Summer School...

Well, the summer officially ended for me the Monday after July 4th. I began my yearly four-week Summer School "adventure." And I really do mean "adventure." It never fails to be an eventful, not to mention memorable, experience. This year has been no different. I am teaching 9 students ranging from 7th grade to upcoming seniors. At our school, the English students must make a 77% to pass and go into the next level of English; therefore, if they do not make a 77%, then they must take a 3-week remedial summer school course. If the student happens to actually fail with less than a 70%, then they must pass a 4-week summer school course. This year, I have quite the "interesting" student (who will remain nameless, just in case one of my students stumbles upon this web page). I've heard stories about this particular boy, but I did not believe that he could really be as..."odd"...as I had been told. Well, I've learned that the stories have been mild compared to the reality. Let's just say that bodily functions are not a private matter for this young individual...and leave it at that. Anyway, it's been a quick 3 weeks already, and I am definitely looking forward to finishing up next week! After that, I will have a few weeks until school starts up again...where did the summer go?!

Slideshow dilemmas...

You will probably notice that in the two slideshows with music (Gage's and Cade's birthday parties), the same music was selected. This is because photobucket only offers "independent" music (in other words, weird music by "nobodies"). I did not realize this until I had already created the slideshows, and then I wasn't ABOUT to throw away all of that time and effort! Therefore, I picked the only song that was remotely appropriate for both. I usually use Slide for my slideshows, but then the music continues to play even when not watching the slideshow. This is all good and well unless you want to make ANOTHER slideshow with different music! If anyone knows of another Slideshow site that is better or knows a way around these obstacles, please let me know. Until then, I will probably continue to use photobucket for slideshows without music, and Slide for ones with music.

Cade's 4th Birthday...

To celebrate Cade's 4th Birthday, we invited a few of his little buddies (Lowell, Sawyer, & Gavin) to join us at the "Jumpin' Monkey" (place with inflatibles) and then to our house for pizza and cupcakes. Cade was very specific as to what he wanted at his party, so we tried to fulfill those wishes. He wanted cupcakes (NOT cake), "blowie things" (whatever they are actually called), and hats. The kids had a great time, and Cade was in his element! Being the middle child, he was thoroughly eating up the extra attention! Back at our house, we ate and opened presents. Only a few casualties occurred, none of which occurred at the Jumpin' Monkey!! All occurred on our bunk beds! We had one child take a nose dive off of it, and then one of my OWN children (Xander, of course) forgot the ceiling fan was on and tried to climb up to the top bunk...and well, you get the picture. Therefore, the bunk beds were strictly off limits the rest of the night. All in all, it was a great birthday party; and Cade is still asking us daily, "Did you like my birthday party?!?"

Cade's 4th Birthday...

July 4, 2008

After a relaxing day at home with the boys, Shane and I joined his parents as well as Josh, Sara, and Gage for the fireworks display in Washington, NC. Because of the small-town atmosphere and location near the water, we love coming here for the fireworks each year. Uncertain as to whether Hayes and Gage would enjoy their first experience with the event, we were pleasantly surprised to find that they were thoroughly captivated by the show and were not a bit frightened by the loud explosions! Uncharacteristically cool weather for July made the evening absolutely perfect!

Fourth of July 2008

Gage's First Birthday...

On July 3rd, the day after Gage's first birthday, Josh and Sara threw a birthday bash to celebrate such a milestone here at our house. Although he started the party out with a nap :), he woke up ready to go and was able to keep up with older kids all the way to the fireworks! It was a lot of fun and will make a fond memory in the years to come!

Gage's First Birthday Party

Going Green...

Well, recently I've been inspired to gradually go organic. I've previously done SOME things organically, but not much. I've always been under the impression that it is too difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. Just this week I've seen that it doesn't have to be that way and that it can actually be the opposite (in most areas). I don't know if anyone watches the showJon and Kate Plus 8...it's one of my faves! Anyway, I watched a rerun the other night and was inspired to start with my cleaning products. I've always been bothered by the chemicals and the affect they could have on my children (not to mention my HANDS!); however, I just didn't know that I could really find a suitable alternative that wouldn't break our budget! The other thing that always hindered me from trying anything organic in cleaning was the fact that I was convinced that organic cleaning products could NOT do a job that would live up to my criteria in cleaning. Well, I've been proven wrong on both accounts! I went and bought a few staple items that are found in most organic cleaning products to get me started and walked out with only spending 10 dollars for quantities that will last me for months! THEN I went home and tested them on my house that was in need of a GOOD cleaning! I was fascinated to find that everything worked MUCH BETTER than any commercial cleaning products I have used at the store! Since I've just begun my experimentation, I will only tell you of the few I've tried so far. First of all, our master bathtub drain has never drained well from the day we bought our house a year ago. My long hair doesn't help any either. We've tried Drano and many other commercial products to fix it but have been unsuccessful! Well, I followed the instructions I was given and sprinkled a half cup of baking soda down the drain and then little by little poured a cup of vinegar down the drain. Once the bubbling stopped, I ran hot water for a few minutes and voila! For the first time, our drain is working perfectly! I was told to do this periodically to keep the drain clear and working properly. The next thing I tried was the All-Purpose Cleaner. This is made of 2 Tbsp. vinegar, 1 tsp. Borax (found in laundry detergent aisle in powder form), 16 oz. Hot Water, a few drops of dishsoap, and 10 drops of essential oil (optional only to add scent- I actually didn't do this but may try it in the future for fun). Mix ingredients in a spray bottle and use for anything you would use 409 for. I actually used this for our bathroom floor because our tile had gotten extremely discolored due to make-up and hairspray. No other cleaners helped at all, but this recipe worked like magic! At first skeptical, even Shane had to admit that it was amazing how clean the floor became after minimal effort! Anyway, I'm so pleased with the results that I just had to share! Next on my list of recipes to try: Dishwasher detergent, laundry soap, and fabric softener. I will certainly let you know how it turns out!

New milestones...

Although smiling is not a new "trick" for Hayes, LAUGHING is! This week we were thrilled to be able to tickle a giggle out of him; and now it has become a personal goal for each of us to be the one who can get him to laugh the fastest! So far Shane is the winner...to which I insist he simply MUST be the funniest to look at! Then we have Cade who insists that Hayes does NOT find him funny, which is very interesting to me because I don't know of ONE person who DOESN'T think Cade is hilarious! (and that's without him even opening his mouth!) Anyway, it has opened a whole new level of rivalry in this house of testosterone in which EVERYTHING (and I DO mean EVERYTHING- including seeing who can pee the longest, farthest, and fastest!- and in that I exclude myself, of course!) is a competition!