More excuses...

February has been an unusally busy month this year, thus my poor blogging record. Just to whine a little, I thought I'd list a few of my activities this month:

9 speech therapy sessions- which means early morning drives to URI
3 Girl Scout meetings
1 surgery- Alex
2 dentist appointments
2 doctor appointments
2 Orthodontist appointments
1 homeschool gathering
2 evening meetings at church
2 evenings with company for dinner- I DO NOT have the gift of hospitality- so 2 is alot for me!
2 nights out with other couples from church- Yay, something fun!
1 Chili cook-off- I didn't win, although my whole batch was eaten up, so it must have been good.
3 homeschool theater groups
Weekly Bible Study

Throw in the lunar eclipse, the fish dissection, the owl pellet dissection, and sorting out 125 boxes of girl scout cookies, and it's been a busy month. We're going out with a bang, though. John and I are heading up to Amherst, Ma on Friday night to see Casting Crowns!! Of course my planned adult babysitter is sick, and they're expecting snow...so I'm praying it actually happens.

Blog neglect

I have to apologize for my neglect as of late. I know all three of you are on the edge of your seats everyday, and I've failed to deliver. Sorry. I've been busy with a host of mundane tasks, and life seems to be speeding by. My oldest is about to enter the wonderful world of braces. We're entering the wonderful world of paying for them every month. Rachel will also be hitting double digits in a few weeks, and has been busy planning her party. The great part is that she is doing most of the planning part. She made her own invitations and addressed and mailed them. She's also coming up with the menu and games, I just have to come up with the supplies. That's the good part about my baby growing up. The bad part is that she's really growing up. She discovered two little lumps on her chest. She was way too excited when I confirmed that she wasn't a lumpy freak, and was in fact beginning the wonderful transformation to womanhood. Me? I'm not nearly as excited about this turn of events. In fact, I think I'm a little traumatized by it.
I've also been obsessing about next year's curriculum. After much debate, (me talking to myself), I've got it all figured out. My obsessing will now turn to finding as many items used as I can. That can take over life as I know it, if I let it. Hopefully I can keep it under control. Which reminds me, I have to check on some auctions on Ebay. Gotta run.

Did Paul Revere have ADHD??

I just read a delightful (children's) book called, "And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?" by Jean Fritz. It recounts, among other things, his famous ride to warn that the Redcoats were coming. As I read about him, I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he had ADHD. The story includes many little known facts about him, as well as his famous journey. He loved adventure, and trying new things. He started out as a silversmith, but branched out in many areas, including making false teeth! He was known for being in a rush, and for his sloppy writing. He also had a page in his day book just for doodling. After the Boston Tea Party, everyone else went home to bed. Not, Paul. He hopped on his horse and took off for New York and Philadelphia to spread the news. Reading the details of his most famous journey really clinched the diagnosis for me. He was in such a rush he left the door open, and his dog got out. Well, that turned out to be a good thing. He forgot his spurs!! He sent the dog home with a note for his wife. The dog returned with his spurs tied around his neck. He also forgot to bring a cloth to wrap around the oars as they rowed past a British warship. Luckily they were able to get some cloth from a friend nearby. Once across the Charles River, he hopped on a waiting horse, and was off to warn the colonists in Concord and Lexington. He was actually captured by the British at one point, after warning the colonists. They ended up taking his horse, and letting him go. So off he went on foot! Thanks to his endless energy, he was able to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock in time for them to escape from Lexington. Hyperactivity is not always a bad thing! After the war, Paul again became a man of all trades. In addition to silversmithing, he made church bells, and learned how to roll sheet copper. He also wrote of his big ride, in his trademark sloppy writing. After reading about this famous American patriot, I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he lived in the days of modern medicine. Would some well meaning person have tried to fix him, slow him down, get him focused??? Perhaps the British would have succeeded in their surprise attack, and captured the colonist's stockpile of arms... perhaps John Hancock and Samuel Adams would have been captured....perhaps we'd all be speaking with British accents right now. Maybe ADHD isn't such a bad thing after all.

10 things I love about God

1. He loved me first. And He continues to love me, regardless of how unlovable I can be.
2. Even when things seem random and out of control, I can trust Him. He's got it all under control.
3. He gives me peace in my heart, when it doesn't make sense to have peace.
4. He puts joy in my heart, regardless of my circumstances.
5. He has put love in my heart for the people I personally don't find very lovable.
6. His ways are always better than my ways.
7. He forgives me, although I don't deserve His forgiveness and disappoint Him daily.
8. He shows me the difference between what I want to do for Him, and what He wants to do through me.
9. He is my hiding place, my counselor, my all in all.
10. He's shown me who I really am- I am His, a daughter of the King...a real life princess.

My brave little boy

Yesterday, Alex had to take a trip to the OR at the local children's hospital. This was his fourth surgery, at the ripe, old age of 7! It was nothing major, he just had to have tubes removed from his ears. (Putting them in, and losing his adenoids was surgery number 2.) All of his surgeries have been minor, but still not something he looked forward to. Having experience with general anesthesia, he knew what to expect, and he knew he didn't want to do it. He asked a few times why we couldn't just leave the tubes in, he didn't mind them at all. But they were not coming out on their own, and causing all sorts of irritation. They had to go. I promised he would be spoiled rotten that day, but that didn't seem to change his apprehension. The spoiling started the night before. He couldn't sleep, so he was treated to a very long back rub, until he drifted off. He was quite the trooper in the morning. He got up and dressed without complaint. He didn't even mind not eating or drinking, he knew the drill by now. He wasn't so happy that the girls were dropped off at Uncle Joe's house. (He has 3 chihuahuas...the girls were thrilled with the arrangement!) But still he didn't complain. I could see his nervousness increase as we waited to get called in for the pre-op procedures. Still, no complaints. Once he was "dressed" we went into another pre-op room that had a PS2. That was cool... until the anesthesiologist showed up. He knew the good times were coming to an end. After a few minutes of talking, including my husband asking how long he had been on duty, it was time to head to the OR. Alex was so brave! He quietly chose the yellow Hummer power wheels to drive to the OR. He almost took out a few nurses in the hall, but did a nice job parking. We walked into the OR together, and he went right to the table, climbed right up, and laid down. I sat next to him and held his hand. I could see he was trying not to cry, he was being so brave! I place my hand on his chest, and I could feel his heart beating a mile a minute. I felt so sorry for him, yet so thankful that I could be there with him. They placed the mask on his face, and the Doctor told a few lame jokes. He even got a little smile out of Alex! As I talked to him,his little eyelids fluttered shut. "He can't hear you anymore." I was told. I kissed his cheek, and gave him three squeezes on the arm, our secret "I love you". Then I was escorted out of the room. Even with a minor procedure, I can't tell you how strange it feels to leave your unconscious child on an operating table. I did a good job sucking it up, and I didn't even cry this time! The surgery was quick, and went well. We were called into the recovery room a few minutes before he woke up. He was little confused. One minute mommy's standing over him in the OR, the next minute mommy and daddy were standing over him in a different room. After the initial confusion, he came out of the anesthesia better than in the past. He was very thirsty, and ate a popsicle, and some apple juice. I knew we'd be seeing them again..and we did on the car ride home. Some things never change. He's feeling fine today, and we've told him how proud we are of him. He has so much courage. He's learned the hard way that being brave doesn't mean you're not scared. It's doing what you have to do, even though you're scared out of your mind.

My meme: 4 things

I've been tagged by Stephanie to reveal some exciting facts about myself. It's called a "meme". Prepare to be spellbound.

4 Jobs I've Had:
1. Office work- Registrar's Office at BU
2. Chambermaid on Block Island
3. Daycare worker during summers at college- When I decided my future kids wouldn't be going to one.
4. Special Education Teacher in public school. - When I decided my future children would be homeschooled.

4 Movies Watched Over and Over:
1. Apollo 13- that's the only movie I've watched over and over again.

4 Places I've Lived:
1. Warwick, RI
2. Boston, Ma
3. Block Island, RI
4. An undisclosed location in RI. (in case you're a psycho, stalker type)

4 TV Shows I Watch:
1. Lost
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Big Brother
4. Flip That House

4 Places I've Been:
1. Jamaica
2. Aruba
3. Bermuda
4. Wyoming

4 People who e-mail Me Regularly:
1. Christine
2. Myra
3. Betty
4. Mom and Dad

4 Favorite Things to Eat:
1. Snickers, of course.
2. Good Chinese food.
3. Ice Cream
4. Galumkis

4 Places I'd Rather Be:
1. On the balcony of a cruise ship, alone, reading a book. The Mediterranean would be nice.
2. At Disney
3. At the beach. Any beach will do, as long as it's 80 degrees.
4. In my bed reading a book.

4 Things I Look Forward to This Year:
1. Turning 40! (trying to have a positive attitude)
2. Obsessing about next year's curriculum.
3. Olivia (hopefully) finishing up with speech therapy.
4. I'm sure we'll have a family vacation at some point.