Contrary to what many may think, Ron & I are really enjoying the children.  They just come out with some of the funniest stuff.

The 5 year old, “Big Brother”,  is quite smart. He doesn’t sit around watching TV all day, but when he does, his momma only let’s him watch “educational” cartoons.  Very smart lady.

Back when they had their apartment, he soaked up quite a bit of Bill Nye the Science guy videos.  To hear the kid talk about gravity, or the solar system..it’s like WOW!

The other night we started talking about school.  Big Brother recently turned 5 and should be going to school this fall. But he DOES NOT want to go!

He has said in the past that he’d be terrified by the teacher.

Not sure why he thinks he’d be terrified of a teacher…

But we did have an amusing conversation the other night.

He said, “I want you to teach me!”

I said, ” You mean like home schooling? I would LOVE to homeschool with you. I’m sure you could teach me alot!”

He just stopped in his tracks, gave me a wondering kind of look and said, “No, YOU teach ME!”

I remarked back, “I’m afraid YOU could probably teach ME quite a bit!”

Then Big Brother gets another G-R-E-A-T idea!

He can teach Little brother everything we teach him!

I continued it by saying that Little Brother can teach baby sister (still in Mama’s belly).

Big Brother said, “No, I’ll teach my baby sister and she can teach Little Brother.”

I tried to explain that Little Brother should teach Baby Sister since he will be older.

Big Brother insists that Baby Sister should teach Little Brother.

Must be he doesn’t think Little Brother is too bright and needs more time….

Little Brother is a good worker!

This morning I was folding towels and wash clothes at the kitchen table while talking to the kids.

Little Brother (just over 2) grabbed a wash cloth. I figured I would turn this into a learning experience and make the kid happy at the same time.

So I started teaching him how to fold the wash cloth in 1/2, smooth it out, then fold in 1/2 again.

He did it several times and did it very well.

Do you think he would show anyone else?

NO!

He started balling it up, then flattened it back out and started folding it in thirds and such.

If you ask me, the kid is pretty smart. He chooses what he will reveal of himself to others!

All in all, I would say the adult children need to get a life and move on.

The little kids can stay….for a while!

That’s it for now!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I can already get on my Facebook and Twitter from the Blackberry.

I enrolled the Princess back into public school from homeschooling. Not my choice, and frankly she doesn’t seem all that happy.  To see why I re-enrolled her back into PS, go HERE.

They told us to call her guidance councilor today. Lo and behold, when I called the school today and asked to speak to Mrs. B, they said that she was no longer there, that Mr. A was now there. He was actually the school psychologist in the elementary school when the Princess went there.

He was the one who literally saved the day when the Princess was in THIRD grade and was refusing to go to school, crying hysterically. I was beside myself, crying as well. I called the school and they said to see if I could get her in and talk to Mr. A.  She agreed and he talked to her.

She had a teacher that yelled- alot! In fact, another teacher babysat my daughter over the summer and when she found out my daughters teacher, she warned me about the teacher. I blew it off, thinking  a teacher can’t yell that bad and get away with it, they must be exaggerating.

They weren’t. Some of my Girl Scouts said they could hear her screaming at different kids from down the hall- my daughter included.

Mr. A said he had that complaint from several other students, but the teacher had been there for like 20 years….but he did talk to her. He also let my daughter come in for lunch with him and a few other students now & then. This at least gave her a reason to want to go to school, but…

So he knows my daughter and she knows him- good or bad? 

One thing I cringe at: When he called and gave me her homeroom teacher, he gave me just a last name. I asked if it was male or female just because….

He didn’t know!

He said he was new to that school, which I understand- but they are throwing him into a situation where he has to managed a few hundred kids and deal with issues without knowing anything about that school or any of the teachers.

I hope we’re not in for another trying year……….I’m already dreading not Homeschooling! Life was sooo stress free and my daughter was so much happier!

Let me just go back to camp and not have to stress over this poo-poo!

Oh well, the decision has been made……….

Feel free to check out my whole blog and leave a comment THEN push one of the bloggy buttons below and join in a hop!

Friday Fragments

We’re “almost” ready to roll! Today we pull the camper out and set it up in it’s new home! I say we’re almost ready because there are a few things that aren’t done- like putting the rug down on the floor. But I set today for our “goal” date. We were going, ready or not! We can do the rest while there.

This is probably the first goal date I’ve hit in years. But then again, it’s only 7:39 a.m. The day isn’t over yet!

Homeschool or Public School

I enrolled the Princess in public school yesterday against my wishes. I know, I know, I’ve heard it before, I’m her mother and I should decide which she does. I have my reasons for what I did- you can read about it HERE.

In my opinion, after I enrolled her, I thought the Princess looked a little sad.

I did tell her that if it became physically too much to let me know and I’ll HS again.

She has Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis- last time she went to PS (2 yrs ago) she was having problems navigating between classes and such and being on time. They have since EXPANDED the school.

I expect she’ll be home soon- and not just for that reason.

BTW- the socialization issue………..I found that button up above on a homeschooling group- love it! As you will see on my blog post about her going back…it was all about socialization.

When I re-enrolled her, the one woman at the school office asked if it was because of socialization. My daughter said yes, and I said ” She misses the detention she used to get for socializing.”

The lady kind of laughed then said she was surprised the Princess was coming back- it seemed like we were doing really well and had a good system down (she reads the school reports). Our system was natural learning for the most part!

Puppy Report

We bought Cosmo a new toy- it is a stuffed hamster and it has a string you pull. When you pull the string it shakes and makes a noise. I call it the Hyper Hamster. I took a video of him (with my Blackberry) pulling the string but I couldn’t send it to my email- the file was too big.

Every file is too big! Does anyone know how to transfer a video from a Blackberry to the computer?

Ok, have to go finish  packing. If I can get Internet service at camp, I’ll check you guys out later. Otherwise, I’ll catch up Sunday night and Monday.

Have a great weekend!

PS- Looking to make a little extra cash in a fun, easy way? Check out my last blog post!

Friday Fragments

Waz Happenin….

My daughter announced she wants to go back to public school. I got quite emotional about it! Poor kid! You can read the post HERE.

Tuesday night I had my network marketing meeting with other local business owners. Only two others showed up, but we had a great brainstorming session. Between the coffee and the ideas bouncing around in my head, I could barely sleep.

Yesterday we went to the science museum. We went to the iMax movie, where I proceeded to fall asleep. I know, how can you fall asleep with a screen that surrounds you and is quite LOUD at times?

Dead Chickens….

There is something getting our chickens. I had found a dead one in the coop several days ag0.  I figured it died of old age.

Then, Ron and I thought we had less chickens in the coop. We had previously moved most of them out of the coop and in with he ducks, but hadn’t gotten to several of them yet.

We counted them to be sure we knew how many were left in there.

Well, I go to feed them the other day and there’s one missing. I found it behind the building, headless!

The next day, another dead one.

So we got all but two out. One hen was skittish so we decided to wait another day and try to secure things better.

This morning, the rooster was dead. Ron moved the last chicken in with the ducks and other chickens.

Hopefully our hungry friend will move on….

The Great New York State Fair!

The fair is coming and I don’t know if I want to go. Honestly, we only go every couple of years and in my opinion it seems like the same old stuff.

AND, since we are late coming into the camping season, I hate to give up any of my time there.

As it is, I just found out we have a family reunion one of those weekends………at least that’s being held at a cousins maybe an hour or two away, so we can go for the day or pitch a tent and stay all weekend.

My mom said to bring the camper. I told her no way- once I have it parked and set up the way I want, it’s not moving!

So anyway, my mom is going to the fair, and I believe my aunt from Colorado (who’s coming back for the reunion…).

But I just don’t feel like it…..unless my cuz and best friend comes back from Colorado, too! They HAVE surprised me a few times before..

Otherwise, maybe I’ll just invite them to camp……

Texting Torture

I seem to have a  problem texting- does this happen to you, too?

Yippee, Skippie I got paid!

I know I’ve told you guys about this site a few times- I mean who doesn’t like saving money? But I’ve also posted when I’ve MADE money, too. The other day, payment was made into my PayPal account, so now I know they pay up.

Hey, you never REALLY know until you see the money!

But this affiliate pays off, and it has been one of the easiest money makers I have. And I ALREADY have more earnings in my account!

The Weekend

So what’s everyone doing this weekend? You know what we’ll be doing- the camper!

Of course, Ron has been busy with work 24/7 the last 2-3 days. He’s a diesel mechanic on call, so he may have no calls for a day or two, or get calls back to back. Or be called out at 3 a.m. to fix a truck on the side of the thruway.

What guy wouldn’t like a job like that? You can never PROMISE to fix something, or go somewhere, or be here for dinner.

Because that phone may go off right when you’re ready to eat……

Hope you all have a Happy and Safe one!

The first piece of news is- we found a trailer! It is really too funny how it happened. I had all but given up for this year…..

I just asked! Actually, we found two trailers by asking. Both were friends and I was just goofing around asking when they were going to sell their trailer and how much. Both of them came up with a price!

So this weekend we pick up the one we chose. Both were pretty old but in good condition- one a tow-behind, one a  small class A- the kind you drive. Even though Ron is  a mechanic, he didn’t want to get involved fixing the class A.

The tow behind just needs the door fixed (minor) and hardwood flooring installed (the flooring came with the trailer).

We won’t be able to travel like I want right now, but that’s ok. Ron’s job is too new, and we used up most of our savings when Ron wasn’t getting paid by his old boss and then when the shop closed for good. You need moola to travel, and lots of it!

We went last weekend to look at some campgrounds. We found one we liked, picked out a spot and should start camping on the 27th of this month. The season lasts until October 1st, so we can get a little camping in this year! Since we homeschool, we can stay all season if we want!

Now I can start posting to my camping blog again:

http://www.athomeonwheels.com

The second great piece of news?

I made another $10.00 the other day with We use coupons! I have made $10.00 several times over………this is by far one of my favorite affiliate programs!

AND….I can save money as well with the coupons!

A double-good deal!

And…Little Man is here for a visit! We haven’t seen him in a couple of weeks!

Check out the pic- a little fuzzy, but….

Little Man loves to be carted around the yard by Aunt Princess

Check out our homeschooling page to see some stuff we’ve been learning. Even though Little Man is not homeschooled, he learns with us at times.

Ticked off by twitter?

Yesterday I tried to Tweet and Twitter was over capacity! THIS is what I had to say about that!

And last but not least- check this out:

AmeriPlan, the company I have my home biz through, was on Good Morning America the other day. You can read about it and find the link HERE.

And since it’s Friday, don’t forget to get into the Blog-Hopping action!

And….Ann’s bloghop, Virtual Girls Night Out, will now be held on Saturdays…

Free Shipping on Orders of $99 or More! Now at Cooking.com! (Use Coupon Code: C97978)

When I did post, I forgot to go over and add my link to the McKlinky’s of the hosts of the blog hops! Then life got busy and I didn’t get to visit too many of the other blogs anyway.

I’ll try harder this week, I promise!

Why I love Friday’s

Who needs to go to a bar or nightclub when you have great friends right here on the Internet?

Friday brings us Friday Fragments, Friday Blog Hop, and Virtual Girls Night Out.

http://www.mynewlifeasmom.com/

and a spanking brand new one, Bee Funny Blog Follow:

Friday Fragments

Why parents run away………………

My house guests from last week are gone, but this week brings new boarders. My son recently came home from Louisiana. He and my son who recently graduated are looking for work. To make a little money, they have been going out to our friend’s farm and working for him picking blueberries.

They decided that to save on gas, the older son and his GF should stay here for a few days. They come with a puppy, a 1/2 black lab, 1/2 pit bull – a female named Midnight. We all keep forgetting and calling her Nightmare. She’s a very good dog. Rocky and Cosmo have a ball with her.

Anyway, this is why parents run away…to get away from the kids that are supposed to WANT to get away from us, but don’t.

Things that go missing………...

It seems to me there are some items that seem to go missing from just about every household on a regular basis:

Socks: I have been battling sock issues for ages. Check it out HERE!

Those twisty tie’s that keep your bread closed: This seems to be an ongoing problem here. It seems every time I take out the bread (or go to put it away when someone has left it out), the twisty is gone. Nowhere to be found. Not on the table, not under the table..not on the counter, and obviously not on the bread!

The thing is, if the twistys lost, at least close the bag like this:

Just twist it closed and pull the excess bag back over the rest of the loaf.

For the record, every time I sweep the kitchen floor I find twisty’s- where they were hiding beforehand is anyone’s guess.

More disappearing acts:

Kids: When you want something done

Men: When you want something done

Shut Up!

I was on my way to the vets today. I was flipping through the radio stations like always…..found something I liked.

A few minutes later this song came on…excuse me if you like it…but it seemed to me that all it said was SHUT UP…SHUT UP….

Hello? This is music?

No cell phone?

My 19 year old refuses to have a cell phone! Strange, huh? He said they are a pain. I can see his reasoning when he was younger. He worked on a farm and was constantly losing his cell  in the hay loft or the grain bin, or it would fall out of his pocket and get stepped on…by cow or human.

But now he has a car he can keep it in…

I freak out with out my celly!

Good-bye to an old friend

I got word via Facebook (gotta love it) that an old friend has passed away! This woman, her husband and kids camped at the same place as us when I was a kid. We have known the family for about 40 years, although since everyone stopped camping about 20 yrs ago we only see them occasionally.

My mom was good friends with Barb, the woman who passed away. My sister hung with the two daughters, and I hung with the son. He was actually my first husband (at the rip old age of about 12!). That is a story for another day

Anyway back in the day everyone helped watch each others kids at camp. If I was on the beach and my mom wasn’t there, you can be sure Barb or one of the other parents was watching me right along with their kids. It was almost like an extended family.

I remember my mom and Barb hanging out in the shallow water at the beach, picking out rocks and throwing them in a pile. Although the owner of the camp put sand on the beach and in the shallow part of the creek every year, there were still rocks that hurt our little footsies! The kids would often join in.

Maybe that’s where my love of rocks come from!

Anyway, some of my fondest childhood memories are from camp, and Barb was such an integral part of that.

So here’s to Barb!

Now I must go and put my links out there. I have the wake tonight, so not sure if I’ll visit blogs tonight, but will definately over the weekend!

See ya!

And didn’t my daughter have to go buy a few of them yesterday. Of course, she may not have realized just how much they irritate me. After all, I try to do my best NOT to act irritated by the kids noises!

Yesterday she babysat for a few hours for my stepson and his GF and made $10.00. It was seriously burning a hole in her pocket, so when we went to Wally World she spent it- on party stuff!

You know, the noisemakers, some bouncy balls, the HUGE blow-up balloons and a stick-the-tail-on the donkey.

The kids were here when we left, so I can only assume that she was thinking of the 3 yr old when she bought the stuff.

She is always spending her hard earned babysitting money on her babysitting kids!

Anyway, the kids were gone when we got back.

But that didn’t hinder the fun!

Remember, I have boys! They may be 19 & 20, but they are still boys. Because of them, I detest bouncy balls! I used to have quite a bit of my breakable stuff out when they were younger.

Get 2 or 3 kids bouncing one of those destructive items around, whipping them at each other, and you have the recipe for a major conniption fit from momma!

And the sound of the boom, boom, boom when they bounce it…just grates on my nerves…

Same for those huge balloons being hit back and forth…..annoying.

Noisemakers…let’s NOT even go there!

Anyhoo, she bought them all.

The 19 yr old gets involved in the bouncy ball action. Bouncy balls flying from corner to corner.

The noise made my nerves want to jump out of my body

Finally I begged for mercy, and they finally stopped.

The Princess then began STACKING the balls on the table.

Then she wiggled the table, thinking the balls would fall.

NOT!

They all stayed together and rolled around! She was pretty amazed.

Anyway, that was a more acceptable QUIET way to play with the balls until I find them laying around and put them in the Bouncy Ball Graveyard (the garbage

I know, I’m an old Bah Humbug!

But in my defense, I can handle babies crying and toddlers whining (to a point) , noisy trucks & cars, video game noise and more.

Am I forgiven for hating a little bouncy ball?

Just had to share………….

She has been talking since the end of last year that she wants to go back to PS- she is bored and misses her friends.

Of course the friends tell her about all the fun she’s missing…you know- the fights, the boys who disrupt class, the insane teachers and all that “fun”  stuff.

In my heart, I know she won’t be happy back at PS. She has become such an independent learner (actually, always has been!)

But again, going with an Unschooling approach if she wants to go to school it’s up to her.

I actually put in my Intent to HS to my district, and figured we have a few months to mull it over. Pray, think, pray some more..

Yesterday, my daughter announced she may want to homeschool.

Her reasons?

Well one I know that has been eating away at her is the fact that if she goes back to PS, she loses a lot of babysitting.

My daughter is a small kid freak. She often has the opportunity to watch kids when other kids are in school. She has also helped our neighbor after she had surgery and  helped homeschool a 6 year old one day a week.

She makes her own money and has purchased her own cell phone, buys her own texting cards and often buys herself food (like ours is no good

Now my neighbors son & GF are having a baby this winter, and my stepson, GF and two kids moved back to the area and will need a sitter now & then.

The kids will probably come here, so I can help. She can do any schoolwork as well, although she can do her schoolwork whenever- who says it has to be from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.?

She has also made quite a few HS friends- she probably has more of them than PS friends now, but they live scattered about, so she only see’s them at co-op and maybe youth group at church.

But the reason she stated  yesterday? Two girls threatened to beat her up if she comes back!

I’m not happy about THAT reason, but happy it’s making her think!

So I’m rejoicing ….I think she’s coming along!

Speaking of beating people up, a member on one of my homeschool groups shared this- she couldn’t remember where she found it, but check it out!

“When my wife and I mention we are strongly considering homeschooling our children, we are without fail asked, ‘But what about socialization?’