Panache

QOTD:

2011-06-17T21:43:00.001-07:00

“The best thing for being sad,” replied Merlyn, beginning to puff and blow, “is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder in your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewer of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then—to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it.” From – The Book of Merlyn, T. H. White

Happy New Year :)

2011-03-01T10:33:00.001-08:00

After a While

(Veronica Shoftshall, 1971)

After a while you learn the subtle difference

between holding a hand and chaining a soul

and you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning

and company doesn’t always mean security.

And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts

and presents aren’t promises

and you begin to accept

your defeats

with your head up

and your eyes ahead

with the grace of woman,

not the grief of a child

And you learn to build

all your roads on today

because tomorrow’s ground

is too uncertain for plans

and futures have a way

of falling down in mid-flight.

After a while you learn

that even sunshine burns

if you get too much

so you plant your own garden

and decorate your own soul

instead of waiting for someone

to bring you flowers.

And you learn

that you really can endure

you really are strong

you really do have worth

and you learn

with every goodbye, you learn…

"Me" according to Elijah

2011-03-01T10:31:00.000-08:00

1. What is something mom always says to you?
"Clean your room."

2. What makes mom happy?
Cleaning my room.

3. What makes mom sad?
Trashing the house.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
With her weird dance moves.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Probably pretty bad.

6. How old is your mom? 34

7. How tall is your mom?
Elijah: "How'm I supposed to know that?"
(me: just guess!)
Elijah: 5'8"

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Go on facebook.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
I have NO idea!

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for??
Probably her dance moves.

11. What is your mom really good at?
She's very good at being bad at dancing.

12. What is your mom not very good at?
dancing

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Goes to college.

14. What is your moms favorite food?
Croissants.

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Everything.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Minnie Mouse.

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Talk.

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We aren't good dancers.

19. How are you and your mom different?
she's a girl and I'm a guy

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
I just trust her.

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
The beach.

Who needs sleep anyway?

2011-03-01T10:29:00.000-08:00

A- Age: 34

B - Bed size: from King to Full, and it's just o.k.

C - Chore you hate: Making my kids do their chores.

D - Dad's Name: John Joseph Brophy

E - Essential start your day item: Caffeine and ire

F - Favorite actor(s): Christopher Walken; Harvey Keitel

G - Gold or Silver: Silver

H - Height: 5' 5"

I - Instruments you play(ed): clarinet, violin (secretly and barely)

J- Job title: Slave (the children *will* take my position...soon!)

K - Kid(s): Naomi (13), Elijah (11), Jonas (10) and Tamra Jane (8)

L - Living arrangements: Kids, a dog, a cat, and a fish and me - in a house.

M - Mom's name : Patricia Ann

N - Nicknames: secrets

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Definitely: car accident, surgery, & staying w/my daughter

P - Pet Peeve(s): inanimate objects that won't cooperate with me

Q - Quotes you like: I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. - Twain

R - Right or left handed: Left

S – Siblings: Erin and Joe

T - Time you wake up: 5:30-ish

V - Vegetable you dislike: Okra (blech)

W - Ways you run late: it would be easier to list the ways I do *not* run late...of which there are none.

X - X-rays you've had: all of them...thank you, car accident.

Y - Yummy food you make: Lots of stuff: Soups, breads, burritos...cupcakes! It's endless. I'm daring in the kitchen.

Z - Zodiac: gemini/taurus (so what!)

The Physiology of a Muscle Contraction or...

2011-03-01T10:28:00.002-08:00

(if you call me, this is what we'll talk about)

Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 2:26am

Describe the physiology of a muscle contraction in complete detail:

When you touch a hot stove, your arm instantly reacts and jerks away from the heat. What actually takes place - to cause your arm to move away - is neuromuscular transmission. A sensory nerve detects heat, and sends a message to the central nervous system. The brain instantly sends a message by way of a motor neuron or efferent neuron to the skeletal muscle, in this case, the biceps brachii. At the neuromuscular junction, the neuron relaeases a chemical neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. The chemical diffuses across the synaptic gap, and affects the resting membrane potential.

Normally, a resting cell has a high concentration of potassium ion inside the cell, and a high concentration of sodium ion outside of the cell. In order to maintain these differing concentrations, the cell must expend energy to operate the sodium-potassium pump. The outside of the cell is lined with positive charges, while the inside of the cell is lined with negative charges. This is called the resting membrane potential. When the membrane is stimulated by the neurotransmitter, it becomes permeable to sodium, causing a switch in charge. This is known as depolarization. Repolarization occurs when the membrane becomes permeable to potassium, and then the sodium-potassium pump works to re-establish the resting membrane potential.

This excitation travels forward to the transverse tubules that run perpendicular to the myofibril. The message then crosses the cisterna and enters the sarcoplasmic reticulum which binds troponin of the actin filament. When not bound, this protein serves to inhibit myosin and actin from interacting. Now, the strand of tropomyosin moves aside, exposing the actin filament binding sites.

Actin binding sites join with the myosin hooks to form cross-bridges. An enzyme located in the myosin called ATPase releases the energy necessary. The myosin literally pulls the actin filament closer, causing the muscle to contract and shorten. When this happens, the H and I bands shorten, while the A band remains the same in length.

In order for the muscle to relax, the chemical cholinesterase must erase the effect of acetylcholine. When this happens, calcium returns to the sarcoplasmic reticulum and the muscle relaxes.

NOTE: In order to simplify the essay, a monosynaptic reflex was used, involving only a sensory and motor neuron. However, most actions have more than one synapse and involve many more neurons.

Another time waster I couldn't resist...

2011-03-01T10:28:00.001-08:00

USING ONLY ONE WORD! It's not as easy as you might think! Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one word answers. Be sure to tag the person you received it from!

1. Where is your cell phone? unknown
2. Your significant other? omnipotent
3. Your hair? up
4. Your mother? sweet
5. Your father? loving
6. Your favorite thing? sunshine
7. Your dream last night? insignificant
8. Your favorite drink? hot
9. Your dream/goal? nursing
10. What room you are in? living
11. Your hobby? various
12. Your fear? handled
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? established
14. Where were you last night? meeting
16. Muffins? pumpkin
17. Wish list item? griddle
18. Where you grew up? NoVa
19. Last thing you did? dishes
20. What are you wearing? pajamas
21. Your TV? nonexistent
22. Your pets? jobs
23. Friends? smiles
24. Your life? grateful
25. Your mood? determined
26. Missing some one? no
27. Car? guzzler
28. Something you're not wearing? deodorant
29. Your favorite store? Ikea
30. Your favorite color? green
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? forget
35. Who will resend this? whoever
36. One place that I go to over and over? UMA
37. One person who emails me regularly? FB
38. My favorite place to eat? home
39. Why you participated in this survey? Ben

Those 25 Random Things...

2011-03-01T10:26:00.000-08:00

1. Once worked on a dairy farm and was paid in cash, goats, and chickens.

2. Am interested in woodworking and would love to be able to build my own 'stuff.'

3. Shoveling snow is my grown-up way of playing in the snow. I actually do like doing it.

4. I always tuck the blankets securely around my feet when I sleep. This has it's roots in a bad dream I had as a child about a giant ant, but it's also to keep warm.

5. Do not enjoy horror movies.

6. I do not ever watch TV when I'm home. Don't even have one plugged in.

7. Hoping to graduate and become a Nurse in just over two years.

8. Recovering coffee addict. I have to be very careful around that stuff. Have an extensive tea collection to make up for it.

9. Have had one 'best friend' since I was 14 years old. We met because I bummed a cigarette off of her in the basement during mass (Catholic.) We are still very close and talk at least weekly.

10. The last cigarette I ever had was over 13 years ago. Quit with my first pregnancy. Don't even remember what it was like.

11. I don't drink alcohol.

12. Am working on reading through the entire Bible this year.

13. After I graduate and all that, I'd like to take my children to all kinds of exotic and interesting places.

14. Would love to buy Rosetta Stone and really be able to speak a second language (along w/my kids).

15. Not into shopping, but I suppose having some money to spend could make that a more pleasurable experience.

16. Love to be out on the water - in a canoe, boat, whatever. Have not been kayaking before and would really like to do that.

17. Enjoy silence.

18. Thunderstorms make me want to go sit outside.

19. Another thing I want to do when I graduate is spoil a few of my friends who have *really* been there for me. I smile thinking about that. :)

20. If I lost my planner, I wouldn't know if I was coming or going.

21. I am not naturally organized; not even a little. My method of organization is to get rid of stuff all the time so I have less to deal with.

22. Would probably not ever be classified as fashionable. I'm pretty sure I'm a 'fashion disaster.'

23. Lived in a homeless shelter with my children for 45 days once. Then we built our home with Habitat for Humanity while renting.

24. I know how to make bread and cakes almost by heart (but do like trying new recipes.) I don't have any measuring cups, but things still turn out great. Must be the love I put in there.

25. Am okay with being 'alone.'

Accident

2008-01-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

Family tragedy.

hand-made with sympathy

2007-12-20T18:17:00.000-08:00

Move over Mcdonald's...

2007-12-16T10:36:00.000-08:00

'Cause you can't even compete with this!

Chocolate covered snowy goodness.

2007-12-15T06:02:00.001-08:00

Just another sun-snowy day here!

Pretty, pretty princess!

2007-12-15T05:59:00.000-08:00

He hasn't lost a game yet.

Back to basics...with flair!

2007-12-14T13:10:00.000-08:00

Nothin' beats your son bringing this home from school for you:

The cure for inconsistency?

2007-12-14T08:45:00.000-08:00

Wow - what a great week this is turning out to be! Sometimes, the most stressful of times are the times of highest growth.

Through more praying, and listening, I think I have realized the root of my inconsistency. It is another one of those beliefs I'm holding. Another one of those that I would never say out loud, but have obviously been holding as truth.

It goes like this, "From now on, I will...."

Or, "Every day, I'm going to..."

You know what? Habits don't start that way and they don't go away that easily. I wrote something down in my Bible once:
"Habits are too weak to be felt, until they are too strong to break."

So, here is what I realized. I can't take these bad habits of mine, and declare them gone. I can't decide, in one moment, that I will do "this, this, this, and that" differently. I have to make this decision each morning!

Last night, I made a list of all that needs to be done; the many things I have been neglecting around here, and the everyday things that I don't want to be lazy about.

Then, I decided that just for tomorrow, I would diligently work through my list, and not just let the day go by. I even included my exercise, and some down time, on my list - because those things are important, too! (Just in the right doses, right?)

Tonight, when getting ready for bed, I am going to do this again...and commit that "just for tomorrow," I will have these good habits.

My pastor told me once, that a well-lived life is built one day at a time; made up of a series of daily making the right choices.

My problem arises with trying to see my whole life all at once. So, for today, I will be thinking about today. Tonight, I will prepare for tomorrow, and look forward to living just that day. And, one day, I hope to look back upon a series of well-lived days.

I would never say that!

2007-12-14T08:25:00.000-08:00

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..."

We had had one of those tense mornings; where no one can find their shoes, someone still has homework they forgot to do, and we can't miss the bus, because Mommy doesn't have time to make the trip to school today. I wasn't very patient or proud of the way I handled the morning.

Finally, the kids are all settled on their buses, and I'm on my way to Chemistry. I am thinking a little; praying a little...and I have this major realization (which, in reality, was an answer to my praying.)

When I am with someone else's children, I am on my "best behaviour." I am more patient, and more forgiving. Now, I know that some of that has to do with me not being responsible for how they turn out in the end; but it also shows that I believe something I would never say out loud.

The thing I would never say is that I can treat my children poorly because they are "mine." I can be on my worst behaviour in front of them because, since we live together, they get to see the real me.

You know what my realization was? They are NOT mine!

I'm picturing this scenario:

A father is dropping off his children at my house in the morning - for me to babysit. I'm dressed and ready when they show up. I'm cheerful and pleasant; the house is clean and welcoming. While I care for these children, I'm patient and even spend time teaching them some good behaviour, or correcting some bad choices.

Add a video camera to the scenario. How much more concerned would I be with my actions throughout the day, knowing that this loving father would be catching up with his children's day via video later on?

This isn't just a scenario - this is what I am doing every day. These are not my children...they are God's children. He is always watching me care for them, and I'm surprised he has not replaced me yet.

This thought - this answer to prayer on my way to class - is staying with me. I wanted to share it as I can see how much it has affected my daily life - for the better.

Anyone can be on their best in front of visitors...but's where it really counts is in the home. I'm thankful for God's patience and correction in my daily life.

It's curtains for you, kid!

2007-12-11T07:56:00.000-08:00

I could not be more pleased with these beautiful curtains made by my dear friend and neighbor, Tessa.
All that's left is to put curtains in front of the closet.
Thanks to Tessa, and her awesome attitude, things are really starting to come together around here. And I was already thrilled just to have a cup of tea with her every once in a while!

And this little piggy eats healthy...

2007-12-11T04:14:00.000-08:00

Out with the old....

2007-12-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

and be careful what you let back in!

This is what I did today...and I am only blogging about it in hopes that a certain dear friend will be so proud of me that she will come over and brew a pot of decaf for us to relax with.

Goodbye "half of my basement." Hello, empty wonderful space.

Have you discovered your love of aprons yet???

2007-12-05T20:06:00.000-08:00

The Apronista: Bee-Bops Party Wear - Apronista Giveaway

Go see this contest! Just for checking out Molly's website and leaving a comment about your favorite apron, you can WIN one!

They are made out of towels and are really beautiful.
If I win, I'll finally have an apron again!
Go over there, and enter the contest. It ends this Friday.

Chemistry in the Kitchen!

2007-12-05T18:36:00.000-08:00

Tonight my friend Tessa came over, and we made laundry soap in my kitchen!
It was great...
We started out with Borax, Washing Soda, Water, and a bar of Fels Naptha soap (but you can use homemade soaps, or Ivory)...and ended up with a big container of gel.
The recipe is all over the internet, and I even found a nice little video of a Mama making her own; so I won't bother to post the exact recipe.
Here's a photo!
It's gelling up really nicely. When we first put it in there, it looked like an egg soup type mixture. Just now, upon opening it for the picture, I was surprised to find such a thick gel. I've never been so excited to do laundry before!

Here is a video of making a similar soap - just using a bar of Ivory instead.

dangerously delicious.

2007-12-05T17:26:00.000-08:00

The sneaky bedtime snack

2007-12-05T04:11:00.000-08:00

Packed with protein (whole wheat and natural peanut butter)...

On a snowy day...

2007-12-04T04:54:00.000-08:00

this little sloppy-joe mobile had no trouble gettin' where he was goin.

I know how to keep my husband happy!

2007-12-03T10:50:00.001-08:00

too cute to eat....nah!

2007-12-03T10:49:00.001-08:00

We eat Octopi.

2007-12-03T10:48:00.001-08:00

Be careful when you ask mom for doughnuts for breakfast.

2007-12-03T10:47:00.001-08:00

Dog and Chicken

2007-11-27T21:16:00.001-08:00

It's like "Fox and the Hound," 'cept different!

I'm back...with a passion!

2007-09-15T06:26:00.000-07:00

I forgot all about this blog until today...when, on Sparkpeople.com I noticed a 'button' they offered for use on blogs. Since I want the button, I need to have another go at blogging. Today is my 61st day on Spark. I have gone from a starting weight of 132 to a very attractive weight of 120. Not only do my clothes fit better (except for the ones that are so baggy, I just can't wear them anymore), but I can DO stuff without running out of energy or losing my breath. Instead of cheetos, I have a banana for breakfast!
Last night - after experiencing this site for two months, I decided to "invite" all of my family to the site - and that's when I saw the button. It's totally free.
There are no secrets. You do not need the latest book or to discover a miracle food the ancient zulus have been eating to stay healthy for centuries. It's common sense.
The body uses x amount of calories to live - to survive a day even if this is spent lying in bed. Add activity, and the caloric need rises.
One simply needs to burn more calories then are being taken in, to lose weight at a healthy rate.
Once you are at a healthy weight, your calorie needs will change. I noticed that as I became more active, I was hungrier...so I ate. I lost an inch off my waist during that week or two.
There is so much more to Spark than this.
The bottom line is: You can spend time on your health now - by choice; or you can be forced to spend time in illness later.
If you are too busy to learn how to be in your best health, you are just too busy. It takes few hours/days to familiarize yourself with everything Spark has to offer - but it is so worth it. And, there is NO rush. If you rush it, you will miss out.
Being a former "extreme dieter" - I am very familiar with the feeling of wanting to be in shape NOW. The funny thing is, this is the first time I have not rushed, and it's the only time I've really gotten results - results that are sticking!
So here I go - Spreading the Spark!
Going to go get that button for my blog now.
:)

Thoughts on Schooling

2006-12-10T15:02:00.000-08:00

Abraham Lincoln was born on the frontier in 1809 to Nancy and Thomas Lincoln. His formal education amounted to less than a single year. Lincoln was encouraged to read by his mother. But when he was nine years old, Nancy died of milk sickness, a disease caused by drinking milk from cows that have eaten poisonous white snakeroot. A year later Thomas brought home a new wife to be stepmother to Abe and his sister, Sarah. To Abe's delight she arrived with books! As he grew into a young adult he saw how powerful words were and he spent hours writing speeches, debates and practicing his presentations.

1842 - married Mary Todd, they had four boys, Robert, Eddie, Willie, and Tad. Eddie and Willie died in childhood, leaving the Lincolns bereft.

1847 - Abe began his two-year term in Congress. Then he left politics and focused on his law career. But the states were deeply divided; the slavery issue was simmering. Lincoln could not keep silent. He ran for Senate. He lost twice, but he didn't give up. His words were quoted, his ideas debated, he became nationally known.

1860 - he was elected the 16th president of the United States. He served this country during one of the most chaotic times in our history - the Civil War. During these dark days, he led the struggle to preserve the Union. On Jan. 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, *which declared that slaves in those areas of the Confederacy still in rebellion were free. Lincoln was re-elected in 1864, but on April 14, in 1865, he was shot in Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln died the next day.

Sec. of War Edwin Stanton said, "Now he belongs to the ages."

Today, Lincoln's face shines on our pennies, his figure meditates at the Lincoln Memorial, his words ring out on patriotic occasions. Because of Lincoln we have a United States, and no citizen is owned by another. Abraham Lincoln's love of books, the ideas they stirred, and his way with words kept our nation on the path to freedom.
*The Emancipation Proclamation is not a law in the usual sense of the word. It was not passsed by Congress. It was a presidential declaration in time of war.
*******Taken from: Abe Lincoln The boy who loved books by Kay Winters and Nancy Carpenter

I read this book to the kids recently. My daughter also did a book report (for me) on a more detailed book about Abe Lincoln. Inspiring in SO many ways!Abe's life was one of hardship. He lost his Mother! He had to work hard. Books were a luxury. He wasn't given every little thing he wanted or even needed. Today so many children are constantly entertained and catered to. I think - wonder anyway - if the public school system (or even just alot of our modern styles of parenting) are raising perpetual children instead of ADULTS. Reading about Abe was encouraging to me. My children have had a hard life. And then, of course, I went through a time of making it up to them with material things. Now we are finding a balance.
Suffering teaches us so much! Also - learning is about more than sitting in a classroom putting in your time. I hope that if I can leave my children with anything, it will be the constant desire and love of learning in their lives.

Best Pizza Dough. Ever!

2006-12-07T04:37:00.000-08:00

Pizza Dough
3 TBSP Yeast
3 Cups warm water (110*-115*F)
7&1/2 cups flour
6 TBSP Olive Oil
3 tsp. Sugar *I have used Brown sugar because we don't have sugar here very often. I bet you could also try honey. Raw unfiltered honey is SO Good! If you have not tried it...go get some!
3 tsp. Salt
1 TBSP each of Basil, Parmesan Cheese and Fresh Garlic (can sub powdered garlic or canned minced garlic)

Disolve yeast in warm water in large mixing bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients; beat vigorously w/mixer (my mixer is broken and I just use a wooden spoon, go as fast as I can and it still turns out great). Let rest 5 minutes before rolling out. Top with sauce & toppings and bake @ 450*F for 15-20 minutes or until cheese on top is melted. You can brush the crust with Olive oil and sprinkle with more parm cheese and garlic powder. I've also used all wheat flour for this recipe except for 1 cup of white flour. The variations are endless, really.

This makes a lot of crusts. So you can either make four crusts and freeze two (wrapped in a ball and then in a baggie in freezer) or just cut the measurements in half and make two pizzas. I just make two. I can't stand thawing out frozen balls of pizza crusts! Takes less time to just make up a new batch.

After I found this recipe - I knew my search for the perfect homemade crust was over. The family says it's better than pizza from a restaurant.

:)

End of martyrdom.

2006-12-04T05:49:00.000-08:00

So there's this thing that happens when life doesn't go your way. You turn into "someone else." It's not your fault though! You are not really that complaining, nagging, angry lady.

Wrong!

I have learned that my circumstances don't make me who I am...they reveal who I really am! When you take an impulsive girl like me and shut me up in a house to do the same thing day in/day out, some ugly things can happen. But that ugliness was already there. The first step to getting rid of it is to be thankful for where I am - right now.

The learning and growing happens when life gets hard. I can groan and moan over this paper route (7 days a week, before the sun gets up, rain, snow or shine) but then I have to stop and look at my husband who gets up almost every day and goes to work all day on a roof. Hopefully he is leaving with a lunch I have made him and some hot coffee...but he'll go without it if he has to. This kind of experience can really cure a wife of needing to "teach" her husband where the laundry basket is. You know what? Throw your socks on the floor honey...and let me rub your back for an hour.

Some great things I have gotten this week:

Playtex Living rubber dish washing gloves - Hot Pink: We need to take care of our hands! The inspiring pink-ness of these gloves sets them apart from the others. Dishwashing only!
Boring old yellow is for all the other jobs.

An AirLite Corn Broom: This is so much better than the synthetic brooms I have been using. I have broken two broom handles so far this year and they come unscrewed while sweeping which can be quite annoying. This corn broom (from WalMart) is doing a great job, has a broad sweep and is STURDY! I also bought a larger - indoor/outdoor - corn broom for use in the basement and on the porches.

And, speaking of gloves...in the first aid section you can find plain white cotton gloves. I have been wearing these for most of the day and also during the night. This is a great way to heal hands that have not been wearing hot pink dishwashing protection up until now.

So, maybe Mommies should get early morning paper routes...if they have a martyr to kill that is.

Passion and the making of a home...

2006-11-28T10:28:00.000-08:00

Passionate...
having, compelled by, or ruled by intense emotion or strong feeling;
Homemaking...
the management of a household.

When I flip through the pages of a Martha Stewart book (yes, I've done it...many times), a Real Simple magazine, or, hey, even a Pottery Barn catalog, I am instantly swept away into this world of beautiful things, a calm clean house and I could even have a dog - and he would be quiet and clean, also. The kids would have wonderful little bedroom sanctuaries; as would my husband and I. It's all so inspiring, isn't it? Until you look at the prices. And look around at your real house in the real world and the fact that you are still - after 2 years - trying to teach the "one toy at a time" rule and decide which room, really, should you keep the TV in. Could we use the hall closet as a pantry? Or maybe some kind of toy storage system that would instantly solve even needing to teach the "one toy at a time" rule?

I asked my Mom recently about her childhood. Did she remember what kind of homemaker her Mother was and all of that? She sat there and really just could not remember. When my kids are grown up they are not going to remember if my house was spotless but I think they will remember if I was cheerful and fun; full of passion and life. I spent a few years of my life trying to be normal. Some people I knew had let me know with their kind little comments that I was a little weird. Had a little too much feeling. Now I know that that is just who I am. It is better to have 3 friends who can stand your 'craziness' and will listen to you in spite of it (knowing that you will listen back, of course), than to try to squelch your true personality.

I could have no personality, work five jobs in order to put my Pottery Barn special together and purchase my Martha Stewart crafts that I would no longer have time to make;
OR...
I could figure out who the heck I really am, stop trying to be something else and watch my home grow into a beautiful place.

This week I have learned:
Early Morning Newspaper Routes are not for Mommies! At least not if you like to read to your kids every day, cook them dinner and still be awake to watch a movie with their Daddy at the end of the day.

Why was I looking for another job? I am already a dishwasher, janitor, chef/baker/menu planner, Girl Friday, dental hygienist, teacher, teacher's aide, massage therapist, barber, hair stylist, goat-herder, dog trainer, nurse...
and the list goes on and on.

Oh yeah - I don't get paid for any of that! But I wouldn't have my life any other way.

This year is my first year as a public homeschooler. We exclusively homeschooled up until this year and now all of our children are attending the local public school. I will be writing about it as we go because when we were making our decision I couldn't find much about it on the internet. So, if there are a lot of people who have done what we are doing, they are not writing about it. And I know I could have used the help!

For now...anyone out there want a paper route???