But That's Your Thing...

source

I'm tired of being that person.  You know, the person who is always rushing to get things done.  The person who is always late. That last-minute person. 

I'm getting too old for this.  Procrastination is for the young. I may have been able to get away with this in the past, but my mind and body can't take it anymore. Literally, when my body gets stressed, my left eye becomes sensitive to light and I lose sight in it. I have to wear big dark shades for days, sometimes even inside the house. People assume I'm being a diva.....nope I'm blind!

The sad thing is that when I told my husband that I'm tired of being late to everything, he said, "But that's your thing? Isn't it?" Ouch. If he sees me like that, I guess everyone else does.  Not cool.

It's not that I didn't know this before, but you know you have to "hit bottom" or even just get tired. Well, I'm tired...so tired.

Wedding Shower Cupcakes and Cookies

An old schoolmate contacted me on Facebook and asked if I could bake some cupcakes and cookies for her sister's wedding shower.  I jumped at the opportunity as I have never done a wedding shower before.  I'm happy with the results. I hope the Bride is as well.

Yellow and Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla and Chocolate Buttercream

Gumpaste Flowers

Stenciled Cookie

Groom Cookie

Bride Cookie

Bridesmaid Cookie

Cookie Set

I'm not very good at time management.  I shouldn't be this exhausted after 2dozen cookies and cupcakes.  By coincidence, Marian, of Sweetopia posted a Cookie Making Schedule that I really need to start using.

All in all, I am pleased with what I've done. I'm looking forward to more orders!

My Current Guilty Pleasure

Twilight

I've watched it four times in the last six days.  The acting is horrible, sometimes even painful, but I can't help it. 

Mommy Fail - The Sesame Street Edition

This morning my 8 yr. old son looked into the cabinet and found an old Sesame Street book. He opens the book and proceeds to name all of the characters:

"Elmo"......

"Zoe".....

"Cookie Monster".......

"I never saw him before in my life...grumpy or something.".....

"The blue guy"........

"The Garbage Grump"......

"The Big Yellow Bird"........

"Esther and Ernie"

WTH??? How could he NOT know Sesame Street?  I mean everyone in all four corners of the earth knows Sesame Street!
He can't compete against everyone else who learned that "C is for Cookie", "It Ain't Easy Being Green", and that Rubber Duckie really is the one!
As a man, he'll never understand the rude Bert and Ernie jokes guys tell when they're hanging out, or even be able to confess about the crush he had on Maria.
What have I done! I've failed him.

My Current Look

Woke up this morning with ridiculous back pain.  Walking around the house like this. All I need is a bell tower and I'll be straight.

Think Pink

These are some cupcakes I made for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The Super Belated Birthday Party

This weekend, I received an invitation to attend a birthday party for my neighbour's 5 yr. old  grandson.  My son brought it into the house excited to attend the party which happens to be the following day. When I opened the invite I thought two things:

1. Why am I just getting this invitation the day before the party?  and

2. Didn't his birthday pass already?

Later on in the day I see the birthday boy  and ask him "When is your birthday?" and he replies, "August 26th" in the cutest little voice ever.

In my head I'm thinking, "WTH!!! It's October??? Why is he having a birthday party?" also, "They don't expect me to get him a gift, do they?"


Sidebar:

  Birthday parties, in my opinion, have gotten out of control.  I remember when clowns used to be special. Now they want entertainers and fireworks. And don't forget the bouncing castle. You better have a bouncing castle!
The pressure parents feel to have a party every year is ridiculous.  Celebrate the day, but you don't need to spend all of that money.  My favourite memory of a birthday was the one where my uncle baked me a cake and it had the face of a clown made of jelly beans on it. Best cake ever!  
I only throw parties at ages 5, 10, 13, and maybe 16 (strong maybe).  All other years you get a cake and ice cream and Auntie and Grammy can come and sing "Happy Birthday". Our parties may be few and far between, but they are usually pretty good. Check out this party. 

Secondly, in our society the host is expected to feed both parents and children.  The children are fed hot dogs, hamburgers and chips. The parents, however, get a plate with green salad, pasta salad, three types of meat, and two sides.  My philosophy is that I did not invite the parents, I invited the kids. I am hosting this party for a child, and the children I invited, therefore EVERYONE will eat what the kids eat. 

Back to the story...

So the next morning, I strategised my plan. I'd take my son to the party, stay a little while, then leave to collect him at the pickup time.  Now in my day, parents didn't stay to the party, at least not mine.  They dropped you off, and picked you up at the appropriate time.  I know times have changed, the world isn't as innocent etc. etc. but If I know the parents well enough (which I do), then I am confident that I can leave my kids there and they will be safe. We leave for the party and I'm expecting to be home in half-an-hour to an hour.

 We get there and I exchange pleasantries with the parents who are already there.  I see the hostess and make small talk with her and made the following mistake,  

I asked, "Do you need any help?" 


It just slipped, I swear, I'm polite like that! 
Honestly, I didn't ask because I really wanted to help, I asked because I didn't want to be the loser parent who just dumps her child off to get an afternoon nap.

She quickly answered, "Can you help me serve the food? My girlfriends are all running late and I could really use the help."

"Serve the food!!??" I think to myself, "That means I have to wait around for at least another hour!"  Most of the kids hadn't arrived as yet.

So I stayed. Not only did I serve the kids their hot dogs, I also served the parents their huge plates of food. I got home three hours later.  

My plan was destroyed by common courtesy. Damn you, manners!!

And yes, I asked birthday boy's mother why she was having his birthday party now.  Her reply was that he just started a new school and had no one to invite back in August. Now that he knows his classmates, he can have a party.

No, now that he knows his classmates, he can invite them next year. 

BTW, This is my favourite version of "Happy Birthday"!

Current Guilty Pleasure

Listening to/watching the Michael Jackson Trial......

DON"T JUDGE ME!!!!!

The Homeschool Mother's Journal 30/09/2011

In my life this week…

The beginning of my week did not start off well.   Normally I would have been extremely upset.  However, I focused on the Lord and was able to stay calm.  I really missed my daughter this week.  The rest of the week was pretty normal.

In our homeschool this week…

It was a straightforward week.  I did come to the conclusion that DS needs to concentrate more in Math.  So I've decided to increase the amount of hours we focus on Math and cut down on other subjects.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

Unfortunately, we did not have a car this week, so we went nowhere.  Bummer....we missed the scheduled field trip Friday.

What’s working for us…

Starting our day later.  Originally, I had planned for our school day to start at 8:30 am.  We  have been starting between 9 - 9:30 am this week and have been doing well.

I’m reading…

"The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" ...slowly.

I’m cooking…
Nothing special this week, but do plan on making some Sweet Potato Muffins this weekend. Great for breakfast.


I’m praying for…

The family of the 11yr. old boy who was abducted and killed recently.  It has showed our nation that we must be proactive in matters of missing children.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share… 

“ Insanity is hereditary. You get it from your children. ”
— Lilliam Holstein

Drawing Fun

I found this site named Drawing How To Draw that gives step by step instructions for drawing your favourite animated characters.

Phineas of "Phineas and Ferb" (mine).  Timmy of "Fairly Odd Parents" is by my son Damon.

The site also has lessons on Art Principles, Landscapes, Mediums and Methods. There is an option to draw online and you can also participate in drawing contests. It's an extensive site.

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

In my life this week…

My week started with me wondering where the weekend had gone and ended with me wondering why the week had gone by so quickly. 

In our homeschool this week…

Science was fun this week as we focused on atoms bonding to make molecules.  I found some great videos on youtube and our experiment included using marshmallows.  I ate too many marshmallows. :-(

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

Met with a great group of homeschoolers to start the school year off and got to see familiar and new faces. 

What’s not working for us…

I tried using an online language Arts Curriculum that was literature based and realized that it wasn’t working for us. I prefer straightforward topics, not Unit Studies.

Things I'm working on…

Using the planner that I made up. I still don’t write anything down on paper, and “It’s all in my head” thing isn’t working.

I’m reading…

Nothing at the moment…but "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" movie (click to see trailer) is coming out soon.  I got the trilogy for Christmas and haven’t gotten past Chapter 1.

I’m grateful for…

My husband who has started to pitch in with the dishes. Now that our official dishwasher (teenage daughter) has gone off to college, we share the responsibility. 

A photo, video, link, or quote to share… 

 Link to Free Dolphin Tale Curriculum

Free Dolphin Tale Curriculum

The Homeschool Movie Club  is an awesome site I just discovered today!  They offer curricula based on a few popular children's movies. What a great way to integrate fun and learning.


Go to their site today and download the Dolphin Tale Curriculum for free!  Kids from Elementary to High School can use it. They also have other links to great information about dolphins; and the actual dolphin the movie is based on. You do have to register with the website, but it's free.  
I plan to take my son to see the movie first, then work with the curriculum.  Enjoy!

Keep Your Compliments Kid

Beyonce @ the VMA's

Mummy, you look just like Beyonce........now that she's pregnant.  


Go away kid.  You gave me this pooch.

I Lost My Mojo!!!

I'm known as "The Queen of Pancakes" in this house. Everyone eagerly anticipates my pancakes on Saturday mornings with excitement.  I could make plain, banana, blueberry, oatmeal....anything.  They were always delicious and satisfying.


Then I passed on my recipe...to my husband.  I was away from home helping my daughter settle in for college, and the little one asked for pancakes.  I sent my husband the recipe.  It was his first time ever in his 40+ years on this earth that he ever made pancakes...ever!!  They were a hit.  Such a hit that the little one said that I MUST taste Daddy's pancakes.  He raved and raved.


I came home and the little one continued to rave about these pancakes that my husband made ONCE in his life. "Oh Mummy, let Daddy make the pancakes!"  But I told him that I would like to cook for him since I'm home now.  I got back into the kitchen, prepared my recipe, lit the stove and proceeded to make my pancakes.  


They were "eh".


I didn't understand.  Why weren't they light and fluffy? Why do they look like flat discs?  I assumed that I didn't put in enough baking powder.   They were edible, but they weren't "Mine".
The next weekend, I offer to make pancakes again, determined to do better than the previous weekend. Again, I prepared, lit and proceeded to make my pancakes. And again, they weren't light and fluffy but flat.  Too little baking powder, that has to be it! I decided to mix another batch, this time with more baking powder.  


And again, Flat. Not only flat, but flat and heavy!
WTH! Why?!! I am the Queen of Pancakes!


Pancakes were MY thing. Now the kid only wants pancakes from Daddy (ugghh). I have come to the conclusion that I have lost my Pancake Mojo. 
I understand now why some people don't like sharing recipes.  Once you share them, you lose everything that made it special.  These were my special pancakes and now they're gone.

Birthday

I am feeling reflective and grateful, sitting on a couch more than 2,000 miles away from home thinking,"Who knew I'd be here welcoming my 37th birthday?" The answer quickly came to me:

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."  Jeremiah 1:5 NIV

"13For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

15My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them came to be." Psalms 139:13-16 NIV

I'd Rather Be In A Hurricane

Hurricane Irene 2011

It's tough being here in Iowa while my family and friends wait for Hurricane Irene to pass through.  I wish I was there.
 It's my son's first hurricane. As we were chatting tonight, the winds started to pick up and he told me he was scared. He also told me that the stuffed bear on my bed was scared and our dog, Roxy, looks sad.  It hurts that I couldn't hold him in my arms and comfort him until he fell asleep. I know his dad is there to comfort him, but that's supposed to be my job. I should be there.  
I miss my husband, son, other family and friends and pray that The Lord keeps them and the rest of The Bahamas safe.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Happy 8th Birthday to the greatest son ever! I love You!

Today is also my nephew Kristopher's 6th Birthday! They are exactly 2 years apart.

Away From Home

My sister, niece, daughter and I drove from Florida to Iowa last week.  Both my daughter and niece are attending college in Iowa and we had to get a trailer to haul all of my niece's belongings.  I took pictures along the way, but I left my camera cord at home (doh!).  We passed through Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri and Illinois before arriving in Iowa. It took 23 hrs. of driving and one night in a hotel.

We've been in Iowa City for a week now and De's pretty much settled in.

She's registered for her classes, ordered most of her books, opened a bank account and gotten a phone. She only needs school supplies as we bought everything she needed for the apartment already.  

The apartment btw, is very nice. For an apartment complex that caters to college kids, you would expect the apartment to not be as nice as it is.  They have a free shuttle to/from the campus.  We are going tomorrow on a test run. I'm pleased.

I can't believe I have three weeks left here. I am so surprised at how much I miss home. There have been quiet moments where I just yearn to be home with my husband and son.  However, I know that it will be so hard for me to leave De. But alas, I must.

De starts classes on the 22nd, so I will be left alone during the day.  I have to use the time to get my son's curriculum together.  The focus has been on De, so I haven't ordered anything for him. I will also use the time to focus on me.  I know that I need to make some changes within myself and hopefully all of this alone time will help me chart a course for myself.

Cut the Navel String

source

  Here in The Bahamas we have the saying that sooner or later every parent has to "cut the navel string". As mothers, we were physically connected to our children, when in utero, by their navel string (umbilical chord). It is cut when the child is born and can survive outside of the uterus. 
  To "cut the navel string" here, means that we must let go of our children when they are old enough to survive without us. 
  My time to cut is drawing near, and I don't want to pick up the shears.  The selfish me wants to hold onto to her forever and never let her go.  But the loving parent in me knows that it must happen if those hopes and dream of hers are to be fulfilled.  

Whole-Wheat Sweet Potato Coconut Muffins

My husband and I have been working out since after Easter.  We run a few miles and strength train 6 days a week.  We've also changed what and how we eat.  It was rough for me in the beginning but I'm okay with everything now.  I can say that my endurance has increased tenfold.

My husband has lost twenty pounds!! Hurray for him!! I have lost ZERO pounds.  It's not a typo. After busting my ass for the last six or so weeks, I have lost NOTHING! I admit, I am not 100% compliant with eating as I should, but to lose nothing????? Ridiculous!!


Anyway, my husband sent me the link to these muffins.  They are supposed to be perfect as a pre-workout breakfast.  These are so good, I don't think they'll make it to our next workout session.  I did make some changes to the original. They are moist and delicious.

recipe after the jump

Rainbow Cake

This cake has been around the net.  I made this for my daughter's graduation.  I used a white cake recipe that I really didn't like.  It was dry to me.  I do have a reliable white cake recipe that I like but always want to try something new.

Here's the recipe:

• White cake recipe or box cake mix
• Red, yellow orange, green, blue and purple gel coloring. ( i know, I'm missing purple. I divided in 5 instead of 6.)
• Favorite buttercream recipe.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease and flour 9 inch pans. (I only have two)
Mix cake mix according to directions. Measure batter into six separate bowls. I weighed them equally.  Mix each color and bake. Make sure to check the oven earlier than directed as each pan has less batter. Once pans are out of oven let cool for a few minutes on cooling rack, then wrap each cake in saran wrap and refrigerate.
Start with purple on the bottom, then blue, green, orange, yellow then red. For each layer, frost then refrigerate  a few minutes before adding the next layer as the cake gets pretty heavy and you don't want the buttercream to ooze out of the sides (ooze is a very technical word).
Complete frosting and enjoy!

I'm Feeling Good

This morning I was feeling good.  I woke up early to wash the gray out of my hair.  New hair color..black. I've always been a brown haired girl.  I wanted a change and you'll never see my hair lighter than brown.  I'm just that type of girl. Not an attention grabber, unlike my sister, who will put any color in her hair that has the words "spice", "fire" or "flame" in it.

I started to feel nostalgic for these movies....

The Breakfast Club

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Dirty Dancing

I have got to watch them this weekend.  Some of the best movies ever! 

Anyway, we had a good round of homeschool this morning.  As usual we took our lunch break and got back to work when my son says to me, " Mummy, weren't you supossed to pick up Anna?" 
Anna, is my sometimes sweet, just a little bossy 7yr. old cousin.
Oh My Gosh!!!
I looked at the time... It was 1:40!  I was supossed to collect her at 1:00pm! 

Note to Non-Homeschoolers - When you ask a homeschooler to do you a favour in the middle of one of the most productive school days we've had in a while, you may run the risk of that homeschooler forgetting everything else because she's in the zone!

Meatless March Update

We've been meatless for 2 weeks now.  While I can say that I have not had any major craving for meat (we have been eating fish), I can't say that things have been going smoothly.  As I had initially feared, finding good recipes has been a challenge.
 
The food prepared has been good, and some have actually made the repeat list.  The problem though, is that most of the meals are prepared with either rice or pasta.  I can't afford to be eating rice or pasta everyday.  My kids already pat me on the butt everytime they pass by me.  Carbo loading is not for me. 

So while I am not ready to throw in the towel, I am a bit frustrated.  Finding meals aren't getting any easier.

Red Cross Cookies

The Bahamas Red Cross has an annual fundraising fair every March.  Many organizations and volunteers commit time and money to help raise funds. A friend of mine asked me to bake some cookies for her booth.

Easy Cookies 'n Cream Cupcakes

Every Tuesday night is Family Night here at Sapphire Ridge. Each member of the family takes turns choosing the movie to watch and games to be played. I however, am always responsible for dinner and dessert. Sometimes requests are made, and other times, I just figure something out.

Meatless March



Source: Strictly-Vegan.com

 Last week my husband declared out of the blue that March will be MEATLESS!
Huh?.....
Meatless March?
Now, I'm all for healthy eating. I know all the benefits of a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. So why the hesitation?

Well, it's all well and good to make the declaration...good step one...step two, however, is cooking the food. That's MY job. How can I say this so that you can understand...I HATE truly HATE cooking. Even with all the cookbooks, blogs and recipe online communities out there, I STILL hate cooking. I am stumped almost every night of the week as to what to cook.

Baby Shower Cookies

I made these cookies last week for the sister of my good friend's baby shower.  They were individually wrapped and included in the "Thank You" bags.  I used Flicker for all of my inspiration.  There are some really talented cookie artists out there.

Happy New Year!

Yes...you read correctly. It's still the New Year. It's January, I could still wish you a Happy New Year.

It's been an eventful start to the year. I've been exercising regularly for a few weeks now, and I'm addicted! My husband and I run five mornings a week to the beach and back home. So now that I've got that down, I'll start focusing on my diet. The fact that I ate homemade butter biscuits with jam, Doritos, Cracker Jack, an orange, an apple and ready-made ravioli today while waiting for my slow cooker Vegetable Barley Soup is a start to eating healthy.

I haven't made any resolutions, but I have decided that I need to focus on some things this year that will benefit not only me, but my whole family. I don't know how far I'll get because I believe that my children are secretly trying to kill me. My soon-to-be-17yr. old-high-school-graduate is trying to use psychological tactics to have me committed or get me to walk in the front of an oncoming train (which would really be a feat seeing that there are no trains in The Bahamas). While my 7yr. old son pepper sprayed me while I was driving over the weekend.

Well I have to finish dinner (the ready-made ravioli) and get to a PTA meeting. You have no idea how hard it is to be a homeschooler and be the secretary of the PTA. I have to bite my tongue quite a bit and try not to preach from the Homeschooling Bible. It's frustrating.
 So again, Happy New Year! I'll try to post regularly, but if you don't hear from me, please just email this post to the Royal Bahamas Police Force in case they may be investigating my mysterious disappearance.