Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

This is the digital photo album I sent out for our Chrismas card this year.  I decided it was time to go digital and save a tree.  Hope you like it!

Digital scrapbooking design created with Smilebox

entrepreneurial Family

Lately, the kids and I have been very crafty with ways to make extra spending money.  Well, the money I make goes towards bills right now.  But for the kids ~ they are loving seeing their goals be attainable quickly.

Quinn and Sloane have started walking the neighbors dogs for a dollar a day.  They each get paid $5 on Fridays.  Quinn did some clean up work for our other neighbor this morning for $20.  For the same neighbor, Connor is transferring VHS tapes to DVD for money.  Not sure what that will bring.  Hey!  Maybe he can start a business!  You know anybody who needs VHS tapes transferred to DVD?  Let us know.  Connor can help!  :o)

Dave is also doing estimates for a concrete guy for extra income.  We have to bridge the gap somehow until the Insurance gig kicks in.

Oh!  And I am babysitting a neighbor's 2yo during the week.  His name is Rece and he is sooo cute!  He fits right in with the family.  That was one of my stipulations to watching him.  He had to be able to go with us.  I didn't want to be tied down to the house.  We as a homeschooling family are out and about quite a bit.  That is the beauty of homeschooling, afterall.

This Labor Day weekend, I watched another neighbor's dog, Jax.  Jax is a Shih-tzu mix and is just the cutest, mellowest dog you have ever seen.  Emma, our dog, who doesn't like other dogs, lived quite happily this weekend sharing her space with another dog.  It was good for her to have to get along.  Emma didn't let Jax do anything at first.  She would follow him around and snip at him for no reason.  Then by today, they were best of friends.

So, we are all finding ways to buy the things we want even if we don't have family money readily available.  I am really proud of us.  Before Dave got laid off of work in May, we were still not grasping just HOW much money we really DON'T have.  But now we know that we can have anything.  All it takes is a little creativity and some hard work.

Yay us!!

Unconscious Mutterings

Want to play?  Go here.

1. Gangs ::  of New York
2. Contact :: paper
3. Surprisingly ::  delicious!
4. Penciled ::  in
5. Ignore ::  what I just said
6. Let’s go! ::  play
7. Cornerstone ::  bakery
8. Influential ::  people
9. Holistic :: healer
10. Lovesick ::  for chocolate

Coming Home from camp

Such a beautiful place.

Connor is saying goodbye to Laura, the camp director.

I think he's happy to be going home.  This is at the airport.

Brothers.

Connor finally got home last night.  :o)  I loved the Welcome Home sign.  In this picture, he is showing us his new mustache he got from camp.  Isn't it nice?  LOL

He's coming HOME!

(Click picture to enlarge)

I made this banner for Connor.  He comes home today!  Yea!!!  :o)  We are all so excited.  He has been at camp all week and we MISS him.  I have talked with him briefly this morning after Dave and Quinn picked him up.  But I didn't get much in the way of information out of him.  I think I'm just going to have to be patient and let it come out over time.  He did tell Dave that he would like to go again next year.  Well, that must mean he had a good time.  Right?

It's harder than it looks

We got some coupons for bowling in my email box today.  And Sloane took to the idea RIGHT away.  :o)  She felt the absolute NEED to go bowling...TODAY.  I tried to get her to wait until Wednesday when we could go with our homeschool friends.  But she wanted to go NOW.  :o)  And...since she and I were here by ourselves today with nothing else to do.  I said "Why Not!"  Let's go!  :o)  So we packed our coupons and our socks and away we went.

When we got there, Sloane presented our coupons to the kind gentleman behind the desk and at first, he said we couldn't use both of them because they both had my name on them.  Then he looked again and realized that they are student coupons.  He said (pointing at me) "but you're not a student.  Oh well, I'll give it to you anyway."  Yippee!  We only had to pay for our shoes.  $6 is all it cost for two people to bowl one game and for both people to rent shoes.  Not bad, I'd say.  :o)

Sloane even took a picture of me.  We had such fun.  I haven't bowled in I can't tell you how long.  But I DID get three strikes!  My game was only 101.  But fun was on our agenda and FUN is what we had.  :o)

It's been one week

Dave and Quinn left on a plane early this morning for Nashville, TN to pick up Connor from camp.  We haven't heard from him all week.  We can only assume he is doing well.  We are all missing him desperately.  Camp is over tomorrow at 11am.  Then they will have to race back to Nashville to catch their plane.  And we will see all three boys around 8pm tomorrow evening.  Can't wait!

Free bowling all summer long!

Sign up here to go bowling for free.  We printed out free coupons and plan to use them on Wednesday next week.  How about you?  Do you want to join us?  Come on.  Let's go!!!

Quinn and Dave left to pick up the molds in El Paso, Tx.  They flew out and picked up a moving van and will drive back.  While they are gone, Sloane and I went bowling.  What fun we had!!!  :o)

We found this little wagon in front of somebody's house that was in the bulk trash pile.  Can you imagine throwing this perfectly good wagon in the TRASH?  My original idea was to take it home and give it to our two-year old neighbor, Rece.  But the kids thought it was too fun to give away.  They had so much fun riding in it behind the golf cart.  So we kept it!  :o)  

Quinn is 8 on the 8th

We had a family celebration on Friday.  Quinn, (cousin) Zane, (cousin) Lyndzy and Sloane had a fun time trying to blow out the candles.  They were the ones that went out and then when you think you're done, they light back up.  Everyone joined in.  It was hilarious! 

Then today, we celebrated with Quinn's friends in our pool.  This is only some of the kids.  I couldn't corral them all at the same time for a group picture.  There are a few that were inside playing the Wii.  But that's OK, there was plenty of fun to be had.  Happy Birthday, Quinn!

Quinn's golden birthday

8-8-10

Today is Quinn's birthday.  He had a few friends over to help celebrate.  

ETUSC

Dave and I are helping Connor pack for camp.  Camp is from August 8th - 14th.  Connor is 13 and this is the first time he has ever gone to camp EVER.  And he chooses a camp on the other side of the country.  ;o)  Not only that.  But he has NEVER been away for a week without us.  He leaves early tomorrow morning on an airplane.  Dave is flying with him.  They then have a four hour drive after getting off the plane from Nashville to Jonesboro TN.  Then Dave will fly back next week to pick him up.

Connor doesn't show any signs of being excited OR nervous.  We asked him if he wanted a calling card so he could call home during the week.  And he said "No, I'll be fine."  What!!  But what about ME ~ your MOM?  And he's just as cool as a cucumber about everything.  Doesn't seem to have the jitters At all.  He has always been the kids that could walk right up to anybody and talk to them and hang out.  Never any worries about anything.  I guess that is what is going on right now.  He knows he'll make friends and have a great time.  When I was a kid and went to camp for a week, I remember being so homesick and just scared about all the people I didn't know.  Of course I always had a super time.  But the initial getting acquainted time was so scary for me.  Hopefully he will have none of that.

We asked if he wanted a disposable camera.  And he doesn't want to take pictures.  He didn't want a camp shirt either.  "Why would I want that?", he asks.  Don't you want to have ANYthing to remember camp by?  So I ordered him a camp shirt anyway.  So if he changes his mind, he will have it.  Also, my mom is buying him a disposable camera (just in case).  You know.  Things are always different once you get there.

I know Connor will be fine and he'll have a great time and make some awesome new friends.  I can't wait to hear all about it.

Olive/Olivia

Sloane loves olives.  When we went to the grocery store today, she asked if we could get a can of them.  Then she opened them and proceeded to eat half the can when we got home.  She loves to put them on her fingers.

Cinco de Mayo ~ Homeschool style

Today is Cinco de Mayo and also it is LIFE is Good Homeschool park day.  We didn't have anything organized as far as a party goes.  But leave it to Jennifer to remember the day.  She brought these two adorable sombreros along with chips and salsa.  Sloane and Jenny volunteered to model the sombreros.  Aren't they cute!!!

This one looks like a commercial for Mission Chips.  LOL!

Swimming at The Village

We have been swimming at The Village this spring since our pool just hasn't warmed up yet.  The weather has been so nice (read: NOT hot) that the water in our pool is FREEZING.But that doesn't stop us from swimming.  We have been going everyday.  Even Connor is getting out for a little vitamin D and exercise.AND, Connor and Quinn have been getting along for the most part.  It has been so refreshing to see and enjoy them playing together.

Fire Dept Tour

Today we (LIFE is Good Homeschoolers) went on a tour of the Buckeye Fire Dept with the Verrado Mom's Club.After the tour, the kids engaged in a few minutes of kicking the bag.Here is our group from LIFE is Good.

Village Green fountain

Today we wanted to swim at the Village be when we got there, it was closed.  I think it was 6pm.  You'd never know it by the pictures.  We couldn't believe the pool was closed at *6*pm.  Oh well.  So we went across the street to the village green fountain and they ran through the water there.after they were finshed running through the water, we went to Prospector Park nearby.Quinn and Brody had fun on the swings.

We have block parties in our park at least twice a year.  This was the first one of 2010.  We had such a great turn-out.  The kids filled water balloons...

We had sack races...

Then the kids used the water balloons on each other.  What fun they had!!!

And look at all the people who came to celebrate spring and their love of Verrado with us.  We really DO have the BEST neighborhood.

Friday fun

Quinn has been sick the last couple of days, so we have been cooped up in the house with down time.  So Quinn brought out the little table and chair, set it up in the living room and started to build a tech deck skatepark out of cardboard and tape.  

He is in his glory.  And MAN is he ever creative!!!  I love watching him build.  He has great and practical ideas.  The little tech deck dudes are gonna LOVE him!  LOL

Sloane got fake money with a cash drawer from the dollar store today.  So when we came home, we played HOTEL.  She checked me in and informed me that lunch was being served soon after.  I bought several things with my money and she gave me change.  

She was loving figuring out how much change I would get back each time.

Hop, hop, hop

You remember the days when you would endlessly hop on the hopscotch squares.

Well, Sloane is doing EXACTLY that.  She asked me to draw a hopscotch for her today.  So I went right out and drew it out.  She asked for 1 - 10.  But I explained to her that it would be easier if it went to 12 so she would be able to land on two feet at the end and turn around instead of one foot.  So she agreed and I drew 12.

Then she proceeded to hop on it for the next hour.  Pretty soon after she started, three of her little friends came to join her.  I was busy talking to the moms, so I forgot to take pictures of them.  But it was very cute to see them lined up waiting to take their turns.