Overheard:

It's longer than a giraffe's neck!

Yeah, he was talking about his poop.  With two boys, we talk about poop a lot around here.  They have designated themselves the official inspection committee.  Such is life, and we'll take it, because we love them!  :)

Spiritual Sweatpants

So, when we got our dog - 7 years ago - he would chew on my clothes.  Not Paul's, just mine.  He got ahold of a pair of my pajama pants and put a couple small holes in the thigh.  Even though they were already like 6 years old, I kept them since the holes were relatively small, and I never wore them out of the house.
But the last couple years, they've gotten really ugly.  You know how they say behind every sexually frustrated man is a woman in sweatpants?  Yeah, these were those kind of pants.
I'm so cheap, though, and couldn't justify spending twenty bucks for a pair of pajama pants!  So I kept holding on to them.  After all, sometimes you just need some baggy, comfy clothes to have a lazy day in.
But this spring, I finally decided it was time to let go.  They were 13 years old.  I put them on the rag pile.
The next day I was at WalMart picking up something totally unrelated, and I passed the clearance rack.  I usually don't peruse them, because I don't need more clothes.  But I saw the $3 sign, and I had to look.  There were only a handful of things in my size, but what do you think one of those things was?  Yes!  Pajama pants!  And only $3!!!
I came home and gave Paul a complete spiritual application for this.
Sometimes we hold on to things in our lives because we don't want to let them go.  They are things that aren't necessarily bad, but they may not be God's plan for us.  He has something better planned for us, but we have to get rid of what we want in order to make room for what He has in store for us.  And when we do let go, he surprises us with blessings (hello, $3!!!).
Okay, maybe it's a stretch to apply spiritual truths to sale-priced sweatpants, but the truth remains.
And these pants are awesome!!!
:)

BLT: Bacon, Lettuce, and Thumb

BLTs and salad for supper.  While chopping the salad, I nearly chopped off the end of my thumb.  It was deep, and probably should have had stitches.  It took me 15 minutes to get it to stop bleeding.
So what's the natural human response?
Keep cooking the bacon!
Because.....
Bacon makes everything better.
:)

First Grade!

Today we start first grade!
Okay, not really.
But kind of.
Last Monday, we finished up Nathan's Kindergarten Math.  I let him have a week off of math, a spring break of sorts (which we didn't do - long breaks are counterproductive).  Today we start First Grade Math! We're using the Saxon curriculum, and the Kindergarten was actually a step back from what he'd learned with his Preschool curriculum (Answers in Genesis, I believe put out by Alpha Omega Publishing).  The  Math K was still stuff he needed to learn (calendar, patterns, money, shapes, etc), but as I look at Math 1, it looks like he could have started with this no problem.  No regrets, though.  He's also doing 1st grade Science (because that's what we had on hand), and his reader is used through 2nd grade.  So I guess we could say he's done with Kindergarten and is now in first grade!  I guess.....?
Our syllabus included:
Bible
Math
Phonics/Reading
Health/Science
Map Study/Pledge of Allegiance Study
Violin

As I mentioned in my homeschool blog, we get done with our schoolwork in about 2 hours.  Sometimes I think maybe we're not doing enough, but as I look at that list - we actually do a lot!  I know it will take longer as subjects get harder, so we'll adjust our schedule as necessary.

Overheard: Good Friday

The boys know what Easter is about.  We did color eggs this year, but more as an art project.  No egg hunt (til Sunday afternoon), no Easter baskets, no candy.  We want the focus to remain on Jesus' resurrection.
So on Good Friday, I wanted to try to direct their thoughts.  As we were starting the day, I pointed out to them,  "Do you know what today is?  A long time ago, this is the day that Jesus died."
Jacob gasped, and with the most serious and concerned look on his face asked me:
"Is He still in our hearts?"

Oh my gosh.  So cute.


In related news, this is the first year I ever remember church being cancelled on Palm Sunday because of the BLIZZARD.  Yes, a blizzard.  On Palm Sunday.  Ridiculous.  We had three - count them, THREE - blizzards in March this year.  The upside is that we are getting caught up on our moisture.  On our end of the county, at least, the ponds are full again.  Here's hoping that the drought was only a two-year drought, not a 7-year one like they're recovering from in Texas.