Yes, They're Homeschooled

I walked in the door.

Samuel: "Mom! We had so much fun while you were gone! We played the Punctuation Game! Connor was 'period'--he said 'period' after everything. Honor was 'question mark'--everything she said was in the form of a question. Ariana was 'comma'--she took a lot of breaths. And I was 'exclamation point'--I yelled a lot. It was so fun!"

And that's what happens when they aren't allowed television. 

Connor's Voice Is Changing...

...But pretty much only when he is praying and when he's singing.

It is very hard to sing a serious hymn next to my son who should sing tenor, but wants so much to sing bass. Nightly prayers are even more awkward. He will talk in a normal 12-year-old voice and then Johnny Cash comes out to pray.  

Love my son!

Brothers

Connor: "I've got a great idea, Samuel!  You get into the middle of this tire, and I'll push you down a hill!"

Samuel: "Yeah!!"

...

I am astonished that none of my children have broken a bone. Definitely not for lack of trying.

Famous Ancestors

Connor:  "I wonder if I can trace my ancestors back to Leonardo Divinci. Maybe that's where I get my interest in creating things from. And why I love to draw and am so good at it."

We don't have any self-esteem issues in this one...

It's Biodegradeable!

As I was doing dishes, Connor came running up to me, full of excitement.

Connor: "Mom! Guess what! You know that puzzle on the table? You know how we thought it was made from cardboard? Well, it's not."

Mommy: "What is it made from then?"

Connor: "It's made from dried lettuce! And the ink is not made from ink! They used things like tomatoes to make the colors!"

Mommy: "How do you know that?"

Connor: "It says so on the box."

Mommy: "Show me."

Connor brought the box over and showed me a circle about the size of a quarter in the corner of the box.

Connor: "See! It says right here, 'Earth Friendly!'"

He then read the rest of the circle:

This puzzle is made from 90% or 
more recycled materials and 
printed with vegetable based 
inks! This puzzle is 100% 
biodegradable!

I get the tomatoes for the red ink part, but where did he come up with dried lettuce for the backing?

Spider-Man

Samuel discovered the other day that he can climb up the stucco columns on our back porch. The boys are super impressed by his "wall climbing skills". They began brainstorming ways to transform the broken intercom Daddy brought home, into a web slinger. Connor thinks he's figured out how to hook up power to it.

Today Connor was asking me if I would be impressed is Samuel climbed onto the roof. Later he announced he had plans for how to make a glider suit. At lunch he asked if I would help them make a rope ladder (out of twine). After lunch, I saw them looping twine around tree branches and practicing climbing up ropes.

Hmmm... Should I be worried??

Manners...We Learn 'em Young

The boys are in trouble. They taught Conan that passing gas is funny. Everytime he toots, he laughs loud and announces, "I tarted!"

I am not amused.

You Have a Point

Our nephew was convinced that he didn't like goat's milk.

Daddy: "More people in the world drink goat milk than cow milk. It is way healthier for you. It is like me offering you purified bottled water, but you would rather drink from a lake."

Connor: "Probably most prisoners in jail drank cow milk when they were kids."

Daddy: "That's true..."

Luke quickly decided he should drink the milk placed before him.

The world is a much safer place with goat's milk.

Pool Party

I went to the grocery store today with all 5 of my children. I hate grocery shopping. It is even less fun when I get to bring ALL of my children. But we were out of cereal. And chips. So we went.

I pulled a muscle in my upper back/neck/shoulder area--basically my entire upper body was in pain--yet I carried my 30 pound toddler on my back anyway; it's easier than prying item after item out of his grubby little hands.  

My eldest daughter brought one whole dollar to spend on...something.  I was feeling extremely generous so when she asked if she could get nail polish, I said yes. She chose electric blue. I am the best mom ever.

My other daughter decided she wanted cough syrup. I had already given her cough syrup that morning. She hadn't coughed since I gave her the medicine. But since she wanted me to buy cough syrup, I had to endure asthma attack after asthma attack as we travelled the aisles.  She does not have asthma, but she does have an over-developed flair for the dramatic.

And my older boys...were being boys. All over the store. Until I decided I needed two carts. Race car driver Samuel pushed one and my eldest son was banished to the space between me and the cart. He was not pleased.  Neither was I. 

The store was being remodeled, which means I had absolutely no idea where anything was.  From the moment we left our house to the moment we returned, it was 3 hours.  THREE HOURS. One store. 

There were sales on a lot of snack food that Daddy likes. I bought a bunch because I intend to never go shopping again.  

When we first entered the store, we passed a sale on baby pools. "Please, Mommy!!  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!!"  I looked at the price and thought of my ducks--the animals, not a cute nickname for my children. Since we were only 10 minutes into our trip and, as I mentioned, I was feeling generous, I said yes.  

After 2 1/2 hours, I had forgotten.  They had not. 

"Don't forget the pool!"

I was not feeling nearly as generous as before, but I had already said yes.  The thing was taller than me and did I mention my entire upper body hurt?  But I somehow managed to carry the thing to the cash register.  Thankfully the clerk offered to walk me, my 5 children, my two carts, and my pool out to my truck. Somehow I managed to shove all of that into the back of my SUV. The boys got to have a "pool hat" on the ride home. The girls were jealous.

After pleading with me the entire ride home, I agreed to allow them to play in the pool after Conan woke from his nap. 

4:53 rolled around.  I filled up the pool. They cheered and jumped in.  

5:15, Connor and Samuel were, dry, dressed, and playing on their Kindles.  Next came Ariana (who hadn't coughed once since leaving the store.). Honor played with Conan until 5:30.  Daddy brought Conan in the house at 5:35.

I am never leaving my house again. 

Career Day

I am working with my kids, especially my older three, on goals for when they graduate. Nothing set in stone, of course, but I want to help gear their education to prepare them for the future. So far their life goals have been very dreamy: Ariana has wanted to be a singer, a chocolateer, and the owner of a Chinese restaurant with a play area.  Samuel still wants to be a race car driver. Connor wants to be a soldier or an astronaut.

Honor used to want to be a writer. I very much encouraged that goal.  Today, however, she changed course.

Honor: "I want to be a mom."

Not "just" a mom. She said it like it was a goal to be achieved--as if it were just as much of an accomplishment as being a doctor. 

When asked what she would do in the meantime, however, she responded, "dog walker"...

Reach for the stars, baby!

Swimming Upstream

We went swimming at Grandma's pool yesterday. Connor and Honor decided to race from the shallow end to the ledge in the deep end.  Honor won.

Connor: "I hate currents!"

Thank You God

God, I thank you for Samuel's sweet innocence. May he never lose his tender heart.

God, I thank you for Ariana's passion and caring. May she never lose her desire to "mother" all living things; nor lose her joyful spirit.

God, I thank you for Connor's desire to entertain the masses. May he never lose his unique sense of humor.

God, I thank you for Honor's sense of...honor. May she never lose the desire to see good defeat evil.

God, I thank you for Conan's outgoing personality. May he continue to grow as a happy, active child, who looks up to his honorable, funny, caring, tender hearted siblings. May he always emulate their good and forget their faults...and mine. 

I'm Turning Japanese

Connor: "What if we sponsored a boy from Japan and his name was Connor?  Wouldn't that be funny?"

Mommy: "What is your fascination with Japan lately?"

Connor: "Because I'm going to become a ninja!"

I love that he still has his innocence at 10.   So many other boys his age don't...

That's Such a Connor Thing to Say...

Mommy: "Kids, I stayed up until 12:30 last night ordering next year's curriculum. Woohoo!!! And I ordered a new course for everyone...'Ola! Comme ci, comme sa?'** Can you guess what the new course is?"

Connor's face lit up.  "Spanish!"

Mommy: "Yep!"

Connor thinks for a second, then asks, "But what about Japanese?"

One thing at a time, son.  

**Disclaimer: I took French. I have no idea if I wrote that correctly, but you get the idea. ;-)

I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means

We had some McDonalds gift cards left over from a long time ago and decided to use them recently to buy it kids' meals (normally we save $10 and just go with the sandwiches). The toy for the girls was "Monster High" (yuck!). The girls recognized right away that this was something of which I would normally not approve, but they did like Draculaura's hair (http://m.monsterhigh.com/profile/draculaura)

Ariana: "I think she's pretty...except that she's a monster. But if she wasn't a monster, I would name her "Pinkeye" because she likes pink."

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Something was up with Samuel's tummy yesterday  morning. He slept in really late and missed breakfast. I think missing breakfast upset his stomach enough to cause him to vomit (sorry)--he was fine after that and ate dinner with us like normal. The dinner conversation revolved around his brief illness:

Samuel: "Can I have another piece of pizza?"

Mommy: "No, Honey, let's take it easy. You threw up this morning."

Samuel: "But I feel fine!"

Daddy: "Yes, but you threw up this morning and we don't know why."

Connor: "It could be morning sickness..."

Boys...

Samuel: "Wait a minute!"

He karate chops at the back of Connor's head.

Samuel: "There was a spider web connected to your neck."

Connor: "Cool!"

Blue

Connor: "Mom, you are the only one in our family with bluish-turquoise eyes with specks of brown in them."

How very specific of you, son.

Illogical

Spend five hours trying to get boys to do their math assignment.  

Leave unused math worksheets in the scrap paper drawer.

Same boys sit happily doing math worksheets for fun.

That's not frustrating at all...

Fluent

Tried to teach my children the secret language of Op today.  Connor should be an expert tomorrow...

Tastes Like Chicken

No matter what the meat, my boys always ask for seconds by asking for "more chicken." 

The cows from Chik-Fil-A would be very happy at our house... (except we actually eat a lot of beef...shhh!)