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Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Name: Maximus

Maximus has been learning how to write the letters of the alphabet, including his name. He can write over half the alphabet and his whole name without help. There is something special knowing he and I accomplished this together.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Go Broncos!






Maximus played flag football with Upward this Fall. And at his last game, Saturday, he made 3 touchdowns-
Go Maximus!
This was his 2nd season in Upward [1st was soccer this past Spring] and it was an awesome one!
It was an adventurous season, especially the morning we had to speed to the shoe store to buy new shoes for that morning's game because Elvis hid his others. We had only an hour before the game started and we made it on time- mama behind the wheel, of course! Watching Maximus play football for the past 9 weeks was the highlight of my week! I watched him gain confidence, make friends and learn about being a good sport. Did I mention that at his last game, he made 3 touchdowns??
His coaches, husband and wife team, and one of his teammates parents made a huge impact on our entire family, in which I think they'll never fully know. I've heard the saying 'People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which it is, you will know exactly what to do'.
I don't know which it is, but I do know it would've been hard to say good-bye forever!
Go Upward!

Friday, October 24, 2008

I won!!!


This is a really fun learning tool- file folder games. Maximus loves to play board games and I love file folders so it was a win-win situation. Our file folder game [The Vowel Zoo] was made from free printables online, and all you do is color, cut and glue in a file folder.
The best part was Maximus dancing in his chair, anticipating winning and shouting "come on I need a short i"!! He didn't realize he was learning and I was testing.
Another great thing about these file folder games it that you can file them!
We will be making more of these games for sure!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Is the butter ready yet, mama?

Yesterday, we made the coolest thing- homemade butter!
It's a simple thing to do, but first let me warn you, start doing pushups and get your muscles ready; our arms were burning.
All you need is a pint of heavy whipping cream and a jar (we, of course, added salt). Pour the cream into the jar, close the lid tightly and shake. Years, it seems, from this point you'll have butter. First you will think this is not going to work and I wasted a good pint of whipping cream... this thought lasts forever, but keep shaking. Then the cream eventually turns into whipped cream and a few years later it starts to solidify, keep shaking. Finally the cream will seperate into butter and buttermilk. Pour off the buttermilk and keep shaking until you get all the buttermilk off. After all that work, you get a cute little bowl of butter!

Maximus enjoying his homemade buttered toast!

River enjoying his homemade buttered toast!

With the amount of butter that we consume in our house (you know how I love Paula Deen), I would not be able to keep up with the demand, but I do plan do make our own butter again maybe next time I'll make cornbread with the buttermilk. We get teased about living in the country, so this will be really funny for everyone to talk about- now the Brew Crew makes their own butter.
I think its somewhat gratifying to make your own butter, at least once.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Too true... and too good not to share!


  • A sharp tongue can cut your own throat
  • If you want your dreams to come true, you mustn't oversleep
  • The best vitamin for making friends..... B1
  • The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts
  • The heaviest thing you can carry is a grudge
  • You lie the loudest when you lie to yourself
  • If you lack the courage to start, you have already finished
  • One thing you can't recycle is wasted time
Life is too short to wake up with regrets. And if you ever get a second chance, grab it with both hands.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Happy Fall Y'all!

Ahhh Fall, my favorite time of the year. I love everything about the Fall, the cool weather, the changing leaves and the smell of homemade apple and pumpkin pies. And nothing feels more Fall, to me, than carving a pumpkin. Maximus drew the face on our jack- 0- lanturn and his daddy carved it. Both Maximus and River LOVED 'ripping the guts out'!!
After our jack-0-lanturn was carved, we took it outside to see it glow- it was so funny because River kept saying "wow"! I couldn't get a good picture of them because he couldn't quit looking at it (this is only 1 of 10 shots).
These moments are those 'breath taking moments' that measure life!


Monday, October 20, 2008

Myrtle Beach, SC

This past summer, actually early September, we went on our very first camping trip to the beach and LOVED it! We went to Myrtle Beach, SC and camped at Pirateland campground. It was an awesome trip! We truly enjoyed the East Coast and natual beauty of the dunes that lined the beach. There was so much to do there, we didn't even have to leave the campsite. We have been camping locally for a few years now and were not sure about going camping for vacation, especially to the beach, but us camping bees are sold- and did not miss the elevators or ice machines one so bit! We plan to go somewhere different each year and do as much exploring as we can, but you can bet we'll break the rules and camp at Pirateland again.

the beach right after sunrise
River in his "pidermans"
Surfer Dude Maximus
Pawpaw and Cathi came to see us at the beach and you can see Maximus is holding the 'famous treasure'!
Pawpaw and Cathi collected coins from around the world and hid them in the treasure chest before secretly burying it under the 'X'. The chest also held a huge ruby and I told Maximus it was worth thousands of dollars and he could trade it in on a jetski, but he said "NO" and is still sticking to his word today. What a cool way to end our "pirateland" vacation!


Friday, October 17, 2008

Where ther's gold, I'm a goin'!


We have been doing a unit study on Pirates. While we were at the beach this summer, Maximus found a buried treasure, right under an 'X' (shhh he don't know that his treasure was buried by his maties Pawpaw and Cathi) and that led his curiousty to want to know more about pirates.
We read several books: Pirate Pete, Tough Boris and his favorite Jolly Roger.
For his math, Mudshark Maximus was caught as a prisioner and had to 'walk the plank' by using his addtion (5 steps+1 steps=6 steps, 5 steps+2 steps=7 steps, etc.). We added a little history by renting a National Geographic movie on Blackbeard.
He also watched some fun pirate cartoon movies: Pirates Who Don't Do Anything- A VeggieTales Movie and Scooby-Doo in Pirates Ahoy.
For his science, we did an experiement by wearing an eyepatch and having to judge our depth-perception by dropping a coin into a cup. It was pretty cool. Mudshark said he would like to come up on a ship full of pirates wearing eyepatches because they 'would be swinging at the air with their swords, while he attacked'! He said "I get why God gave us two eyes now"... I wish I would have 'got that' at 5 years old- and even now at 29!! Mudshark also did a lot of different pirate artworks by creating and painting a pirates' feast, a pirate's favorite companion and a treasure map. See the slideshow above, it shows the prisioners' in handcuffs!

Keep doing what I am doing

I love good quotes, in fact I collect them. Whenever I come across a good quote, I clip it or copy it and also hide it in my heart.

Here are two that I came across lately that helped remind me to 'keep doing what I am doing'.

Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality. - Beatrix Potter (1866-1943)

Anyone can memorize facts and figures.The real way to learn anything is to go experience it and let your curiosity lead you. Who's ready to learn?. . .Man in the Big Yellow Hat -- Curious George The Movie 2006

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The Brew Crew







Well here we all are, at the place we love the most- home. These pictures were taken in our front yard and on the back side of our property.

We absolutely love living in the country. We love the old barns, the rust, the tall grass and the kids, of course, love the old tire swing. We go to the back side of our property and eat fruit right off the trees and vines. Its so peaceful. Our dream is to one day live on a farm in a rickety ol' farmhouse with a slammin' screen door. But for right now, we are content with life on the charm (we call our home, the charmhouse).

Monday, October 13, 2008

My Space



I am not talking about cyberworld or meeting people... I am talking about my office is done!!! I finally have a space that is set up for me to work and be surrounded with the things that I love.

I spend a lot of time on the computer. I work part time from home for Wells Fargo TPA (insurance), I use the web for many resources for our homeschool, I email (with 2 boys in the house, there is no such thing as a telephone conversation where I could actually hear) and I blog about our world. So I am so excited to have my office/my space. It's downstairs and I tell my kids there are spiders down here, hey- it worked for a minute anyway. My husband did electrical work for 10 years+ and changed careers about 2 years ago so it was tough getting him down here to wire me up. I have my computer, printer, phone and fax all in one place and no little hands trying to type away. I can't wait to surround it with naks to reflect the things that I love!

Thank you honey, I love my space!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Skipping the textbook- not school, baby

Yesterday morning I woke Maximus up and said "get ready Pawpaw and Cathi are coming to take you somewhere fun today (I hadn't told him earlier because I didn't want to hear 'when are they coming'
a-l-l w-e-e-k :)) Anyhow, he got up, got dressed, brushed his teeth and ate breakfast so easily (I wish I could say "Pawpaw and Cathi are coming" everyday)! Well after he paced the floor a few times waiting for them to pull up, he said "mama you know what I get to do today- I get to skip school" (my first thoughts [before I laughed] were my innocent little 5 yo knows about skipping school)...

...but being the 'homeschool mama' I said "nope baby, you're not skipping school- the world is your classroom and you are going on a fieldtrip".

Pawpaw and Cathi (and Aunt Rose- Cathi's aunt) took him to the Ga National Fair and he had a blast! He came home last night and could barely hold his eyes open, but tried so hard to tell me all about it.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

My BFF, Tara



She only looks like this when she wakes up :)...
After she has her coffee she is the most beautiful person that I know inside and out.
Tara and I hit off a friendship the day I met her (in 2002), we immediately had something in common- we were both germaphobes (she didn't want to use my stuff that you rub your fingers in to sort mail, I was just trying to be polite, but I was so glad because I didn't want her to use it either)!
Still today, Tara inspires me in many ways. She has taught me not to sweat the small stuff and that crying about it doesn't change anything. By watching her I've learned the true meaning of sacrafice and unselfishness. She is a wonderful mother to her 3 kids and anytime I need "mama advice" I always call on her. I have never met a more caring, honest and giving person than Tara.
We have had some awesome times together, we have laughed until I literally peed in my pants (on a business trip- in business clothes) and we have cried together.
I talk to her almost everyday and miss her when I don't.
I treasure our friendship and hold it very close to my heart.
If you haven't already met her, I hope you get the chance to one day!



How To Know Whether or Not You Are Ready to Have Children...

... No one told me about this until after I had 2 boys :)!

Mess Test: Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there all summer.

Toy Test:Obtain a 55-gallon box of Legos. (If Legos are not available, you may substitute roofing tacks) Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a blindfold. Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen.
Do not scream. (This could wake a child at night.)


Grocery Store Test: Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them with you as you shop at the grocery store. Always keep them in sight and pay for anything they eat or damage.

Dressing Test: Obtain one large, unhappy, live octopus. Stuff into a small net bag,making sure that all arms stay inside.

Feeding Test: Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill halfway with water. Suspend fromthe ceiling with a stout cord. Start the jug swinging. Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal (such as Fruit Loops or Cheerios) into the mouth of the jug, while pretending to be an airplane. Now dump the contents of the jug on the floor.

Night Test:Prepare by obtaining a small cloth bag and fill it with 8 - 12 pounds of sand. Soak it thoroughly in water. At 8:00 PM, begin to waltz and hum with the bag until 9:00 PM. Lay down your bag and set your alarm for 10:00PM. Get up, pick up your bag, and sing every song you have everheard. Make up about a dozen more and sing these too until 4:00 AM. Set alarm for 5:00 AM. Get up and make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. Look cheerful.

Physical Test (Women):Obtain a large beanbag chair and attach it to the front of your clothes. Leave it there for 9 months. Now remove 10 of the beans.

Physical Test (Men): Go to the nearest drug store. Set your wallet on the counter. Ask the clerk to help himself. Now proceed to the nearest food store. Go to the head office and arrange for your paycheck to be directly deposited to the store. Purchase a newspaper. Go home and read it quietly for the last time.

Final Assignment: Find a couple who already has a small child. Lecture them on how they can improve their discipline, patience, tolerance, toilet training, and child's table manners. Suggest many ways they can improve. Emphasize to them that they should never allow their children to run riot. Enjoy this experience. It will be the last time you will have all the answers.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

The Tazmanian Devil

I am constantly asked "what does River do while you do school with Maximus?" Well, here is a small explanation... he destroys the playroom. He dumps out all the toys and plays in the tox boxes. Yesterday he was given a new nickname, TAZ, and it fits him perfectly. Yesterday TAZ dug the soil out of my plant with his cars and soil was everywhere. While I was cleaning that up, he went to the kitchen and dumped salt all over the kitchen! Have you ever tried to clean up salt dumped from a brand new salt shaker? Seems we'll be walking on gritty floors for a while. It's a good thing for that sweet smile and dimple of his. SO that's what River does while we do school.
'Something for River to do while we do school' is TOP on my shopping list this week!

Monday, October 6, 2008

My directions for life

I have two quotes that make me stop, think and change directions.

"The key to success has never been found, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone"
-Bill Cosby

"Life is not measured by the breaths that we take, but by the moments that take our breath"

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Our fieldtrip




We took a fieldtrip to the Newnan Police Department and Fire Department. Maximus said his favorite part was sitting in the back of the police car- yikes!


Sweet, Salty, SOUR and Bitter


Maximus is learning about 1 of his 5 senses- "taste" and River is "learning" too :)!

Saturday, October 4, 2008

About me... its okay if you think I'm a little weird...

So you've stopped by to read my post. I'm sure you want to know all about me, so here goes...
I am a wife, mamuh, cook, maid, homeschool mama and family financial planner and accountant.
Ok on the real. I love my life. I married my childhood sweetheart in 2001, we have a lot of common interests and most importantly have the same goals in life. I am a mama to two handsome boys, 5 years old and 18 months.
I believe in God and ask for forgiveness often.
I fall in love two times a day, everyday!
I love homeschooling, camping, reading, baking during the holidays and watching a good movie.
I have two dogs, a Great Dane named Damian and a Rat Terrier named Elvis (who sleeps with me).
Holding my babies for the first time, the ocean, sunsets, and big open fields of flowers takes my breath away.
I can only count on one hand my true friends.
I am happy on payday and when I get a good deal.
I am sad when I watch the news.
My special talent is cake decorating and I've often thought about making a career of it.
I cannot live without my morning coffee, pedicures and my Old Navy fleece pajamas.
I like country music, a good fittin' pair of jeans, mixed drinks and playing board games and cards.
Old fashioned hand-dipped ice cream gives me the warm fuzzy feeling.
I wish I had more time for picnicin' and flea markets.
I wish I could meet Paula Deen, own a pair of expensive sunglasses, diamond earring and a 1965 convertible mustang.
One day I want to grow a garden, go horseback riding on the beach, own a Harley, restore an old farm house and go to Hawaii.
I regret not taking the time to learn canning and crocheting from my mawmaw.
I miss my mawmaw (May 4, 1936- October 2, 2008).
I do not like crowds, seafood, slow drivers or housework- laundry is the worst!
I love the smell of money, peaches, puppy breath, new cars; and I love the smell of a baby right out of the bath that has been rubbed down in Johnson & Johnson baby bath.
I love the sound of a slammin' screen door and heavy rain.
Oh and in case you are wondering... my favorite color is blue.



Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Our spider had 9 legs (???)

When I decided to homeschool, I started asking other homeschool moms what curriculum they used. I had one mom tell me they didn't use a curriculum, they just enjoyed their time together, go outside and count bugs. I thought 'what a wasted education'. So I ordered my curriculum and all 3 boxes of textbooks were delivered to my door. It even came with lesson plans for each day. This was great... until into the first couple of weeks I was screeming "I hate school!". Now I understand what that mom meant!
Yesterday we watched a spider build his web. It was so cool! We counted the number of times it went around, counted his legs and even made up a funny story about 'if I were a spider...' Wow, math, science and even a bit of language arts all in 30 minutes on our front porch swing. If school equals learning, then that's school!
I have very different plans for next year.