Day Trip

It's 10:20 am & all I wanna do is take a nap.  My eyes are slamming shut.  Yesterday we took a day trip up North to look at a dental practice.  My husband slept the whole way home, so I have no idea what his thoughts & opinions are right now.   I didn't even get to see the practice and we need to see what kind of housing options are available, so if hubby is interested, we'll have to make another trip up there.  I have one requirement right now for hubby's job and where our family ends up ... it's not a totally set-in-stone requirement, but I'm going to push for it as much as I can.  The job yesterday meets that requirement, so as far as I'm concerned, if hubby likes the job, everything else can be worked-out ... even the insanely high house prices. 

I have one more cool photo from my concert Friday night ... William Joseph performing Piano Fantasy with his incredible violinist Pauline Kim.

Trying to Recover

I'm still recovering from Friday night.  I think when I do something big like that (EVMCO Concert), I run, run, run all week and then just totally crash for a few days.  I wish I could've relaxed more over the weekend.  I think I got into bed around 2am Friday night and then sweet Turkey was up by 6am, so Saturday I felt like a walking zombie & I was CRAN-KY!  Plus I had to go sit in meetings with dental brokers for 3 hours....blah.  Sunday was a bit more relaxing & yesterday my biggest job was Peacock's hair since it had been neglected for the last several weeks.

On the job front, we're still plugging away.  One job was ready for a commitment from us, but we aren't ready to commit to anything yet.  We want to make sure we've explored all our options before we commit because we are looking for something we can commit to for 20+ years.  Not only do we have to make sure Daddy's happy at work, but that we're living somewhere that we feel good about raising our kiddies, which means we might not take the greatest & bestest job out there.  I think both sides are going to have to compromise a bit.  I feel hopeful.  We have some good options.

I leave you today with some photos of my concert.  We won't say where these photos came from since photography probably wasn't "allowed" during the concert, but I was excited to find them in my inbox .... look for white & purple stars to find Penguin & me.

School's Out!

Today is our last offical day of school.  YIPEE!!  Penguin is super excited to celebrate this evening.  She's already dreaming of restaurants where to wants to eat tonight.  Tomorrow we'll take a break ... we all need a break.  The weather is beautiful here, so I think we'll go out & enjoy some sunshine tomorrow.  Friday is our big concert, so we'll be heading over to Gammage for rehearsals, etc that will go on for the majority of our day.  But, much to Penguin's dismay, summer school will be starting Monday morning. :)  Educating & learning never stop around here!   Summer school will be more relaxed & fun, but we will keep plugging away & reviewing.

At the request of one of my readers who'd like to learn more about homeschooling, I thought I'd share something we have been working on in Science this past week.  Penguin loves to learn & read about animals, so I thought we'd take it a step further and learn about their environments & throw in some unusal animals that we don't usually hear or read about.

 

A Walk in the Desert, A Walk in the Tundra, A Walk in the Deciduous Forest, A Walk in the Prairie, A Walk in the Rain Forest & A Walk in the Boreal Forest ... this is what we've been reading this week. Penguin learns about all those animals that she loves in so much more detail than she usually does.  These books also teach her about climate, plants, adaptations, seasons, soil, etc.

Each book begins with a glossary to help with words that might be new to her vocabulary.  The books are PACKED! with photos (at least 2 per page), maps & little side notes that give interesting facts.  The books are also very well written and make learning more interesting & fun.  For example, "All around the town, praire dogs stand guard.  They sit upright, with their paws folded neatly against their stomachs.  They scan the landscape for signs of danger.  Yip-yip-yip! Something has alarmed the praire dogs. A herd of bison is coming toward the town."  And of course that page includes large, colorful photos of praire dogs standing upright and bison walking across the praire.

If you'd like to check-out these books for yourself, they are written by Rebecca L. Johnson & published by Lerner Publications Company. 

Sonic ♥-er

I'll admit it.

I'm a Sonic ♥-er!

I ♥ their onion rings, Diet Coke with vanilla & extra ice, cherry limeades, & other fattening treats.  My very-most-favorite is a Hot Fudge milkshake!

Now through June 27th, Sonic is offering Buy-One-Get-One-Free  Shakes!!  No coupon needed.

For more info & other promotions, go HERE.

Passion for Music

The AZ Republic did a story on our upcoming EVMCO concert:

Ecumenical singers, musicians share passion for music

Summer Reading Programs

There are so many great summer reading programs available for kids.  I wish I was a kid and could earn all these fun prizes just for reading!!  Click on the links below to go directly to summer reading pages.

#1: Check with your local library.  Most libraries offer some kind of reward or party for kids that read a certain number of books or pages.  Your library may also have lists of age appropriate books if you get stuck on the ol' "what to read next"....

#2: Chuck E Cheese.  HERE is a calendar that you fill-out.  Chuck E Cheese has other educational promotions as well.  Check our their website for more details.

#3: Half-Price Books

#4: Borders

#5: Barnes & Noble

Did I miss any?

O America!

I know that some of your are probably so sick & tired of hearing & reading about the EVMCO choir & symphony, reading my posts about upcoming concerts, etc.  But I really just do not know how to express to you in words what you are missing-out on if you don't attend our upcoming concert on Friday night.  I wish you could've all been a fly on the wall today at our 4-hr rehearsal & heard what I heard!  I know it's a busy time of year and that everyone has a lot going on, but please make an effort to attend this concert.  It is going to be an OUTSTANDING evening.  The EVMCO symphony is the. best. symphony. that I've ever played with.  The symphony will be playing Rhapsody in Blue with Julliard-trained Brandon Stewart on the piano.  William Joseph will be playing a few songs with us including Led Zepplin's Kashmir.   The Sunbeam Choir will capture your hearts and the adult choir will send chills down your spine.  There will be fiddling, banjos, soloists, and all kinds of other fun entertainment. Come support the arts in our community.  Come support me & other people you know who are performing Friday night.

Tickets are ONLY $15-25!!  Get your tickets online: http://www.ticketmaster.com/O-America-tickets/artist/1434159  Our last concert was sold-out, so don't delay buying yourself a couple seats!! If you choose to have your tickets held at Will Call, show-up early because there may be some long times. 

I promise you that you will not be disappointed if you choose to attend our concert.  We will knock your socks off!!  If you've attended one of EVMCO's concerts in the past, please leave a comment & share your experience with other's who may be doubting how great this organization is.  I think this will be our best & most entertaining concert yet!!!

Funny Faces

P.S. I'm working on lesson #18 for YW ... the traditions lesson.  Any great ideas out there??  I feel brain-dead and I didn't find anything that I loved on Sugardoodle's website except for playing the Traditions song/video clip from Fiddler on the Roof.  My only other thought was to bring in some displays that represent traditions that my family has.

Cherry Red Cheeks

Before we left for the zoo yesterday, I couldn't find our sunscreen.  I thought I had checked everywhere ... well, I later found-out I checked everywhere except my purse.  Maybe it's kinda weird to carry sunscreen in your purse, but not so weird if you live in AZ.  And if you have a very fair-skinned, red-headed boy, sunscreen is a must-have ... at all times.  Anyways, couldn't find the sunscreen, so on our way to the zoo we stopped at our local Super Wal-Mart to buy more sunscreen.  I stood on the sunscreen isle, looked at SPF's, considered several brands & possibilities for about 15 minutes cause my Turkey has funny reactions to sunscreen.

I ended up selecting a spray-on sunscreen cause they're quick & easy to apply.  And then I saw this:

It was about $11 for a relatively small tube of sunscreen, but it looked like a good product and I can't really put a price tag on that soft baby skin esp when he's got parents that are prone to lots of moles, freckles & skin cancer runs in his genes.  I grabbed it & we were off to the zoo.

Today, this is what Turkey looked like when he woke up:

Do you see those cherry red cheeks?  That's not a sunburn!  That's a reaction to the "face" sunscreen.  You better believe that stuff went right back to Wal-Mart today!  And when the lady in customer service asked if it had been opened & used, my hubby said, "Yup, only once," while pointing to Turkey's face. 

So, I'm not sure what does this to his face, but every sunscreen I've tried except Nu-Skin's Sunright does this.  The only stuff that sold in stores that isn't quite is bad is Trader Joe's sunscreen.  Any ideas?

Momma Took Us to the Zoo Today

Today Hubby had the day off from work (not by choice though).  We got up, did some job hunting, made a trip to the zoo & then came home to work on the job hunt some more.  It was a beautiful day and, surprisingly, the zoo wasn't terribly crowded.  I esp. enjoy trips to the zoo when Hubby can go cause we leave strollers at home and let the kids walk so by the time we're ready to leave, the kiddies are extra tired which means they have extra long naps ... NICE!  As for the job hunt, we feel like we're making good progress this week.  We really appreciate everyone who has sent emails or left comments with job suggestions and ideas.  We are looking into all your ideas plus lots of other options.  Right now we have two options that we feel good & excited about, but we probably won't make any decisions anytime too soon.  We still have lots of learning & investigating to do and we're still looking to make sure we're not missing any other great opportunities out there.

"Hope for the Children" with American Idol's Brooke White

If you would like to support adoption & foster care or learn more about these topics, a wonderful event is being planned in Gilbert, AZ this month.

A concert will be held on May 29th at Gilbert High with American Idol's Brooke White. It will be combined with a vocal competition for youth ages 12-25 to compete for a cash award, the title of "Ambassador for Children", and a trip to a Mexican orphanage to perform for the children there. The internet registration deadline for kids wanting to register for the preliminary auditions ended last night, but they will be accepting walk-ins.  Auditions are Wednesday night at Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse from 4-9.

Please visit their WEBSITE for more information.

 

Are You Ready to ... ROCK N ROLL?!?

Just got word that this song is being added to our EVMCO concert next week. I'm SOOO excited!!!

Get your tickets HERE!!  Tickets start at ONLY $15!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope that you're enjoying your Mother's Day and that you are milking it for all it's worth!  :)  I read on another blog that, "being a mother is the coolest, hardest, sweetest, most rewarding, least rewarding, humbling, liberating, terrifying, joyful, nothing like you expected, bewildering, heartwarming, heartbreaking, most intense ride on the planet."  It made me laugh cause I totally agree, esp. the "nothing like you exptected" part!!

In all seriousness, being a mother is the "job" I always wanted to have when I grew-up.  I am so thankful for my three little birds.  They are the light of my life and I hope that I will always remember that they are the greatest blessing I have ... even on days when they drive me absolutely nuts! 

As we all celebrate the women in our lives today, remember the women who strongly desire to be a mother, but for whatever reason are not.  Remember them in your prayers, take them a goodie, or do something for them to help brighten their day today.

Finally, as you watch this video, remember who you are & think about your purpose here on Earth.  I think the phrase, "I am not my body," will remain with me for the rest of my life.  When I watch Stephanie, I am so much more appreciative of the little things like being able to lift my kids out of the bathtub, cuddling with them in their fresh towel, and smelling their freshly washed hair without causing my physical body pain.

Check out Stephanie's Blog HERE.

Baby A's Blessing Day

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Or should I say ... Feliz Cinco de Mayo.  After living in Arizona most of my life, I can't even tell ya why we celebrate Cinco de Mayo other than it's an excuse to make way more Mexican food that we could ever eat & then stuff ourselves silly!  I was out the door by 8:30 this morning doing some final grocery shopping and then I spent the rest of the day cooking ... with some homeschooling & numberous potty breaks squeezed in there ... somewhere.  Oh, we were also naughty and stopped at Del Taco at 9:00 AM for FIFTEEN $0.39 tacos.  :)  Turkey ate 3-4 tacos of those tacos!

I also found myself a cute Cinco de Mayo prize at Target.  When I saw this caddy, it made me happy.  Bright & colorful ... perfect for a day like today, summer picnics & birthday parties.

Blessing Day

A couple weeks ago, Baby A was blessed by her daddy at church.  I'm thankful that I was here & able to attend her blessing.  Afterwards we had a great luncheon ... baby burgers, baby hot dogs, various salads, all kinds of desserts, french fries & sparkling lemonade.  We missed a lot of people in the photo, but here are some of us who stayed till the end. :)

Diaper Fairy

It's been a WHOLE year since we started potty training Peacock.  Totally insane.  I've tried EVERYTHING ... bribes, threats, being nice, being mean, & even dropping the subject for over a month during the holidays.  I've read books, researched on the internet, talked to friends who have had similar problems, bought new toys & even made offers for toys that are as much as $300!!  (One website says that the average cost of diapers is $150/month, so $300 for a toy would be saving me lots of money, right?!?) I've prayed, Peacock has prayed, we've both cried & screamed. It hasn't been pretty.

Because Peacock didn't want to poop in the potty & we told her that she couldn't poop in her diaper, she began holding in her poops for days.  Ouch!  This has been going on for months.  The pediatrician told us to get Miralax ... that didn't help at all.  Miralax didn't help her to want to poop in the potty.   There have been numerous times that I've threated to take away Peacock's diapers.  For a long time I've felt like Peacock would have no problem staying dry, but I would rather change poopy diapers than poopy undies.  About a week ago, I noticed that Peacock's diapers were running low.  I told Peacock that I wasn't going to buy any more diapers & that the "Diaper Fairy" would be coming to our house to take her diapers.  Thursday afternoon her diapers disappeared & she has been wearing undies ever since (except at nap & bed time she wears a pull-up).  I've been really worried that I'd be the one to throw-in the towel & run to Sams Club for more diapers, but I've tried to remain strong & patient.  Peacock has been glued to my side for the last 4 days cause I knew as soon as I let her get 10 feet from me that she'd go find a corner & make a yucky mess for me.  She's done great & even finally decided to put a poop in the potty today!!!  She clogged the potty cause she'd been saving up since at least Thursday, but that's OK.  We danced & celebrated!  And what prize did she ask for after finally doing the deed??  I single Starburst candy!   Argh!  But I promised a Sonic slush after naps today cause I want to make sure to celebrate again later today.  To make the celebration even better, Turkey was sitting on another potty & did a little poopy at the same time!!  Happy day for Mom!!  Now I just hope we can keep at it.