Can't sleep...

I woke up early with a coughing fit, and couldn't get back to sleep. There's a lot on my mind today

We will definitely be sending Wyatt to school. Hopefully we get the house we want, which is very close to a wonderful Christian School. It's not that I don't think teachers can do their jobs...I know they can. It's more or less what we want him exposed to socially. Plus, my concern is that he is a very bright little boy...who looks for trouble when he is bored. He doesn't mean to get into trouble, he is just...mischevious. And I don't want him to get bored in school. But I will definitely stay active volunteering wherever he goes!
I'm very worried about a good friend. She's got a lot on her plate, and I hate not being with her to help her go through it. If I felt better, I would drive down to see her. Maybe this weekend I will kidnap her and go do lunch or something. I don't know yet. I want to make things better for her, and I can't, and I hate that.

In Loving Memory

I sat in the dark this morning thinking about a year ago today. I never wake up to my phone when it's on vibrate. Well, about 1 am a year ago, I woke up to a text message that Trooper 2 (a MD State Police helicopter that also does medical transports) was missing. I will never forget how I thought it was a joke at first. This is a helicopter I have been on with patients time and time again. At that point I was wide awake. I walked out of my room at my brother's house, and he was awake feeding my nephew. I told him what I had heard. While he fed Mason, I looked on the internet to find that not only was it true, but they were carrying 2 patients and an EMS provider from the first station I was ever a member of. My heart sunk. I thought for sure it was someone I knew. Then reports came in that the wreckage...and 1 survivor were found. How she survived we will never know. She was one of the original patients of the car accident. We still didn't know who the provider was. We were worried about our younger brother, since he was a member of that station. We knew he wasn't on board, but we also knew he was most likely going through a terrible time. We found out who it was (suprisingly, noone I knew well...just in passing) The next few days just seem like a dream. I'd been on the helicopter once when it had a malfunction. Thank God it was a minor one.

My blog today is posted in memory of:
Trooper Fist Class Mickey Lippy
Pilot Steven Bunker
EMT Tonya Mallard
Patient Ashley Younger

May God watch over their families.

Trooper 2 Memorial Video (Click to watch)

Me sitting on the helicopter during a high school field trip (We took EMT as part of our high school curriculum)

What an insane week!

Well, let's see...where to start.....

The terrible cough I had all week progressively got worse. Thank goodness Randy had taken some vacation time for a vacation that we postponed, so he was home to take care of Wyatt so I could take care of me. After getting short of breath walking across the room last night, I was pursuaded to go to the ER. And I was then diagnosed with a mild case of pneumonia. But m-o-o-o-m....I want bronchitis like everyone else! All the other kids have it, why can't I?

Someone came to look at the house today. I hope they love it. While they were here, we went to our old stand by, Chick Fil A. Wyatt opened the door to go into the playroom, and got his foot stuck under the door. A trip to the rescue squad to see Daddy and have him fix it, and Wyatt was good as new. Daddys are the best fixers ever!

Yesterday we aquired 2 kittens. They are currently nameless. 7 week old boys. I have no clue...Tom & Huck? Barnum & Bailey? (My house is like a circus most days)

Now....for the bad mommy moment. (Other than him losing some skin today) I am so torn about the whole schooling thing. I enjoy homeschooling him, but I also enjoy a peaceful and quiet house when he's at school. I feel rotten saying that. He's my son, it's my job to raise him, and not to be (just a little) relieved when he's at school. Randy's pushing me to send him, because he says he can tell a difference when I've had that me time, since I've been sleeping in. That makes me feel terrible! I've started looking at options. If we stay in this house because it doesn't sell, he will go to public school (we have great schools) If we get the house we want (terrible schools) then he will go to christian school. (Already researched the school, I'm excited to schedule a tour) I feel like I'm somehow failing as a mother. Which I know isn't true, because a lot of good parents send their kids to school. I just wanted to homeschool. Or I thought I did.

Signs are everywhere...you just have to look

Wow...What a week this has been! We had some issues pop up, and things were not looking too good, to say the least. We prayed, asked our friends to pray...and a decision was reversed, making things better. Still not perfect, but MUCH better. Someone in our church stepped in and helped us in a way that we never would have imagined. We really took that as a sign that this church is meant to be our home church. We had been looking at houses in various parts of the country, and we really decided that this was a sign for us to stay in the area.

And, on that note...We found a house we like. It needs work, but all cosmetic. New floors, new paint, new appliances. I am itching to get over there and open the windows and let it air out. Now the trick is to sell our house. Well, while we were looking at houses yesterday, we got a phone call that someone wants to see our house Saturday. This is the first phone call we've had like that since the week we put the house on the market! Pray that they like the house and want to make an offer! We have it insanely underpriced...we just want to get it sold!

Aaaand, for more exciting news....My Trish passed her National Registry Paramedic Exam!!!! YAY TRISH!!! I am so excited for her, and not surprised in the least. She studied her hiney off (well, tried to). She is so smart and darn good at what she does, and it showed! You go, girl! And *ahem* I told you so

Stupid SMIB germs!!

Well...for those of you who don't know, a SMIB is a Southern Maryland Inbred. It's a term of endearment for anyone from SoMD. I have come to the conclusion that noone else in PA is sick, therefore, this is all from the visit a week or so ago. I blame swampwater.

We saw Jeff Dunham Saturday night. Oh. My. Gosh. Freaking hilarious! Apparently he never brings out Bubba J anymore. Well, people from PA wrote to him and asked him to...so he did. And everyone in the audience was reciting Bubba J's lines with him. It was a riot! I have never laughed so hard in my life. You know that laughing you do where you forget to breathe, then it gives you a headache? (Play along with me here...smile and nod) Well, that was me all night.

There is still a big decision looming on the horizon. Not sure what we are going to decide, but for those of you who pray, I ask that you do please. It's not anything bad, but it would be nice to have some direction to go in. And we all know my husband....he tells me what I want to hear, so I never know for sure what he wants. And I don't want this decision to be about what I want.

I had SO much fun today. I volunteered some time setting up for a large consignment sale. (Did I say large...how about ginormous?) I worked with a great group of ladies. I can't believe how much they had...and I left before they were done collecting! I get to shop tomorrow. There is a wagon I have my eye on. I hope it's still there! I get to be one of the first shoppers since I volunteered 8 hours, so we will see... For anyone in the Carlisle area...JustLikeNewKids.com I promise it's worth it! I will never buy new clothes again, I don't think

So much to say.....Hmmm.....

I have no clue what to blog about today, but I promised myself I would try to blog every day. It's really very relaxing for me. This morning I woke up early on purpose so I could have my coffee and my blog. There's tons on my mind, but nothing I want to put "out there" just yet. And no, *sniffle* not pregnant yet.

There, I will talk about that. Why is it that it was SO easy to get pregnant before, but now? It seems to be escaping me. I never in a million years thought that, when I was ready to try, it would take some time. Have I blogged about this before? Possibly, I don't know. I can't remember yesterday, much less what I blogged about before.

Homesteading....something I so want to do. I have NO clue how to do it, but I want to anyway. I am learning from a great group of girls. Somehow I do think I blogged about this yesterday. I need more coffee.

AHA! You blog readers don't know that I'm watching my neice and nephew today do you? See, there ya go. Something new. Yes, I will have the cutie pies today. I love being surrounded by kiddos. It just makes me so happy. Today will be very busy...I have to drop some consignment stuff off, Wyatt's soccer game is at noon, take all the kiddos (even Wyatt) to my brothers, come home and clean for the open house tomorrow, then tonight I am going to see Jeff Dunham! Yay! I am super excited about that.

OH OH OH! I didn't tell you people this either....I am SO proud of Wyatt. Part of his homeschooling curriculum is to learn a bible verse every week. At first, I was very skeptical. Well, this week, he has memorized Proverbs 4:20 "Pay attention, my child, to what I say. Listen carefully" Now, let's just hope he follows it! But I am SO proud of him! I added hand motions to it, and it took him 2 days! We started school late this year, so it's only been one week, but I think this week has shown me that I CAN do it. I hardly expect results overnight, but in a weeks time I can see progress! I am so excited! He's learned his days of the week (although sometimes he forgets Thursday....little booger wants to jumy right to Friday), the bible verse, and what a dictionary is. I really feel like we are off to a good start. I can do this!

Wishes, dreams, and plans for the future

There are really so many things I'd like to do for my family. I've already blogged about a weekly unplugged day, and that's going well. I've stepped back and taken a hard look at what it means to be a biblical homemaker. That is something I strive for.

I also want to learn to be more self-reliant. When we move, I'd like to start a hearty vegetable garden, start buying meats from a local butcher, sewing things myself (not everyday clothes, but cloth diapers, when the time comes, maybe a skirt or 2 here or there)

This all sounds so crazy, and it's so very different that what I wanted even a year ago. I feel like I'm a totally different person now. I'm someone that I think noone expected me to be. Some of my old "friends" were apparently pretty surprised I got married. You know, I am so much happier now that I ever could have believed I would be. I stumbled upon some online groups that promote homesteading, and I really feel like it's a direction I'm meant to be headed in. Unfortuntely, where we are right now, it's not possible (stupid HOA!) but where we are going...I can see it being a reality. I don't expect it to be easy, and I know it will take work, but how rewarding!

I know some of my old friends are going to read this and think I'm nuts, just like some of them think I'm nuts for homeschooling. And I'm totally ok with that :) If we were all the same, then things would get pretty boring pretty quickly!

I'm outnumbered!

Yesterday I picked up my cutie pie niece and nephew, and I will watch them until this evening. 3 kids under 5, 1 large puppy, and me. I LOVE it! Last night we were all crammed in Wyatt's bed reading bedtime stories. It was so nice. There is something that is just SO peaceful about cuddling little ones and the smell of kid shampoo. (Please note that at this time the large puppy was in her crate tucked in for the night)

I haven't updated in a few days. I had a great weekend with my bestest, Trish, and her beautiful (and very easy to carry) little doodle bug. I think I can honestly say we aren't as young as we used to be, but we had fun anyway. Sunday I had to lay low for a little bit and just recharge. Trish and I have a great arrangement...I go down there once every other month, and on my off months, she comes up here. Sometimes we take kids, sometimes not. When she's up here, we MUST make a trip to chocolate world. Girlfriends and chocolate. What else would I need???

Hmmm...I hear a lot of banging upstairs. But no screams or crying. It must be ok.

I suppose I should make breakfast for the 3 cutest monsters in the world.

Homeschooling: Our great debate

To homeschool or not to homeschool? THAT is the question. Anyone who has ever considered homeschooling for a nanosecond knows that there is a lot to take into consideration. Today I'm going to kind of think out loud about homeschooling, so this blog may turn into a list, argument with myself, who knows :) But first let me just say that what we've finally decided is to send Wyatt to pre-school and then supplement with homeschooling. The primary reason is (drumroll) academics. Yes, I'm talking about academics for a 4 year old. I sat in the parent orientation and heard one of the teacher's say that they won't be teaching writing skills until halfway through the school year because most of the kids don't have the small motor skills to write. That struck me...Wyatt has been writing letters since he was 3! So here we have our first example of having to slow down curriculum to accomidate everyone. Then the next day, I went to my Mom's bible study. More than half the moms there homeschool. And some of the points they made were AMAZING. I will use some of them in my list :)

Things to consider when homeschoooling (accompanied by my thoughts on the subject)
~Most importantly, academics...See above. Some people say that they don't know how to educate children on different grade levels. It can be done, with patience, organization and time, I'm sure
~Socialization (This is a BIG one!) As one of my friends pointed out, do you send your children to school to learn, or get socialized? Yes, both are very important. But I want to be able to have some control over who my children socialize with. Often, especially in middle and high school, more time is spend "desocializing" your children when they come home. I want to control what my children are exposed to. Of course, I realize I can't do this completely, but I can to an extent, and I plan to. We have joined a homeschooling co-op, so there are still field trips and plenty of time for socialization
~But...I'm not a teacher! Well, sure you are. You just don't have a degree. Your children walked, talked, learned to feed themselves....how? There are just so many options for homeschooling curriculum now. In fact, when I interviewed a private school for Wyatt, I found that they were using a homeschooling curriculum. Well, why can't I do that?
~Time...How much time is actually spent, per day, on instruction in school? This is in no way meant to say teachers don't spend their time well...I've sat in many a classroom, and I think, for the most part, the teachers DO spent their time very well. But sometimes they have to explain something a couple of times, and time has to be spent waiting to go on until all the children are cought up. Wyatt gets bored when he has to wait. When Wyatt gets bored, he gets in trouble.
~Closeness with family...One of the things that really planted the homeschooling thing in my brain was that I noticed a lot of the teenagers in our church were very close with their families...and they weren't afraid to show it! Sons would lean on their dads during the service, and you could really see the love they all had for each other. When I commented on this to a friend of mine who attends our church, she said that most of the teenagers are homeschooled. I thought that one thing alone speaks volumes.
~Room to homeschool...I wondered, where will I ever make space, especially once we move (Which will cut our square footage in half) Well...there's the kitchen table. And why not there? We review the calendar in the morning over breakfast, and things just flow naturally after that. We don't need a special room or corner, although if you can have one, that's great too. I have a large bulletin board, that I take out and hang once the school day starts. I know a mom who covers hers up with another painting when it's not in use.

There is so much more I could write, but Wyatt wants to cuddle. My favorite thing!

What are we fighting for?

God Bless America

First of all, let me just say that it AMAZES me how people have forgotten. In my opinion, everyone should find some way to honor ALL of the Americans that lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks 8 years ago. Almost every Firefighter or EMT has made a comment about their coworkers who perrished. Granted, today I'm wearing a fire department t-shirt honoring the first due truck to the WTC. But what about all the others? Those brave people who helped bring down the plane in PA. In my mind, their actions were braver than those of the firefighters (Here is where I brace myself for the difference in opinion) Firefighters go to work every day knowing they may not come home. Let's face it, it's part of the risk associated with the job. But those men and women were boarding a plane, leading ordniary "safe" lives. Those people are my heroes. They made a decision they knew would be their last. And they were completely selfless. The fact that they made that decision as "ordinary" people is what makes them extraordinary in my eyes.

I don't intend to discount any of the other brave men and women who gave their lives. They too are heroes. I just think that sometimes we, especially the firefighting community, forgets about everyone else that day.

I was completly distressed today when I dropped my son off for his first day of Pre-School. When we got dressed this morning, he wanted to know why I insisted he wear a shirt with an American flag on the front. I told him that today was the day God made many people heroes. When I dropped him off at school, I was surprised to see that virtually none of the other children were wearing anything that might signify what today is. I certainly don't expect children to understand the meaning of it, but, as parents, isn't our job to teach children respect? I think the children should at least have an awareness that today is special. It leads me to believe that the date is already forgotten.

What a week!

I looked at our calendar for this week today. My goodness! We have a lot in store. Tuesday and Thursday, Wyatt has practice, we are watching AnnMarie and Mason while Shirley has games, Wednesday is Wyatt's open house, Friday is his first day of school, and Wednesday we are also getting Mocha spayed. That's just what I can think of....OH! And Friday, I am going to a HUGE consignment sale. Hopefully sometime in all of that April will have her baby, so I will have some extra cooking to do!

I can't wait until this evening. Around Noon I plan on putting the makings for Chili in the CrockPot. Then we can come home from practice and it will be all ready. It's the perfect day for it...cloudy, chilly, and I'm sure we will all be looking forward to it after practice! I love cooking in the CrockPot. Throw everything in, turn it on, and voila! In a few hours you have a yummy homemade dinner. Does it get any better?

Why is it that shoes get lost all the time? Wyatt has TWO pairs of tennis shoes, and not one pair is to be found. Naturally, we have the 2 left shoes. If you see a 4 year old walking around a playground with 2 different shoes on, and he's walking a little funny, odds are he's mine.

Happy Labor Day

Well, today marks the official end of Summer. Mother Nature has decided to help us with the transition. It's cloudy and a little cool. Not so good for our first annual cookout, but great because I LOVE Fall!

Where we live, there is SO much to do this time of year...Craft fairs, county fairs, crop pickings, and beautiful scenery. Plus it's time to go out in jeans and t-shirts and not be so hot all the time. We can go to the ammusement parks and not have to deal with crowds. And the smell of Fall...It's great! Fall just has that unique smell...I can't describe it, I guess it's people burning wood in the fireplace, the dry leaves, the hay....It's so comforting. For me, Fall is wrapping up in a blanket on the front porch in the morning, and taking a few moments to just enjoy life. It's just such a cozy time of year. Thie year Wyatt is taking a field trip to the pumpkin patch...and I can't wait.

I know I haven't written lately. There's a lot that's been going on in my head. Plus, I've been a little busier with Wyatt in the mornings. He starts Pre-School Friday, so I'm sure I'll have more time then. Lots going on at church too.