Hello

Hello Everyone,  I know I have been gone a LONG, LONG time and I am sorry.  We have just had a lot going on.  We have had our fair share of illnesses and been busy with school. Seems we get really busy this same time of year every year with doing things. 

I have been spending a lot of time with my camera :).  A friend of mine in Feb. took me and the boys to take pictures of this one park that had flooded and then iced over.  I got some really great pics :). 

The boys with their friend 

bridge near the park

I have many more cool pics of this park but maybe I will show those another time :)

Also in Feb. the boys had Science Club within the MOMS Club®

Then of course we have been doing school work as you can see it’s not the most fun thing for the boys LOL.

Then in March I played more with my camera….

Can you tell they are getting sick of me taking pics?

Also in March we went to the Natural History Museum.  The boys had a lot of fun looking at everything!

View Full Album

Then this past weekend (March 21) we had a birthday party for both boys.  Since Jarod’s birthday falls so close after Christmas (Jan. 3) we decided to have a combined party for both boys.  Poor Jarod has never had a birthday party because where his birthday falls and we just don’t have the money at that time.  But he and Chord had a lot of fun this year with it!  They had it at our local bowling alley! My Sister-in-law and Brother-in-law bought the cake but decorated it themselves (aren’t they awesome?!)

View Full Album

 

Then today was Chord’s official birthday!  Can you believe he is nine years old now?!  I still can’t figure out where the time went.  Anyway we took the boys to the Zoo today.  It was a bit chilly but so worth it because there was hardly anyone there :).  So we didn’t have to rush through it like in the summer months.  We also got to hear an elephant trumpet a little and one of the Lions roared at us LOL.  Well I wouldn’t say roar exactly it was more like it was calling or something.  It scared Jarod though LOL.  But it was the coolest thing to hear.  Usually they are sleeping on the other side of the Rock so we can’t see them but this time one of them made an appearance.  I only wish I took a video of it instead of just pictures.  Anyway here are some zoo pictures!

View Full Album

 

In other news, Harlow has decided to not continue with the schooling.  He was having a rough time with it and it wasn’t making him happy and his negative attitude about it was rubbing off our family as well.  So he is now not going to school but still getting unemployment and actively looking for a job.  Even if he has to start from the bottom he is willing to do it.

Please pray that he can get into a Rest Area which would be a State Job.  His friends brother works there and he told Harlow there will be an opening there soon.  So pray that there is an opening and that he does get the job. Even if he starts off at a low wage it’s a state job so it will have good benefits and in the long run he will make better money down the road.  So please keep thinking of us :). 

I am sorry I have been gone so long.  I also wanted to thank all of you who have commented or emailed me wondering how I have been.  I really appreciate it :).  At least I know I was missed a little LOL.  I hope everyone is doing well!!!

Chores and the Zoo

Not much going on today. The boys and I did some school work an then we cleaned the house. I have a new system for chores LOL. I take a piece of paper and write down different chores that need to be done. I try to make it even. We each (including me) get 2-3 chores to do. So I put all the paper in a hat and we each draw 2-3 and see which ones we get. The boys seem to love this so I guess I will do this for a while to get them motivated to keep this house clean LOL. For some reason though I still always get dishes LOL. Today Jarod got dishes with me (I had dishes down twice so 2 people would have to do them.). Which is ok since he loves to help with dishes. Though I suspect it has more to do with playing with the bubbles (he likes to make a beard and mustache with them LOL.) then actually rinsing and drying the dishes LOL. So we shall see how long this lasts.



Tomorrow the boys and I are going to the Zoo with another homeschool family. I don't have batteries for my camera so I won't be bringing that but truly how many pictures do I really need of the Zoo? Hubby is going to drive us to our friends house and drop us off and she is going to drive us there. The boys will be happy to see their friend. Seems like forever since we have seen them because of both of our busy schedules. Other than that not much going on. I hope everyone is having a good day.

Don't have anything much to blog about. Had a pretty laid back weekend. Still trying not to use too much gas. The place we went to this weekend was Church. Oh and hubby went with his friend to Musicians Friend so he (his friend) could pick something up. That was about it for us. Today was much the same. Only difference is we did schooling LOL.

Tomorrow I am going to a Pot Luck within the MOMS Club®. It's a Mexican themed and we all get to bring one ingredient to it. Which is good for me because I am really awful on knowing what to bring or make for a pot luck LOL. This time I am bringing the shredded cheese LOL. So it should be a good time.

The rest of the week we aren't doing anything till Friday. That's when (if weather permits) hubby drops us off at my friends house (she homeschool's too) and then we head for the Zoo. We got a membership before hubby was laid off so as long as we pack our lunches we won't have to pay for anything :).

Tomorrow is also laundry day so I am going to go to the Laundromat (with boys and their school work) head to the store for a couple things and then to the Pot Luck. Then on Thursday we will probably do a bit of grocery shopping. So that is our week planned out. Pretty boring huh? LOL. How was your weekend?

Zoo Day

Today was an eventful day. My friend and her little boy came and picked us up to go to the Zoo. We have a membership pass for the Zoo so we didn't have to use any money :) (good when your hubby doesn't have a job at the moment). I packed us some lunch too. We got to the zoo and met the other MOMS Club® moms and had a great time. We got there just after 10 a.m. and we didn't get going home till after 4 p.m.

It was a perfect day for the zoo. There was overcast but no rain so it wasn't hot either. Perfect!! A lot of the animals were out and about too since it wasn't so hot. All accept the cat animals LOL. Actually though the Tigers were out and about but the Lions, Cheetahs and the Snow Leopard were all laying down sleeping. Must be a cat thing (other than the tigers LOL.). I have some pics of the boys but it was group photo's with the MOMS Club® so I can't show you those pics (don't think the moms want their kids on the Internet LOL). But I will share with you the animal pics I got (not a lot though seeing as we go to the Zoo a lot and having 100 pics of an animal we just don't need LOL.)

The tigers were the only cats that weren't sleeping lol.

These Meerkat's were fighting. One of the moms said they must be siblings LOL.

Found out that these Ape's are actually Monogamous and when the female finds a mate she shows she is loyal to him by turning from black and white to all white. How cool is that?

I was surprised with these sharks. Usually they stay up top more and I can never get a good pic of them. This time I did :).

The boys and I found this interesting. It's called a Zebra Mantis Shrimp. The boys remarked on how much it did look like the praying mantis except with more legs LOL.

Busy, Busy (So what's new LOL)

Today has been one busy day.  Woke-up at my new 6:00 A.M. time and did my exercises (after a couple cups of coffee of course LOL).  Then the boys got up and I fed them breakfast.  Afterwards I got stuff ready and we did some school work. 

Then it was off to the MOMS Club® Membership Meeting.  It ended up being a long meeting because we had a vote on some money issues.  Any time there is money issues you can guarantee it's going to be a long meeting.  Then afterwards some of the other board members and I talked.  Hopefully things will run smoothly in a few months.  We are all new to the board so we are working out the kinks LOL.

After the meeting we came home had lunch and finished some school work.  So after that I had to type up minutes from the meeting and send out a few emails on different things (sign-up sheets to the right coordinator's).  Then of course after all that it was dinner time. 

Tomorrow is Laundry day so I will be up and having to run again tomorrow.  I will take some school work with us to the Laundromat so the boys can do that while I do laundry. 

Wednesday nothing planned (yeah!!) but then on Thursday morning a mom from the MOMS Club® is going to pick the boys and I up and we are going to the Zoo.  I wouldn't have gone because of gas prices but she offered to come pick us up.  So glad we  have a membership though.  That's one less expense and I will just pack the boys and I a lunch. Then on Friday nothing but grocery shopping planned.  All in all this will be a busy week.  I hope everyone had a good Monday :).

Sorry didn't blog last night. Wednesday's is church day so we didn't get home till after nine P.M. So I was just too tired to blog LOL. We had a visiting Pastor come and visit us. He is headed to Hatti today. It was a good time. He really didn't do a sermon per say but more of just talking to us about what he's doing. He goes to countries (like Jamaica and now Hatti) and preaches the Word to those who may have never heard it. He was telling us a story that one time he had this one guy following him and trying to kill him, a radical Muslim, well he (the Pastor) was preaching and this man heard him and ended up on his knees crying. When the Pastor asked what he was there for (he knew who it was) the man looks up ad said. "I have never heard of God's love before."! The man was saved right then and there! How awesome is that?!

Anyway today we went to the Zoo with the MOMS Club. We actually got there before anyone else and we went through the whole Zoo before we met up with them LOL. So we went through it again LOL. It was a good time and the boy's loved having their friends there. What was really funny though is that even though I have been a part of MOMS Club since 2005 few of the other moms have ever met my husband. He just doesn't go out much and he just not as much of a social person as I am. Sure he has friends but he sticks to the ones mostly he grew up with. Where as I grew-up moving all the time so it's easy for me to make new friends quickly. So I had to tell my friends, "See I do have a husband." LOL. My one friend said. "You must have rented him for the day." LOL. Poor guy was the only man there LOL. One of the other mom's husband was there but he was on a field trip with their other daughters class. He did stop by though. It is actually like a 2nd or 3rd cousin of my hubby. They went to school together too so they caught up a little before he had to go. So it was a good time had by all. I really didn't get a lot of pics of the boy's (bad mom) I got some good pics of some of the animals though LOL. They were very cooperative LOL. Here are some pic's of our time there!

Boy's are tall for their age but next to this Polar Bear they look tiny LOL.

Polar Bear(hard to see sorry. The babies were in the water. They don't look little any more LOL)

This was too cute the giraffe was looking at the Guinea bird LOL.

Sharks(Harlow's Fav.)

Boy's were playing with their friends here(not pictured)

I have more pics but these are the best ones. I hope you enjoyed looking at them :D.

Today was a pretty relaxing day. We went to church and then came home and relaxed. We are watching the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Our guy Earnhardt Jr. was doing well but then got into a bit of a wreck (not too bad) so he won't be winning. Poor guy needs a win LOL.

The rest of the week is pretty tame for me. The only day we have anything really planned is on Thursday and that is going with the MOMS Club to the Zoo. Tomorrow I do have return some books to the Library and Tuesday is Laundry day but that is the usual things. Other than that though no plans.

Sorry I don't have much to blog about LOL. I am pretty boring today LOL. I hope everyone else had a relaxing weekend.

Man it really has been a busy week for me. Even more busier than usual. You seen from the pics what we did Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday the boy's got to sing the song they did on Easter at Church for a gathering of Open Bible Ministers. They came from all over to our church for a gathering. Boy's did great but of course dummy me forgot to bring my camera ugh! That's the night we didn't get home till after 10:30 PM. Very late night for the boy's.

Earlier in the day on Wednesday we went to the Laundromat to do laundry. Chord between doing his school work and such opened doors for anyone that came in LOL. People were even giving him things for doing it.(with my permission of course) He got some change, a little flag pin, a little box of gum for both boy's and some chips from a lady I talk with there a lot. He didn't open the doors for them to get anything but he was rewarded just the same. He is such a courteous little man if I do say so myself. Ok so I am a little bias but still LOL.

Thursday we had Science Club with the MOMS Club. My friend and I are in charge of that. It was the first one we did. We were supposed to do it last month but I got sick and had to cancel. This month it really turned out well. The kids made Gak and got to do a couple other experiments. It turned out better than I thought it would. I know the boy's really enjoyed it too.

Today I stayed home but was surprised when my dad called and said he was here. So he came to visit us! It was a nice visit. He had my Mimi with him (my grandma but we always called her Mimi) she is in her 80's and has Alzheimer's. She even had a good time watching the boy's and playing with them. Even though I am pretty sure she doesn't really know who they are. My dad lives in Arizona and my dad and his brother and sister (my uncle and aunt) take turns taking care of her and getting her to the doc's. So that's why he was in town. It was really nice having some family over though. So that has been my week. I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Finally some Pics LOL

Ok I finally uploaded some pics from both the Zoo (all though not many because we have a lot of pics from past visits too LOL) and from the Pioneer Living field trip we went on, on Tuesday. Enjoy the pics!!

First Zoo Pics

Kind of hard to see but it's a snow lepoardPioneer Living at the Botonical Garden

Jarod getting Corn off the Cob for corn bread

If you didn't have a grinder you had to smash corn by
hand with a rock. Jarod loved doing this LOL.

I love this pic of Chord LOL. He's making wool for making
Clothing and you have to pull them in opposite directions and it was
pretty hard LOL.

Chord sawing wood
Grinding Corn

Shooting Bow and Arrow (suction cup kind LOL)

Getting water (only no real water was in them LOL)

Chord Shooting Arrows

Churning Butter (well actually water LOL)

Jarod trying to make butter shaking jars

Making an old fashioned Hackey SackPlaying a Game with their Hacky Sack Just having fun with friends

I have more pics but some of them have other children's faces on them and I don't feel comfortable with showing them all. Most of these ones the other children's faces are not facing the camera :D. I hope you enjoyed the pics!