Fly on the Wall - January 2015

Welcome to a Fly on the Wall group post. Today 14 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house.

Buzz around, see what you think, then click on these links for a peek into some other homes:

Baking In A Tornado

Spatulas on Parade

Follow Me Home

Menopausal Mother

Stacy Sews and Schools

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy

Juicebox Confession

Battered Hope

Eileen’s Perpetually Busy

Go Mama O

Someone Else’s Genius

The Sadder But Wiser Girl

Just A Little Nutty

The Momisodes

The Crazy People That Live Here 

Me

The Hubby

Jacob - Oldest Son (21 yrs old)

Joshua - 2nd Son (19 on Monday)

Deanna - Oldest Daughter (18 TOMORROW!!!)

Cailey - Youngest Daughter (10 yrs old)

Colin - Youngest Son (7 yrs old)

TJ - Jacob's best friend (he lives here, too)

So far 2015 isn't looking all that great for me. If you were a fly on my wall this month you just might have heard some not so nice words.....

Jacob and TJ came down with the flu. I'm hoping it stops there. 4 of us got flu shots and 4 of us did not. SIGH....

We had our first really cold snap. The Hubby thought he put antifreeze in the van a couple of months ago. He did not. 

Soooo, I get up at 2:45 am and get ready to take him to work. He wakes Joshua up so he can pump gas for me on the way home.

It's SUPER frickin' cold outside.

I go out and start the van so it will be all nice and cozy when we leave.

We go to leave and the inside of the van is ice cold.

The Hubby thinks maybe it's because it's so cold out.

Nope.

We get about 2 miles from the house and the temperature gauge is pegged on H. Then the thermostat indicator starts dinging at me.

After some back and forth we decide to head home and The Hubby will call a friend to take him to work. 

We get about a mile from the house and have to stop at a light. 

BOOOOOM!!!!! Steam starts pouring out of the engine.

We blew a hole in our upper radiator hose.

The Hubby calls a friend and tells him what's going on.

We let the van cool off (HA! the heat never did come on) and try to make it to the house.

SHEW! We make it and The Hubby's friend picks him up for work.

It takes 3 days to fix the van because we had to have the parts delivered.

It could have been so much worse. All we needed was a hose, a thermostat and thermostat housing. We could have cracked the block! 

SHEW!! Crisis diverted but still, not much fun.

Now, if you know me, you know I LOOOOOVE snow. I have been complaining about that a lot lately, how I want some SNOW darn it.

Well, be careful what you wish for.

We start hearing on the news that we are going to have a little weather system but it won't be much. Barely anything at all.

HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!

I go to start the van up to take The Hubby to work and there's ice all over the driveway.

The Hubby says it's no big deal, the road looks fine.

HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!

I start to slip and slide before I even get off our road.

Then we hit the interstate. Before we've gone very far we see a couple of vehicles that have gone off the roadway.

I get The Hubby to work and the parking lot is a solid sheet of ice.

SIGH...

I get back on the interstate to go home. 

I go about 2 miles and the interstate turns into a parking lot. For 5 hours. It was a nightmare. 
It usually takes me 50 minute round trip, it took me 6 hours! 6 HOURS!!!!

I am now considering putting a port-a-potty in our van.

I went through some stages that morning.

Stage One - Shock - Oh my! How awful!

Stage Two - Denial - It couldn't possibly be much longer.

Stage Three - Anger - What the frickin' frack is going on???? WHY aren't we MOVING???

Stage Four - Acceptance - I will never leave this van. It is my home forever.
Stage Five - Deliverance - HALLELUJAH!! I am FREE!!!  (I may have wept.)

I do have a FEW funnies for you this month. 

Cailey - I need TOOOOILET PAPER!!

Deanna - Why are you naked???

Cailey - It was the only way.

She was wearing her new Christmas PJs. They are one piece. LOL

One evening The Hubby fell asleep on the couch. I tried for 3 hours to wake him up. As soon as his phone rang he sat straight up.

Me - I guess I should have just called his phone. Now I know.

Colin - Yeah, you need to give him a WAKE UP call. Get it??? Get it????

So it happened again tonight. He fell asleep on the couch and I tried and tried wake him up.
I grab my phone and call him. 
Worked like a charm. LOL



As I was falling asleep the other night I could have sworn I heard the TARDIS. Nope. The Hubby's snores + the fan = weird TARDIS-like noise. 

The Hubby has a Slim Jim in each hand. His face starts to itch. He then smacks himself in the face with a Slim Jim while trying to scratch.

As Deanna and I die laughing.....

The Hubby - Oh, HA HA HA! Fly on the Wall!! Fly on the Wall!!

He knows me so well.

The Hubby tried to change the channel with his cell phone.

While Deanna and I are dying laughing....

The Hubby - Oh, HA HA HA HA HA! Fly on the Wall! Fly on the Wall!

And last but not least, our cat in the box. 


Don't forget to click all the links!!!!!!! We have some wonderful, amazing bloggers to read!!!

January Homeschool Themes and Resources

We are just getting started back to schooling after the holidays. I usually give the kids (and myself) 3 weeks off at Christmas. Such a nice gift. LOL
I think we might start with some of the themes that would be great for January!! Of course, some of them we've done already. 

Weather Activities

Weather Activities 2

Weather Resources

Squirrel Unit Study Resources Squirrel Appreciation Day is this month!

Polar Bear Resources

How about some countries that get a lot of winter weather??

Canada Country Study Resources

Russia Country Study Resources

Russia Resources (Small)

Here are a few more that are NOT from posts I've done before.

Ellis Island Day was on the 1st. It's not too late to do an Ellis Island Virtual Field Trip!

Here's a place to get you started on MLK Jr Day!

Montessori inspired Arctic and Antarctic Unit

Elizabeth I was crowned this month, why not start a study on the Tudors?


Here are some links for winter crafts and activities -

DLTK-Kids

Activity Village

All Kids Network

                       HAVE FUN LEARNING!!!!!

Secret Subject Swap - January 2015

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This week, 14 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts.


Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

                           

Baking In A Tornado

Spatulas on Parade

Stacy Sews and Schools

The Bergham’s Life Chronicles

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy

Confessions of a Part-Time Working Mom

Juicebox Confession

Someone Else’s Genius

The Momisodes

Climaxed

Sparkly Poetic Weirdo

Cluttered Genius

Southern Belle Charm

Evil Joy Speaks

Your “Secret Subject” is:

You're given the option to take a pill that will allow you to tell anyone in your life, past or present, exactly what you think or feel about them. The catch is you will have absolutely no filter. Once the pill is taken you won't be able to pick and choose what you say. It will all come out, bad or good, and you won't stop until the truth is out in its entirety. Do you take the pill? Why or why not? If so, who do you choose? What are some things you would say?

It was submitted by: Climaxed

WOW!What a great prompt!!!! I would like to say that I thought about it for a while before writing but I didn't. My instinct is to say NO! I absolutely would NOT take that pill. 

Now, that's not to say that I don't know a few people that I COULD use it on. That's not the case AT ALL. I can think of 3 people right off the top of me head. LOL 

I am a fairly passive person. Even when pushed, even when I lose my temper, I try very hard to never say anything hurtful, whether I believe someone deserves it or not. I just can't bring myself to be deliberately hurtful. 

You see, words DO hurt. They cut very deeply. I don't want to be responsible for someone else's pain. No thank you. I have had enough of that done TO me, I don't want to be the cause of it. No matter what. I just can't justify that. 

You can't take something back once it's out there. No amount of apologizing can take the sting out of mean, hurtful words. They will always be there in the person's mind. 

Of course, the other side to the question says it can be good things. Well, I like to think that I already tell people the good things. I try to make sure that everyone I love knows that I love them. I've lost too many people that I love to do it any other way. We are never guaranteed tomorrow. Say what you need to say today, at least the good stuff. 

I hope that I build people up. I think we need more of that in the world. I hope that if someone comes to me that I would be able to tell them good things. That I would be a positive influence and not a negative one. 

I would like to take this moment to tell all the wonderful ladies that participate in all of the Friday challenges and the Blog with Friends challenges, exactly what I think.

I feel so privileged to be a part of all this with you. You are all amazing, wonderful, thoughtful, beautiful people. I count you all among my friends. Thank you all so much for letting me know you and for letting me be a part of all this with you. 

Fly on the Wall - January 2014

                                                                        

Welcome to a Fly on the Wall group post. Today 15 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house.

 Buzz around, see what you think, then click on these links for a peek into some other homes:

http://www.BakingInATornado.com                          Baking In A Tornado

http://www.therowdybaker.com                                  The Rowdy Baker

http://www.justalittlenutty.com/                          Just A Little Nutty

http://themomisodes.com                                       The Momisodes

http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com/                           Spatulas on Parade

http://thesadderbutwisergirl.com                                   The Sadder But Wiser Girl

http://followmehome.shellybean.com                          Follow me home . . .

http://stacysewsandschools.wordpress.com/                  Stacy Sews and Schools

http://singlemumplusone.blogspot.com                           Searching for Sanity

http://thelazymomcooks.blogspot.com/                       The Lazy Mom’s Cooking Blog

http://www.menopausalmom.com/                             Menopausal Mother

http://victoryrosevintage.wordpress.com                       Victory Rose

http://www.pinkheartstring.com                                  Pink Heart String

http://www.spinstersnacks.com/                                 Spinster Snacks

Deanna - We need to start our own store called “Burnett Sized - When Family Size Just Isn’t Big Enough”.

**************************************************************************************************

Colin - This family is full of crazies!!!

**************************************************************************************************

Joshua - I hate Thorsdays, they are so unLoki.

*************************************************************************************************

Joshua - It’s a sad day when you type Leonardo in the search box and DiCaprio comes up before da Vinci.

******************************************************************************************************************

Never NEVER NNNNNNEEEEEVVVVEEEERRRR bring up the country of Djibouti around your kids… You will never hear the end of booty jokes.

Colin - I bet the grass in brown in Djibouti.

Joshua - I bet it stinks in Djibouti.

Deanna - Dang! I didn’t know Djibouti was so big.

And on and on and on and on……..

And let me apologize to the people of Djibouti on behalf of my heathen children.

********************************************************************************************************************

Deanna - Why does everyone think Joshua is funnier than me???

Me - You’re a different kind of funny.

Deanna - And what do you mean by that?????

phone rings

Me to The Hubby - Deanna wants to know why everyone thinks Joshua is funnier than she is.

Yes, that’s what I said.

Deanna - Wait!! Tell me he didn’t say the same thing!!! What do you mean by different?????

********************************************************************************************************************

Jacob (in his best Arhnahld impression) - Hi. I ahm Deaaanna Da Brows. Muh eyebrows will beat you into submission.

********************************************************************************************************************

Cailey thinks that cat burglars steal cats. Cailey - What if a cat burglar comes  and tries to steal Derpy???

********************************************************************************************************************

Apparently we have a clepto cat. Derpy keeps stealing things dragging them under the girls’ bed. Deanna was seriously upset to find a pair of Joshua’s underwear. Although, Derpy did leave a present of pipe cleaners and crayons in Cailey’s shoe.

********************************************************************************************************************

Cailey bumping into Deanna - Sorry, I hope I didn’t hurt your internal orgals.

(no, that isn’t supposed to be organs ;) )

*******************************************************************************************************************

Jacob just started a new job at the same place The Hubby works. He comes home and says this - I found my toe twin today. You know how I dropped that wood on my toe the other day? So did so and so. He took his shoe off and his toe looks just like mine!

*****************************************************************************************************************

Whenever that stupid Miley song comes on Cailey changes the words, like so:

I came in like a

tennis ball

soccer ball

football

It drives Deanna crazy.

******************************************************************************************************************

At the Christmas party for The Hubby’s work, the owner mentioned a special kind of Christmas bonus this year. Every employee got $50 to give to another employee. They were to go to the office and put down which person they wanted their $50 to go to.

The Hubby gets in the van and says, “I know I’m getting $50 from 3 people.” He then names them. I asked if he gave his to Jacob. “No! I didn’t even think about that!!” Good grief!!!!

******************************************************************************************************************

Deanna, Cailey and I were discussing doll clothes and what they were made of. We mention polyester and taffeta.

Jacob - I thought that was old people pudding.

Me - What?

Jacob - That taffeta word.

Me and Deanna - You mean tapioca!

*******************************************************************************************************************

Christmas Day and I am playing Battleship with Colin.

Me - I, 1

Colin - You did????

******************************************************************************************************************

Joshua - Do you know the actress So and So?

Me - No, I don’t think so.

Joshua - She was in such and such.

Me - Oh, yeah!

Joshua - She is also on the show XXXXXXXX.

The Hubby - Yeah, but she dies.

Joshua - Gee, thanks.

The Hubby - Oh, are you starting back at season 1?

Joshua - I’m not so sure now…..

*******************************************************************************************************************

Colin, with tape on his nose - Do I need Proactiv?

******************************************************************************************************************

Wheel of Fortune is on the TV with a split screen. Vanna and the letter board are on the bottom and the contestants are on the top. Colin - Are those people really big or is that lady really small?

******************************************************************************************************************

So, there you have it, folks! The crazy things that have been heard around our house!!!

Don't forget to check out the amazing bloggers that are taking part in Fly this month!!!

USE YOUR WORDS!! January 2014

Today’s post is a writing challenge that I hope you find as much fun to read as it was to write. This is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once and all the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.

By the way, this is another brainchild of Karen from Baking in a Tornado!! That woman is SO amazingly creative!

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them.



I’m using:               winter ~ snow storm ~ sliding ~ hairpin turn ~ loving life

They were submitted by:    http://www.eviljoyspeaks.wordpress.com













I am about to tell you a TRUE story of winter sledding in West Virginia. I was about 10 years old and we had just had a ginormous snow storm (the norm for West Virginia). Some friends and I decided that we REALLLLLY needed to head out and go sledding or in this case tubing. SIGH....

One of my friends and her sister rounded us all up and drove us to their grandparent's house. They had the BEST hill ever for tubing. It was steep, it was long and it had a dozen hairpin turns. PERFECT!!!!!

We get there and trudge up the very steep, very long hill. When we get to the top we decided that we didn't want to actually wait and take turns. It took too long to get to the top!!! We have about 6 of us and 2 big tubes. That't it! 3 to a tube!

We start to pile on the tubes. Somehow I am in the middle. OK, no biggie. Sounds good to me. It means I won't be flying off the sides, right???

We start sliding down the hill. We start picking up speed! We start screaming! We start holding on for dear life!!!!

And that, my friends, is when I got mushed into the middle of the tube. The very middle. Where the hole is.

All the rest of the way down the hill my posterior is getting the beating of a life time!

We FINALLY make it to the bottom after what feels like FOREVER!!!

And I collapse. I can't move an inch!

But you know what?? It was SO MUCH FUN that no matter the bruises I was still loving life!

And after a while, we trudged back up that hill to do it all over again!





Thank you, Evil Joy Speaks for the GREAT words! I had almost forgotten about that experience! LOL

Now! On to the AMAZING bloggers that have signed up for Use Your Words!!!!!!!!!!

http://BakingInATornado.com                   Baking In A Tornado

http://www.JuiceboxConfession.com        Juicebox Confession

http://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch          Confessions of a part-time working mom

http://batteredhope.blogspot.com           Battered Hope

http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com          Spatulas on Parade

http://www.eviljoyspeaks.wordpress.com               Evil Joy Speaks

http://stacysewsandschools.wordpress.com/          Stacy Sews and Schools

http://singlemumplusone.blogspot.com.au            Searching for Sanity

http://www.justalittlenutty.com                         Just A Little Nutty

http://berghamchronicles.blogspot.com               The Bergham’s Life Chronicles

http://followmehome.shellybean.com                   Follow me home . . .

dates2diapers2.blogspot.com                      Dates 2 Diapers 2

Secret Subject Swap January 2014

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This week, 12 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts.

 

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts.  Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:



http://www.BakingInATornado.com                         Baking In A Tornado

http://followmehome.shellybean.com                   Follow me home . . .

http://themomisodes.com                                       The Momisodes

http://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/                          Confessions of a part-time working mom

http://aworkingmomswhoas.com/                           A Working Mom’s “Whoas”’

http://www.eviljoyspeaks.wordpress.com                   Evil Joy Speaks

http://xcartwight.blogspot.com                                 Go Momma!

http://www.juiceboxconfession.com                             Juicebox Confession

http://stacysewsandschools.wordpress.com/                 Stacy Sews and Schools

http://singlemumplusone.blogspot.com                       Searching for Sanity

http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com                       Spatulas on Parade

http://www.smalltalkmama.com                                 Small Talk Mama





If I could spend a day with my fifteen year old self I would......

It was submitted by:

http://xcartwight.blogspot.com













That is me at 15. This is the only picture I have of myself at that age but it's the perfect one. I have on my very favorite t-shirt (Guns N Roses) and my very favorite jeans.



I have been thinking long and hard about this post ever since I received my prompt. Do I tell it like it was? Do I just make something up? Will I tick off my family if I DO tell it the way it was?

Well, here it goes, regardless.

I was such a mess at 15. My life was a mess at 15. Everything seemed to be spiraling out of control.

My mom was an alcoholic. My dad was pretty much absent and had just remarried. I was supposed to have been in the wedding but no one showed up to get me. I didn't even get a phone call saying they couldn't come. Just me sitting with my bags packed, waiting.

And people wondered why my head wasn't on straight.  I was made to feel as if there was something tragically wrong with me because of the way I reacted to my situation in life. Yes, I was wild. Yes, I was out of control. I was 15 and in situations no one should ever have to go through. No one, no matter what age.

So, what would I do if I spent the day with my 15 year old self? I would hug me. And hug me and hug me. I would tell me that everything was really and truly going to be OK. That I would make it out with my sanity intact. That even though it didn't feel that way at the time, there really were people that loved and cared about me. That I mattered. That my parents were human and also dealing with issues. I don't believe either of them ever meant to hurt me. I know now that they both loved me, they just couldn't see past their own issues. I would tell my 15 year old self to cut them some slack.



Oh, my gosh... Am I really going to post this? I don't know..... I just don't know....

I guess I could make up some drivel about how much fun I would have with my 15 year old self.... But that wouldn't be true. That wouldn't be me.



So that part of me that is still 15, that still feels that hurt -

I love you. You matter.



Oh, gosh! I think I'm actually going to hit the schedule button.