Monday, May 04, 2009

Monday's Moving Mayhem

I had such great hopes for this day. I eagerly read the Word, headed to the gym, took a shower and attacked the day.....
I thought I'd go through the younger 4's closets one final time.....they've been making cuts, but I knew it was time for the final, ruthless cut.....The boys have a HUGE closet and two shelves that run both sides of it. We've used it for storage.
Here begins the tale of what happened to my leg:
I climbed on Zander's stool. This is the stool Krista made him for Christmas. He usually keeps his running shoes on top of it in the closet. It seemed stead and I could reach the top shelf if I stretched.
"Mom, I don't think you should stand on that, you might break it," worried Zander.
I calmly replied, "It's o.k., Zander. It's steady."
Nolan interjected, "Yeah, Zander, Dad fixed it."
As I heard those words I decided Zander may be right. Alas, the stool shattered into several pieces right as Nolan finished. I let out a whoop of some sort. Arielle and Nolan tried valiantly not to laugh.
move,accident,accident

Zander's eyes filled with tears. It was a Mommy low. He came in and hugged me. I apologized. I was sore...but nothing seemed sprained. I don't think we can glue this back together. I told him I'd put a hanger on the back and we'd hang it on the wall. Zander gave me a higher "stool". Without thinking I jumped up.
I was saying, "Hey, I can reach the top shelf on this," when I crashed through it.

move,accident,De'Etta
Yep, the bottom crashed out. See the jagged edges? I'm guessing that is what scratched my leg. The bottom of my foot is cut and hurt. My toe is throbbing (nail is torn). My leg is on fire. I did NOT cry or scream terribly...but I did say "OUCH - that hurts!"
Then I noticed blood and kids staring and said, "Quick, get me a paper towel before I bleed on the carpet!" They began to move with me urging, "Hurry, get me a towel!"
At this point Jamin and Jared came to see why they were hearing repeated squeals. I guess Nolan went and told them, "Mom fell two times."
move,accident,De'Etta
I'm sitting on the carpet saying, "Ouch....catch the blood," and other such wonderful comments when I realized that Zander has been talking on the cell phone. He told us he had "found" Krista's number. Oh my word. She was at work and got this call and could hear me saying, "Quick, get a towel...I'm bleeding" etc. ::snort::
We moved to the recliner. The kids brought me hydrogen peroxide. Jamin brought me an Ibuprofen and a glass of water. I was balancing the water on my lap. Stacia wanted to help. She let out the recliner for me....the water.....well.....I got wet. I was laughing hard by this time.
The doorbell rang. The painter was here to give me an estimate. I met him at the door.
move,accident,De'Etta
"Ma'am, is this a bad time?"
"No, I always look like this." ::snort:: I told him the story. We began the painting tour. The doorbell rang again.
I'm still very wet. It was a man from the city. Remember when we had NO water and then LOW water pressure? Lately we've had LOTS of water pressure. Neighbors began to tell us that pipes were bursting. We called them to check. Normal pressure is 60 and ours was 95. They'll be out to dig up pipes or something in our yard. ::sigh:: I didn't explain to him why I looked like this...I had two painters waiting inside.
I got back inside and Zander was telling the painters all our family secrets. "I want a cat. Dad hates cats. Dad once built a catapult and shot cats into the girls dorm." I believe he's mixed up several stories...Kim, Steve????
We finished the tour. I got another estimate. My clothes had dried and I ran out to meet Heather.
Thanks, Heather! Heather, treated me to lunch at the Grill. We discussed a bit how hard it is to find things to write on a "family blog". I told her it was fairly easy for me. She commented that they are boring...and I said...we aren't exciting. Mike says I'm just klutzy. ::snort::
I got home and discovered Jamin and Jared had cut branches back on the back tree....and took some roof shots.
jared; roof

Jamin,roof


Jamin,roof
I DID finish the closets this afternoon.
Jared replaced two toilet seats...and found time to take this photo...
jared,nolan,toilet
Nolan thought this a better pose....
jared,nolan,toilet

Krista called back to see how I was and discuss how important it was to me to see her new apartment. I'm not sure.
Mike came home and took me to dinner. It seems Krista had called him and suggested it! What a gal. Carino's has a special from today - 8th. Mom's eat free with the purchase of one entree. I had a salad, an entree and a tiny dessert (just right). I brought 1/2 the entree home. If you live near a Carinos check this out.
Jamin just got home from work and wonders if he should move out tomorrow or Mother's Day so he's "out of the way" when the movers arrive. UGH..... ::NO...YOU...CAN'T...MOVE....OUT!:: I told him I was thinking he'd stay with us in the trailer until we left.....hmmm....I guess it's time to face the facts.
A fun day - lots of laughing, lots of bags leaving the house... the kids grabbed the camera this a.m. and said, "This will make a great blog entry". Yes, the blog has become an essential part of recording our family history. ::snort::
Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Take Your Best Guess!

De'Etta,move,accident


Guess what I did? I'll try to update tonight or in the a.m. Maybe I'll pick one of these wonderful books to send to the person who guesses correctly the cause of my owie! ::snort::

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

What to do?

I am not down to 3 bookshelves yet. I may be down to 6 or 7 (from 10). I need to take another deep swipe at books.

I do NOT want to ask local folks one more time. I have homeschool stuff, fiction books, etc....would you put it on PBS and get a credit for it...if so would it be helpful for me to post them here so that those of you on PBS would know what I posted????

Since local folks don't want these, should I list them online (here and SHS) and take the time to mail them out....maybe I could haul the ones folks want to the trailer and work on them later....

Or should I just take them all to Salvation Army. I was going to take the homeschool stuff to the free table...but honestly if folks don't want them that is just a big headache for those who set up Mom's Night Out...and I don't want to bring them home again.....

What would you do? Please don't be offended if I don't do what you would...but what would you do? List them online for sale, list them free on PBS, take them all to Salvation Army?

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Mother's Day Giveaway!

Disclaimer so that this Mommy Blog is not taken to court ::snort::. I am given FREE books to review. I am also given one to two copies to giveaway on my blog. I pay postage. I do not let the free books color my reviews, which you know if you've read my blog. ::snort::

I have THREE books to review and giveaway this week! I will admit that I have not read the books - I'm moving to Japan and must focus on that.....here are the publisher's reviews.

Summary: Dear Mom by Melody Carlson

Popular novelist Melody Carlson gives moms straight talk on the secrets their teen daughters harbor—without the angst, arguments, or arm-wrestling. She looks at the heart and illuminates how to talk to teens so they hear, connect despite the differences, and strengthen the bond every mom and daughter ultimately wants.

Author Bio: Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than one hundred books for adults, children, and teens, with sales totaling more than three million copies. Beloved for her Diary of a Teenage Girl and Notes from a Spinning Planet series, she’s also the author of the women’s novels Finding Alice (in production now for a Lifetime-TV movie), Crystal Lies, On This Day, These Boots Weren’t Made for Walking, and A Mile in My Flip-Flops. A mother of two grown sons, Melody lives in central Oregon with her husband and chocolate lab retriever. She’s a full-time writer and an avid gardener, biker, skier, and hiker.

Summary for Mama’s Got a Fake I.D. by Caryn Rivedeneira

Caryn Rivadeneira helps women reclaim their full identity as multi-talented people whom God wants to use in a variety of settings—including in their homes. This inspiring, practical guide shows women how to break free from false guilt, learn how to express who they are, and follow God’s lead in sharing their true self with others.

Author Bio: The former managing editor of Marriage Partnership and Christian Parenting Today, Caryn Dahlstrand Rivedeneira has been a trusted voice writing and speaking to women for more than a decade. Today she is the managing editor of GiftedForLeadership.com, an online community for Christian women in leadership. Rivadeneira works from home in the Chicago suburbs, where she lives with her husband and their three children.


Summary for Enduring Justice by Amy Wallace:

Hanna Kessler’s secret remained buried for decades. But when the shadows of her past threaten those she loves and the system fails FBI Agent Michael Parker, setting a white supremacist free, they must learn the difference between vengeance and justice is their choice to heal.

Author Bio: Amy Wallace is the author of Ransomed Dreams and Healing Promises, a homeschool mom, and self-confessed chocoholic. She is a graduate of the Gwinnett County Citizens Police Academy and a contributing author of several books including God Answers Moms’ Prayers and Chicken Soup for the Soul Healthy Living Series: Diabetes. She lives with her husband and three children in Georgia.

I HAVE read and reviewed other books by Amy Wallace. I believe she is one of my favorite new to me authors. This series has captured me and I hope she writes more of them. I plan to take this one in the trailer. Here is my review to Healing Promises, I haven't gotten around to reviewing Ransomed Dreams. As for the other two books my impression would be based solely on the write ups above - and that isn't quite fair...but that whole "reclaim your real ID" thing is a big turn off to me. What? Being a MOM isn't a REAL id? Huh? But maybe it is hilarious and packs a point....someone sign up for these and you can tell me what you think! ::snort::

I have two copies of Dear Mom and Mama's Got a Fake I.D. to giveaway. I have one copy of Enduring Justice. If you would like a copy simply leave a comment, with contact info (email or blog), in my comment section. International readers, APO/FPO addresses are encouraged to participate. We will pick a winner Thursday a.m. You will have one week to respond with your address. If an address is not provided in a week, I pick a new winner. If you respond right away with your address, I would LOVE to mail this out by Friday so that they don't have to be moved to the trailer. You may request one book or all three books....just be sure I can contact you either by leaving an email address or via a public profile/blog.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Our Japanese Lapbook

We had so much more we wanted to do with THIS lapbook....but Mike reminds me that we'll have 3 years to research and explore Japan. It's time to close out school for the year and prepare for packers on the 11th of May. Here is what we've accomplished.

I used some minibooks from the Country Lapbook and Geography Lapbook from HomeschoolShare.com. Thanks Lisa B for pointing me to the right spot for appropriate core booklets. The rest of the books are ones we created.

I created the cover from various photos we found on Photobucket and the Internet. It was created with Shutterfly Studio.

Photobucket

school,japan lapbook

All of the above books except the climate booklet are from Homeschool Share.com We folded over a chart that showed the average Misawa temps in 2008 and stuck the climate graphic on the front for the other book.

school,japan lapbook
The left page talks about education and government. The book log is something we found with our Knight Lapbook. The right page has booklets on industry, time zones, the Shinkansen and religion. We created the Shincansen and time zone book.

school,japan lapbook
The Shinkansen book is an accordion folds - the kids dictated facts to go inside. The time zone chart is one that was in the base's briefing book....we highlighted OR and TX time.

school,japan lapbook
This page won't flip. ::snort:: The top little booklet we created and it compares daily calories in various countries. The booklet with colorful fruit on it (probably not from Japan ::snort::) compares the amounts of various foods eaten in various countries. The recipe pocket has some food facts and only one recipe. I need to find more.

school,japan lapbook

The booklet with the chopsticks on it is one we created. We filled it with Chopstick trivia and etiquette that we found. The center booklet is a sheet from the Internet on how to correctly use chopsticks. We folded it into a tri-fold and glued clip art on it.

school,japan lapbook

This page features counting to 10 in Japanese...and Arielle created one for the Days of the Week as well. The Fun Facts and WOW mini-books are filled with random facts that interested us and are from homeschoolshare.com

school,japan lapbook

The alphabet book contains a chart from a book that Stephanie loaned us...shows the basic alphabet and kana. The blue language book has folded lists of helpful phrases from the base briefing. The red pocket has laminated photos of things we found in the Misawa area that we are looking forward to seeing.

school,japan lapbook

This last two pages are bulky. The left is a puzzle that Lois and kids gave us from highlight - when you put it together it shows a map of Japan and has facts too. The right side has a pocket for "animals" and "places to go"...both are filled with photos we printed and laminated.

We weren't able to study everything that interested us, but this is enough to whet our appetites.

You can see more of our lapbooks at Our Lapbooks Page.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.