It's a good thing I don't live at the beach...

...because I'm pretty sure I wouldn't ever get anything done, other than sitting in a rocking chair on the porch!

Two weekends ago, we spent the weekend at a beach house with some friends.

We've all been friends for the better part of 10 years.  This is the third vacation we've taken together.  

Some might balk at the idea of 8 adults and 7 children in one beach house.  That's just because you haven't been on vacation with people as cool as us!

A.J. took a walk on the beach the first night we got there.  He refused to get that close to the water again for the rest of the weekend.

The beach is the best place for small boys who like nothing better than to dig in dirt.

 

Sunrise yoga on the beach.  Despite evidence to the contrary, I promise I'm not a hippie.

The beach house had portholes!

Who are those giant children?

I repeat, boys + sand = happy.

Trader Joe's Day!

At 7am, Azina and I got in the car for an hour-long drive to The Woodlands.  Very few things would induce me to get up at that hour on a Saturday to go to The Woodlands.

But this is one of them!

This store opened yesterday!

Though we were moderately concerned about the spectacle we might encounter, we were pleased to discover that the crazy was apparently confined to yesterday. 

We had allowed ourselves 2 1/2 hours before we needed to leave for a birthday party.  We accomplished this cart (including checkout) at a leisurely pace in merely an hour and a half.

We would be delighted to share the wonder that is Trader Joe's with any of you!  When do you want to go?

"Open the gates and seize the day..."

One of the best parts of watching my kids grow up is sharing with them the things I loved when I was growing up. 

Superman?  Check.

Animaniacs?  Check.

College World Series?  Check.

Muppets?  Check.  (Hey, Jason Segel, thanks for your help on this one!)

Books too numerous to mention?  Working on it.

Star Trek?  Working on it.

Tonight, Azina suggested watching "Newsies."  I was torn, as this is the opening day of the aforementioned College World Series, but we opted for the movie. 

"Newsies" came out in 1992.  I never saw it in the theater (going to the movies was not something we ever did growing up), but I remember watching "behind the scenes" specials on tv before the movie ever came out.  I watched and waited until the movie arrived on VHS, then we rented it from the grocery store.  (Baker's on 132nd & Center, if that means anything to you.)

Obviously, after renting the movie, I had to own it.  I think it was a Christmas present one year.  Right around the same time, I got my first portable CD player, and my mom called around to different record stores until we found one that could order the "Newsies" soundtrack on CD for me.  That was one of my first CDs.  I still have it.

I don't think I can even estimate the number of times I've seen this movie.  It's one of those movies that I've seen so many times that some of the dialogue can be heard in my everyday speech (without the New York accents).

Long story short, the girls loved the movie.  And I loved watching them watch the movie.  As much as you can never experience something for the first time again, watching your kids experience something for the first time comes pretty close. 

Have you ever seen "Newsies?"  Don't be surprised if I'm singing the songs for the next few days!

Dear Joss Whedon,

Thank you for making The Avengers.  Could you please have a go at the Justice League?  If that's not going to work, could you maybe adopt Superman?

Sincerely,
Superman-is-my-favorite-but-I-really-love-The-Avengers-especially-Captain-America

homeschool conversations

Alaina: Why is it called an inch ruler?
Me: Because its main unit of measurement is an inch.
Alaina: (matter-of-factly) It could be called a footstick.
Me: Yes, it could.

What did you get out of college?  Seriously, think about it.  What did you actually get out of college other than a mountain of debt, unless you were really good at playing the game and finagled some scholarships? 

I played the game. 

I'm not going to make my children play the game. 

Obviously, some people need college.  Those are the people who actually learn something applicable to a career (engineers, doctors, the like). 

What could you have done if you hadn't wasted so much time and money in college?  What could you have started? 

I realize that questioning the value of a college education is extremely counter-cultural.  I'm just asking you to really think about it - what did you get out of your college education?

On the flipside, what can you not learn about these days...completely free?  Or at worst, for the cost of a book or two?

I came across this article: http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2012/04/12/why-skipping-college-was-one-of-the-smartest-decisions-of-my-life/?singlepage=true

I'm sure some of you have heard me making the same points.  What do you think?

I let the kids play, too.

So, I'm a nerd.  But aren't these eggs pretty?  :)  As a bonus, I get to eat them!  Plain is delicious, but I do love egg salad.  What's your favorite way to eat boiled eggs?

the clock is ticking...

Dear Trader Joe's,

Despite the fact you have defied all logic by choosing to open your first Houston-area store in The Woodlands, I am still eagerly anticipating the grand opening.  Fortunately, I have recently been to Omaha and was able to stock up on essentials such as Dark Chocolate Almonds (with Sea Salt & Turbinado Sugar) and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.  However, my supply is limited.  I respectfully request that you at least post an anticipated opening date for the new store, so I can ration myself and have a chance of making my stash last until the new store opens.

Don't make me move to Omaha just to get some Raspberry Lime Sparkling Mineral Water.

Sincerely,
I'll Take One of Everything

"Mom, do you have to have clean shirts at STAR Open House?  Because, uh, macaroni fell on my shirt."

Somedays, it's just hard.

I realize, in the grand scheme of things, I have very little to complain about.  But on those days when the boys have reached new heights of boy-ness, and on the days when being a parent comes before doing the one thing that I want to do, it's hard.

So we'll just take a deep breath, knowing March cannot continue to be terrible since it is birthday month, and move on to the next thing. 

After all, what else is there to do?  :)

So you think you know the Constitution?

I'm sure you're wondering why on earth you're reading the homeschool nerd mom's blog right about now.  But the Constitution is cool, and the circumstances surrounding its writing are cool.  And learning about it is likewise cool!  Especially when it's a free college course!

Go here and register for the course, and when I get around to each week's readings and lectures, I'll post some thoughts on my blog.  But if you get around to the readings and lectures before I do, feel free to post your thoughts here or on your own blog (and if you don't have a blog, just click on the orange and white "B" in the corner and go make one already).

Nerds are cool.  You know it's true.

Would you look at that? Google finally released a Blogger app.  Hmm, perhaps there is hope for a blog resurrection.

A PSA.

Are you, your family and your friends aware of the number one threat facing humanity today? 

This threat is insidious - it's in your home, your business, everywhere you go.  There is no escape, and there is no cure.

It may start small, but it will breed, not unlike a Gremlin who has been fed after dark - a greedy, monstrous creature.

What is this dire threat facing us? 

Entropy.

This hideous creature knows no bounds, no decency.  No one is safe from its reaches.  You can try and fight it, but it will beat you every time. 

Won't you join me in raising awareness of this terrible threat?  Simply stop fighting it for a couple of days - don't do dishes or laundry.  Don't even throw away your trash.  Soon, everyone around you will be asking questions, and you can do your part to increase humanity's awareness of entropy.

Leave the lawn unmowed.  Do it for humanity.

Day 1

After day 1 of training, I am considering reevaluating my goal of running a half marathon at the end of September.

Just kidding. I'm going to do it.

You know sometimes things seem like such a good idea in your head, and then in the midst of executing them you wonder just what it was you were thinking?

That's pretty much what happened to me tonight. :)

I'll try not to be boring with daily posts of my training progress. (As if I could manage to work out daily! Ha!) But for my first day, I ran 2/3 of a mile in 10 minutes. Nothing spectacular, to be sure, but it's a start. :)

Jadyn: (in the midst of her snack) Mama, does your mouth have gravity?

Me: (pausing a moment) Everything, everything, everything, everything is pulled down by the earth's gravity.

Jadyn: Yeah, but what about what's in your mouth?

Me: Even what's in your mouth is pulled down by the earth's gravity.

Jadyn: Okay.

pause

Jadyn: Like a magnet!

pause

Jadyn: We stick to the earth like a magnet sticks to the fridge!

Me: (what else is there to say?) Yep.


Isn't homeschooling swell? :)

Dear Unconstitutional Census Takers,

While you are hard at work wasting taxpayer dollars sitting in Chick-fil-A discussing the aforementioned unconstitutional census, please keep your comments about my children and myself to yourself. Fortunately, the right you enjoy in this country of saying nearly anything you want also affords you the right to be wrong. Furthermore, if "graduation" and "prom" are the first two things you name when referring to school, as examples of "getting out into the world," might I point out that both of those events have nothing to do with education? Likewise, if graduation and prom are your foremost memories of school, then it's no wonder you're participating in another example of the fleecing of America. And in a fit of irony, my children whose lifestyle you see fit to criticize this fine morning were actually "out in the world" rather than cooped up in some classroom.

Sincerely,
7 People Live Here

ah, homeschooling

We're discussing ancient Egypt and what their houses looked like. We talked about how they spent a lot of time on the roofs of their houses because it was cooler up there. We talked about how Grandpa used to sleep on the roof in India when he was growing up. We talked about how only rich people in ancient Egypt had a bathroom indoors, but they probably only had one and had to share, and the servants had to empty the lavatories and pour the water for the showers.

Alaina: "I'm glad I don't live in ancient Egypt."

Jadyn: "Me too. I'm glad we're Texans."

reason #512

...why I love Crocs.

A.J. (not yet 18 months old) put his Crocs on his own feet this morning. Each on the correct foot.

Hooray for things that make my life easier!

a photo progression

unaware of the camera, doing his thing

wait, someone is watching me?

sitting up straight and hamming it up for the camera!

overachiever

To prove his talent and/or his stubbornness, Jared managed to get an ear infection WITH tubes in his ears. So what's next? Antibiotics and then tubes again. Happy Monday!