"A Busy Weekend, The Last Days {of School}, and Changing for the Better!"

We are counting down the days!  Eight more days of homeschool left!  Which, honestly, is a really good thing because the likelihood of me throttling one of my children increases about tenfold on a daily basis.  This is due to the fact that we are at the end of the school year and both of them are bouncing off the walls crazy from the time they wake up until I put them to bed.  Thankfully, I am mostly a very patient person and I understand how they feel.  We have experienced a lot of staying inside time because the weather hasn't been so terrific.  We have only had a couple of sunny days in the last couple of weeks, so it makes it even harder to keep them contained.  All they want to do is go outside and run around all day, and that has been mostly impossible.  Poor little monkeys.  They are just stir crazy!  And I totally get it.  Which is why neither of them have been throttled.  Yet.

We had a really great weekend.  Friday evening, we went to see the musical production of BIG, by Rutland Youth Theatre.  It was really well done.  Jeff's friend Saskia is the director and I admire the fact that she can get fifty kids ages 18 and under to put on a musical.  I'm not even sure I could get fifty kids that age to listen to me for five minutes....  On Saturday, we hit the $1 flip-flop sale at Old Navy.  Then we had a few essentials to pick up at KMart, Wal-Mart, and Hannaford's.  Unfortunately, by the time we got to Hannaford's, the kids were pretty much done and I spent so much time trying to get them to chill that I forgot a bunch of stuff that was on my list.  When we got home that afternoon, it was really nice so the kids went outside to play while Jeff mowed.  Jeff got the mowing and weed whacking done and then he and the kids were raking up the grass clippings when it started to rain again.  I stayed inside and cleaned house and baked cookies.  We all showered and then sat down and watched "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring".  I've seen that movie tons of times, and I still cry.  Sunday morning was a great church service and then we went to a friend's house for a combination birthday party/ barbecue.  It was a really nice day, so all the kids ran and played and got disgustingly filthy.  Then we had to make another trip to the grocery store to pick up all the stuff I forgot on Saturday!  It was a really great weekend!

I decided last week that I was going to start clipping coupons and saving money.  I have been watching "Extreme Couponing" on TLC and getting lots of hints and tips.  I have a whole strategy planned and have been clipping coupons and watching ads and getting ready for this weekend's shopping trip.  Then I had a major snag in my plan!  The coupon printer that I downloaded (which worked for my shopping trip last weekend) no longer works.  I have all these awesome coupons, which combined with store sales will save me a ton of money.....and I can't print them.  It's unbelievably frustrating.  I'm going to keep trying it because maybe it will start working again.  I'm also going to try to figure out why it isn't working.  I have all the correct system requirements and it says that it's downloaded, but I can't find the download anywhere on my computer.  It just keeps disappearing.  If anyone out there is a computer genius....I would appreciate some tips or suggestions.
I actually have picked up my knitting needles again this week.  I'm behind on a few things.  I have several gifts to make, but all the rainy weather made me too lethargic to craft.  I would seriously sit there and fall asleep mid-row while rocking in my glider.  So I tried switching to the couch.  I just fell asleep there, too.  Only I was way more comfortable there...and heaven only knows what the kids got up to while I was catnapping for 10 minutes here and there.  I just felt it was probably better that I not be dozing, so I put down the needles.  Now that I have started back in on a couple of projects, the weather is once again leaning toward rainy and icky.  Honestly, it's a bit obnoxious.
Now, for my weekly deep thoughts...My thoughts so far this week have been sparked by our church service Sunday which centered on the book of Acts.  The thing that stuck with me was this phrase, "What do you want your home to be?"  And I can think of a million things I want my home to be for those who come here.  Peaceful, kind, understanding, loving, hospitable, generous, non-judgemental.....are just a few I can think of off the top of my head.  But then it occurs to me that because of how things are on a daily basis here, my home rarely gets to be any of those things for those of us who live here.  So how do you change a home?  You have to change the people who live in it, of course.  Or at least the thoughts and actions the people living in it.  Since I can only really be responsible for changing my thoughts and actions, I'm working on those things for myself.  Honestly, I didn't realize how hard it would be.  Children learn by example.  So changing my thoughts and actions and encouraging my children to do the same has been my priority.  Change, however, does not come easily.   And I find that when I'm dealing with people who always expect one thing from me are not pleased when they get something different.  It really makes me understand how addicts can fall into dangerous patterns.  You keep doing something not necessarily because you want to or because you're proud of your choices, but after a certain point, it's the behavior that everyone expects from you.  It's the easiest knee-jerk response.  Sometimes, it's easier not to rock the boat.  To give in to what everyone expects.  At my home, I'm the pushover.  Everyone knows that I really dislike conflict.  Therefore, when there are disagreements, I get stomped like a weed.  And often, even if whatever conflict happens is not my fault, I'm the one left apologizing to everyone.  After Sunday, I realized that I did not want that.  I don't want my kids to think that it's okay to let other people have whatever makes them happy (even if it makes you unhappy) to avoid conflict.  So, I am changing my actions.  Please don't take this the wrong way....it's not as if I am currently having disagreements with anyone or anything like that.  My family is not awful to me or abusive in any way.  It's just a pattern that I notice.  I even notice myself giving in to my kids because I desire to have peace with them.  That's not really what I think is best for them.  I want them to be at peace.  I desire to be at peace.  However, I have come to the realization that I might have to fight for my peace.  So I'm ready and willing to do that.  I want my home to be whatever the people I love need it to be.  I'm willing to work hard for it, even if it means rocking the boat a little.  It will eventually settle....I hope that your homes are all that you want them to be!  Until next time, God bless!

"Stressful Shopping, Inconsiderate Gabbers, and The End of the World {again}"

We are finishing up our last few weeks of homeschool and enjoying the winding down.  If only everything else us was winding down as well!  It seems like once one part of our life calms down, the rest of it goes crazy.  I'm not one to love to run around constantly...I'm really a homebody.  I like snuggling up on my couch with a good book, my kids, and my dogs and just hanging out.  Don't get me wrong...I also love running around outside, puttering in my garden, and lots of other stuff....but nothing makes me happier than being all cozied up with all my kids (biological and furry!)

With our Virginia Beach vacation approaching quickly, we took some time this last weekend to shop for swimsuits and some summer clothes.  Cebelle adores shopping and she tried on like 15 swimsuits.  Since her one from last year still fits, we only let her get one more. She would love to wear a different one everyday, but I don't really think it's necessary.  Hayden picked out two swim trunks that he liked and then tried on two different sizes to see how they fit.  Then he picked one.  It took him about five minutes.  Cebelle's swimsuit shopping was almost a two hour ordeal.  Jeff and I were going to spend a sizable chunk and get them swimsuits from Lands End, but they grow so fast it seemed crazy to spend $40 on something that they might not even be able to wear all summer.  I tried on a couple of swimsuits, which made me remember why I hate swimsuits.  I ended up trying on a few just to check sizing and then ordering mine online.  It will be here in a few days.  I'm hoping that it all works out because I really hate trying them on and wearing them at all.  I discovered in this process that internet shopping is just as stressful as regular shopping for me.  According to sizing charts, I should be wearing three sizes larger than I currently wear.  If I hadn't tried on different sizes in the store, I probably would have experienced a complete panic attack.  As it is, I'm worried that the suit and the clothes that I ordered won't fit anyway.  And while we are on this subject...can we talk about how I wear like six different sizes?  It's crazy!  I can buy a shirt in one size at Old Navy and then need two sizes larger at a different store, or two sizes smaller somewhere else!  Pants aren't much better.  I currently have four different sizes of jeans in my closet that are cut mostly the same way but from different companies.  I don't understand why women's clothing can't be a universal size.  It's ridiculous.  Thanks to all the pencil thin perfect girls we feel bad enough about ourselves as it is.  We don't need four inches in variation that take us from a size 18 one day to a size 26 the next.....it's crazy!

And while I'm complaining....can I just continue about people who talk behind your back?  It really irritates me when it gets back to me that people are talking about me behind my back.  And I know that I shouldn't care what other people think, and the truth is I really don't.  What I care about is when people run around behind my back, saying things about me to others that aren't true or are taken completely out of context.  I am not perfect by any means, but I don't say anything behind someone's back that I would not say to their face.  If I can't think of something nice to say,  you probably won't hear a word from me.  And I sure as heck don't run around gossiping about family, friends, or acquaintances. I don't appreciate it when it's happening to me.  Say what you want about me, but say it to my face before you go around telling other people about my life and my business.  I'm pretty much an open book.  I will gladly tell you almost anything.  It's not as if I'm parading around and pretending to have a perfect life.  Guess what?!?!  I struggle with life: I fight and argue with my husband, my sisters, my parents, my friends; I make HUGE mistakes, I make small mistakes, I annoy myself most of the time so I can only assume that I annoy plenty of people, my children are not perfect, my life is not perfect.  But it's MY life.  And I wake up everyday trying my best to do right by myself and everyone around me.  I work hard to be the kind of person that my kids can look up to and the kind of friend, sister, wife, and daughter that would do anything for anyone who asks.  I try to look for the good in people and overlook their bad moments, because those moments don't define us.  How we handle ourselves in EVERY moment of our lives is what defines who we are.  So give me the benefit of the doubt.  I'm doing the same for you.  And pass it on to everyone else.  We all deserve as many chances as God will give us.  And, Praise the Lord, His love and patience is infinite.
I have been reading so much lately!  We have had rainy weather for about a week and I have finished almost two books a day.  Since I can read almost a whole 300-400 page book in about an hour, it's not as if I'm spending every waking moment with my NOOKcolor in hand.  I'm just stealing a couple of hours while my kids are playing or the daycare kids are napping.  And with almost 200 books on my NOOKcolor right now, I still have plenty of hours that can be filled!  I am thankful for my awesome husband and wonderful sister for giving me this awesome gift that was a late Christmas/early birthday & anniversary present.  I have used it everyday.  Now my NOOKcolor is updated and it has apps!  Not that I really ever use them...but it's nice to know they are there!
Our new basset hound, Copper,  is fitting in remarkably well!  It's like he has always been here!  He is a very sweet little guy!  Lately he has decided to start chewing on shoes...so we are working on it.  So far, the only casualty has been one of Hayden's Mickey Mouse crocs that he got at DisneyWorld.  It's really sad because he loves those shoes.  They aren't completely destroyed...but they definitely are not wearable!
I read a story online about the world ending on Saturday the 21st.  Apparently, people have sold their homes, quit their jobs, and have been traveling around telling others to prepare.  Here's my thought on that.....if the world is really going to end, how the heck do you prepare for that?  It fascinates me that these people have given up everything for what they believe.  In a way, I admire that.  It takes great courage and strength.  On the other hand, what happens of you do all of that and it turns out you're not right?  What happens the day after when you realize that you have quit your job, sold all of your possessions, and given up everything....and then it's Sunday?  And who knows?  They could be right.  Someone has to be right about the world ending at some point..
But the thing that resonates to me through all of these things is this:  Regardless of what others say or do, I will continue to spend every day trying my best to be the kind of person that God wants me to be.  I will NEVER be perfect, but by His grace I will live out my days at peace with whatever comes.  I wish the same for you!  God bless!

"Copper, Television, and {Improbable} Signs of the End Times..."

This has been another week of mostly the same stuff for the Hull family...with the exception of a few very exciting things!

The first of which is that we added a new furry family member to our brood!  He is an eight month old basset hound and we re-named him Copper.  

Isn't he absolutely adorable?  He has the best personality and is a very snuggly little guy.  He has fit in beautifully with us and we are so excited to have him!  

Another exciting thing was that Jeff and I actually got to go out Saturday night!  We picked up our friends and went to see the movie Thor!  Got off to a bit of a rocky start when we accidentally backed into someone (who was parked mostly in the middle of the road...but oh, well...) but what's the point in dwelling... It was an accident.  Nobody was injured.  We have good insurance.  It's already taken care of.  

The movie was pretty good.  Getting out and getting to spend some time with grown-ups was even better!  It's really nice to have friends who have similar interests and who are very loving and kind and terrific people that you enjoy spending time with!  In all fairness, I don't get to spend time with adults very much....I might have talked their ears off.  I spend so much time dealing with small people who always want something from me...it's a little difficult to transition sometimes.  Thank God that I didn't speak about myself in the third person.  I would have been mortified.  

I have been reading books like crazy.  Books that I bought for my birthday... books on my NOOKcolor...I need to get my priorities straight as I have now not crafted for like two weeks.  *gasp*  I know I just caused several people who know me to pass out with that sentence.  Me...not crafting....?!?!  It is sure to be a sign of the end times.....Honestly, I have just been really busy.  And if I only have 20 minutes or so, I won't pick something up because then I won't put it down and get done what needs to get done.  I promise after this week is done, I am not so crazy busy and I will post some pictures of the things that I have been working on.

We have also been spending as much time as we can outside!  It's been a bit difficult lately, and I would like to complain about the rain, but it's making our flowers bloom so beautifully!

The kids and I only have three weeks of homeschool left after this week.  Maybe another week to finish up some projects, but we are nearing the end.  Hayden has earned himself some summer school this year with Math because he is really slacking off.  He hasn't dropped below a B grade...he is still doing well.  But he is definitely not applying himself or doing his best.  Cebelle will be practicing her reading all summer.  She is reading some pretty big words now!  I'm very proud of her!  I am very proud of both of them for working so hard this year and accomplishing all that they have!  But, as their teacher, I am also very definitely looking forward to some downtime!  

I had to call and make eye doctor appointments for both of the kids.  There has been a lot of squinting going on here.  I am guessing that Hayden needs a better prescription for his glasses and I will be very surprised if Cebelle doesn't end up with glasses.  I had hoped that they would be spared that, but I guess they didn't have very good odds considering that everyone in the family has glasses!

Jeff and I have been using the evenings after the kids are in bed to try and catch up on our shows.  We have this new policy where we record almost an entire season of a show and then wait to see if the show is renewed before we watch it and get involved.  I know...its awful...but I would rather not waste my time watching something if it's only going to last for a few episodes and never a finished story.  I find that unbelievably obnoxious!  I can't tell you how many times we would watch a show and love it and then the show would get cancelled.  I hate that.  And it's a waste of time to watch something that goes nowhere.  So there really aren't many things that we watch on TV now.  (One of the exceptions is a show on ABC called "Better With You".  It stars one of Jeff's former students, Jake Lacy, who we have always loved and adored.  I hope his show stays on the air because Jake deserves to be really successful!)  And we are watching Stargate: SG1 from the beginning on Netflix.  

Jeff's last play will be opening on the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend.  I love what he does and love that he is able to offer so many kids the awesome opportunity to do work in theatre....but I am definitely looking forward to having him home with us for a couple of months!

Well, that's about all the excitement that has been happening here!  Not actually exciting by nearly any standards...Just a normal, everyday life filled with lots of ups and downs.  But by the grace of God, the downs never last long and they teach me valuable lessons.  I wish the same for you!  God bless!

"Math, America, and Why I Don't Love Bathing Suits..."

This week has been full of the same stuff as every other week!  I'm not complaining, I enjoy almost every minute of it!  But I would like to take this opportunity to get a few things off my chest.
1.  How the heck do you motivate an extremely intelligent 8 year old child to do school work that he dislikes?  Hayden really enjoys most of his school work, but he HATES math.  I understand that completely.  I was the same way.  I understood it very well, I could do it very well....I just hated actually doing it.  The difference between he and I is that I would do it really quickly to just get it over with while he takes the route of whining and complaining and taking an hour to do each problem.  And with a two page worksheet everyday...you can see how this is not fun for me in any way, shape, or form.  I love that kid with all my heart.  But there are days I want to whack that math textbook right upside his head.
2.  Why can't Americans just get along?  The wonderful thing about our country is how we have the opportunity to make anything that we desire of ourselves.  We can say what we want, live how we want, and decide who makes all the important decisions.  I think that some people forget that there are other human beings out there who are not so lucky.  Having lived in a third world country, I have a unique perspective on how terrific it is to be an American.  I wish people would stop taking it for granted.  I'm not saying my opinions are right and everyone else's are wrong, I am saying this:  you are lucky you get to form  your own opinions, America!  Stop using them to crush other people into the dirt.  I am sick of all the negativity and complaining.  I am sick of people abusing their rights and privileges.  I am sick of people thinking that their opinion is the only one that matters.  I am sick of people taking outright lies and spreading them as truth because they read it online, so it has to be true.  I am just generally annoyed at the American public right now.  I know that some people are in really bad situations and that it's easy to hand out blame to those making the laws.  And I absolutely do not agree with a lot that has been going on.  But-along with all of our freedom (which is provided because men and women like yourself and I are out laying down their lives everyday without question or complaint) comes responsibility.  People need to own up to it.
3.  My body is a temple.....but it doesn't work worth a crap.  I have been trying to lose weight.  I started keeping track of calories and on the advice of my doctor cut down my calories to 1700 a day.  I kept track of these calories.  Even without exercise, I should have been dropping about a pound a week.  I have lost and gained the same 3 pounds about eight times now.  It doesn't matter what I do.  It's not that I hate my body...I am perfectly happy with who I am.  But I would like to feel great in my clothes.  I would also like to walk around and not feel like people are looking at me and judging me for the way I look.  It's endlessly frustrating.
On the flip side of my ranting, I am also thrilled about several things that are going on!  I got my NOOKcolor updated and now it has apps.  Not that I will use a ton of them or do a lot with it...I got my NOOKcolor because I love reading, not because I wanted to play games.  But it's still pretty neat to be able to use it for something else.
Jeff and I are hoping to go to the movies this weekend.  We would really like to see Thor.  Hayden desperately wants to go, but I really don't want him to see it until we have screened it first.  I figure it's rated PG-13 for a good reason and I don't want to be surprised by something in the middle of the movie that I wish he hadn't seen.  Kids grow up way too fast as it is.
We got to spend this last Sunday outside for most of the day.  Jeff tilled our garden and Dad burned a huge brush pile that we had in our backyard.  Mom cleaned off our hillside and got rid of all the brush and salt from the plows this winter.  If it doesn't rain all weekend, I'm hoping to put in another flower bed out front and start a few plants for our vegetable garden.
We went to a book fair yesterday and purchased all the kids' school books for next year.  I know that some people homeschool without spending a dime, but we wanted books that would be similar to and better than what the kids would get in a public school, so our investment is pretty sizeable every year.  But we don't begrudge a cent of it.  It is for their future, after all.  We use Abeka books and this year decided to go with the entire grade package for each of the kids.  It cuts down on a considerable amount of lesson planning and book ordering for me, which is really nice.
We only have about four weeks of homeschool left after this week.  It will probably take one more week to finish up portfolios and tie up loose ends, but the kids are very excited to be done.  They are so excited about our trip to Virginia Beach that they talk about it almost constantly.  At least once a day it comes up.  I'm really looking forward to it as well.  Even if it does mean that I have to wear a bathing suit....
Still not a terribly exciting life, but it's mine and I love it!  Talk to you next week!