Two Different Adjectives

I can’t decide if today was a success or a frustration.

Our honeymoon is booked (YAH!) for four days and four nights in Asheville, North Carolina (home of the Biltmore Estate). We have decided to stay at a quaint little B&B close enough to downtown to be able to walk – and they offer WIFI and Starbucks Coffee.

Really, if God created a B&B just for me – this would be it. ;)

Fiancé even made sure to arrange dinner reservations for our wedding night and tickets to see the Biltmore, (he is incredible)! We are now discussing what other night we want dinner reservations for (there is a nice Italian restaurant I would like to try) and if we want to go horseback riding and to the spa. (Um, yes and yes?)

I also went to the Bridal Shop to buy my dress.

First – my shop was gone. Literally. Empty storefront. I had to call to figure out where they were located. After driving there, I found that the adults apparently had left the store to be run by the gaggle of high school girls that were currently “in charge”. I use that term very loosely.

Secondly – it took them 15 minutes to find my client card. Then another 10 to find my dress. After deciding that yes they COULD order my dress, the little girl proceeds to take my measurements. And she tells me I’m a size 6.

Now, dear readers, I am a skinny woman. I accept and embrace this fact. I’m built like a rail – flatter than a two by four. I am quite proud to be a size 0 in regular clothes. I eat food regularly and refuse to apologize for excellent genes. (If it makes you feel any better, I’m blinder than a bat.)

In short – I am not a size 6. Even in the crazy world of wedding dress sizes – I’m not a 6. Nor am I going to PAY for a size 6 dress and then PAY to have it altered. So, I ask politely to see the head seamstress.

The cute little girl tells me that she can read the chart and I’m a size 6.

I ask bluntly to see the head seamstress.

The cute little girl tells me I might gain weight before my wedding – since it’s such a stressful time and all, so I should go ahead and order the size 6.

I demand that she go get the head seamstress, because I have given birth three times – and these hips are the size they are going to be for the wedding.

She complies and I have a sweet little Mexican woman, who is the head seamstress of the store, explain to me in broken English that I need the smallest size dress they have (size 4) and even that will have to be taken in.

Even with no dress sale experience whatsoever – I could have told you that.

Thirdly, they also managed to lose all the bridesmaid dress numbers, so I had to search through rack after rack of stuff, before the cute little salesgirl remembered that they had a catalog I could look at.

Fourthly – and this is the best part – the cute little salesgirl? She told me very sweetly how sorry she was that I was having to buy my wedding dress alone. All by myself.

Seriously?

If I was not so in love with my dress (and the bridesmaid dresses) I would have walked out right then.

The honeymoon is planned – the dress is bought – but I was hurt today, by the casual remarks of some child who is still trying to graduate from High School. I spent much time in prayer on the way home, trying to calm down before encountering B10 and CW.

Maybe tomorrow I can look back on today as a success.

~Lone Butterfly

Eragon and Eldest

So, part of me feels like if I'm going to make an effort to read books this year, then I should be writing some sort of book report afterwards. Like back in school where you would answer questions (or perhaps I should find my extra shoeboxes and make a diorama).

The two books I just finished reading are Eragon and Eldest, the first two books in the Inheritance Trilogy by Christopher Paolini. The story of the author is almost as fascinating as the books. He was a homeschooled kid who graduated from High School at 15 and began writing. He's currently only 23 years old, and finishing up the final book in the trilogy. (We also share the same birthday - WOOHOO for November babies!)

I enjoyed Eragon and Eldest because they embraced the fantasy world I enjoy, especially dragons. I found it interesting on another level, because you can almost see the religious issues that Christopher is dealing with in real life shown in the religious issues that Eragon (and the dwarves and the elves) deal with.

On a scale of one to ten, I give these two books an eight - and I would feel comfortable reading them aloud to B10. It has no "bad" language, very little "sex" (it's mostly immature feelings of love and how they are communicated between the characters), but does involve much death. This doesn't bother me, as the death and bloodshed are not graphic, and the characters deal with it (usually painfully). It's not glossed over. I can appreciate the author asking the reader to deal with the emotional turmoil along with Eragon and his cousin. Overall a great read.

Links to the official websites of the books: Eragon and Eldest

A Recap!

Like many trips, time seems to disappear once you return to the “Real World”. B10 and I got home Monday afternoon (the 19th) and in a crazy fit of organization managed to unpack all our bags and begin laundry within the first hour (ug – I’m disgustingly Type-A).

We did stop and pan for rocks at Gold City, which was one of B10’s favorite parts of the whole trip. I loved, though, how he would ask me: “Mum, what’s YOUR favorite part of the whole trip? Mine is getting to be with you.”

Did I mention it breaks my heart to leave him at home and go to work?

CW has also announced (repeatedly) that he is quitting Pre-K to be homeschooled. (Great, I have a drop-out already.) We’ve explained that Brother (B10) went to Pre-K (with the same teachers, even) AND Public Kindergarten before being homeschooled, but CW does not seem to understand why we would force him to do the same. I’m not sure how we are going to handle Kindergarten next year. In a perfect world he would be assigned to the same Kindergarten Teacher B10 had and it would be a phenomenal year. Realistically, CW may only spend the first half of the year in Kindergarten and start 1st Grade on January 1st (which is about when B10 would begin 3rd Grade).

I judge their progress grade-wise by their writing ability, their reading ability, and where they are in Math (the only subject I use an outside curriculum for). B10 is pretty much on “year-round school”, so it’s not that he’s moving so much faster, it’s more he’s not getting as much vacation. (Of course, he sees it as getting to only be in school half a day!)

Overall, in retrospect, this was a great trip. B10 learned a lot – and ENJOYED it! Isn’t that what homeschooling is about? Letting kids LOVE what they are learning?

And off I go to plan our next outing (Chattanooga, TN from April 19th to April 21st).

On the Fourth Day - I made a Discovery...

Well, we ended up not going to bed until 11 pm last night – and I got the giggles with B10, who kept cracking knock-knock jokes even after the lights were out. We didn’t read any of our book, but did watch the first Harry Potter together while we ate popcorn – which was a bonding experience in itself.

This morning worked out okay, I had brought along powdered doughnuts, but B10 asked for a bagel and apple juice before early church. We made it to church 5 minutes early for the 8:30 am service, however the Pastor and rest of the congregation didn’t mosey in until 8:45 am. B10 managed to remain quiet for most of the service and I didn’t subject him to the local Sunday School. I guess I had expected a much more visitor friendly atmosphere, since it was a church that claimed to be “a host to the nations” and was located on Parkway.

We walked over to River Road to Christus Gardens, taking a tour with a church group from West Tennessee. It was a very moving experience, I especially loved watching B10’s face as he saw each diorama light up and as he heard the voices speak the Word of God. I mean, it was still a “cheesy – 1960’s attraction”, but it spoke to the heart of the Gospel message.

B10 wanted tacos for lunch, so we stopped at “No Way, Jose” – which included a 10 minute argument over why I was pronouncing the word “Jose” wrong, before my beloved son finally accepted that it’s pronounced differently in Spanish.

After lunch B10 did one math worksheet and we headed out to Cades Cove in the Great Smokey Mountains. It’s a 20 mile drive out there, through the National Forest, which has a speed limit of 35 mph, so it wasn’t a quick drive. We passed the time by singing songs, I love teaching him new ones and I REALLY love hearing him sing. He’s definitely a musical kid, as is CW.

Cades Cove was awesome, I hope we can come back when it’s warmer so we can spend more time driving through and do some of the hikes. I thought it was cool to see the three small churches on the driving loop and B10 was able to see a small group of deer. He ended up taking almost 75 pictures on the trip.

We drove back to the hotel and B10 finished his math book (YAY!). He’s ready to take his big Book Unit Test when we get home on Monday (or with my Mum on Wednesday). I called and talked to Fiancé on the phone for a few minutes, before we headed out to do our last little bit of shopping (to be detailed in another blog entry), eat dinner at Wendy’s, and go Miniature golfing once more to finish out our stay in Gatlinburg.

B10 came back to play with his toys a bit more in the room while we watched Dirty Jobs. He’s all excited about being able to take a shower (for as long as he wants) and has done a great job of picking up his stuff and helping me pack it up.

I was going to load the car tonight, but I think as long as I have everything together, I will just do it tomorrow morning. There’s no rush! I plan on sleeping until we are ready to wake up, then eating breakfast and checking out. The drive back should be pretty straightforward. I know we may stop a few times in the Great Smokies again, especially if it’s warm so B10 can wade in the stream a bit more. I also may stop at one of the Gem Mining places so B10 can pan for “gold”.

I miss CW and Fiancé – and as glad as I am to have spent this time with B10 – I can’t wait to be a true homeschooling family, where I’m not having to work every day and both the boys are at home with me.

This has been an awesome five days. I’ve learned so much about B10, like the fact that his favorite color has changed. He said it use to be green, but he’s leaning towards blue now. I learned that he’s got a wicked sense of humor and that he listens to everything on the radio. (Which means I have to explain a lot more than I use too!) He’s like a sponge, absorbing everything both good and bad. He’s very sensitive, to me and to strangers. His love language is touch, he’s always wanting to snuggle and hug – and when I take the time to be with him, I can see an almost immediate improvement in his happiness level, because I’m right there to wrap my arms around him.

He’s growing up, becoming so trustworthy and he’s just an AMAZING kid. I tell him all the time that he’s my favorite B10 in the whole world – and he really, truly is!

~Lone Butterfly

And on the Third Day...

Last night we didn’t go to bed until after 11 pm, again. B10 listened as I read almost 30 pages of Bridge to Terabithia and I introduced him to the Game Show Network (ah, the old game shows are just one of my major weaknesses…).

We managed to be up this morning by 8:15 am, but I did let B10 stay in bed while I went and got his breakfast (bagels and apple juice) and we watched a fishing show as we ate. B10 is intrigued by the idea of catch and release fishing. I don’t fish (I’m allergic to all seafood) and he thinks this would be a perfect compromise. (I don’t have the heart to tell him that the idea of bait and fiddling with a fish’s mouth doesn’t seem appealing to me at all!)

Our first stop was the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, one of my favorite repeat attractions. The Gatlinburg Museum was actually destroyed in a fire in 1992, and completely rebuilt and reopened in 1995. B10 was enthralled by the oddities, but the funniest part was the live sparrow that had somehow gotten into the Museum and was fluttering about. It almost gave me a heart attack when I came around the corner to a small room and it swooped down on B10 and I! B10 loved the optical illusions, he’s always a fan of those no matter where he finds them

Our next attraction was the Ripley’s 4-D Moving Theatre. I have to confess I had a smile on my face the whole time and couldn’t stop giggling at how fun the ride was. The only bad part? We were the first guests there that morning and they only played ONE song as we waited – so B10 and I heard “Miss Independent” by Kelly Clarkston seven times in a row. The nice part of the ride was that there were actually TWO movies, and we got to ride both (each is approximately 10-15 minutes long). B10 was laughing right along with me.

We left the theatre and strolled down Parkway to World of Illusions. B10 had found a brochure and asked if we could go, to the point of repeating that request every time we walked by. It wasn’t the best exhibit, I think it could use a lot of improvement – because it was small and not kept up well. But I did like the educational content that showed magicians and illusions throughout history and all over the world. The best part was the boxes on walls that explained how many common illusions are preformed by street magicians.

Lunch was Breakfast at the Pancake Pantry – a Gatlinburg staple. B10 had an M&M Pancake with bacon and I had a plate of Georgia Peach Crepes and a cup of coffee. Poor B10 had asked for a glass of Chocolate Milk, which the waitress forgot, and I didn’t realize he thought that the small pitcher of peanut butter syrup was his Chocolate Milk! The child had tipped it back into his mouth and was sputtering up a storm! Our waitress rushed his Milk to him, but by that time he had already downed most of his glass of water.

After lunch we returned to the hotel so B10 could take a math test. While he worked on that, I took a short rest and uploaded our pictures from the day so far. As soon as he finished, we put on our shoes and headed to the Trolley Station. The fare for the Red Trolley is 50 cents and we simply rode all the entire route without getting off. We got to see the backside of Gatlinburg, the snow on the top of the mountains, and see lots of puppy dogs wandering around.

After the Trolley returned to our hotel, B10 took a rest and worked on the rest of his math book while we ate dinner. He finished quickly and we walked to a local course to play Mini-Golf. It was B10’s first time ever, and he did such a good job learning how to hold the golf club and swing it. Luckily there wasn’t anyone playing behind us, so he was able to keep swinging – even though there was a five stroke limit on each hole.

We wandered back and he took a shower while I called Fiancé. We talked for a while (I miss him SO much!) and then I took a bath while B10 watched Mythbusters on The Discovery Channel. When I got out of the tub, B10 had spread out his new Sea Animals in a mini-zoo, and I was able to tour his exhibits as he told me about each animal (my favorite is the angler fish).

B10 is now snacking on Pringles, as we watch Card Sharks on GSN. (I really do want my cable company back home to have GSN!) We’ll read some more Bridge to Terabithia tonight, but we have to get to bed early so we can get up and go to church by 8:30 am.

Our only snag today came when B10 and I got into a battle of wills. We both had to take some time to pray – and I had to ask forgiveness from B10 for my attitude. It’s always hard for me as a parent to admit that I was wrong is saying or doing something, but I can’t expect B10 or CW to admit wrongdoing if I’m not modeling it for them.

I’m so glad I’ve had this time with B10, just he and I! This is the time to lay the foundation for communication when he's a teenager.

~Lone Butterfly

Day Two Dawns...

B10 awoke early, which surprised me since we didn’t end up going to bed until after 11 pm. We stayed up late playing WAR with his new deck of cards and watching Man vs. Wild on The Discovery Channel.

He let me sleep until 8 am, if you call not turning Animal Planet up TOO loudly letting someone sleep. Breakfast was already being served by the time we got dressed and made our way to the dining room. B10 could barely eat, his excitement was boiling over. Then – horrible mother that I am – I made him come back to the room and watch more Animal Planet while I called my Mum to ask about CW.

FINALLY (as B10 said) we were on our way to Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. I bought a combo pass, which gave us a ticket to the Aquarium, and also tickets to the Ripley’s 4-D Theatre and the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum. It saved money, and we can use the tickets up to a year from now (though, we’ll be walking down there tomorrow, when it’s not raining).

The Aquarium was as phenomenal as I remember. It’s small, but extremely well-maintained, and packed to the gills with educational tools. It’s so much more than the tanks with animals inside. There are two huge touch pools (Horseshoe Crabs and Stingrays) and they do diving shows throughout the day. Not only that, but in their Discovery Area they have all sorts of hands on activities to play with that are top-notch. Plus, B10 and I were able to attend a free class about Crazy Critters (taught by a trained educational instructor in true “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” style).

They also have brought in an exhibit about Mars for 2007. Entitled: Mars: The Search for Life! it helps the visitor “follow the water” and discover how NASA is searching for life on Mars, because of the massive amount of water frozen just below the surface. There were miniature versions of the Spirit and the Opportunity (the Mars Rovers) that B10 was able to control, an actual meteorite to touch, videos about the rock from Mars found in the Artic and how Martians are portrayed in Science Fiction, and a place where you could discover your age and weight if you lived on Mars.

We ate lunch there, and it was typically expensive, but atypically delicious. I’ve never put much hope in Museum or Aquarium (or Zoo) restaurants, because lets face it – they aren’t there to bring you culinary delights. This meal was surprisingly good, B10 had an 8 inch pepperoni pizza and it was a brand name frozen pizza. I had fries that were cooked perfectly and well seasoned. We both got bottled waters (he didn’t need any caffeine today), which meant I spent about $14 for lunch. Not bad for two people, in my opinion.

This was the gift shop where my checking account became depleted, but I knew that going in to this school field trip. B10 wanted a baby stuffed stingray and while I knew CW would also want a stuffed toy – he’s more of the baby white seal kind of kid. I ended up buying four books (three on Mars/Space and one on the Ocean) and a new Food Chain game to play. After that B10 said he was ready to go back to the hotel and work on his Math homework. (He’s doing two pages today.)

We took a rest in the hotel room, before spending the evening taking a stroll through Gatlinburg. We found a little Methodist Church that we will go to on Sunday morning and B10 got to see Taffy being made (another of my favorite memories). I picked up Quizzno’s for dinner for him (he loves the toasted subs) and we headed back to the room to spend some time on the computer and reading his new books.

Tonight’s plan is to watch Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel and play our new game “CHOMP!” that we got at the Aquarium.

I miss my youngest Caterpillar and my Fiancé, and I can’t wait until we can take family trips that include the whole family…

God bless Homeschooling!

Addendum to Day One…

When we were at the Great Smokies Visitor’s Center my cell phone wouldn’t work and I had lost my sister on the drive in. B10 starts jumping up and down and pointing and saying “LOOK! IT’LL GET SIGNAL! CALL BACK!”

You know the world is changing when you realize your seven year old just got excited at seeing a Payphone, because he’s never seen on before...

Our Trip Begins...

The plan was to get up early Thursday morning and leave before rush hour traffic (which is always a good plan when you live in a city ranked in the top 3 worst rush hours in the entire US). Unfortunately, CW woke up around 2am and insinuated himself into my bed. At 6am I was still dead tired, and the last thing I wanted to do was get on the road tired.

B10 ended up waking up around 7:10 and was distraught that he could “see the blue coming in the sky” and we had not yet left the house. He was dressed by 7:15 and “helping” me put my pillow and blanket in the car (Fiancé had loaded the car for me Wednesday night). In departing, I gave CW his special bag of goodies (B10’s was sitting on his seat in the car) and we were on the road by 7:40 am.

It’s about a four-hour drive from Atlanta to Gatlinburg, TN. I had decided as soon as I picked the trip, though, that the goal was to spend time with B10, even if that meant taking my time and being more laid back. (This is a huge deal for me, as I am a self-acknowledged Type-A Control freak with OCD tendencies.) After much prayer, I realized that if I had our hotel room reserved in Gatlinburg, I didn’t need to stress about getting there.

Off we went and I enjoyed the first hour of simply having a conversation with B10 with no interruptions. We stopped at 8:30 to pick up breakfast at a gas station and check our directions, which were correct. (And no judging my mothering skills about breakfast – he got Fruit Loops and Chocolate Milk, not a candy bar and soda!)

Then we continued on to the town of Tallulah Falls, where Tallulah Gorge is. We stopped at the Tallulah Gorge Overlook, where B10 was given some advice by a fellow traveler on picture taking skills (today’s lesson – determining the subject of your photo and focusing on your subject). I was able to take a picture of B10 next to the same point where I have pictures from when I was a kid with my Daddy AND we have pictures of my Daddy as a kid with my Granddaddy. For me, this was the coolest part of the whole day, seeing B10 experience a moment from my own childhood.

We drove into Tallulah Falls to the Jane Hurt Yarn Interpretive Center and hiked one-half of the North Rim Trail, which is labeled as Easy/Moderate. B10 really wanted to walk over the Suspension Bridge, and I was in agreement – not even hesitating when I saw the following sign:

Note to fellow travelers: When encountering a sign such as the one above, do not under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES fail to read the sign carefully. If you do read the sign carefully, try and remember that the nice Park Rangers wouldn’t put up a sign if it wasn’t a valid sign.

I am in relatively good shape, but I was bone-dead after walking down those steps and back up again. B10 had thought ahead enough to ask me to bring a bottled water, and I’ve never been happier to have carried a load on my back than I was today.

Back at the Interpretive Center, we did a self-guided tour which explained how the Hydropower Plant worked. It was pretty cool, we learned about how they regulate how much water is released into the Gorge – on certain weekends they increase it for “Better Viewing of Waterfalls” and twice a year they increase it almost four times the normal amount for phenomenal kayaking rapids. B10’s word of the day was “hydro” and we talked about “hydropower” and “hydroelectricity”. The Tallulah Falls Hydropower Plant can produce enough electricity to power much of the Southeastern area.

I’m not ashamed to admit that we visited the gift shop, and I left with an adorable stuffed beaver.

From there it was a short drive across the State Line to North Carolina, where we stopped at the Visitor’s Center and were told of the small town of Dillsboro. Dillsboro, NC not ONLY has a Chocolate Factory but ALSO boasts the Dillsboro Smokehouse – which was rated 3rd in the entire U.S. by the National Geographic Traveler 2006 Edition (“10 Best of Everything” Category). It was delish – some of the best Barbeque I have ever tasted, even B10 cleaned his plate. The Chocolate Factory was quaint: I found Harry Potter goodies for my Person back at work (She’s my version of Sandra Oh), B10 got a bag of Gummi critters (various and assorted animals), but my biggest find was sugar-free Gummi Bears for CW.

CW had a Dentist come into his Pre-K classroom and scared the living sugar out of those children. He had my Mum print SIGNS out and post them around the house reminding him to brush his teeth. (And my Mum, being a wonderful grandmother, did as she was bidden.)

By this point, it’s 2:15 pm, B10 and I have been on the road for almost 7 hours, and having a wonderful time. B10 decided to use the time in the car to work on his photography. My favorite is the “Husky on a Gorilla’s Head” still life.


I mean, you can’t buy this kind of Modernistic Work in a store.

Our next stop was Cherokee, NC, which is an actual reservation. There was a group of dancers out in front of one of the stores performing, and B10 had his face painted. The Indian (yes, it’s okay to call them that, it’s what they call themselves) said the design was a “Tee-Pee” design. The stores mainly sell goods that are handcrafted by the Cherokee population, so it was pretty educational just walking around. B10 ended up with a spear (which we got in a matching color for CW) and I purchased a leather holder for my ponytail. They also sold very nice patches, we got two (a Great Smokey Mountains patch and a Cherokee Indian Reservation patch).

Finally, at 3:30 pm, we crossed into the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, beginning with the obligatory stop at the Visitor’s Center (that in itself may have been B10’s new “word of the day!”). Our drive through the mountains was beautiful. At one point I stopped and let B10 take off his shoes and go wading in the cool water. He loved it! I enjoyed the drive and being able to stop every few miles. I love that area of the country, with the mountains and the sheer drops and the rock outcrops that jut out next to the road.

We arrived at our hotel at 4:45 pm, check in was a breeze – the only downside to the whole day was the fact that Gatlinburg is repaving their roads and the roads are only two lanes going through town. The people at the hotel were friendly and wonderful, they helped us figure out what we would have for dinner.

Our educational moments spread into dinner – as B10 experienced for the first time ever The Hard Rock Café (yes, he got a shirt). At the end of the meal, after we had gone over our experiences from the day, I asked him what his favorite moment had been.

His answer: The really cool guy with the Mohawk and skirt (kilt) that sat us at The Hard Rock. And he DID get his picture with the very obliging host.

My friends, this is why I love homeschooling.

Back at the hotel room (by 6:30 pm) B10 finished three pages of math homework and is now watching Animal Planet, before he takes a shower and we both head to bed.

With maybe a chapter out of Bridge to Terabitha before we go to sleep.

Tomorrow’s plan: the Aquarium of the Smokies!

Monday, Monday (Doo, doo, doo-dee-doo)

Sing along, folks!

Okay, so it's TUESDAY for the rest of the world, but for me - Tuesday is Monday, because I work Tuesday through Saturday.

Except this week!

B10 and I are taking a special Homeschool field trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. FOR FIVE DAYS AND FOUR NIGHTS! And I've got so many things planned!

Reading: Bridge to Terebitha, One Year of Devotions for Boys, Bookworm Adventures (computer game)

Science: A day at Cade's Cove (Great Smokey Mountains), Ripley's Aquarium

Math: Grade One: Book 9, Telling Time

Writing: Daily Journal

Religion: Family Verse (review), Lord's Prayer (review), The Love Passage (learn), Cristus Gardens

Social Studies/Geography: Reading maps, compass, history of the Tennessee Mountain Community

Music: We are learning new worship songs and B10 is suppose to work on learning music for the church children's musical

Art: Oh! The opportunities for art! This is B10's struggle area and I'm hoping to engage him with hands on activities.

And of course - we'll take lots of pictures, B10 has asked to learn to use the digital camera (which, in itself is a form of art...) and it's SO easy to let him snap away then delete the pictures that don't work! We only print what we want.

We leave early Thursday morning, assuming I can finish packing Wednesday night. I'm SO EXCITED!

The truth is I miss my caterpillars. I had two little ones expecting to be a stay-at-home-mum to them. I know I should be grateful that I was able to spend the first three years with B10 and the first year with CW, but I MISS them now that I'm at work. B10 is homeschooled, with many thanks to my own Mum who helps me. CW likely will be also, though we'll send him to public Kindergarten, just as we did with B10, before making a decision. But I miss being at home.

My trust rests solely in the Lord - He will protect my children in my absence.

~Lone Butterfly

Head... Pain...

I really think my stress level has reached an all time high. There are simply so many things that need to be done and I am constantly feeling as though I am not going to be able to do them all.

The worst is that the things that I truly want to do are getting pushed aside for the neccessary.

I'm to the point right now where I don't even want to think about the wedding, I would rather just be married and be able to live life.

Frustration... It's boiling over and making my head hurt.

Crisis Adverted

B10 has decided that maybe giving up ALL meat isn't the best idea.

Apparently (and this is important, folks) - it's LIZARDS that are completely off limits.

No lizard nuggets for you.

Fish is okay, as is chicken (when in nugget form). Cow and pig are currently still out.

Yes, folks, it's the cuteness of the animal that really counts. And who doesn't love a cute cow? An adorable pig? Or a delightfully spectacular lizard?

Because, and this is such a true statement, I've been trying to feed my oldest son lizard for years, and he's just now caught on. So as long as I can avoid that faux pas in the future... My oldest beloved son will rest easy as a meat eater (of sorts).

Family Scripture

Every night, after we say the blessing for our food (which is usually two or three different blessings, because anyone who wants to pray gets to pray at our house), we recite our Family Scripture Verse.

Once I feel like the Caterpillars have a good handle on it, we'll add a second verse to the memorization. My goal is to always say our Family Verse, but use the time to rotate a second verse to memorize as a family.

Our Family Scripture: "Commit thy way unto the Lord, and trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass." Psalm 37:5

B10 and CW are both memorizing the Lord's Prayer right now also. Each of the boys also has a hymn they are memorizing. CW loves "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!" while B10 is memorizing all the verses of "Amazing Grace".

Because the only way my little Caterpillars are going to be able to hide God's Word in their hearts, is if I teach it to them.

The Lightbulb Came On

I have two boy Caterpillars, the oldest being B10 who is 7.

Now, for the last 6 years B10 has had a fascination with animals. He watches Animal Planet 4-5 hours a day, usually while reading along in one of his many Animal books, and he's constantly "sharing" his newfound knowledge with Fiancé, CW, and I. Such as this snippet of conversation from last night:

"Mummy?"

"Yes, my beloved B10."

"No one in this family is EVER allowed to eat honey!"

"And why ever not?"

"It's BEE VOMIT, Mummy. BEE VOMIT!"

(Yes, B10 announced yesterday that he will be using the British phrase "mummy" rather than "mommy" from now on, which is not surprising since I call my Mother "Mum" and B10 has taken to using other Britishisms such as telling CW "Ello Guv'ner" in a British accent every morning. CW is not amused.)

So, anyway, we were all seated at the table, I having made one of the Caterpillars favorite meals of Pizza Soup and Fish Sticks, when B10 gets very upset as he finishes his soup. I end up on the sofa with a 7-year old sobbing in my lap. It takes a full ten minutes I finally get him to calm down enough to talk to me.

It seems my beloved oldest son has just realized that pepperoni is made from pig - an animal. And fish sticks come from actual fish. And the cheeseburgers he adores - were once a cow. It took every ounce of willpower I possess to calmly explain that if he wanted to be a vegetarian Mummy would help him figure out his meals, but that God said it was okay to eat animals.

Three hours later, he’s stopped crying, but his guilt has sent him searching through my children’s cookbooks (while watching Animal Planet, of course) and trying to find vegetarian recipes that he thinks he would enjoy.

I am almost more worried about helping him deal with his guilt when he chooses to eat animals again. I can handle cooking something different for him for now, but when he starts craving his cheeseburgers...

My poor B10...

Welcome to my Cocoon

Welcome to the place I feel safe ~ my cocoon...

I'm a Christian, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a writer, a student, a homeschool teacher to my caterpillars, an employee, and my fiance's best friend. I love to read, write, and watch TV. I play Trivia with my friends every Monday - except during the 24 Season (and I don't even watch that show!). I drink Dr. Pepper and constantly wonder if my teeth are scary-yellow (they aren't - at least so says one of my closest friends).

I struggle with other Christians, but my faith in God is unwavering. I can only pray my little boy Caterpillars grow up with the faith my parents instilled in me.

Again, welcome, I'm delighted to meet you!