Funeral of a Blog

RIP sbees.blogspot.com
June 8, 2005 - June 8, 2012

In lieu of flowers, please make sure your links and buttons are pointed to www.sprittibee.com so you can find me tomorrow.

A Mommy Blogger Unedited

The Blog Post I wrote in the dark of the night on my iPhone notepad... and never planned to actually publish:

I can remember when I used to come here to write the first thoughts... the journal entries of my day. The blank page was just a close friend listening. Only my fingers, the keyboard, and the swirling thoughts from the day... no deep questions about who would be reading the words or what they would think about it.

Then came stats and counters... conferences and swag. The looking eyes. The measuring stick.

I've been through many years of stages. Love and hate with this blog thing. I have grown roses and thorns here.

I have let a lot of writing go since the babies were born. Humble pie, humble pie. God took my rug and shook it out, leaving me with words like dust piles swept under - waiting for a good shaking.

I used to be able to stay up to write. It seems my writer self only comes out to play after the 1:11 AM train has whistled and the cat has found a Curve of my blanket to purr against. in the darkness of my room I exhale and try to stay still enough to peck out a note on my dim iPhone notepad, or edit a photo while the thoughts come.

A mothers time to unwind is stolen in the night, stolen from herself. She knows she will pay twice for it when the morning comes and the little hands clamor.

I hold my breath when the nursing baby stirs and hide my phone to put out the light. Just a moment to be me. Exhale.

The cat nudges my fingers away from the pecking and my thoughts falter. Daylight is only hours away, and the list of urgent things screams through my mind louder than the late train. I should be sleeping.

I am ashamed of myself for being so selfish to stay up late yet again snatching mommy time like a child with handfuls of candy before dinner. I wonder if my thoughts were worth picking out in the dark; if they will make sense tomorrow? If I'll ever find time in the homemaking or homeschooling or nursing or bill paying to actually blog them.

I feel silly in the dark. I think of all the bloggers who seem to have it together. All the homeschoolers, homemakers, and even just mothers who are so much more interesting and put together. Clean houses, neat children, organized desks...

The post erases itself like an unraveling thread in my mind against the snag of self doubts and the rip of comparison. Blank pages can be bullies. So can blogs. So can I.

It wasn't supposed to be about comparisons. This blog thing.

I'm too tired to think.

Another post unfinished, my arms tired and cramping, my body sighing for rest... I sink in to the bed and feel the baby stir for one last bit of mama's attention in the darkness. Sleep is the only thought; blog forgotten. Another day tucks itself in without the art of words to memorialize it. Another day of thoughts and ideas - eyes closing.

Sleep comes like a giant eraser. Maybe tomorrow I'll think of something interesting to write about, I console myself. The iPhone tucked under a pillow, I slip into a dream-state and surrender my words to the greater task of motherhood again.

Memorial Day Memo

Memo to my Readers: I have this 15 year old son... who wrote a really great book review on Memorial Day... that you might want to go read.

That is all.

I Heart My Kids (and Matzo Ball Soup)

She loves me.

See the heart-shaped matzo ball she made for me last week?

What you don't see is the floating head she put in her daddy's soup. Aren't kids fun?

I hope you are enjoying yours this weekend. Make some fun memories together. It goes by so fast. In a blink, your one year old will be fifteen. Trust me on this. I know first hand.



P.S. Because I know someone will ask... This soup was a Matzo ball kit from the grocery store (Manischewitz) - my daughter made the balls, home made chicken broth I made from a previous night's rotisserie bird, shredded carrot, diced onion and celery (all pan fried in butter before dropping in the soup), a few dashes of hot sauce, some pink salt and fresh ground pepper. Mmmm.

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Busy Friday List

Today is the last day in Texas to vote early. You better believe I'll be there this afternoon. That means before I pick my husband up, I have to...

::have the laundry done::
::clean the house::
::pay the bills::
::homeschool the kids::
::help son find his book reports (oy!)::
::change the diapers, bathe the babies and dress them::
::pack the kids' suitcases so they can go see grandma::
::buy a graduation gift::
::make lunch & clean up the mess::
::find out why my driving record never came & drop off my certificate at court::
::file the paperwork on my desk::
::record the grades and completed work in Homeschool Tracker for this week::
::take daughter's computer to Best Buy to see if they can fix it::

What'cha wanna bet that the entire list won't get checked off? I'm going to need to prioritize. This is an example of what all my days look like - #harried!

Thankfully, I have the peace and joy of the Lord in the midst of my chaos. I was just nursing the baby, smelling and chewing on his tiny foot (a fetish of mine), and thinking of how wonderful it was to have these little people in my life.

While I'm checking my list off, head over to the Homeschool Post and see what the rest of my fellow author friends have been posting about this past week. If you were going to bookmark a site, I would highly suggest bookmarking the Homeschool Post. I heart the team of talented authors and highly recommend the great content streaming from www.hsbapost.com. Normally, when I'm really quiet over here, I'm still working behind the scenes over there to keep things fresh and make sure the Homeschool Blog Awards happens every year.

I've also been working on getting this blog re-designed and moving to WordPress. It has been a project on the "back burner" for some time. I have a few sweet friends that are helping me free of charge, so I'm tagging along on their "when I get time" list. I hear that it may happen soon... so you might just surf in one day and not recognize the place. Be sure and set your bookmarks to www.sprittibee.com - because the old Blogger blog will be going away forever. After seven years here! June 8th is my SEVEN year blogiversary.

Of course, you can also find me piddling with my iPhone camera at Instagram (I'm Sprittibee there, too). I like to fall asleep after uploading the day's photo goodness and scrolling through my feed to see what all my iPhone-addicted friends are shooting at.

What do you have going on for this busy Friday?

Every Day is Mother’s Day

It isn’t too late to thank a good mother just because the national holiday has come and gone. Moms don’t get a day off – and it seems kind of silly to limit the gratitude to one day per year.

Trust me. I know first hand (times 4) how much encouragement a mom needs all year.

Motherhood is hard. Sticky. Gritty. Taxing. Never-ending. [Sometimes painful.]

It’s also wonderful. Amazing. Beautiful. Fulfilling. Fun.

It’s hard to explain.



A blogging friend of mine decided she wanted to capture the “mess and glory” of motherhood. She gathered the thoughts, experiences, and photographs from many mothers and compiled them in an e-book: Mother Letters.

I'm so humbled to be one of the featured mom photographers in the book! She included my little instagram picture of the "bite after bath time" included in this post. Teething is one of those painful moments for both baby and mama!

I wanted to share about it earlier, but I was in the middle of my “10 Days of Accidental Unschooling”, and then I had a homeschool conference to attend out of town this weekend. I’m planning to download Mother Letters to my iPad. It will be my very first book that I’ve downloaded by myself. You have to learn to live with technology - you can't let your teenagers get too far ahead of you!

Right now, if you hurry, you can buy a copy of the ebook PDF and get a second one for free. The Mother's Day sale ended last night, but I asked Squee! to give me a code for my readers to purchase the book. This week only, you have one additional week to get the Mother's Day BOGO deal (Buy 1, Get 1 Free!). Think of a great mom you know – perhaps a good friend who needs some encouragement.

Enter the code SprittiBOGO at checkout and then you'll both have one to read together! Hurry because the deal is over at midnight on May 22nd!

It’s not too late to bless a good mother with a copy of Mother Letters!




Disclosure: I signed up to be a Mother Letters affiliate, so if you purchase the book through my links, I will get a small commission. Thank you for helping support my blog through my affiliate links!


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A Hallmark Mother's Day

I know that Mother's Day is tomorrow, and that this video is telling you to get your cards in the mail... but my crazy life prevented me from warning you on time. You can hear the chaos in the background. Just listen for the gleefully mischevious toddler and the little "not-happy-unless-I'm-in-mom's-arms" baby. Don't make fun of me for my first vlog attempt, please. I know I look and sound ridiculous on video.



I thought I would share my crazy kids with you for mother's day - and show you the kind of amazing teenage 'tude I'm dealin' with on a regular basis. #pray4me

I so enjoyed meeting up with Hallmark a few weeks ago (I'm a greeting card fanatic). They asked us to send them some quotes and photos before we went, and here's the little slideshow they made for us with them:



The meet-up was part of an effort to get the message out about their "Tell Me" campaign. They shared their newest commercial with us (and made sure we were supplied with a box of tissue on every table):



My buddy Bon who blogs at Math Four and the Homeschool Post drove up from Houston to attend the event with me. Here's a snapshot that their prop photographer took of us while we were busy doing fun exercises with index cards - coming up with captions for greeting cards with the silly photos they brought along.

What are you doing this weekend to celebrate? I've been traveling out of town with two of my kiddos to a homeschool convention in Arlington, Texas and I'm on the way back home to see my mama tonight. She's an amazing lady. I don't know what I'd do without her in my life.

Don't let mother's day pass by without letting someone motherly know how much you appreciate them. Don't have a mama figure? Tell a good friend who you think is a great mom!

Then, don't stop there... think of all the people you love and appreciate all year long and tell them you appreciate them ANY DAY, EVERY DAY. The best greeting cards are sent "for no reason at all" except that you care.

P.S. For those of you who read here regularly, I'm throwing in a little give-away with this post - courtesy of Hallmark. It's a secret as to what the loot will be, but if you leave a comment below and tell me about your mom-figure you would like to honor this mother's day, you'll be entered to win!



Disclosure: Hallmark gave me a ton of cute, glittery, fun greeting cards and some books and a teddy bear, they bought us breakfast and showed us how they do their prop photography (amazing!) - and they were so fun to visit with. I already loved them before they contacted me, so it didn't matter that they gave me cool swag. I would have talked positively about them anyway. So get out there and send some greeting cards already! Snail mail is way better for saying 'I love you' than an email or tweet.

Girl Interrupted

It's been a while since I shared a random list. Or reviewed my to-do list. Or ate six chocolate chip cookies. No, wait, I just ate six chocolate chip cookies a minute ago. Now, where did I put that glass of milk?

TO DO THIS WEEK:
bills and checkbook
budget for trip in June / email
contact for lease / pray hard
menu / groceries
thank you card for Pop - who paid for my break job (I heart him.)
plans for the weekend finalized
unpack / laundry
homeschool assignment lists for the week
'heart over mind' - part 10 of "accidental unschooling" series
back up photos
edit bluebonnet pix / review bluebonnet book
draft week's posts for Homeschool Post
music sync on iPhone
plant the rosemary bush
call for permissions {slideshow of photos for church}
bible study started Monday
order photos for frame / upload train picture for sale
kids rooms clean
call realtor
Art class Friday
Boy's Club Tuesday
Find out when Teen Court is... (possibly Monday night)
final export for church directory photos / high-res download Wednesday night at church
finish driver's ed
clean out refrigerator, book cases, and filing cabinets
exercise, drink water, read, and make art - at least twice this week

How's that for a crazy busy list for a woman who lives in a zoo (not a shoe)? It's a wonder I have any hair that isn't grey yet.

And doesn't it bother you that you can spell grey with an A or an E? I mean, what's up with that?!

I just got back from a weekend in Houston with the in-laws, where I tried to watch enough television and take enough naps to last me the rest of the summer. We don't get regular TV, so I stock up on liberal media spin, crime shows, "Auction Hunters", and HGTV while I'm there. The rest of the year, we get streaming Netflix through our Wii (and any other device that will play Netflix) for the kids. Ok, maybe not just for the kids - we also do a family-inclusive, once-a-week movie-night. Those are my favorites because we fix something really EASY for dinner or order pizza.

Last week I was interrupted in the middle of my "Accidental Unschooling" homeschool post series by some actual "Accidental Unschooling"... and some accidents caused by failure to potty train.



#pray4me

He's 3. Diapers cost a fortune. There are two of them, y'all. My checkbook needs a break.



At least there is Red Velvet Cake Blue Bell Ice cream for the interruptions in life that you need rewards for. I'd say cleaning up poop off of the carpet and having your three year old finally get over his fear of the big-boy-potty earns us some ice cream breaks. If we could get out from under the cost of at least one box of diapers every two weeks... well, that would buy a lot of ice cream. Or gasoline, more likely.

The one year old is still a bit young for potty training, so we're not out of the $$woods$$ just yet.



My kids have been doing a lot of interesting things lately. My 13 yo daughter went to camp for her first time this past weekend and managed to come home in one piece. Both of them gave oral presentations at enrichment club and made new friends last Friday. Morgan read her Hunger Games report and answered questions for the group, getting over her fear of speaking in public. Kaden talked about his flip book that he's creating and has been working on editing it so he can have a publisher review it. They both have been drawing a lot. That, and we've been working steadily towards "catching up" in history and math. Mom's lesson plans are slowly getting checked off... in-between our bouts of "unschooling".



In addition to all our busyness, there are a few rather large things looming on the horizon for us... which include a possible move if we are able to sell our house - huge life change, I know... and a possible family trip in June out of state if we are able to get all our ducks in a row.

We hopefully hope but do not hopefully know if our dreams of country living are near or far. Lots of dreaming and scheming in the background is taking place.



Of course, the trip to Colorado - yes, I did say Colorado - is probably more doable than the move to the country right now. Not that we have the money for either... but I'm going to be working with an awesome company that will be sponsoring most of the trip if I can get the travel funds together to make it happen. I'm praying the Lord provides the increase - and that we can set off to the mountains and have another ultimate field trip adventure next month.



I'll be posting about the trip as soon as I can get a realistic budget together.

And as for the "Accidental Unschooling" series? Part 10 of 10 is going up early this week! Watch for it!

In the mean time... go see if you can win a premium copy of one of the best Bible apps in the world - over at the Homeschool Post! I reviewed 23 different educational apps over there this weekend. The give away ends Thursday night at midnight!

Have a super homeschool week - and may you be blessed.

Queen Buzzy Bee's Easter Weekend

What does a queen buzzy bee do with her Easter weekend? Well...

First of all, I spent Friday finishing up the Hunger Games third series book with my 13 year old daughter, and went to watch the movie at the theaters. Bedtime came late because we stayed up in anticipation of how the final book ended. We read all three books in two weeks or less - often times in to the night together. They were hard to put down. We liked the books much better than the movie.



I also weeded the garden... or rather, parts of the back yard - with my eldest. Garden is a bit of an overstatement. Seems all we have growing back there are weeds and huge, flowering stalks of Cilantro that tower over the toddler. It has been fun watching the bees, butterflies, and caterpillars. I've got my eye on a section of the yard that is difficult to get to with the lawn mower because of a granite and rock pathway that cuts it off. I'm thinking of mulching and planting flowers and bushes to remedy the problem. Every time we mow it seems that part gets forgotten and since it has shade, the grass is uneven and patchy there anyway. When I find some time to research native Austin-Area shade-loving plants, I'm going to plan a large flower and shrub bed there. Anyone want to weigh in on some favorites?

Below in this vase are cilantro (tiny white blooms), a small purple wildflower weed, and the two roses we have in the yard. Daddy cut the red rose bush back this winter and it is exploding right now.



Of course, there were more photos "developed" for the church directory. I wanted to be finished by this weekend, but it has been slower going than I predicted. My eyes and head hurt after staring at the screen for so long, so I have to take breaks. Keeping the kids from getting in trouble if I sit for very long is also a problem... sneaky little monsters!

I've enjoyed learning how to get around in Lightroom through the process of this project, though. I finally think I have it figured out for the most part. I am hoping to be done with this major project by Friday. It will be a huge relief - and I'm sure the elders will be thrilled to move forward with the picture directory.

Next up for "developing" are the bluebonnet pictures I took last Friday!



Hubby and I killed a couple of green men on Saturday. My right shoulder is still sore. 51 out of 54 shots is not bad for a first timer. I tried open sight and a really nice scope. I prefer scope, but only because I could see where the bullet went easily with magnification. It didn't make much difference in the result. I seem to be much better at aim with rifles than I am with handguns.

The tape below? Oh, that's just to make it easier to see from 50 and 100 yards away. Every 20 or 30 shots they tape up the green man to cover the previous holes so you can see where your new rounds hit.



Then, there was small-town church with family in the country. Big time hospitality and Easter lunch. I may move in with cousin Paige if she promises to make me turkey, dressing, and cranberry sauce once a month. I'm still wishing I had brought home leftovers.



I also hired a little helper to work on fixing a lot of broken photos and links on my blog. You probably haven't even noticed, but I had two years worth of ancient Geocities-hosted, broken photos from back in 2005-2007 that needed updating. So now, if you are looking back through old field trips and homeschool posts, the photos will magically re-appear. Why might I be doing this, you ask? Well... I'm willing to share the secret: I'm moving to WordPress this month! Finally - after nearly three years of thinking about moving to WordPress... and after nearly two years of owning my own hosting on WordPress... I'm actually doing it.

Let's just hope it happens this month as planned. I'll believe it when I see it. You'll notice when you see it, too. Big hint: the site has been redesigned. Make sure you are surfing in on sprittibee.com and not my blogger url! I've been told it will happen in April... so keep your eyes open!

How about your family... what's going on with you? What did you do over Easter weekend?

 


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An Early Driver's Ed Class

Raise your hand if you have ever violated a traffic law.

Oh, come on. Be honest.

You know you did a Texas pause at a stop sign in your neighborhood once or twice.

How about a speeding ticket? I bet you have had at least one in your life, right?


These things have been on my mind a lot because in just a few weeks my big kid is turning FIFTEEN - and sooner than later he'll be taking driver's ed and learning to navigate the Texas highways.

He's paying attention to the roads these days. I'm pointing out landmarks and street names to make sure he can find his way home if he gets lost. We're going over maps to help him gain direction.

I had no idea that I was going to be giving him a REAL LIFE driving lesson yesterday. I got to be the bad example and the good example, all at once.



Here's what happened:

We had two appointments at our orthodontist scheduled - for both of my teenagers. That means tight teeth and misery, so I usually make the day a little sweeter by offering to include a meal out. They decided on Chicken Minis from Chick-Fil-A.

All that would have been fine, but mama had a hard night with the nursing baby and lost about 2 hours of beauty rest... so we got out of bed with only 30 minutes to spare before we had to leave. Chick-Fil-A was not going to happen unless we skipped showers and didn't fret over jackets and hairstyles.

After our harried rush to the door with all four kids and a diaper bag, I had my daughter call Chick-Fil-A and order our meal so it would be ready when we got there.

[I bet you didn't know you could pre-order fast food to make it faster, didya?]

I was driving along and keeping an eye out for the cranky toddler and baby in the visor mirror because they were poking and hitting each other. Nothing like a whining, screaming two year old in the morning to set your nerves on edge.



[He looks happy in that photo, sure... but don't let that fool you.]

The road was almost empty except for a few cars that passed me up because I wasn't speeding. I didn't even notice the light at the edge of town turning red and drove right through it at about 60 miles per hour. No one was in front, beside or behind me that I could see, so I had no idea I had run a red light until I whizzed through and saw a car in my peripheral vision rolling towards me on the left. I suppose the visor was to blame for me not seeing the color of the light changing.

Thankfully, there wasn't any chance of me hitting the person because they had just started to roll forward and weren't far in to the intersection yet. I kept on going because there was really no reason for me to stop. The other driver only had to break - even though my son said he caught a glimpse of his face when we passed and he was not happy at being inconvenienced.

I was a ways down the road when this same man came ZOOMING past me on my right (he had to be going well over 80 to catch me at that speed so quickly) and SWERVED in front of my vehicle, coming precariously close to my front bumper. Then he slowed down and put his breaks on.

[Can anyone say "road rage"?]

I wasn't going to bite. Instead of getting irate like I suspect he was hoping, I slowed and moved to the right to get out from behind him. I am guessing he expected me to try and get in front of him, so he swerved over in to my lane again and slowed further. The speed limit was 65 and I was down to 50 or so.

Realizing that he wasn't going to let me be, I put the safety of the FOUR children in my car first and slowed to give more bumper space. Even though he was being a jerk, I stayed behind him another seven minutes in to town while he continued to change speeds to irritate me.

Right before I was about to turn right in to the shopping center to get our breakfast, he pulled three lanes over to the left to make a left turn and slowed to make it obvious that he and his wife were looking in to our car. Unable to punish me with road rage, the guy CALLED THE POLICE and reported my red light infraction.



Thinking my run-in with a crazed driver was over, I went about my business and took the kids to eat, see their orthodontist and to piddle around in town for a bit. We had just finished our cheeseburgers at the table when the doorbell rang.

"Is this your vehicle in the driveway, mam?" The officer asked.

Mr. Road Rage had made me sound like a hit and run driver by telling the police I came "this close to T-boning him" (insert exaggeratedly small pincher fingers here). Hardly.


"The guy nearly clipped my mom's headlight off after he sped past us." Kaden told him.

After my fifteen year old and I both shared the same story about our scary stalker, he took my driver's license, went back to his car, and wrote up a report.

He came back to the door and informed me that although he had told the man I had not tried to deny the fact that I ran a red light, he was unwilling to back down on insisting that I get a ticket for it. He told the man that if I wanted, I could report him for reckless driving and he would get a ticket, too.

The guy said he wanted me to get a ticket and didn’t care if I said he was changing lanes unsafely because I was a liar.

"You know, we rarely get anything like this." The officer said, sighing. He said he would be on his way over to the guy's house to write him a ticket after he left. I wasn't sure that really made me feel better.

So there you have it. Hand-delivered, door-to-door tickets and the end of nearly a decade's worth of a perfect driving record - all for the careful scrutiny of my teenagers, I suppose. There's a reason for everything.

Here's the positive I'm taking away from this experience... (I'm serious about counting blessings):

1. We could have been in an accident, and thankfully - praise be to God - we weren't. It would be a lot different if some or all of us weren't here any more because of my accidental red light mishap or if I had tried to engage in this man's road rage.

2. My kids saw me stay cool when someone on the road was clearly out of line and hostile. I hope that they would do the same if the wheel had been in their hands.

3. My kids saw me tell the truth to a police officer - and we even discussed that I would rather tell the truth than get off without a ticket. I told them that I know I have run a few red lights here and there and it is only fair that I pay a ticket if I really ran a red light. I want them to take responsibility for their actions - even when it costs them something.

4. My children will be learning about the process involved with getting a ticket, responding in a timely manner, going to court, and doing what needs to be done to clear your driving record if need be. Maybe I'll even let my son take defensive driving online with me for a preparation of what is to come. It couldn't hurt.

I guess we can look forward to an extra courthouse field trip this year (or two - depending on how Mr. Grumpy Pants responds to HIS ticket). Not necessarily something I would have EVER put on the lesson planner, but a valuable set of lessons, none-the-less.

 

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2011 in Pictures

Saying good bye to a year is hard. Especially one that was so packed full of one-time memories as 2011 was for us. Fourth child, first smile, first words, first steps... teenage tests and two big kids in glasses and braces at once.

Life took center stage as we went from each moment to the next without catching a breath. 2011 was a marathon. We didn't finish first, but we didn't come in last, either.

Forgive me if I go on and on with the photos. These are a few of my favorites from the year:

January



My funny Viking. We cut his curls off after taking this photo for me to make Valentine cards with. Mama cried.

February






We welcomed the littlest of our four in to the family. I had no idea how much laundry four kids would bring. I have yet to find the bottom of the basket.

March





The cilantro grew and grew and grew. Mama searched for her missing homeschool groove (letcha know when I find it) and #3 learned to get away with a lot more dirt while Daddy was on duty. #1 and #4 became good buds.

April



May








I became addicted to Instagram. Loved my snuggly mother's day gift. The cat got used to having a fourth kid in the house... and the big kids played piano with Chickie.

June









Double trouble. Teens and toddlers are not the best combination for a mama's sanity. However, these two are tight. Koko loves his Momo.

July















That was the photo that made me go on a diet. The one at the Apologia Lunch up there with the fat lady and the baby. And Texas was in the worst drought in U.S. History. Jenn and I took photos for the THSC convention together, too (Texas Homeschool Coalition) - and toured a bit of Texas. We took her to the Alamo. I finally tired out of Freddy's burgers - where I had eaten nearly every week while pregnant with the Gladiator.

August







"Not so diet" diet foods, sneaky decoy pillows, and little boy pouts. These are a few of my favorite things.

September







A brave new world - with a fully mobile child on all fours and pulling up. Sweet visits with friends.

October




The first rain in a loooong time.



My bath time boys.

Nap time was golden... but the little bug wouldn't sleep for very long. He's such a light sleeper!











Leavin' on a jet plane! Morgan, the tiny guy and I - took a trip to the Relevant blog conference and visited Hershey Chocolate World.

November













Just being us. Oh, besides the oral surgery thing. We don't usually get 10 teeth pulled in one visit... but unfortunately, Morgan did in November 2011. Poor thing.

December










And just like that, 2011 was over. Sweet dreams to a very busy year. May we embrace 2012 and live with purpose.




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