Mommy Brain

Thank you so much for all your wonderful thoughts and words of encouragement this week! I am so glad to know that not only do I have dear “real life” friends, but I have all of you, too.

Our week is going much better. No one else has come down with the stomach bug; it may have been just something he ate. Kevin hasn’t been offered a job, but we are emotionally better and trusting. And this morning, my mom called and told me that she had a couch and loveseat for us. Gently used. Now, since most of you haven’t seen our furniture, this may seem like no big deal, but it is. Our couch and loveseat are literally falling apart. Kevin has re-attached one of the arms a couple of times. All of the cushions are pushing out of the upholstery fabric. They were used when we got them, and we’ve had them for several years. With all four of our kids. No, to be fair, Natalie really has nothing to do with the furniture falling apart. But the boys do. Most definitely. When we thought we were selling our house, we planned to buy some new furniture with some of the proceeds before we moved into a bigger house. Now, moving is put on hold indefinitely, but at least I won’t have to look at that ratty old furniture any longer. Mom and Dad are bringing the “new” ones over tomorrow morning. God is good.

Tonight, we’re going to watch Spiderman 3. We have a Tae Kwon Do promotion tomorrow. The boys aren’t ready to promote again yet, but Natalie will be testing for her yellow belt with green stripe – catching her up with Noah and Jonathan. Usually, we play hooky from church on a Sunday after promotion, since we spend all Saturday at the dojang. We can’t do that this time, because the kids all have speaking parts in the Christmas production, and need to be at rehearsal. Sunday afternoon will be low-key – not even a football game to watch since the Seahawks play on Monday night this week. On ESPN, which we don’t have. Oh, well, if they play the way they’ve been playing, I won’t miss much.

I have a bunch of links for you – I’ve been saving up for ages.

~ First, if this is real, it’s amazing.

~ If you’re old enough to remember what life was like “way back” in 1994, check out this: What if 24 was produced in 1994?

~ This comic shows what I’ve been experiencing watching the Seahawks play this season.

~ If you are as tired of the way people – like, you know – talk nowadays as I am, check out this comic. Here’s another by him: The Impotence of Proofreading. (Warning: PG-13 humor. Make the kiddos leave the room.)

~ Christopher Paolini and Random House have announced that the third book in The Inheritance Trilogy (the first two are Eragon, and Eldest) will be released in September of 2008. And it’s not a trilogy anymore, it’s a Cycle – there will be a fourth book. The link includes a video of Christopher talking about his writing process and how he knew there had to be two more books.

~ I love Brett Favre. If the Packers are playing anyone beside the Seahawks, I want them to win. (Well, except maybe the Colts. I really like Peyton Manning, too. ) This is a great video tribute to Brett by his wife Deanna. By the way, one of my favorite Christian authors, Angela Hunt, co-wrote Don’t Bet against Me!: Beating the Odds Against Breast Cancer and in Life with Deanna, and their book has made the NY Times Bestseller list.

~ Speaking of favorite Christian authors, Today’s Christian Woman has an interview with Lisa Samson. Her blog, Author Intrusion, was one of the first I read.

~ Remember how I said I can’t listen to or read Ann Coulter anymore? Someone needs to read her the verses on how people will know we are Christians by our love and the whole “love your enemies” thing. Well, this video is a Jewish woman’s response to some of her comments – like the one where her idea of heaven is the Republican convention. Shudder. (Warning: PG rating.)

~ All moms will be able to relate to this comic.

~ Dana at Principled Discovery has posted eight very funny reasons to homeschool.

That’s all – have a great weekend!

I know it’s only Tuesday, but it’s been quite a week. Kevin called from work yesterday morning to tell me that he will be “down-sized” at the first of the year. Laid off, let go, whatever you want to call it. And I freaked out. I tried not to, but I did. We live in a pretty economically-depressed area, and tech jobs don’t come along very often. And when they do – well, let’s just say the pay is ridiculous. We’ve been very blessed with his job, and he received a good wage for our area. And now we’re faced with this huge life change.

When I told the kids, Natalie (who takes after her mom, being a “glass half empty” kind of gal) wailed, “Are we going to have to live on the street?” Which started Noah and Jonathan both crying. So I said, “Hey! Is Daddy’s job our provider? No! Who’s our provider?” The kids all gulped and said, “God.” and I said, “That’s right, so we don’t need to worry about this. We need to pray and leave it in His hands and trust that He will work this out.” And inside I’m thinking, “Yeah, but…”

So, anyway… Prayers would be appreciated. Prayers for a new job, prayers for peace for both Kevin and I. I’m trying to trust. God has come through for us so many times before, but it never seems to get easier to be in the place of uncertainty. Just a few minutes ago, I read Katy’s post at Fallible about Big Tests. And no, our test is not brain surgery, so I have that to be grateful for, right?

So, now that I’ve gotten the big thing off my chest, I have some other miscellaneous things I don’t want to forget.

All three boys stayed over Friday night at Don and Michelle’s house in honor of Nicholas’s 10th birthday. When it came time to say the blessing over dinner, one of my kids said, “Can we say Oremus?” Oremus is Latin for “let us pray.” All five boys then proceeded to say the Sanctus in Latin, and then in English. Here it is in English: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are filled with your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.” I’d write it in Latin, too, since I learned it along with the kids, but I’m sure I’d spell something wrong. I wish I’d been there to hear them. Of course, we say it together – along with the lines we’ve learned so far of the Doxology – every morning before we start school, but how cool it is that they have Latin prayers in common with their best friends! Especially at the ages they are: kindergarten, 2nd, and 3rd grade.

When I was pouring cereal for Jonathan’s breakfast the other morning, he said: “Mom, you know how much you gave me last time? Well, give me that much, and then two dips more.”

Natalie broke a board at Tae Kwon Do tonight. She’s done it before, but I never cease to find it amazing that my little girl can break a board with her foot! She has posted a quiz at her blog; it would be really cool if some of you would visit her and answer some of her questions.

You’ve heard of National Novel Writing Month, right? Well, I guess it’s NaBloPoMo, too. That’s National Blog Posting Month. The idea is to post every day for the month of November. Only problem is, I just heard of it today, and I didn’t post on the 2nd. Oh, well.

Anyone reading the news on the Hollywood Writer’s strike and wondering what it’s all about? Here’s a concise post that puts some things into perspective.

I finished Inkspell, the sequel to Inkheart. I didn’t think it was quite as good as the first one, but I still enjoyed it very much. I was pre-reading it for Natalie, because I remembered reading a blog post that said it was much more grown up than the first. I agree, but I didn’t quite find the objectionable material that the review mentioned. I will be allowing Natalie to read it. I think the review mentioned something about teenage sex, but I didn’t read any of that at all. There was an implied relationship between a prince and his wife’s maid, who was sixteen, but the world of Inkspell is a fantasy world a lot like the middle ages, and in that world, girls were getting married at 14. The relationship is strictly implied, with the most explicit statement being that she didn’t leave his side, even at night. And they weren’t even major characters. So, anyway, if you were wondering about Inkspell, I recommend it. I would probably wait for Noah be a little older to read it (he’s 9) because there is some brief mention of Meggie noticing that her shirts are getting tighter up top – she’s thirteen.

We got rid of our satellite. We had “channels” – as the kids called it – for a year, and then we gave it up. Good thing, we would have had to anyway after yesterday’s announcement. I’m just hoping that we won’t have to give up Netflix, too, or I might go crazy. The kids are going through Hannah Montana and Suite Life of Zack and Cody withdrawals.

Kevin and I are going out to dinner tomorrow night while the kids are at Awana, since it’s my birthday. I’m turning 35 – in forty minutes!

I guess that’s everything that’s rattling around in my mind right now. Rattling is the operative word. Sorry for rambling. I’m off to bed – it’s past eleven, and feels like past twelve, thanks to the time change.

So much going on – our September was INSANELY busy. We had Tae Kwon Do promotion, Kevin’s Dad’s visit, Jonathan’s birthday party.

In the middle of all of that – and the latest crisis with our neighbors – we have decided to get moving on selling our house and buying something bigger.

So – last weekend was spent purging and cleaning. Our real estate agent walked through the house this morning, but she had laryngitis, so said she would take notes and then call when she can talk again. We know there are a bunch of cosmetic things – like painting – we need to do to get ready. I get overwhelmed just thinking about it.

Did I mention I hate moving? Kevin and I have been married for 12 years. We’ve been in this house for seven of them. The first five years of our marriage, we moved six times. I’m not looking forward to doing it again.

I am leading worship this Saturday for a women’s mini-retreat at our old church. The leader of their women’s ministry department is a good friend, and she doesn’t seem to care what the pastor thinks, because she asked me to come back and lead worship at their overnighter last year, too. I am excited and nervous – I haven’t gotten involved with music at our new church, yet, so it’s been a while. I also still get sad because I miss the people at that church so much. It’s been a year and a half since we left, and we still don’t feel plugged-in at our new church. Of course, it took a year just to find it.

I have a new freelance writing gig writing for a new general content site at Catalogs.com. It’s fun and keeping me busy. For one of this week’s assignments, I’m supposed to write an article on the basic rules of American football – which I love – and keep it to 600 to 800 words. I’m finding this next to impossible. When you try to explain it, it’s really a complicated game!

I finished listening to Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult on audiobook. It’s a fantastic book. 4 stars. It would’ve been five, but sometimes she gets a little carried away with her metaphors so that you end up getting pulled out of the story and thinking, ‘That was an odd way to put it.’ For instance, instead of a couple making their way through a crowded room, they “embroidered” their way through. Because this was a fast-moving novel about a school shooting, I didn’t like being distracted from the story. The story itself, however, was very thought-provoking, and made me remember all the horrible things about high school and how awful kids can be to each other. This is the second Picoult book I’ve read – the first was My Sister’s Keeper, and it was excellent, too. I’ll be looking for more of hers. I also loved the woman who narrated the book; it was the same actress who narrated the audiobook version of Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen. She has a great voice for modern novels.

I’m taking a break from Kristin Lavransdatter. Part two is not holding my attention as much as part one did. It’s still very good, but it’s longer and there is more political information about Norway and Sweden and it bogs down occasionally. I put it aside and picked up Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout, which is very good so far.

Kevin and I have been watching the first season of Jericho on DVD and it’s intriguing. Look for a review soon.

Hmmm, what else? Oh, I love, love, loved watching the Seahawks trounce the 49ers on Sunday. They beat us twice last year, so this felt like a vindication. 23 to 3 – woo hoo! The ‘Hawks play Pittsburgh this Sunday, their opponents from the Super Bowl two years ago, when the officials made such lousy calls. Grrrr.

Anyone else watching the new season of House? What do you think of his method for finding replacements for Chase, Cameron, and Foreman? I miss those characters, but I like that there is more time for House to interact with Wilson.

Bones and Heroes have both been good, too – although the scene where Claire snips her baby toe off pretty much grossed me out. We also enjoyed the premiere of the new series Life with Damian Lewis and Adam Arkin.

The kids started their weekly class today. This year it’s a computer lab instead of science lab. They will learn some basic programming and graphic applications. Josiah joined them for the first time today – he was nervous, but he ended up loving it.

Quick Josiah story: We were driving to run errands yesterday, listening to Natalie’s Superchick CD. The first song pretty much rocks, and I looked in the rear view window to see my five-year-old Josiah head-banging, both hands in the “hang loose” sign. When I laughed, he looked up and said, “Rock on, freaky bro!” I still have no idea where he got that.

Well, that’s how we’ve been. What’s going on with you?

1. A is for age: 34.

2. B is for beer of choice: Corona – but it’s been a long time since I had one. I’d rather have a glass of wine.

3. C is for career right now: Homeschooling mom

4. D is for your dog’s name: Don’t have one, don’t want one.

5. E is for essential item you use everyday: Computer

6. F is for favorite TV show at the moment: House

7. G is for favorite game: Cranium

8. H is for hometown: Sedro Woolley, Washington

9. I is for instruments you play: Piano

10. J is for favorite juice: Don’t have one.

11. K is for whose butt you’d like to kick: I’m more of a silent protest kind of person.

12. L is for last place you ate:13. M is for marriage: Married for 12 years so far.

14. N is for name: Carrie

15. O is for overnight hospital stays: Tonsils, two c-sections, gall bladder surgery, one night sleeping next to Noah when he was 15 months old and had the croup.

16. P is for people you were with today: My family.

17. Q is for favorite quote: The one by Erasmus about buying books. Can’t think of it word for word.

18. R is for Biggest Regret: Not something I want to post on the internet.

19. S is for status: Sitting on the couch, using the laptop. Kids asking me how long until I’ll take them swimming.

20. T is for time up woke up today: 8 a.m. I love Saturdays!

21. U is for underwear you have on now: White

22. V is for vegetable you love: Steamed cauliflower

23. W is for worst habit: Worrying

24. X is for x-rays you’ve had: Ankle

25. Y is for yummy food you ate today: Waffles

26. Z is for the zodiac sign: Scorpio

Hat tip: Kev

For those of you who haven’t been reading Mommy Brain since the beginning or would like to know more about me, I have re-written my about page and added more information about myself, my family, and who we are.

Thank you for all your kind comments about my short break. The week was wonderful, and went by so fast. As I drove away from Mom and Dad’s house last night with tears in my eyes, I was praying that it won’t be another two years before I see Andrea again. The kids all had so much fun playing together. I wish they were closer!

And our week was also poignant with the knowledge that next June, my youngest sister Marni and her family will be moving to St. Louis so her husband can attend seminary. Since Marni is in Coeur d’Alene – only 2 1/2 hours away – we usually see each other every couple of months or so. Her Peter is six weeks younger than my Josiah – they’re both 5 – and they love each other! I am happy for them that Hans will be fulfilling his dream of attending seminary, but St. Louis is a long way from here.

I received four boxes of school supplies and paper and curriculum and craft supplies yesterday – two from Office Depot, two from Rainbow Resource. Just in time – we start back to school on the 27th. So my next week will be full of planning and sorting and the kids oohing and ahing over new books. Even Jonathan, my most reluctant learner, said, “Can we start tomorrow?” when he saw all those shiny new books.

I have a ton of links saved to share with you – I may get to those later today, I may not. We’ll see! Hope you’re all having a terrific weekend.

I saw this meme at Lawanda‘s a while ago, and I’ve been saving it until I had time to do it right.

1. Who was your best friend?
Fran Leanos, Jennifer Jones, Tobi Gaddis

2. Did you play any sports?
Not unless you count our family croquet games on the 4th of July.

3. What kind of car did you drive?
Either my parents huge green station wagon, or a dark blue Plymouth Scamp. I drove the Scamp in college, too, and my friend’s boyfriend had a Dodge Dart of the same year. Those two cars are made by the same manufacturer. Anyway, he figured out that his keys would open and start my car, so he thought it was funny to come on campus while I was in class and move my car from the east parking lot to the west parking lot, or vice versa.

4. It’s Friday night. Where were you?
Probably babysitting or at a movie.

5. Were you a party animal?
No – though I did enjoy cast parties after opening night. But I didn’t really do any drinking in high school.

6. Were you considered a flirt?
Maybe a little bit – but only with guys I knew really well.

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir?
Concert choir and jazz choir.

8. Were you a nerd?
Yep. Got really good grades, wore glasses, sang in choir, was in drama and French club – the whole nine yards.

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled?
I got in-school suspension once for the only time I ever skipped school. Had to spend the whole school day in this basement room where the walls were painted the color of split pea soup.

10. Can you sing the fight song?
Not anymore.

11. Who was your favorite teacher?
Mr. Mathews, my choir teacher was number one favorite for being a great teacher and wonderful person. Mr. Jury, my lit teacher for expanding my literature horizons. Mr. Heuterman, my US and world history teacher, for making history interesting.

12. What was your school mascot?
A bear cub.

13. Did you go to the Prom?
No. Our church had a “prom alternative” where we dressed up and went out to dinner at a nice restaurant. Our church at the time was just a tad legalistic about things like dancing.

14. If you could go back, would you?
Not for a million dollars.

15. What do you remember most about graduation?
That it was long and hot. Singing “Lean On Me” with two friends.

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day?
We didn’t have one. Our principal made an announcement that anyone who participated in a group skip day would not be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony.

17. Did you have a job your senior year?
Yes, I worked afternoons at a financial planner’s office, answering phones and doing filing.

18. Where did you go most often for lunch?
We had a closed campus, so I ate lunch at school.

19. Have you gained weight since then?
Um, yes.

20. What did you do after graduation?
I don’t remember – how sad is that! I’m sure it was something with my family.

21. What year did you graduate?
1990

22. Who was your Senior Prom Date?
Didn’t go.

23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion?
I didn’t go. The schedule they sent involved meeting at a sports bar, a beergarten, and a BYOB barbecue. Now, I love a glass of red wine – especially with dark chocolate – but I remember what many of the people I graduated with were like in high school, and that itinerary was just an indication that not much had changed. Not my type of party.

Wow – that one brought back memories! Let me know if you play along.

I saw this at Andrea‘s and decided it would be fun.

Here are the questions Andrea asked me:

1. If you wrote a book, what would it be called and what would it be about?

If I ever do put enough words down on paper to be a book, it would be a novel, but apart from that I don’t know. I have several ideas, but none of them fleshed out enough to be a book.

2. I’m coming over for dinner; whatcha makin’?

I’m not! Kevin will grill hamburgers, I’ll have a potato salad in the fridge that I made yesterday, and I’ll serve lots of chips and cold drinks. That way we can just gab and gab while Kevin does the cooking!

3. Are you going to do the prom thing for your homeschooled kids?

Wow – I haven’t even considered that! Since Natalie’s only in 5th grade, I have a while to think about it. Prom was never a big deal to me when I was in school, so who knows?

4. What do you wish your middle name was?

Actually, I’ve come to like my middle name, now that I don’t have grade-school aged friends who make fun of it!

5. If I ever do meet you (someday, I’m prayin’) what will I find most surprising?

How sarcastic I can be – that’s why I know we will get along so well!

Okay, here’s how this meme works:

The Rules of the Meme:

1. Leave me a comment saying anything random, like [the food you hate most in all the world]. Something random. Whatever you like.
2. I respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better.
3. You will update your [blog] with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and offer to ask someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be asked, you will ask them five questions.

So, if you want to play along, leave me a random comment!

Sallie at A Gracious Home has created this fun meme:

Apple Jacks or Captain Crunch with Crunch Berries?
Crunch Berries!

Band or Choir?
Choir.

Class Ring?
No.

Ducks or Battleships?
I mostly took showers. If I took a bath, it was to relax and read.

Earning Money?
Lots and lots of babysitting. The summer between my junior and senior year I worked doing filing and answering phones at a financial planner’s office. I continued to work for him my senior year after school.

Favorite Teacher?
Mr. Mathews, my choir teacher

Go Back and Do Over?
I didn’t have that great of a school experience, so no, thank you!

Home Economics?
I took home ec in junior high – hated the sewing, but enjoyed the cooking.

Indoor Recess?
I don’t remember this.

Jacks or Jump Rope?
I loved playing jacks!

Kickball or Dodgeball?
Neither – I hated both.

Lunchbox?
Brown bag.

Musical?
We didn’t do any musicals in high school. We did The Pink Panther Strikes Again and it had one memorable song. A guy I had “gone out with” in junior high and ended up dating again in college lip-synched “Mr. Sandman” in drag. In college, I was involved in a musical radio play of The Water Engine, sang and danced in Once Upon a Mattress, and sang in Anything Goes.

Number of School Districts?
One.

Orange or Apple?
Apples, unless the orange is a satsuma.

Playground Equipment?
Swings.

Quiz Team or Debate?
Neither.

Recess?
Foursquare or teatherball.

Spring Break?
Our three family vacations all had the same destination: Victoria, B.C. I can’t remember if they ever fell on Spring Break, though.

Team Sports?
Nope.

Unfulfilled Dream?
To have a book published.

Valuable?
Friendships that still exist, although only by mail. Great memories of choir and drama.

Walk or Bus?
Both at different times. I also rode my bike.

X Country or Basketball?
Neither.

Year?
My sophomore year. I played Miss Brooks in “Our Miss Brooks.” So much fun.

Zzzzzz’s?
Any science or math class.

If you decide to play along, let me know! Also, Sallie has a Mr. Linky up at her site for this meme.

Today’s the day – the sun is shining, the tank is clean…

Actually, the house is only moderately clean, which is what makes a party held on the internet such a great idea! My blog always looks nice – thanks to Ron and Andrea, the wonderful folks who run Homeschool Journal – so I don’t have to do any last-minute clean-ups like I would if you were actually coming to my house.

So, what makes a great party? Music, food, conversation, right? As I was pondering what to write for my “party post,” I realized that the kinds of parties I enjoy really demonstrate that I have a split – or multiple – personality. And I know my blog readers are all of various tastes and persuasions. So I decided to have party “stations” – kind of like kindergarten for grownups. (I will also try not to begin any more sentences with “and” or “so”.)

Football blow-out!

At our first stop, you will find a table laden with Pepsi, tortilla chips and guacamole, seven-layer dip, hot wings and all those really unhealthy fun finger foods.

We can watch my tape of the Super Bowl, talk about the Seahawks season, and I might even let you dish on your team of choice.

Music will be all-American faves such as Toby Keith, Tim McGraw and Alan Jackson.

Friends and Family Game Night

Next stop, game night. The table will be covered with potluck dishes – so whatever you feel like bringing! We’ll play Cranium, Family Fun, Pictionary, and Outburst. The kids can join in or run around in the basement or overdose on GameBoy. No music – there’s so much noise and laughter we wouldn’t be able to hear it!

Book Club Soiree

Things quiet down some at this station. We’ve got bread and cheese and good wine. The CD player is set to rotate Josh Groban, Kate Rusby, and George Winston. And we’ll talk about books, books, books, books, and more books.

Girls’ Night Out

Food of choice: Chocolate, of course! We could watch (and sigh over) Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy or Hugh Jackman in – well anything! – and then gab the night away.

Play Date

Coffee (or tea) and delicious scones – graciously provided by my friend, Michelle, because I’m not much of a baker. We’ll watch and listen to the kids play while we talk about homeschooling, our faith, church, and anything and everything that comes to mind. For music, hmmm… how about Chris Rice, Casting Crowns, and Jeremy Camp.

Now, if I did things right, all of the above links should take you to previous posts in my blog that will give you an idea of what my blog is all about, and what I’m like. I hope you enjoyed the party!

If you want to participate in The Ultimate Blog Party, click on over to 5 Minutes for Mom. Janice and Susan are graciously hosting this week-long blog-extravaganza! You’ll find details on winning prizes, and a long list of other blog party participants for you to visit and get to know. Have fun!