We're Going Camping!!

We are so very excited about another camping trip to Garner State Park next week! We had such a GREAT time last year and from the minute we got home, we couldn't wait to go back.
Our yearly trip in finally almost here and it can't come soon enough. :) Brenna is really pumped up about going and can't wait to sleep outside in the tent, cook s'mores on the fire, go swimming and hike up the huge hill again. It's going to be so cool for her this year since she knows how to swim now. She can actually go underwater this time with her goggles and see all the huge riverbed rocks and fish swimming (very!) near by. I will have to buy her a water proof camera - I think she'll like that because she LOVES to take pictures. We don't have any pictures of us from last year tubing and playing in the river either, so that will be nice.

Dea Jae and Dave (Brendon's Mom and Step-Dad) are going with us this time and we are looking so forward to spending some good quality "camping time" with them. It will be so much fun! I'm telling you - there's nothing quite like being outdoors and 'roughing it' for a few days with the people you love. No tv, no electricity, no housework or errands to run - just you and nature. Okay, now I'm getting a little cheesy. LOL :)

I've been getting things ready all week and have a lot of stuff together already. I am a very organized person (at least I like think so) and it takes me about a week to get things ready and make my lists. I created a camping list on the computer from our previous trips and that makes it a lot easier this time then coming up with one from scratch. There's a lot involved with getting ready for a four day trip. It's not like you can just run up to the store and buy something that you forgot - well you probably could but it would be a real pain. It is nice this time too because I don't have to spend nearly as much money since we have accumulated so many things from our other trips. We now have a Rubbermaid box in the shed that has all of our kitchen/cooking stuff, as well as another box that has other camping necessities. So pretty much half of my list is already packed in boxes that we just have to pull out and load up.

So we are leaving on Sunday and will be driving up to San Antonio and staying at Dea Jae's that night. We'll do all of the grocery shopping up there and get some of the food prepared the night before. I like to pre-make eggsalad and tuna salad for lunch, as well as cut up some of the things we use (onions, peppers, meat for 'kabobs) and freeze all the meat so it stays longer in the ice chests.
On Monday morning we will leave S.A. and go to Garner, which isn't too far away. Dea Jae and Dave are going to stay until Wednesday and Brendon, Brenna and I will go home on Thursday. I would just absolutely love to stay for an entire week but Brendon can't take that much time off work. I told him that next year I would like to stay for about four or five nights - but we'll see.

Anyways, I probably will not post again until we get home next week. I'll make sure to take lots of pictures to share and I know I will have a few funny stories to tell as well. Wish us luck and GOOD WEATHER! :)

GO AEP!!

So as you all know, we got hit pretty hard by Hurricane Dolly last week (it was no Katrina BUT it was still bad). My Dad works for the local electric company and those guys have been busting their butts since Thursday - with no days off I might add. My Dad has been going into work at 5AM and not getting home until about midnight. Brenna and I felt that they all deserved some sort of recognition so we made poster board signs and went and hung them at the service station on their fence. Brendon took a little time off work and came to help me, which was wonderful because it would have been really hard by myself.

Brenna and I made a total of 12 signs with all different stuff on them. Some of them were:

"THANK YOU For All Your Hard Work!"

"We Appreciate You!"

"You Are In Our Prayers"

"God said, "Let There Be Light" Then He Created Linemen to Distribute It" (my favorite)

"Long Hours + No Days Off = Hard Workin Men"

"We Are Grateful For You"

"Thank You to all of the Out-of-Town Helpers"

Brenna made her very own sign that said, "Thank you Grandpa and all your friends! Love, Brenna"

It made me feel really good to do that. And guess what??!! My signs are going to be in the paper! I will post the link if they have it on their website.

(BTW - You should be able to click on the pictures and it will make them bigger. Please excuse the mess on Brenna's face in the picture of her!! We just finished eating spaghetti for dinner! LOL)

Survived the Hurricane!

Well Dolly delivered a stronger punch then anyone expected I think. We did fine though and were very prepared. We got tons of rain and the city flooded pretty bad in some parts. In fact, there are still people with water in their houses and some who don't have power yet. I guess we were pretty lucky and only went a day and a half without electricity.
After it was all said and done we had a lot of cleaning up to do in the yard and lost quite a few big branches. The water came close to the house and we were a little nervous but as soon as the rain let up it started draining real quick.
Brenna did great and never got scared. She did better then Brendon and I did actually. LOL The winds were vicious and blowing about 85mph I think for a couple hours. I took quite a few pictures to kinda document everything. The link is at the bottom. I wanted to take pictures when we went driving around town but I forgot my camera. It was so weird seeing hand written 'CLOSED' signs on all the convenience stores and all the damage everywhere. When the power slowly started coming back on people were lined up into the street for gas as well as fast food. The drive thru line at one of the Whataburger's was all the way into the street and down about a block.

For us life has pretty much returned to normal but for a lot of people it will take a while. The local paper today had lots of stories and pictures of people still dealing with the aftermath and it's very sad. I really would like to do something to help but so far no information has been given as to what others could do right now.
We did have one of Brendon's co-workers, his wife and two kids stay with us last night because they still did not have power. We gave them Brenna's room and said that they could stay as long as they needed but thankfully for them their power was restored today.

Well here's the link to the pictures I took.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v23/raving_butterfly/Hurricane%20Dolly/

Life Experiences

So Brenna had her very first experience with losing a pet today. Her cute little hamster, Darthee, passed away and she was pretty heartbroken. Brendon and I found him last night and we told Brenna this morning. She actually took it pretty well when Brendon broke the news to her. I had put Darthee in a little box last night and Brenna and I had a nice funeral for him today (headstone and all). When we buried him though that's when Brenna cried. It was so sad and I even cried too seeing my little girl so hurt.
She eventually decided that she would like to get another hamster and did not want to wait. She really was such a good little owner and did a wonderful job taking care of Darthee and I think she would have really missed not having something to care for.
So has hasty as it may seem, we went and picked out another hamster for her today. We ended up getting a very sweet dwarf hamster (Darthee was a full-size hamster) and he is very cute and really gentle. The first one Brenna picked out tried to bite the guy who was getting him for us so I immediately said "No way! Not that one!" Eventually he found a pretty docile one that Brenna liked and she was a proud hamster owner again. She named him Dexter.
I never did post any pictures of Darthee but I will try and get some on here of Brenna and Dexter.

How Time is Flying!

Yes, this summer is going by "speedy quick", as Junie B. Jones would say. Ok, so not everyone has a 6 year old so I will enlighten you - Junie B. is a character is these chapter books that Brenna and I love to read. She is a very witty and funny 1st grader and her books are VERY cute. Think Judy Blume with a little sarcastic twist...

Anyways! It's been a while since I last posted. Nothing really life-changing has happened. Just going through our day-to-day stuff. This past weekend WAS pretty eventful though. Almost my entire family on my Dad's side was down for the holiday weekend. For those who don't realize what a big deal that is -- my family on that side is HUGE and it is a pretty rare thing for all of us to get together. My Grandma had six children and only about every three years or so they are all in one spot, at one time. You can imagine all the pictures that are taken. haha!

We had such a great time and spent all weekend at Arroyo City and ate sooo much good food! Brenna was an absolute DOLL and was so good and so polite and really kept everyone entertained - especially the teenagers (all my teenage cousins brought friends and boyfriends/girlfriends). They just adored her and thought she was the coolest little kid they ever met. LOL :) It was pretty darn cute the way they hung out with her (and especially the way she fit in!!). My cousin even made a comment and said that she thought it was really neat that Brenna could hang out with all the "adults" and fit in so well and make such great conversation.

She was a great help too and took it upon herself to go around and pick up everyone's dirty plates after dinner one night. My Grandpa asked her if she was working for tips and she just smiled and said, "No Papa, I'm just trying to be a good person." Everyone 'ooo-ed' and 'ahhh-ed' and thought she was so cute. Yes, I was a very proud Mama. :) We did get a couple pictures - first one is of Brenna and me at dinner one night. Second is of of a rainbow that we were blessed to see after it rained (Brenna took the picture of it - it was quite spectacular and the only time that Brenna remembers seeing a rainbow).

So since Brenna is finished with her swimming lessons Brendon and I got a membership to the Elk's Lodge and we now have a pool pass. Too bad it's been raining for five straight days!!!!! So yes, we need the rain (BADLY!) but poor Brenna just wants to go swimming! Hopefully the skies will clear and little Miss Brenna will be able to show off her swimming skills soon. :) I try to remember my camera and get some pictures to post.

Day at Schlitterbahn :)

Yesterday we went to Schlitterbahn and had such a wonderful time! We could really tell a big difference in Brenna this year and she seemed to have a better time then she had had in the past. I think a lot of it had to do with her completing her swimming lessons - she feels more comfortable in the water and does not mind getting her face wet now. So that helps a lot when it comes to going under the water falls, which there are A LOT of that are pretty hard to avoid sometimes.
Anyway, I didn't get too many pictures but here are a couple that I took.

Little Golfer

Brendon and Brenna went and played nine holes of golf yesterday. Brendon said that Brenna did real well and is getting much better at putting. He took a few pictures for me.

Pictures of Swim Lessons

Here's a couple pictures I took of Brenna today at her swimming lessons. Another fantastic day!! She's getting better and better and swam much further today. :)

Car Sticker

I had somebody ask me about my sticker that I have on my car because of a comment on my blog that mentioned it. I decided to snap a picture of it...

(Don't think I am obnoxious - this sticker on my car is very small and you can only read it when you are up close.)

My Girl's a Fish!

Brenna started her swimming lessons today. I have been doing my best to pump her up for them for about a week now and she has been very excited. For those who don't know Brenna too well, she is very leery about doing new things and sometimes it takes her a while. She has been like that her entire life and I have just learned to deal with it and accept her as she is. :) What else can you do?
Anyway, I was so proud her today! We got to my Mom's friend's house and for a second Brenna did not want to get out of the car and said that she changed her mind and she didn't want to take swimming lessons. My heart sank and I thought, "Ok, this is it. She's made up her mind and is NOT going to do it after all." (For those who are sitting there thinking, "Sometimes you just have to MAKE kids do things they don't want to" - I don't work that way. Unless her life or her well-being depends on it, I don't MAKE her do things that she is not comfortable with.) So I gave her a little pep-talk and told her that it's okay to be nervous and that I get nervous too with new things, yadda, yadda.... She nodded her little head, took a deep breath and got out of the car. We walked to the back gate and she still looked a tad bit nervous. As soon as we got in the backyard and she saw that huge pool and two other kids there, her excitement returned and that girl couldn't get into that pool fast enough!
So after Brenna got into the pool with her teacher I went inside the house (parents are not allowed to stay outside but can watch from the living room inside). I have to say that I was VERY impressed with Brenna and she did so GREAT! She was jumping off the side of the pool and swimming to her teacher. It was somewhat of a desperate swim and was very awkward but she was not afraid and did everything that was asked of her. She even went under water and got stuff from the bottom of the pool! I was extremely surprised with that.
So now she can't wait to go back tomorrow. Her teacher told me that she was impressed with Brenna and she will be swimming very well when her lessons are complete. YEA BRENNA!!

(BTW - I will get pictures of her sometime this week and post them. Her lessons go until next Thursday.)

Roller Skate Girl!!! (written by Brenna)

We were at Academy getting Dad a Father's Day present and were walking along when we saw these incredible roller skates. They were hot pink, white and other color pinks. The wheels were so smooth and the stopper looked like a bottle cap. They had the word Princess on it and had lots of sparkles. And the wheels roll so fast they look like they're staying in one spot. So we decided to buy them and then we went home to practice. So I was practicing but the gnats were so bad and of course there were mosquitoes but anyway, let's get back to the roller skate story....

I went to go practice in our front yard on the driveway. I was doing kinda even-steven and I never even fell down. And I even tried skating backwards. It was kinda hard but I didn't fall down or else that would have really hurt!!!




And this a picture I took myself. Like it? It's a picture of my roller skates and my stuffed animals. Their names are Pegasus and Tantrum.

School Work.... Without Force!

So yes, I am posting a LOT of pictures all of a sudden! That's how I work. :) LOL

Tonight Brenna got some of her 'school stuff' from the shelf that I have in the computer room and decided to do some work. This is what happens all the time in my house and I absolutely LOVE it. I can not stand dishes in the sink, a dirty floor, laundry to be done, things laying around... BUT if there is learning stuff, like papers and workbooks, scattered throughout my house I just adore it!

Here's little Brenna learning all on her own - without parental guidence or force... *GASP!* Look what happens when you don't MAKE them do school work!! It actually becomes FUN!

Some pictures that Brenna took

I thought I would post some pictures that Brenna took. She loves to take my camera and go around the house and take loads of pictures. Thank goodness for my memory card. She will literally take about thirty pictures within five minutes!


Here's a picture of her favorite buddy - Tantrum. For those who do not know about him - he is her 'lovey' that she just can't live without.
















Cute picture that she took of herself. :)
















Her new buddy - Cuddles.
















One she took of me sitting at the computer....
















Another one she took of herself

Make-your-own-pizza day!

When I was a kid my Mom used to let us make our own pizzas with hoagie (sp??) rolls. We did that the other day for lunch and Brenna had such a great time and I got to relive my childhood. LOL They didn't taste quite as good as they did when I was a kid though. Mom, what was your secret ingredient?? :) Here's a couple pictures I took....

Summer time and lots of plans!

I figured that it is about time that I wrote another post. I am patting myself on the back for being much better about updating my blog. LOL :) Couple things to write about.....

Brenna was finally able to take out her earrings today. Six weeks is a long time for a six year old! I told her earlier this week that she would be able to wear new earrings soon and her little eyes got huge, her smile even bigger, and she was so excited. So today we went to the mall and I bought her an 'earring tree' and a bunch of earrings to fill it with. When we took out her original ones she cringed a little, anticipating pain, but soon found out that it was not as bad as she expected. She immediately picked out a new pair and I helped her put them on. I think it will be a while before she is able to do it herself. Maybe not - she surprises me a lot. Sometimes I get a kick out the way small things make her so happy. :) To be a kid again...... LOL

So we have a couple camping trips planned for this summer and all three of us are looking very forward to some great outdoor fun. Next month we are going to go with Brendon's mom and step-dad. The plans are still in the making but we are very excited. In August we are going back to central Texas for about 3 or 4 nights of camping at our favorite spot - Garner State Park! I think we would live there if we could! (Secretly, we have contemplated how much money it would take to go camping across Texas and surrounding States for a whole year. LOL If only Brendon's job would be secure for a whole year, I think we just might do it but I don't think that would happen. If only....)

We have such fond memories of last year at Garner and still look at the pictures all the time. I am hoping to get my parents to join us this year. My Mom is the one needing convincing. She's not much of an 'outdoorsy' person. But I think she would have a wonderful time if she just went. (I know you're reding this Mom....) I'd like to plan one more trip - maybe in the fall - to someplace that we have not been to yet. Of course there will be lots of pictures when we get back from them all. I'm so thankful that Brenna likes camping as much as Brendon and I do. It's just so great to get away from the city, cook all your meals outdoors, sleep in a tent and my favorite - no make-up or blow dryer! :) I love the simplicity and of course the relaxation. Something about being outside for three or four days straight just replenishes your soul.

So Brenna is not in karate anymore. After much thought she decided that it just wasn't really for her - at least right now. She did say that maybe when she gets older she would try it again. I really hope so because I think it is a great skill to have. She said that she wanted to get back into gymnastics so I will be looking into that again and signing her up very soon. I have also thought about getting her into an art class.

She is starting swimming lessons next week though! She was supposed to do it last summer but at the time she was still a little afraid of the water. In the last few months she has been dunking her head under water in the bath and seeing how long she can hold her breath and just getting to be much more comfortable with it. She is excited about learning how to swim now. She will be taking private lessons with my Mom's friend who has been teaching swimming for over 20 years. I will try to snap a few pictures of her and post them (IF I remember my camera).

Well nothing else really going on with us. Just enjoying the summer weather as well as praying for rain!!

Here's a picture that Brenna drew that she wanted to share. She is turning into quite the little artist!!

Funny Thing I Found

Here's a funny little thing I found on the Internet about socialization and homeschooling......


"When my wife and I mention we are strongly considering home schooling our children, we are without fail asked, 'But what about socialization?--' Fortunately, we found a way our kids can receive the same socialization that government schools provide.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I will personally corner my son in the bathroom, give him a wedgie and take his lunch money.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, my wife will make sure to tease our children for not being in the 'in' crowd, taking special care to poke fun at any physical abnormalities.

Fridays will be 'Fad and Peer Pressure Day.' We will all compete to see who has the coolest toys, the most expensive clothes, and the loudest, fastest, and most dangerous car.

Every day, my wife and I will adhere to a routine of cursing and swearing in the hall and mentioning our weekend exploits with alcohol and immorality..--.. And we have asked them to report us to the authorities in the event we mention faith, religion, or try to bring up morals and values."

WOW!!

I read in the Parade magazine this past Sunday about the debate on the whole homeschooling issue in California (can read about it here) and came across this comment left by somebody. I thought it was wonderful and wanted post it on my blog. This is WELL SAID!

"As a homeschooling mother of a teenage boy who has his own business and has been more involved in the community in his young years than most people are in a lifetime, I am appauled and disgusted at CA's proposition to make homeschooling illegal! What the public needs to ask itself is why it isn't illegal for an institution to hold everyone between the ages of 5 and 18 prisoner for the best years of their lives, force-feeding them disconnected information that is not developmentally appropriate nor of interest to most children and effectively brainwashing them to be obedient cublicle workers and puppets of a comsumeristic, power-obsessed government. Homeschooling, especially John Taylor Gatto and John Holt's vision of homeschooling, allows children to live life now, passionately, fully, playfully and intelligently, not waste away in some pseudo-human stand-by mode in which they are IV fed the line about "what they can be someday" if they just sit down and shut up and robotically do what the teacher says. Forced schooling is a human rights violation that produces a passive, dumbed-down populace. Children's basic physical, emotional, developmental and intellectual needs are denied and ignored in public school. Powerless children form cruel and toxic peer cultures in order to grasp at some semblance of power in their immature, regimented lives. Children can't play anymore. There is no joy to childhood in public schools. Children who cannot conform to this excrutiating system are diagnosed with fabricated "brain disorders" and are drugged with dangerous, neurologically-altering chemicals. Homeschoolers are often exceptional youth who live a rich, vibrant life that public schooled children can only dream of! Instead of taking away this fundamental right for children to learn in freedom, we should be asking ourselves why it is legal and accepted blindly that we turn our children over to the government at age 5 to be isolated from family and from their own lives, interests, needs and passions for the best hours, days and years of their lives."

Thoughts on This School Year....

So I recently went back and spent a good chunk of time reading my entire blog from start to finish. It was quite interesting and I had forgotten a lot of the stuff I wrote about. It's so funny how much things changed from one month to another and how much I changed my "teaching methods". I am now totally approaching homeschooling completely different then I ever thought I would. I have read in many, many different books that the first year of homeschooling is basically a trial-and-error kind of thing and you're just figuring things out. I really thought I had it all figured out when I first started but how wrong I was. I went from one end of the spectrum to the other in just under a year -- having a completely structured sit-at-the-table school-like setting to such a non-structured, child-led learning style, as well as pretty much everything in between.

To be honest, I was scared to death when I first though about, as well as uttered the words to Brendon for the first time, "I'm going to homeschool Brenna". I felt in my heart that it was the right thing to do but of course you still question yourself. You wonder "Am I doing the right thing?", "Is she going to miss out on some aspect of childhood by not going to school?", "Are people going to think I'm absolutely nuts!?", and the self-doubt goes on and on. I even cried the night before she was supposed to start school at public school. My husband was the only one who knew about that one - until this moment I have never admitted that to anyone else. He was my savior though and was so good to me and reassured me that I WAS doing the right thing and reminded me of all the reasons why I chose to do what I wanted to do -- I don't know what I would do without that guy. :) It was very emotional for me that entire week, before and after that "first day of school". I thought that what I was doing was wrong and I started second guessing myself -- but you know what? I felt that way because I had never known anything different. EVERYONE sent their kids to school. That was what childhood WAS - school. But you know what I have learned this past year? Childhood is more than that. Childhood is exploring and creating and imagining. Childhood is having the freedom you need without being tied down to a school schedule and homework (especially at such a young age). I LOVE that we are able to plan school around life instead of life around school (my new motto). There have been countless nights this past year that, out of the blue (on a weekday none the less! LOL), we will all sit in the backyard and just talk or play and not even have a care in the world about the time. Brendon works such crazy hours too and it's nice that Brenna gets to stay up a little later then she would if she was going to school so that she can spend time with her Dad. That is so important. Homeschooling for us is a way of life that I would not change for anything. It gives our family such wonderful freedom that we wouldn't have if we were tied down to a school schedule.

Another thing that I realized this year is that I absolutely LOVE being with my daughter and she absolutely loves being with ME. And, for us, that is how it should be. I have stayed at home with Brenna since the day she was born and I have not missed out on one single thing and we have both enjoyed so much together. Most of Brenna's friends go to public school and yes, she hears about "real school" and sometimes it does make me a little nervous that she will start to wish that she could go to school. Just the other day though, she had two of her friends from the neighborhood over (girl 10 and boy 6) and I heard them talking to her about their school and telling her how nice Mrs. So-and-So is and all the stuff they get to do. Brenna was listening and not saying a word and when they were finished she told them that she loved being homeschooled and loved being able to do things with her Mom all day. She told them about her homeschool group and all the things that we do with them. She told them about being able to spend so much time with her PaPa and JoJo (Great-Grandparents) and said that she would never get to do those things if she went to school. That just made me beam! :)

I could go on and on about WHY I choose not to send my daughter to school and all the benefits that we get out of homeschooling but this post would seriously turn into a book. LOL
So back to my teaching...which was the whole point of this post. (Yes, I tend to go off on little tangents. :)

This year I learned a lot about the kind of teacher that I want to be for my daughter. I have read probably a dozen books on homeschooling as well as books on children in general. Just ask my husband. He will tell you about all the books I ordered on amazon.com and about all the information that I tried to fill his head with. hehehe Poor guy was constantly getting bombarded with, "So what I read today was...". I would cook dinner, literally, with a spoon in one hand and a book in the other. It was, and still is, ridiculous. LOL But I LOVE gathering as much information as I can. I know I have stated many times in my blog about how much I read.

After getting so much information though, I came to the conclusion that children learn best when they learn what THEY want to learn. My little Brenna is such a curious little sponge and has absolutely no problem with learning things on a daily basis. She asks soooo many questions throughout our day and is interested in lots and lots of different things. I gave up forcing her to sit at the table and do her "school work". It just was not working for us at all and we were both miserable. I figured out though that I have to jump on the opportunities that are presented to me everyday. Brenna will ask soooo many questions about obscure things every day. Instead of just saying, "I don't know", I go out of my way to find her the answers. The Internet is a WONDERFUL resource!! To me, that is being the best teacher that I can possibly be. And the beauty of that is it is things that SHE wants to know and not things that are forced on her. So will she retain that information better that way?? You betcha! And I tell ya, that kid asks some crazy questions!! LOL :)

So now that our completely-laid-back-year-of-Kindergarten is over what do I plan to do for first grade? I am still not getting a full-fledged curriculum for her. I don't believe in over-whelming her with text book school stuff right now - that can come later. We have plenty of time for that. As I mentioned in my last post though, I did get her a math curriculum, which we are having a good time with so far. We will work on her handwriting this year as well, but as far as anything else I think we will just keep having fun. Don't get me wrong - I'm not planning on being such a laid back homeschool Mom forever. There will come a time when we WILL do more school-like stuff but for right now what we are doing is really working for us. My daughter is learning PLENTY and we are having a blast in the process!