability to use BOTH hands while eating a sandwich for lunch, enough time to get a subject completed for school, or enough time to rotate the laundry, cook dinner and/or do the dishes. He's almost too big for the swing and already too big for the bouncy seat, so the TV is our friend.

Brainy Baby is the latest edition to our kid-friendly DVDs (product was sent to us to review). We have one or two Baby Einstein shows, a slew of old PBS VHS tapes, and almost all of the Disney movies. There's quite a selection, but not many of the flicks we have will hold baby's attention for longer than five or ten minutes. I wondered if the Brainy Baby would be any different. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised that they were.



I even conducted a little scientific research of my own by observing what the differences in the movies that he likes the best are verses the ones he won't watch. It seems that Kohen (as an 8 month old baby) is interested most by other babies (especially faces), real animals, and talking or singing (things that Brainy Baby all contain plenty of). He's not so interested in animation, 2D objects (such as alphabets and shapes), or comics. He zones out watching adult movies with talking scenes as if he's really interested in them, but will fidget and balk at Sponge Bob. What he loves the best about his Brainy Baby shows are the baby faces and the talking and moving children and people. He'll literally sit through the whole show until they do the alphabet part. He adores the Laugh & Learn (for ages 1-3). We have the ABC's show, too, and look forward to growing in to it.



I love it that he's learning something besides how to flip a crabby patty (no offense, Sponge Bob lovers). And as much as I love Sesame Street, there's only so much of the "Honky Ducky Dinger Jamboree" that I can handle. We were thrilled to add these baby-friendly DVDs to our collection so Kohen can learn while being entertained. Selfishly, we're also glad that he likes them because it affords us hands-free moments in our daily routine that keep our house from complete chaos.

And that's a GOOD thing.

Week of Thanksgiving

Here at the Bee house we have a lot going on as we prepare for Thanksgiving. We have three days of school this week, a long list of chores to get done, and some work on the Homeschool Blog Awards - helping to get you the winner list as quickly as possible.

In honor of my favorite holiday (yes, I love Thanksgiving), I wanted to focus this week on GRATITUDE. My dear online buddy, Ann always has such a wonderful Gratitude Project going on over at her blog - year round. I thought I would jump in and participate for a change (posts about it will be forthcoming)... even though I really don't know what I'm doing. Which is sadly the case in most instances.

Last night I finished my Faith Project, too. I've had it on the back burner since I got my blog redesigned this summer. I hope you'll click over and take a look at it. I love the way it turned out.

Please join me in counting your blessings this week as we move towards Thanksgiving. I'd love to hear your ideas about what you do with your children to instill gratitude in them during this holiday season. We're always looking for new ideas to shake things up and inspire our creative side.

P.S. I shared a link to my Thanksgiving Recipes up there if you click on Thanksgiving. You're welcome!

Photographic Homeschool Mama's Software Wishes

Besides being a wife, mama, and homeschooler - I'm a photo nut. This should come as no surprise to those of you who have ever been here before.

Photo nuts heart Adobe. That's just a given fact. See? You aren't learning anything new yet. But you will... just wait...

The photo up above was altered in Lightroom by my friend Dawn. It looks like a pro photo, right? Well, at least I thought so. I may be a bit biased.

I emailed the picture to Dawn to see what she would do with it in Lightroom because I love playing with pictures. And I love seeing what other people create when they play with pictures. Just look at the difference...

Here's the SOOC (straight out of the camera):



Amazing, hu?

Software is expensive, though! Who can afford all the stuff that pro photographers use?! I wanted to give them a try though. So I did. After using trail versions of Photoshop and Lightroom, I'm now hooked. The only hurdle is the price.

That's why it is great that you can buy discounted software (and lots of other things) at Academic Superstore. I love them so much that I signed up to be an affiliate. I'm so thrilled to find a company with such great prices - and they are even local (Austin based)... aren't I lucky?

You only have to submit proof that you are homeschooling (such as a receipt for your homeschool curriculum you purchased) to get the awesome student/teacher discount they offer - up to 85% off on certain items in their store!

On my wish list are these items:

Photoshop CS4 ($298.95)
Lightroom ($98.95)
Windows 7 ($119.95)
Office Professional 2007 ($179.95)

You just can't beat those prices. Even if it takes me a long time to get them purchased (likely), at least they are doable one-at-a-time at 50-85% off. If you are pining away and planning to buy some upgraded software this Christmas (especially if you are a homeschool parent), be sure to check out Academic Superstore! Even better, click over and buy your stuff from here! You'll help me save up towards my Christmas wishes.




Quick Links:
Another Post where I used Pioneer Woman's Photoshop Actions
Admit it, You Came for the Pictures (and another)

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

Learning Without School

I'm avoiding the computer lately. Seems that every time I sit down there is another thirty things I have to add to my to-do list. My email box is stuffed to the gills, my paper in-box is overflowing, and my school stuff is heaped in a pile on the corner of my desk. Not to mention Mt. Laundry or the planning that needs to happen so that tomorrow won't be a dismal failure.

But then it hits me - like the spit up that hit me earlier today - unexpectedly... I AM GETTING THINGS DONE. Granted, maybe not everything (nowhere near everything), and maybe not even what I had planned to do... but we are accomplishing things. They are small milestones but they need celebrating.

For example... Here's a few things we DID accomplish today (even though they weren't on the assignment chart):

* The house smells like fall sweetness after we baked TWO Sweet-Potato-Pecan Coffee Cakes and a Sweet Potato Bliss (casserole) tonight. My daughter actually did a lot of the work with the help of my mom (who took turns entertaining the baby with me). We GREW the sweet potatoes in our yard, too. Dug them up just a few weeks ago.

There you have HOME EC and LIFESKILLS. Tomorrow night's dinner is in the bag - just add some green beans and a rotisserie chicken and we have a mock Thanksgiving treat a week early.

* My kids know how to use a computer. They have picked up some mean skills by watching mama. Tonight my son scanned a bunch of his artwork (his free-time project) so he could blog about them this week. I love it that he picked scanning art over video games. That's no small accomplishment for my X-Box fanatic.

There you have TECHNOLOGY & COMPUTER LIT. And I forgot to mention that my daughter looked my recipes up on my food blog while she was cooking tonight (easier than digging through the recipe cabinet and all those cookbooks).

* My refrigerator is cleaned out and my pantry, too - helps when you decide to tackle the mess during lunch hour so you can prepare for dinner. We also folded laundry - and managed to get Daddy to help. The kids picked up the house - some without even being told to help... and we organized the school boxes while looking for a Health book that was stuck in the wrong folder. Every time we've had a distraction we ended up using it to get things done... even though they weren't on the list.

There you have ORDERLINESS and DETERMINATION. So maybe they aren't academic subjects, but try to live a functional adult life without them and see what you get.

* The baby is alive and sleeping soundly. That means we took care of his non-sleeping little hiney all day - and kept him up in the evening so he would sleep through the night. After his 2 hour morning nap, he decided he didn't want to go to sleep again until around 6:30pm. I only let him cat-nap and he managed to fight sleep until around 10:30pm. I'll be surprised if he doesn't sleep through the night tonight. The little rat was a HUGE kink in our plans today. As cute as the bugger is, I'm beginning to think that he IS our extra curricular class this year (since the plans I had for doing Photography with the big kids aren't panning out for lack of time and energy).

There you have CHILD DEVELOPMENT and BABYSITTING. My husband and I both agree that the big kids will be superb parents by the time they 'graduate' homeschool.

* No, maybe we didn't check off our school list today... but what a blessing to be together and learn with each other. We read about horned lizards that squirt blood out of their eyes, found out that we didn't really need those two eggs that got left out of the doubled coffee cake recipe, and learned that meteor showers really are amazing (kids are in the back yard enjoying one while I write this).

There's READING, BIOLOGY, EXPERIMENTATION, and ASTRONOMY.

Not sure if you would say that we are 'unschooling', but whatever it is, I'm grasping for the positive and thankful that God is allowing it to grow me to be a better mother.

Enjoying my TEACHER TRAINING 101... even when things get hairy...

A Life Choice

When I got contacted by PureFlix Entertainment to review their upcoming DVD "Sarah's Choice", I was more than willing to do so. We always are looking for quality films that our whole family can see - since there are so few of them being made by Hollywood these days. I offered to preview the movie if they wanted to send me a copy of it. It helped that the lead actress was Rebecca St. James (a Christian Music pop star that my daughter already loved).

Here's one of her songs here if you haven't heard of her and wanted to listen in:



On Sunday after dinner we settled down to a "family movie night", complete with popcorn and sweet tea. I wasn't really thinking about the subject matter of the movie. I didn't know it would be one of the hardest reviews I would write. Talk about a tear jerker.

"What's the movie about mama?" Asked my eldest (almost 13) as we pushed 'play'.

"It's about a girl who gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby," I said, not thinking about the struggles or emotions that might play through the story and how they would personally affect me.

We've had 'the talk' with my kids, so they understand a lot more that some kids their age - and got the advantage of hearing it from mom and dad (and not the public school locker room). I wasn't worried about them getting educated on the birds and bees since they already knew that babies didn't arrive by stork. However, when the topic of pregnancy comes up, you always want to be sure (as a mom) that the movie covers it in a positive and tactful light. This movie was very discreet and there weren't any scenes that a kid would not be able to see - even while covering such a delicate topic. I was impressed. Even the few kissing scenes in the movie were more 'loving' and emotional than physical. That's something you won't see in Hollywood since the death of the 'black-and-white' oldies. I can't recall a curse word or a moment when the actors didn't have on clothing during "Sarah's Choice", either. Two thumbs up!

The main thing that made this movie so awesome was that it tackled real issues - ones that matter to people today. It is about time that parents and churches start talking about unexpected pregnancy; after all, it isn't as if it doesn't happen. The statistics in America are staggering - and they do not respect religious lines. Just as many young girls brought up in a church environment end up with unexpected pregnancies as those who aren't. You can blame it on anything you want - the parents, the kids, the public school, the church... but the fact is that it happens. It hurts lives, it breaks hearts, and sometimes it kills innocent people - the children yet to be born.

I'm not sure why PureFlix contacted me in particular for this review. I wondered, through tears - as the movie moved my heart, if they had read the story about my teenage abortion... or my miscarriage. It seems that God had already been touching my heart on this issue all week leading up to this review. Just days before, I had read an article about the Catholic Church (Priests for Life) putting out a YouTube video about first trimester abortion (one I was unable to force myself to watch after having my own first-hand experience with it). On the Priests for Life website, I also saw a quick photo-video with a picture of a tiny baby's hand (you could almost see the fingernails and fingerprints on it) - one that made me think back to my own 'choice' and how it affected my child and my heart forever.

The question on the photograph was, "Everyone Against Abortion, Please Raise Your Hand!"; and there was this miniature, perfectly formed hand... missing it's tiny little body. It is a picture worth far more than a thousand words; one that can alter a world-view and change a million minds about the truth of what abortion really is.

With a subject matter that is so touching and controversial in our day and time, "Sarah's Choice" couldn't help but be an awesome family-devotional ice-breaker. A long discussion with our kids ensued after the movie was over. My husband and I both told them that we wished our parents had discussed things openly with us as kids so that we might not have made some of the life-choices we made growing up. There was a preacher that we listened to when we first became Christians in our young 20's that said, "Past sins limit your future possibilities." So true. You have to live with your choices, even if you are forgiven. I'm so glad that my kids can face the future knowing their parents' hearts on this issue - in case they are ever faced with making a life or death choice like I did. I pray that they would not follow in the path that broke my heart and destroyed a life.

In addition to the main character in the movie who has to decide what to do in the face of an unexpected pregnancy, the movie also portrays the grief of a woman who has to live with the memory of a past abortion. Often I have had moments of sadness looking in to the eyes of my precious three kids. I have hesitated when answering medical forms when the question is asked: 'How many children do you have?' Then the real kicker appears under it on the form: 'How many pregnancies have you had?' The doctors know. They know that so many of us have children we 'didn't claim'... lives and family lines cut short. No matter if we talk about it or not, you can't sweep it under the rug. The woman in "Sarah's Choice" who was dealing with her past loss had a lot in common with me. It is time that the movies finally caught up with this ugly and all-too-common reality.

I've never shared about how I feared that God would take my children from me once they were born. I had read the story about David's son dying because of his choice to kill a good friend and steal his wife. I slept with one hand on my eldest son's chest for months, assuming that God was going to steal his breath in the night to get me back. I knew I deserved it. My husband finally told me, "Heather, God has forgiven you. It isn't our son that deserved to die for what you did, it was YOU; and you are still here. You are forgiven. You need to let go and believe that He loves you and this baby." My broken heart began healing. When we lost a baby in 2007, I had a revisiting of my doubts. Maybe that was God finally settling the score, I thought. Of course, my husband helped me through those feelings - again. I know that God doesn't have a score card and isn't keeping tabs. Love keeps no record of wrongs and I've been forgiven for my sin. Yet the pain and regret of the past is a monster in your closet... even if you trust in God's mercy. It is much better to not have that cold, steel table... or those sounds, images and tears to remember. Life is much easier without remorse.

So to answer 'Who thinks this movie is worth watching?' I raise my hand, "Yes!" To answer if I'm against abortion? I raise my hand, "Yes!" I thank God for the 10 hands that live in my home... and I hope I get to one day hold the four that wait for me in heaven. I'm also thankful (all year long - not just in November) that God forgives us - even when it is hard to forgive ourselves ...even when the sin and 'choices' we made affected other lives and not just ours. I'm thankful that He goes on to heal us and bless us with amazing love and hope - even when none of us deserve it. What an awesome God - to create life, to give His up for us, to renew us (right HERE and NOW) and take us home to be with Him for eternity even when we were never worthy. He is the most wonderful Father. I'm so glad He's mine.

If you want to see this positive, family-friendly movie, you are in luck: it will be available on November 17th (tomorrow)! Get your copy where good Christian flicks are sold.

My Interview at Heart of the Matter

Where did the name Sprittibee come from?

Sprittibee is actually a nickname and a last initial put together (and here you thought it was all about honey bee obsession!). When me and my hubby were dating back in the early 90’s, he called me Spritti and I called him Spooker. Sickening, I know. The “SP” was a language addition based on that REM song, “Losing My Religion,” where he said “It’s bigger than you… and you are not me.” He slurred his words and said “Spigger”, which was somehow REAL funny to us barely 20 year old, lovesick kids who were stuck in the car part of every day together as we both ran errands for the companies we worked for. That song was on the radio a LOT back then.

Spritti is really “pretty” (glad he thought I was – cuz I was head over heels and still am). I bet you can’t guess what Spooker was. It came from a the shell necklace that Kev bought in Galveston when he went down there to buy a Yaga t-shirt. The necklace was made of puka shells. Add your S and you’ve got the original version of his pathetically dorky nickname. Lucky for him, it didn’t stick quite as well as mine. I’m sure I haven’t called him that in over ten years.

Kids are retarded. Sadly, dumb nicknames STICK. I figure it doesn’t matter if you all know this sordid secret, though. You would be amazed at how many people ask. If I had given my “brand name” a little more thought when I started blogging (on accident through commenting on someone else’s blog), I probably would NEVER have used “Sprittibee” as a blog title. Believe me, I have regretted it many times–but after four years of blogging, I’m stuck with it. I do like bees, so it’s not all bad. I have quite a collection of bee knick knacks.

Can you share a little about your family with us?
We’re complete nerds. My husband is a computer geek and very handy with electrical and mechanical stuff. We’ve been married for over 16 years. It was love at first sight. We only dated 8 months and I was barely 20 when we landed in the JP. Amazingly, we still get butterflies for each other, so I’m pretty sure that God was behind the whole ordeal – even before we were on his bandwagon. We have 2 kids and one on the way. Our son is 12 and our daughter is 10. They are super kids and I suspect they will be more than helpful when the little Viking arrives in a few weeks. When we aren’t all working, we like to spend time together. I think homeschooling has created the most awesome bonds of love and friendship in our family. I’d rather be with my husband and kids than anyone on the planet.

Have I mentioned that my man is exquisitely handsome? That helps.

You blog at http://sbees.blogspot.com How has blogging been therapeutic for you?
Blogging is just part of who I am now. I wanted to be a writer when I was a kid, and yet I was too lazy or overwhelmed by large projects to ever spend the time necessary to get something done and turned in to a publisher. Being a party-chasing heathen didn’t help. I had binders full of poetry, short stories, beginnings of novels–and life tended to get in the way. After I met Kevin and we had our first child, I pretty much gave up passionate reading and writing. Being a wife and mother was much more pressing and rewarding.

I’ve always journaled and began scrapbooking after I had my kids, so blogging was a natural transition for me. Once I figured out what blogging really was and discovered its potential (and realized it would take too much of my precious time up), I became addicted.

1. It serves as a platform for sharing thoughts and ideas with other like-minded folk.
2. It provides a place to share and help to encourage other homeschool moms.
3. It gives me a place to create a digital scrapbook or portfolio for my homeschooling and our lives.
4. It offers a way to share updates with family who want to keep in touch.
5. It is a platform for whining, swollen, pregnant moms on bedrest.

What’s not to love about blogging?!

What’s your favorite self indulgence?
Blogging and chocolate are my favorite self indulgences. I consider the time I blog an indulgence since it doesn’t offer equal compensation. The friends I’ve made through blogging make it worth my while, the fun reviews and free products are a nice perk, but I’d love for someone to pay me a salary for all the work I put in to it! What blogger wouldn’t?

As for the chocolate (which is almost as important), I like Choxie dark chocolate truffles, Raspberry Dark Chocolate bars from Godiva, York Peppermint Patties, and Andes Mints. In that order.

Have you ever experienced “homeschooling” negativity?
Sure. We have plenty of naysayers in our family. I’ve always been somewhat of a rebel, though, so I’m used to the “black sheep” syndrome. I was an awful and sneaky child that stayed in trouble most of my younger years. Even to the point of tricking my mom to give me $75 for church camp and taking a bus to another town and go out all weekend – all night. My kids won’t ever get anything past me. My theory on naysayers is just to let it roll off my back like beads of water on a duck. As long as you have the support of your husband and you believe God has called you to the task, YOU GO MAMA! God will give you what you need to succeed and your children will be the proof that YOU were right in the long run.

Many of the people who didn’t agree with us homeschooling as the kids were younger are coming around, or at least acknowledging that the kids are different than public schooled kids (in a GOOD or BETTER) way. Even my husband (who was my biggest critic when I first wanted to homeschool) said just the other night to the kids, “I’m so glad you guys aren’t in public school.” Now that they are older, the proof is really there in the pudding! And since I’m a firm believer that character is more important than academics (who likes an intelligent JERK?), I’d say that that proof is more than worth dealing with any “negativity” that I’ve ever dealt with.

If you could have any curriculum on the market, what would it be?
Well, I drooled over Rosetta Stone for years and haven’t ever been able to afford it. I guess I’d take a few boxes if they offered a give-away or review! We are about to start Italian with another program soon, so I’m not as whiney about it any more. I’d also love Photoshop Design Premium CS3 or 4, but not just for school (although I would love to teach the kids digital art and photography skills, as both of them are interested in it–like mom). Those two programs are way out of my price range. I pretty much have what I need and borrow what I don’t from friends in local co-ops or the library as we go along. If I had my druthers, I’d have much more mad money for buying books that we fall in love with, though. Books are my homeschool desire when it comes to spending sprees.

You have a large blog following. Does this effect what you share at all?
I don’t spend as much time worrying over numbers of readers like I did when I first started blogging. I often forget about the site meter for long periods and I removed my blog from the ‘ecosphere’ because I’d rather worry about the content than my “status.” I realized over the years that you shouldn’t try to figure out what people want to read, you should just be yourself. If the traffic comes, then so be it. That doesn’t mean I don’t try to be part of the community and reach out to other bloggers, it just means I don’t obsess over my readership–or lack of it–but rather focus on being real, just like you would in real life!

I post pretty much whatever is on my mind – but I do consider how family members or friends might react to it before I blurt it out. I think I worry more about my family and friends who read my blog (the ones I know in person) than I do the general public. I’m sure there are other weirdos like me out there. I love reading other people’s blogs when they are candid and real… so I figure it will only run off the people who probably shouldn’t be reading, if I’m that way in my posts. Even when talking about fry-snatching, getting catheters at the hospital, and swapping snot on accident.

Could you share with us your homeschooling motto/theme/verse?
I believe what Clay and Sally Clarkson said in “Educating the Whole Hearted Child,” that homeschooling is “the right thing to do!” In their book they share so many amazing quotes and inspiring scriptures. It is hard to narrow it down to just one verse, motto, or theme.

I call our homeschool “Magnum Opus Academy” based on the book Charlotte’s Web. Magnum Opus, loosely translated from Latin in to our modern tongue is “life’s masterpiece.” Charlotte’s was her egg sack, containing the children she would share with the world after she was gone. You could also call that a legacy. Your children are your legacy. There’s nothing more important than educating them and passing on the faith in Christ that sustains you. One of my favorite verses (listed on my About Page at my blog) has the line “when Christ – who IS YOUR LIFE appears” in it. I firmly agree that He IS my life. Based on that, nothing else but a God-centered education would do for my children. Homeschooling is really the only way to achieve the type of family bonds that God desires, the worldview that God desires, and the purity of heart that God desires.

I absolutely adore my kids. I see how homeschooling (even though I am flawed and broken) has blessed their character every day. Therefore, I rejoice that in my weaknesses, God has done miracles. I am honored to be His tool.

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” – 3 John 4

One day I hope to be able to say that long after I have finished my portion of the educational life experiences that my kids are to receive, that they will continue in the Truth. After all, any parent that loves their children would not sacrifice herself to make sure that they stayed alive. And eternal life is much more important than this temporal one.

How has homeschooling changed your life for the better?
Homeschooling is freedom. Freedom to think for yourself, to follow your bliss, to take advantage of quality time together as a family, to dig as deep as you want in to what ever interests you. Every day we spend with daddy when he is off work, every vacation we take, every field trip we go on, we are so very thankful for the fact that we are not strapped in to the rigid schedule (or watered-down curriculum) of the public school system. As much as we have moved, I can’t see how any other lifestyle would have worked for us. While we lived in Arkansas for two years my husband worked nights and weekends and got odd days off (sometimes not even consecutive days). If it weren’t for us homeschooling, they would hardly ever have seen their dad for two solid years.

Another blessing has been the PEOPLE we have met. Oh, I can’t even go in to this right now or this might become a novel. Suffice it to say that there are a ton of wonderful kid-loving, God-fearing, selfless and amazingly interesting and fun homeschool parents and kids out there. Friendships that will last far beyond graduation–that’s another blessing homeschooling has to offer.

Congratulations on your “future new addition.” Has pregnancy changed any of your homeschool routines?
Pregnancy has forced me to reconsider my perfectionism. It has really relaxed our style and given me the freedom to feel like God is in control (instead of me). What a blessing! The kids are thrilled with our more flexible and relaxed schedule. School and family life has been more enjoyable. Will our school schedule always stay like this? No. I’ve learned that change is still the only constant – even with homeschool curricula and schedules. However, it is a joy to go through the different seasons of your life, and we are trying to make the most of this one despite any difficulties it presents. Hopefully the infancy and toddler years will be the same–more growing, learning, adapting and bonding together.

Interview by:

Nikowa is a 2nd year homeschooling mom to two boys. With her “learning never ends” philosophy, they have an eclectic year-round approach to learning. When she’s not teaching, she enjoys photography, organizing, cooking, and reading. She is a #1 LOST fan and watches UGA football too! (Go Dawgs!) You can visit Nikowa at Knowledge House Academy.

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Beautiful People

Beautiful on the inside and out. I adore these folks (and their dashing daddy - not pictured). Lucky for me, I got to do a quick photo-shoot of them in their 'natural habitat'.

I wanted to take the little ones home with me. Cuter kids are hard to find.

Voting Has Begun at the Homeschool Blog Awards!

The silence over here has been a very, very busy one. I'm not neglecting you by my own free will, you know. I just have a mountain of work during the Homeschool Blog Awards. Now that polls are up and voting has begun (oh, yes - you better hurry on over there! Click the voting button!), I'll be trying to reclaim my life.

Remember that to-do list that has been glaring at you for the past few days when you clicked over here? I'm going to try and get some of it checked off. And more importantly, I'm going to try and get caught up with school, paperwork, bills, and time with family. They feel as neglected as you do. Trust me.

The To-Do List Failure Continues...

You know me by now. I make long lists. I beat myself up over them. But I just can't let go of the urge to list-it-all-up. And writing things down on here for the world to see makes me feel guilty when I'm not working hard to get it checked off; even though you, and your busy self could probably care less what I have to get done around here in the Land Of All Chaos.

So without further ado, here is the WAY belated update on my annual to-do list since I haven't had an update for July, August, September, or October. I know I did a LOT of something in those months. It all just seems to be running together these days. It is downright impossible that it was nearly 8 months ago (in 12 days) that the Viking was born. Talk about throwing a bull in a china cabinet. Er, well, maybe we weren't as neat and orderly as a china cabinet to begin with... but we did have some semblance of a routine.

Not so much now.

With baby, my life resembles less of a china cabinet and more of my Tupperware cabinet. It's not pretty. There are functional things in there, but no one can find them. And if you find a part of one, there's a 98% chance that the other part is buried and won't appear until the day AFTER you need it. This is my homeschool and household, people. I'm beginning to get used to it. Wake me from my delusional state of shock when the baby is in Kindergarten.

Until then, I'll just keep beating myself up over the un-done lists...

Here’s what I got done in July, August, September and October (remember, I need to get 12 things done each month to finish by Dec. '09 - of which I really have no hope at this point):

13. took more photos of baby's feet
28. start every day with the Lord (been making real progress here)
37. organized the bookshelves (again)
38. organized the school supply closet (again - looks really good right now!)
49. highlighted my hair
75. buy another must-have book for our homeschool library (YAY! Got my poetry book I've been wanting for years!)
78. lots of give-aways on my blog and a new Blog-Hop Giveaway at the Homeschool Post
93. made progress in cleaning email boxes out (ongoing torture)
113. decluttered (major paper pile overhaul near my desk and my file cabinets)
115. put past school papers in binders (working on this now)
117. Morgan has made cookies, brownies, and enchiladas by herself... Kaden is trying to get me to put down cheese toast, bacon and tomato soup - but those don't count. Sorry, dude.
118. While I didn't freeze it, I did cook all of the sweet potatoes from our garden last night so we can make sweet potato casserole and coffee cake - that's cooking ahead, right?
136. adopted a new book case from a friend, moved book case to my room, reorganized books (now I just need a reading lamp since I doubt I'll move the 'rocker' out of my room)
140. work some on indexing blog (finished tags and now I have to go in and do the images & formatting on older posts)
145. make a mock Thanksgiving meal (doing that again this weekend for our small group - but this time I only have to make stuffing)
152. cleaned off my desk again (and again) - you saw it yesterday, right? My next post will hopefully be an AFTER shot! I hate a messy desk. It makes me feel like a slob.

Not numbered:
started school for the year
back to school breakfast
attended another homeschool convention and a blogging conference
planned history and science co-ops for the year
continue working on my prayer project: Power of a Praying Wife
re-planned virtual history co-op
took Kohen to see his first movie, "Up", at the theater
got a high chair and introduced solids
met my nephew for the first time (born in May)
attended a World Bible School fund raiser
babysat my cousins' kiddos for the weekend
hugged Marshie
learned how to recover lost photos on a corrupt memory stick
helped the kids participate in the science fair
organized the Homeschool Swap
visited with a friend from out of state
had my sister-in-law and niece over to spend the night
took my kids bowling
took the hubby and kids to play practice and watched their VBS play
took the kids to the zoo, the park, and across the United States to North Carolina
toured the Biltmore Estate and North Carolina Arboretum
spent the night with a dear friend in Arkansas
went on a women's retreat
Did PR and admin work for the Homeschool Blog Awards that are ongoing now
met another blogger on my list of "must meet" blog friends (I heart my invisible buddies and my IRL ones.)
learned to shoot at the gun range
more purging of clothes from closets and drawers - a work in progress...

Good for me. I'm going to pat myself on the back by hiring a maid to come deep clean my house. Can I afford it? NO. Am I going to do it anyway? YES. I'm starting the holidays off with some peace of mind. Even if I have to panhandle to get there. Anyone want to donate 5$ towards my sanity? Please see the Tip Jar on my sidebar. Your spare change is appreciated. If I don't use it to pay for the maid, it will go towards paying for the service call from GE as they come out to fix my broken washing machine. A month's worth of wringing out every. stinkin'. item. of. clothing. is ENOUGH to make a woman go mad.

My second reward will be home-baked nutty chocolate chip cookies; made with love by my daughter, Morgan. She promised them to me tonight. I'm counting the minutes. Chocolate goes a long way towards helping start your weekend off right. I'm just sayin'.



Below are my plans for November (some of these may be carried over from above if they aren't done yet):

7. work more on organizing kids' closets and rooms/toys-storage, etc.
8. eat at the Melting Pot
10. read with the kids
15. completely caught up with grading, paperwork, portfolios
18. more organizing of filing cabinets and handles replaced
19. for heaven's sake, write down and type up Ammie's recipes! I keep doing this half way and forgetting to finish!
20. start a postcard project
21. earn some money selling used books/curriculum (maybe that would help me pay for the maid)
23. find good homeschool groove (in my dreams)
25. blog about a procrastination project that I complete (does this post count?)
27. work on bedtimes/getting up earlier (this is hard with baby in the house!)
28. start every day with the Lord (ongoing)
32. birth announcements (HA! More like early Christmas letters)
33. finish reading camera manual
45. work on eating less sweets! (with the holidays coming? Don't think so.)
47. get school schedule written down and re-vamped
48. standardized tests
53. read homeschool books for mom (ongoing)
58. have a homeschool planning day
60. family and baby portraits
65. keeping regular menus and eating at home more
69. use video camera more, learn how to use it for blogging - hoping to get a Flip
78. do a give away on my blog (again)
79. post recipes on my food blog (check the link on the right!)
82. school first - housework second (which explains the need for a maid)
84. nature journals
85. start family devo and reading time
86. start reading book with hubby about marriage
94. Make annual letter for '08 and '09, print next year's calendar pages out
97. have someone over for dinner
102. measure/weigh kids (put the info in their school books)
107. read TO kids every school day
112. make dolmas
113. declutter somewhere
114. help the kids blog
117. set up a meal for each kid to cook without help for Nov/Dec
118. cook and freeze meals
130. get rid of old xbox (sell)
133. kid's book list
136. get a lamp for the bedroom
140. work on blog (old post formatting & replacing photo/graphics)
150. finish baby's mural (paint the stupid. owl. already.) and put the crib up
152. clean off my desk again (because I'm sure it will pile up like the laundry!)

Not numbered:
more thank you cards sent out
finish prayer project: Power of a Praying Wife
take lots of pictures
get school binder organized
finish tweaking goals, lesson plans and assignments in to Tracker
continue Photoshop and photo lessons for me and kids

I can admit it. The list won't get finished this year. I'm OK with it. I'm just going to "do the next thing". Even if it involves poop or spit up. I'm no quitter.

How are you doing on your list for 2009?

Quick Links
2009 LIST
Monthly BREAKDOWN of goals for January
Progress report for January
Progress report for February
March and April Goals
May, June... and the To-Do List Saga

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Fuzzy

Orange bulbine makes me happy. It's the little things, you know.

It makes the bees happy, too. I like to see them happy.

Feeling Understood

Being a blogger allows me to do more than daipers, give more than grades on homeschooled papers, and bless not only myself, but others. Sharing your life online, however, is a strange experience. You sometimes have no idea where your words will end up... or who's heart you'll be touching.

That's why I light up with joy when I read another homeschool blogging mom's posts and see a tiny part of myself in her life.

Enter Ann.

Quiet, humble, honest, genuine, Ann. Her busy farm life, so interesting... her love for Jesus, her husband and children radiating off of every line she writes. I am not sure I ever thought we had anything in common - other than freckles and possibly some Irish blood somewhere. But I couldn't stop reading...

... and that was many years ago! I'm still captivated every time I look at her pictures and read her posts. Just like it was the first time I set eyes on her blog.

The other day, when I was feeling exceptionally weak, I asked her to pray for me while we were 'chatting' through email. She shared that her days were not perfect. It was the first time I had imagined her 'like' me. When I see me, I see all the faults. I imagined all her cozy devotionals and home made muffins... beautiful farm picnics and home cooked goodness... and contrasted it against my messy desk, fast food meals, piles of laundry, and feelings of failure as a mom and teacher.

She took the time to share with me on email that she was REAL. She took the time to pray - and even emailed me later to say that she had thought of me a few times that day in the middle of her busy life. She had her moments that day, too.

Then she posted today (see the link below)... reading about her 'pumpkin guts' and 'dark skies', my eyes filled with tears. Suddenly, I wasn't the only one with this burden. I was on the porch across from a vast Canadian field of grain, watching the cold wind and looming clouds... right there with someone who completely understood what a difficult task it is raising kids, homeschooling them, striving to be someone that I'm really NOT inside my sinful nature. Christianity is not for the faint of heart. Seeking God is sometimes a dirty business. It is so good to know you aren't alone.

We shared faults just like freckles. We shared struggles just like we shared the love of a savior who helps us find peace so we aren't overcome by them. We even shared a tiny glass milk bottle - "someone else's trash" - that we both find beautiful.



I got chills after I read her post and had to share these thoughts with her... and with you. You never know who you are touching when you share your life. Make sure you are real. Even your faults and struggles can give someone hope. It's a beautiful thing being understood.

In Him,

Texas Constitutional Amendments on the Ballot for Nov 3

Here's your token political post for the 'semester'. You all know by now that I get on a political soap box every six months or so when something crosses my radar. Other than that, I like to live and let live - and feel that our government should do the same. As long as we aren't breaking the laws, they should leave us all alone and go after those who are... instead of coming up with new laws and taxes to suck the life out of everyone who's just trying to survive and thrive in this great land. The less government there is, the better.

If you 'ain't a Texan, you might wanna just mosey on along.

This post is for the November 3rd ballot here in the Lone Star State. Here below is how the Bee will vote after reading a few voter guides (and the non-legalese reasons as to why). I don't much like all that legal-term mumbo-jumbo. If you want to get it done, just put it in plain English and let's talk it over like good cowgirls and cowboys should. No need to two-step a circle around it unless there's a "snake in your boot".

PROP 1 - NO (we don't need any new property taxes in the midst of a recession)

PROP 2 - YES (we should tax homes on current use - not future projected values)

PROP 3 - NO (we don't want to give up local control to state-level)

PROP 4 - NO - (the amendment needs more provision/assessments for later reviews)

PROP 5 - NO (outsiders don't know the property well enough to judge)

PROP 6 - NO (elected officials need to be held accountable)

PROP 7 - YES (Texas State Guard deserves same rights as National Guard)

PROP 8 - NO (We don't need more govt. red tape/constitutional amendments so that state can work with the government to provide better care for veterans)

PROP 9 - NO (the amendment needs wording to protect property owners that had private structures along the coastline prior to hurricane Ike)

PROP 10 - NO (if district boards can levy taxes, they should serve only 2 year terms so we as taxpayers can hold them more accountable)

PROP 11 - YES (eminent domain land seizure is serious and property owners should get all the protection our constitution can afford)


My cheat sheet? "No on everything except 2, 7, and 11"

Want to know where to go to vote? Check out the Texas Secretary of State's website. Hopefully you are already registered from the past presidential election... and hopefully if you voted for the current federal administration, you are regretting it severely. Ha! Thought I would throw that in while free speech is still legal.

My motto: If it 'ain't broke, don't fix it. Texas is in good shape compared to a lot of states - and our constitution seems to be working as well as it can with the current level of Federal interference.

I love living in the land of the 'freer than up there' (even if our property taxes are way too high). And as much as I whine about not getting to wear my sweaters, boots and fur coat long enough each winter... I'm more than glad to let the icy and snowy states keep all that slush for our vacation time. I'd go crazy if I were cooped up in the house for too long. Snow is a Christmas card and once-every-other-few-years treat... and it can stay that way. Although, I might be whistling a different tune come next August.