Nevermind, LOL

After a lot of thought, I have revamped my concept of my 365 blog and will resume the photos there.  I will go back to foolish, random stuff on this blog. :)  Woman’s prerogative, right?

OK…so here’s the story….

Well, despite my best intentions, with the computer dying early this summer I got very far behind on posting my photos for my 365 blog.  Then, life itself just got in the way and in the blink of an eye summer is coming to an end.  Since I do have photos from most of the days, I will, maybe one day, complete the actual 365 project (or, as I told my friend, rename it Project 180 and call it a wrap, LOL).  In the meantime I have decided you just go back to posting random photos, links, thoughts, etc. here on this blog. 

Just to start, this weekend we had Noah’s 10th birthday party.  The only gift that he asked for was Guitar Hero Metallica.  Both boys would ask most times we were out and about if we could go to Best Buy so they could play Metallica there in the store.  Every time we left Noah would ask if he could get it for his birthday.  So, with a little help from his brother and grandparents’ gift money, he finally has his own Metallica game.  When it was time to make the cake for his birthday sleepover party, it was easy to decide how to decorate his cake. 

 

Happy birthday, my special boy!!!  I love him so much and I can’t believe that he is already 10!  I am so proud to be his mom!

"I Love Jesus But I Drink A Little"

Oh MAN...this is soooo funny!!!!!

A Time Capsule-Macintosh of 84

It is hard to believe that this was cutting-edge technology when I was in high school. 

Wow...were we easily impressed back then or what?   Wonder what all those people would do if they instantly flashed forward to what we have available to us today.  I bet they would all need resuscitation, LOL. 

We've come a LONG way, baby!

365 Blog Notice...

Since I am behind on posting my 365 pictures this week, I think I am going to stick to just posting them on my 365 blog instead of both places, saving this blog for other posts.  It is just getting to be a little too much posting in both.  The link is still on the right side of this blog, or if you still need it, it is www.dlnc365.blogspot.com. 

Thanks!

21/365 - Saving

Both Noah and Cooper have always loved having a pile of change to save for extra spending money when there isn't any allowance, or they want something a little more expensive than the allowance will cover.  However, money is starting to take on a whole new meaning for Cooper since he has started learning the names and values of the coins at school.  Both boys were going through their stash today and Noah was helping Cooper count his change when he decided to go get his old Leap Frog counting bank to show to Cooper.  They worked together, putting all of Cooper's change into the bank and watching the savings total get higher and higher.  At the end, Cooper had $2.24.  Noah decided that since he doesn't really use this bank anymore that he would pass it on to Cooper and they set a savings goal of $5.  Now Cooper is looking for loose change everywhere. 

20/365 - Change

Today Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America.  

This was actually my favorite visual of the day.  It just struck me as such a poignant moment, in silhouette, President Bush preparing to leave the White House for the last time as President  with his successor by his side :

 

This day has been bursting with historical significance and it was a  moment I will never  forget.   May God be with our new President and with our country. 

19/365 - Preparing for the Inauguration

Today's lesson was devoted to tomorrow's inauguration, not just the details of the transfer of Presidential power, but also the historical significance of this inauguration.  Since today is MLK Day we talked about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the role he played in the Civil Rights Movement.  We listened to a portion of his "I Have a Dream" speech and the changes that have occurred over the last 45 years. 

We then moved on to reading about Barack Obama's life, family, and political background.  The kids did a couple of craft projects together while I read about the history of Presidential inaugurations, the inaugural process,and what the order of events will be tomorrow.  Noah is very excited about watching it with me. 

We finished up with both kids writing letters to the new President  which we will mail tomorrow.  Cooper asked me to spell each word for him..." Dear Barack Obama,  Tomorrow you will be the next President.  Love, Cooper".  Noah's letter was written completely on his own and he wrote that he was 9 years old, that he was excited about having a new President, and that he was going to watch the inauguration.  He also said that he hopes he will be able to help the soldiers and the economy and then he decided to attach a quarter "to help the economy".  Of course, Cooper had to do the same thing after he saw Noah's, but he only had a nickel.  :)

18/365 - The Love of Crafting

Although he has always enjoyed a good craft project, Cooper hasn't been able to get enough of crafting since he started school.  Cutting, gluing, coloring, painting...he loves it all.  Today he was using the scissors to cut up some clay.  He made snakes, pancakes, and a cactus. 

17/365 - Cards

This may look like a simple deck of cards, but it represents a huge change in our family.  We truly don't have little kids any more. 

For the first time in years we are at a place in our family where we can get together with our friends and the adults can play games  or watch grown up TV while all the kids play in another room.  None of us have toddlers anymore!  So far this year we have had two card games with the Morrisons, once at their house and tonight at ours.  We played cards while the boys all played video games.  While it is really exciting to know that we have reached this point, I can't help but feel a touch of sadness to realize that our group of little boys just aren't little anymore. 

16/365 - Our School

This is our little school at home.  We started homeschooling this year and everything we need is right here in our cabinet.  I knew we were going to need something to keep everything in, but I wasn't sure what I would do.  Then we found this cabinet, which is actually supposed to be a closet organizer, and I knew it was just what we needed.  It even ended up fitting perfectly in this corner by my desk. 

At the top is our school calendar black board and our portfolio folders.  The cubbies hold all of our work and daily supplies.  Underneath are all of our books, maps, art and science supplies.  Everything has its place.

I love this cabinet because just seeing it reminds me of all the happiness that our decision to homeschool has brought us this year. 

15/365 - The Cold Front

"If you don't like the weather in Atlanta, just wait 15 minutes and it will change," the saying goes.  Well today that saying certainly seems to  hold true.  We have had weeks of unseasonably warm weather all through the holidays.  This time last week, highs were in the high-60's to low-70's.  Then came the cold front and here we are tonight.  Today the high was in the low 40's and dropped all day.  It is supposed to be around 15 degrees tonight with a whopping high tomorrow of 33.  That is a 40 degree change in less than a week.  Typical Atlanta weather.  You never know what to expect or how to dress.  Now if we could just get a little snow over the weekend...THAT would make it worth it!  So for now, we'll just keep a nice warm fire and wait to see what's next. 

14/365 - Asleep

Ever night Cooper plays his Leapster in bed while he is trying to go to sleep.  Last night I checked on him in the middle of the night as I was getting ready to go to bed and I found him like this...asleep with his Leapster with the little stylus pen still resting in his little fingers.  

I <3 Jim!

A great sampling of the pranks Jim has pulled on Dwight from The Office.

13/365 - Guinness World Record *and* The Scare

 

Today Noah told me that the Guinness World Record for jumping jacks was 51 in one minute.  He felt sure that he could do more than that, so he asked me to set up the video camera for a test.  Sure enough, he was able to do 63 in one minute.  After he calmed down from the excitement, we went to the GWR website to see what one has to do to actually submit a record attempt and we were able to submit an application for a kit.  I am sure that there will be some stickler rules for jumping jacks (maybe even that a kid can't hold the record) but at least at our house, Noah is the reigning record holder for Most Jumping Jacks in One Minute!

 

After all of the excitement of the morning's record-breaking, I knew that would be our photo today, but now I have another big story from the day.  This evening  while Noah and I were at the table finishing our school work, Dwight came home from work and took the dogs out to play ball.  On one throw, both dogs were running at full speed toward the ball and they hit, head on.  Ruby (right) just froze and didn't move so Dwight went to check on her.  He carried her inside and when he put her down she couldn't stand up or walk and she was completely unresponsive to him talking to her.  He put her in her crate and rushed her to the vet while I stayed home with the scared boys.  Halfway there she began to whine, like she would ordinarily do on the way to the vet and by the time he got her there she seemed to be ok again.  After an exam by the vet (and a LOT of prayers on this end), it was determined that she suffered a concussion and she was able to come back home tonight with just a warning to watch her.  What a scare!

12/365 - Breakfast for Dinner

We don't eat at home nearly as much as we should these days.  When we do though, we all love to have breakfast for dinner.  Tonight's version was scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and Belgian waffles with cherries and whipped cream or with chocolate chips.  Cooper is such a picky eater these days, so it is nice to cook one meal once in a while that he doesn't have to be talked into eating something.  

11/365 - A Door Cracks Open

Tonight was very exciting.  Noah had these early readers when he was in Kindergarten and they have been sitting among all of the other books in Cooper's bookshelf for quite a while.  I was in Cooper's room tonight, putting away laundry and organizing the books back onto his bookshelf when I came across this book.  Since Cooper has been working on sight words at school I thought, "What the heck" and asked Cooper to look at the book and see if he could read any of the words.  With a little help sounding out a couple of words, he was able to read the entire book!  He was so excited.  In this photo, he has gone into the sunroom to show Daddy that he can read a book.  So exciting...it won't be long now.

Very interesting article from USA Today this week

Home schooling grows

WHY HOME-SCHOOL?

Top reasons cited by parents (could pick more than one):

• Concerns about the school environment (including safety, drugs, peer pressure): 88%

• A desire to provide religious or moral instruction: 83%

• A dissatisfaction with instruction at other schools: 73%

• An interest in a non-traditional approach: 65%

Source: Top home-schooling reasons in 2007 Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey

By Janice Lloyd, USA TODAY

The ranks of America's home-schooled children have continued a steady climb over the past five years, and new research suggests broader reasons for the appeal.

The number of home-schooled kids hit 1.5 million in 2007, up 74% from when the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics started keeping track in 1999, and up 36% since 2003. The percentage of the school-age population that was home-schooled increased from 2.2% in 2003 to 2.9% in 2007. "There's no reason to believe it would not keep going up," says Gail Mulligan, a statistician at the center.

Traditionally, the biggest motivations for parents to teach their children at home have been moral or religious reasons, and that remains a top pick when parents are asked to explain their choice.

The 2003 survey gave parents six reasons to pick as their motivation. (They could choose more than one.) The 2007 survey added a seventh: an interest in a "non-traditional approach," a reference to parents dubbed "unschoolers," who regard standard curriculum methods and standardized testing as counterproductive to a quality education.

"We wanted to identify the parents who are part of the 'unschooling' movement," Mulligan says. The "unschooling" group is viewed by educators as a subset of home-schoolers, who generally follow standard curriculum and grading systems. "Unschoolers" create their own systems.

The category of "other reasons" rose to 32% in 2007 from 20% in 2003 and included family time and finances. That suggests the demographics are expanding beyond conservative Christian groups, says Robert Kunzman, an associate professor at Indiana University's School of Education. Anecdotal evidence indicates many parents want their kids to learn at their own pace, he says.

Fewer home-schoolers were enrolled part time in traditional schools to study subjects their parents lack knowledge to teach. Eighteen percent were enrolled part time in 1999 and 2003, compared with 16% in 2007. Kunzman says this might be because of the availability of online instruction.

The 2007 estimates are based on data from the Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys. Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute, says the estimates are low because home-schooling parents "are significantly less likely to answer government-sponsored surveys."

10/365 - Legos

Today we went to the mall to spend the afternoon.  We had lunch, rode the carousel and the little train, and spent a lot of time at the Croc store.  Of course, with money burning a hole in the kids' pockets, the main reason for the trip was to go to the Lego store.  They each bought a couple of the new Bionicles that haven't made it to Walmart yet and Cooper bought this helicopter. 

The best part is that Cooper was able to build this helicopter all by himself.  Having an older brother, Cooper has always been ahead of his age in playing with the "big kid" Legos, but Noah would usually put them together for him and then he would play with them.  If a part fell off, he would usually have to find Noah and have him put it back together.  Later he was able to put the small Bionicles together by himself and eventually the large Bioncles too, but they are a lot easier to construct than the regular Lego toys.  Seeing Cooper go to his room, instructions in hand, and assemble this helicopter all by himself was so cool. 

9/365 - The Fish

I love having fish.  They may not be fluffy and sit in our laps, but they are our pets, nonetheless.  We have had this group of fish for so long...maybe 6 years...and they are still fascinating to me.  Every night I am the one that feeds them and when the feeding hour arrives, they all gather in the corner and stare at me until I come over to feed them.  As soon as I come near the tank, they immediate circle into their feeding places.  It is so relaxing to watch them. 

8/365 - Back to Basketball

Basketball is Noah's favorite sport and since it only comes around for a couple of months once a year it is always very exciting when January gets here and practices start up again.  This will be Noah's 6th season playing and Dwight has been his coach for all but the first season.  I think it is so wonderful that they have this time to spend together on the court.  

Tonight was the first practice of the season and for the first time BOTH of Noah's best friends, Joshua and Cameron, will be on the team.  They have each been on Noah's team in the past seasons, but never at the same time.  Even though tonight's practice was a gathering of good friends, the boys wasted no time acting silly and playing around...they got right into the game. 

Go Vipers!  Here's to a great start to the 2009 season!

7/365 - "Welcome to Moe's!"

Today is Wednesday, so that means dinner at Moe's.  For years now we have gone there for Kids Eat Free every Wednesday night and usually the Morrisons and/or the Lillys meet us there.  We always look forward to it because it gives us a great middle-of-the-week break to look forward to seeing our friends.  All of the boys sit at their own table and play with whatever toys they brought that night while the grown-ups sit together and catch up.  Tonight I grabbed the cell phone to get this shot of Noah playing with some Lego figures.  Cameron, Connor, Joshua and Dylan were all there tonight, so the boys had a fun night together.

Well, THIS is certainly good news!

From the AJC:

Lake Lanier rising fast after heavy rain

By STACY SHELTON

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Remember Jan. 6, 2009. It could be the date climatologists and meteorologists look back on as the beginning of the end for North Georgia’s historic drought.

Lake Lanier, the drought’s most stubborn laggard, is expected to rise more than 3 feet by week’s end, thanks to Tuesday’s deluge. It had already made a dramatic, 1-foot climb by the afternoon.

John Feldt, hydrologist-in-charge at the National Weather Service’s Southeast River Forecast Center, said conditions had been primed for a big gain at Lanier, the region’s primary water source. The ground was saturated from earlier rain, evaporation is minimal, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the federal reservoir, is holding most of the water in Lanier to help it recover.

“It was just perfect,” Feldt said.

And also, perfectly normal.

When the region gets an average amount of rain in the winter, Lanier generally rises about 7 feet between November and April.

Through March, Feldt is predicting average rain, or more than metro Atlanta has seen during the past two winters.

6/365 - Gam Gam

My mom and George wanted to  sneak  away for a couple of days to see us around the holidays.   Since Dwight was leaving to go on an overnight trip out of town today, it seemed like a great time for them to come up to see us since it would keep me company while Dwight is away, so they got here late yesterday afternoon and are leaving early in the morning...truly an in-and-out visit, but a good one nonetheless.  Last night we exchanged our overdue Christmas presents and today we spent the day shopping (at Kohl's, BIG SURPRISE there, LOL), went to dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant, and then wandered around Barnes & Noble for a while.  We came home and played a couple of board games with the kids ( What's in Ned's Head?, and, of course, Sorry) and then watched a little TV.  Even though Dwight's trip is so short and we would've been perfectly fine alone, it was so nice to have them here to keep us company.  Thanks, Mama!

5/365 - Wii Baseball

Today Dwight went back to work, but Cooper doesn't start back until tomorrow so I let Noah take an extra day off before we start back with our homeschooling.  While the weather has been unseasonably warm for weeks, it has been drizzly and rainy and today just wasn't a day that they could go outside to let out some of their energy, so the boys decided to play baseball on the Wii.   Noah has learned how to do the fancy pitches, which Cooper can't keep up with, so I had to keep reminding Noah that he needed to keep it simple for his brother.  Once he made the adjustment back to a "normal" pitch, they played about 3 full games.   It was nice seeing them having so much fun and I love when you can see the age gap between them closing in a good way. 

4/365 - Cleaning Day

Since Dwight has been off for so long for the holidays, we have been trying to cram a lot of fun into our "staycation" and not too much work.  Combine that with all the mess that comes with the Christmas gift explosion...let's just say that the house looked pretty rough.  Well today is the last day before he goes back to work and the cleaning just couldn't be put off any longer.  Bathrooms, bedrooms, carpets, counters....what a mess.  But after several hours and lot of elbow grease, the house looks and smells clean and fresh.  It's a lot of work, but it sure does feel good to have a clean house again.

3/365 - Games

Cooper has finally gotten old enough to play "big kid" games and Sorry is definitely the game of choice.  Most of the time the game ends peacefully, but make no mistake...it is a very serious competition.  Since this is Saturday night, there is also the customary football game on in the background.  Tonight I had stopped at Chick-fil-A on the way home to get Peppermint Chocolate Chip milkshakes so it was a great night all around. 

2/365

 

We went to see Marley & Me today and I snapped this photo with the cell phone.  It was a great movie, but it really reminded Dwight and I about Taz, so it was rather sad.   The kids and I go to the movies pretty regularly, but it isn't very often that Dwight gets to go with us.  The kids have really been wanting  to go to a movie  all together and it was really nice to have a family movie night together.