On Growing

Spring is a quick passing breeze in Texas. We start to feel rather summery in May. This year seems to have been pretty mild as far as the weather goes, though. We are just now beginning to get the first signs of the heat waves that will be here in June.



Being as preoccupied as I have been with homeschooling, planning, paperwork, and the logistics of running a house with a kid in every age group... we completely neglected the garden this year. It was good to us, anyway. We had LOTS of cilantro. Yep - that's the white stuff with the bees and butterflies in it. It begins to taste funny after it flowers, and it dies off at the first sign of heat, but apparently, it seeds itself and takes over your entire garden if you leave it alone and let it do "its thing". This is the second year we've let it alone in the garden, so next year, I suspect our entire yard may be one big forest of cilantro.



I enjoyed eating dishes with cilantro, making salads with it, using it in soups and stuffing it in tacos... but it eventually begins to look REAL tacky in the yard as it dries up. Currently, you can hardly see the raised flower beds. We are going to go out and gather some seed to take to my mom's garden, and cut the rest of it down to clear the beds. We missed the growing season for any other type of veggie this year due to this mess of cilantro weed. If we tried to grow anything now, the heat of summer would surely kill it (or cost us a fortune in water bills).



There was one other thing that grew in the raised beds - I forgot - just one thing: a lone stalk of dill weed. And sadly, I didn't make good use of it before it dried up.



Most of what we've done in the yard this year is enjoy feeding the birds, mulch, weed flower beds, water trees, and mow. It has been great seeing the tiny trees get so big. For instance... these were the purple Vitex trees when we planted them...



They were knee-high!



And then there's the mulberry tree we planted on Arbor Day when the 3yo was about the same age as the 1yo is now. It's huge.



Let's just say that the birds are plenty in our yard. We have a resident mockingbird or two, a family of red house sparrows, a bunch of humming birds, and a slew of other seasonal visitors that enjoy the seed, flowers, berries, and bugs.



My son even picked one and ate it. Don't eat them until they are ripe, though. They have a hallucinogenic affect if you eat too many unripe berries. I haven't ever tried to use any of the ripe berries in recipes. Maybe someday I'll have time for those types of domestic gardening pursuits. I imagined having a yard full of crops to harvest when we started our raised bed project, but the amount of work I have indoors with 4 kids and homeschooling keeps me from all those green thumb ideals.



Sweet berries remind me of my sweet sugar lumps that cry when we make them come inside to take a bath after playing in the yard. Yesterday they enjoyed spraying each other with the water hose until the three year old sprayed the one year old in the face and nearly drowned him. Should have seen that one coming.

We keep our trees green using child labor. Shhhh! They don't know they are working.



There are more important things growing on the inside of our home, though. Tiny hearts, minds, little bodies growing bigger (and hopefully wiser) each day. I love tending that garden the best... so I don't mind so much that there are a few weeds that got away from me outdoors. I'll get around to those later.

If you think in seasons, plant cereals. If you think in decades, plant trees. If you think in centuries, educate your children.  ~Chinese Proverb

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Bluebonnet Time (every Texas spring)

In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm a native Texan... and we Texans have a little crush on our state. Especially lovely are the things we think make Texas wonderful: like bluebonnets, which happen to be the state flower.



This year's bluebonnets were THICK, y'all. Maybe it was the drought last year? That's what we were guessing. I wondered if we would ever see green again after being in the worst drought in Texas history last summer.



Anyway, whatever the reason, we were delighted to get out and enjoy them... and to do a little science and research lesson about our bold, blue floral friends with Lucas Miller's book: Bluebonnet Time



I love a good Texan picturebook... especially one with cute illustrations and lots of fun facts in the margins. This one came with MUSIC, too!



There's a CD that has fun bluebonnet hunting (and photo-taking adventure) music for your drive!



The book is an Evan Wilder science journal - and it includes everything you might want to learn about bluebonnets. Fancy that!



The author of Bluebonnet Time is also a singer-songwriter that goes by the nickname "the Singing Zoologist". In fact, you can listen to his bluebonnet theme song in the little movie above.



Bluebonnets are awesome - who wouldn't want to learn more about them? If you are a Texas educator, a Texas parent, or just a bluebonnet lover, I'd say this book would be a perfect fit for your library.



As good as the book was, though, the flowers are what took the cake on our bluebonnet photo field-trip this year. I thought we might lose a three year old in the deeper spots.



The rain has been awesome this spring... and things are lovely here. Now that these pretty blue flowers are gone, there are fields of yellow in their place.



I'm still remembering the blue. See you next spring, bluebonnets!







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disclosure: I was provided a free copy of this book to review, but the opinions are my own.

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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Apologia Live Retreat ... and Winner!

Apologia's Live Division invited a few Texas homeschool bloggers to join them for tea, lunch, and chocolate cake this July. They also invited leaders of local co-op groups. They were hoping we could help them get the word out that they were wanting to encourage homeschool moms through their Apologia Live Retreats... and this year they had Austin on their agenda. {insert wild cheering here - it's so nice to not have to worry about getting a sponsor to attend a conference!}



You know... I live in Austin. And I love it when you put the words homeschool, retreat, moms, conference, and Austin all in one sentence. They sound really nice together. Just sayin'.

I had never met ANY of these great ladies before. In fact, I haven't ever used Apologia curriculum, either. So it was great to listen to them speak, get to know them better, and learn about their ministry: to encourage homeschooling mothers. I love finding other women who have a common savior, a common purpose, a common desire. It isn't an easy job to homeschool your kids, y'all. {Just in case you don't already know that.} We homeschool mothers need a lot of support. I love it that Apologia Live gets that - and aims to fill a gap that is deep and wide in this area. Not to say they are the only ones doing it. Of course. But - more power to them for being willing to SERVE in this much needed arena.



After our lunch, I was able to meet up with these other great Texas homeschooling mamas:

Katie Haggard of Boasting in My Weakness, Amber Oliver of A Classic Housewife (who I already knew, since she stopped in at my house once), and this other gorgeous Texas blogger who's name and blog escape me. However, my baby fell in love with her, so I'm sure I'll be getting to know her much better in October.


I got to have dinner with Katie and Amber on their way back home from Austin as a perk. Too bad they don't live in Austin. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only homeschool blogger around. It gets kind of lonely out here with the tumbleweed and longhorns...



And then there's this nice group shot (sans the fat lady on the right). This photo (and the others which are non-blog-material photos) made me want to start my new diet. I've lost 7lbs since this photo... and hopefully I will be able to kick my chocolate habit and get the last 15 lbs off before the end of October. Good luck, right? I have one month left until the Apologia gals are back in Austin at the Crowne Plaza Austin on October 21-22, 2011 - for the Live Retreat. {SO. Excited.} That almost made me want to get on the Wii tonight. Almost.

The real culprit for all my weight woes is this little guy:



And he's also the one of the big kinks in my homeschooling plans. But he's worth every pound and every distraction. And he makes a really nice conference partner... most of the time.

After I shared about the retreats and showcased Rachael Carman's Meet-and-Greet on my blog in August, I picked a random winner for the 2 copies of her book and the conference ticket they gave me to pass on.

Here below are the winners of the loot:

Jennifer of The Kindle Crew won the $119 Retreat Ticket! #woot {I hope you'll be at the Austin event!}

Mandy at Biblical Homemaking and Karen of Simply Living... For Him each won a copy of Rachael Carman's "How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids".

Thanks so much for entering and for hanging out in my teacher lounge here at Sprittibee. I need all the homeschool mom friends I can get. If you'll be attending the Austin Apologia Live Retreat, be sure to leave me a comment and let me know so I can make a point to match you up with your blog/face/name when we get there. I'm terrible with names, but I usually remember faces forever. I can't wait to meet you IRL.




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Texas Homeschool Coalition Conference 2011: I Heart Conference Photography

Once upon a time I took pictures. And then there was a conference (Type-A Mom); at which I took photos - for free. And another conference (Blissdom). And another (Relevant). And then finally, I was 'hired' to do it (THSC). Which is so much 'funner'. Because if you are going to drive insane distances to go to a conference, you might as well get paid back some of your travel expenses. Right?

And now, after all these years, I finally found my dream job. Right under wife, mother, homeschooler, and eater of dark chocolate. I think conference photography might even trump blogging. But that's too deep of a subject for tonight.



It was so much fun taking pictures for THSC. I'm counting the days off until next year when we can do it again! Maybe somewhere in-between now and then I can upgrade my camera. Playing with so many great cameras has extended my wish list. Jennifer and I both had 2 cameras dangling from our bodies all weekend. It was a photographer's dream come true.

Later this week, I'll share the slideshow that they made from mostly Jennifer and my photos of the event. 



And this is my new best girlfriend that hired me to take pictures. Did I mention that I love her? And one day she's going to be a famous blogger. She's like Pioneer Woman mixed with Ann Voskamp - just waiting to happen online. You should have heard her tell the story about the missing barbed wire fence. Southern women are the best of the best. I love me some Texas twang, too. I can't wait to introduce you to her as soon as Jenn and I talk her in to starting her own blog. Give me a second and I'll let you know when we convert her.

The nice dude in the picture above tried to fix my hard drive that crashed. You know that "what can go wrong, will". And it did. My week-old hard drive crashed - along with all the photos of Jennifer and my trip to San Antonio (the Alamo and Mi Tierra's), the Bob Bullock History Museum, and our twitter meetups.

Thankfully, we have a few Instagram shots for the memories:



There's no telling what else was on the hard drive that I lost. Family reunion photos from June -- I can't even bring myself to think back to what photos I took in the past few months. Partly because I haven't slept good enough for deep thinking in nearly three years. But I digress...

Oh, yes - lost pictures.

I'm still not talking about it. The trauma is deep, people.  DEEP and wide.

I made a vow to back up my other hard drive this week on two different computers. And I'm probably buying a subscription to Carbonite. It pays to have multiple copies of your photos. I learned that this weekend THE HARD WAY.



Blog conferences -- especially ones in which you must be everywhere at once -- are much easier to do with some assistants. These girls helped care for the nursing baby and kept us in stitches. And nearly made us pee our pants when they jumped out of the curtains in our room.



Blog conferences -- especially ones in which you must be everywhere at once -- are NOT much easier with milk ticks. But you might have guessed that a 25 lb chunk of slobber might slow down a photographer. However, they make great subject material when you are testing your camera settings. One of the other photogs took this picture with a dreamy professional Nikon. He didn't have a business card. Someday I'll come back in here and give him proper credit. The baby, of course is my own property - but credits go to the Big Guy in the Sky for his creation.



Isn't he cute? His mama, however, needs to go on a diet. Thankfully Jennifer knows to take photos from the waist up. God love her.



And then there was this guy. Some of you may know him. He's like a homeschool rock star. TIM HAWKINS - the comic: @timhawkinscomic on Twitter. I had so much fun photographing him - and enjoying the show at the same time. He's even funnier in person than he is on YouTube. I couldn't believe that Jenn's little girl slept through his show.



So did this guy. He and Maggie had their own laughs, though. They are the bestest of buddies. In fact, we tried to talk Jenn in to leaving Maggie in Texas, but she wouldn't hear of it. Apparently Maggie is a pretty good navigator - and Texas is a long way from Florida. I'm still crushing over the fact that Jenn drove so many thousands of miles to hang out and take pictures with me.



What a Texas sized bunch of conference photographer fun we had. I can't wait to take peekshurs with her again in October.

Texas Three-Step Tweetup Meetup

OK, y'all. Jennifer (my road warrior twin) is on her way to Texas - just a little ways from the border now... and I'm at the edge of my seat trying to secure locations and get the details worked out for our THREE tweet-up locations. I think you are going to love this!

We would love you to join us at any of the following locations if you are a homeschooler, a social media addict, a blogger, or a generally NICE person. No axe murderers or fish slappers allowed.

Next Week's Texas Three-Step Tweetup Meetup Details...

MONDAY (tomorrow) : San Antonio - Lunchtime, near downtown

TUESDAY : forget it, we are veggin' out - no driving!

WEDNESDAY : Austin - Lunchtime, near UT

THURSDAY - FRIDAY : Houston, homeschoolers only - THSC Convention!

SATURDAY : Houston - Lunchtime, near Willowbrook Mall

If you are able to meet up with us at any of those locations, let me know! We're making a list of cell numbers or twitter handles so we an text or tweet and make sure everyone can find each other.

Can't wait to see y'all!

A Texas Summer Garage Sale

Ten years ago, I said I would never have another garage sale. Today, I'm saying it again.

But I mean it this time. R e a l l y.


Last weekend our family and two others decided to brave the 104 degree heat here in Austin and sell our junk out on the driveway. The one big ticket item I had sold in the first hour (and I should have packed up then). However, I did make a bit more than I spent in gas, groceries (the kids had a drink and cookie stand which made nearly nothing), masking tape, permanent markers, rope, breakfast tacos, ice, and other miscellaneous items. Still... it's no fun melting at 104 degree heat most of the day with a nursing baby stuck to my body... nor is it fun staying up until 3 sorting and pricing in the hot garage - or waking up before the sun comes out to load the truck and take things further in to town to be sold.

Everyone should experience hosting a garage sale once in their lives, though -- and my daughter was really excited to sell her cookies and clothes, so I am glad we did it. Not sure I would be saying that if I hadn't at least broke even, though. It was a nice time to visit with friends between 'customers', too - so it wasn't a total loss.



I'm not running for political office, but I have a great idea to pass on to whomever is in charge of our penal institutions. If everyone 'shady' knew they would be manning Texas garage sales all summer while the heat index is over 112 degrees, I doubt we would have much crime in America. Just sayin'.

What is your take on garage sales? Hate 'em? Love 'em? Why do you think that people don't show up after 12? Or maybe it's just that most people aren't as dumb as me - to have them in JUNE in TEXAS? Ya think?!

I hate to think what this July and August might be like. :::shudders:::