Now, I just need to:
1) remember how to type on this little, bitty keyboard.
2) figure out why EVERY word is underlined with a red squiggly line and figure out how to STOP IT!!!
3) remember that the . and , and ' and " are not in the regular keyboard space so that I stop hitting "enter" when I want to hit the apostrophe!
4) remember how to add a pretty picture to the desktop which is currently BROWN. Solid BROWN. No variation BROWN. The old OS had options including a beautiful vineyard..... I have yet to find anything but BROWN. So I guess I need to find a pretty picture to download.
5) see if I can actually print from this thing. After all it crashed as I was trying to upgrade it so that I could PRINT from this thing.
But regardless.............I am so excited to have MY Miss. Mini home and am ALMOST done setting up my Firefox browser and bookmark tool bar. I can't wait to turn on Miss. Mini and immediately GO to my two most frequented places and NOT HAVE TO LOG IN!!!! YAAAAAY.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
I Miss Miss. Mini & Latin Curriculum Give Away.
I never thought I was so attached to my beloved Miss. Mini!
But when I have her she's up and running at all times. When that random thought of "OH, I should drop so and so a line" pops into my head the task is accomplished before I know it. When I wonder what the history behind a fact is or wonder what the definition of something else is..... Google and Wiki are right there for me. When my kids do or say something that just HAS to be shared THAT MOMENT.... my e-friends (although they REALLY are more than *just* e-friends) are there for me.... and if they are not there at that second I know one of them will pop their head in soon.
Then there are quirks about hubby's computer like the mouse randomly moving my cursor to some odd place. (Yes, yes.... I realize it's likely my thumb or my palm moving it....but it's annoying none-the-less.) Then his computer some times rebels and will not let the user copy from one website and paste it on another. I have no idea why I can sometimes do this and other times can not. . . . but regardless I can't wait for my computer to come back to me....even if the keyboard is a bit rearranged.
By the way, I think I should have her fully operated upon and recovered by Friday!!! YAAAAAY! I don't even think I will have to do any physical or occupational therapy with Miss Mini! And I think the friend who is fixing her for me will have a newer version of my operating system loaded so that HOPEFULLY when she comes home she will recognize my new All-In-One Printer and they can be friends. If not I am back to square one (where it was before we realized that my hard drive was severely broken---you know when it CRASHED) and I won't be able to print from my computer! :(
Now, onto a completely new topic: GIVE A WAY. GIVE A WAY. GIVE A WAY.
No, it's not MY give away. I don't have anything anyone really wants nor am I popular enough (at all) for people to give me cool things to give away.......
BUT............ if you have ever wanted to teach your children LATIN here is the give away to sign up for! I have heard good stuff about Latina Christiana I from Memoria Press and it falls into the **Classical Education** Homeschooling Philosophy...........SO IT HAS TO BE GOOD!
Go to this site to sign up:
By the way.... you just have to love TOS Homeschool Crew.
By the way again..... I am still waiting to hear if they have chosen me to be a reviewer! The deadline was April 12th, but then there was an email out there asking if people had not received their second challenge (the challenge to do two product reviews...see my curriculum reviews here and here). So, I think we are now waiting for some missed folks to catch up and for everything to be straightened out. I was promised a personal email sometime soon....so I am just trying to wait PATIENTLY!!!
Now off I go to wait patiently . . . . for my computer, for the TOS Crew Announcement, for April 29 when I leave for a much anticipated women's retreat, and for the most immediate......FOR BEDTIME!!!
But when I have her she's up and running at all times. When that random thought of "OH, I should drop so and so a line" pops into my head the task is accomplished before I know it. When I wonder what the history behind a fact is or wonder what the definition of something else is..... Google and Wiki are right there for me. When my kids do or say something that just HAS to be shared THAT MOMENT.... my e-friends (although they REALLY are more than *just* e-friends) are there for me.... and if they are not there at that second I know one of them will pop their head in soon.
Then there are quirks about hubby's computer like the mouse randomly moving my cursor to some odd place. (Yes, yes.... I realize it's likely my thumb or my palm moving it....but it's annoying none-the-less.) Then his computer some times rebels and will not let the user copy from one website and paste it on another. I have no idea why I can sometimes do this and other times can not. . . . but regardless I can't wait for my computer to come back to me....even if the keyboard is a bit rearranged.
By the way, I think I should have her fully operated upon and recovered by Friday!!! YAAAAAY! I don't even think I will have to do any physical or occupational therapy with Miss Mini! And I think the friend who is fixing her for me will have a newer version of my operating system loaded so that HOPEFULLY when she comes home she will recognize my new All-In-One Printer and they can be friends. If not I am back to square one (where it was before we realized that my hard drive was severely broken---you know when it CRASHED) and I won't be able to print from my computer! :(
Now, onto a completely new topic: GIVE A WAY. GIVE A WAY. GIVE A WAY.
No, it's not MY give away. I don't have anything anyone really wants nor am I popular enough (at all) for people to give me cool things to give away.......
BUT............ if you have ever wanted to teach your children LATIN here is the give away to sign up for! I have heard good stuff about Latina Christiana I from Memoria Press and it falls into the **Classical Education** Homeschooling Philosophy...........SO IT HAS TO BE GOOD!
Go to this site to sign up:
By the way.... you just have to love TOS Homeschool Crew.
By the way again..... I am still waiting to hear if they have chosen me to be a reviewer! The deadline was April 12th, but then there was an email out there asking if people had not received their second challenge (the challenge to do two product reviews...see my curriculum reviews here and here). So, I think we are now waiting for some missed folks to catch up and for everything to be straightened out. I was promised a personal email sometime soon....so I am just trying to wait PATIENTLY!!!
Now off I go to wait patiently . . . . for my computer, for the TOS Crew Announcement, for April 29 when I leave for a much anticipated women's retreat, and for the most immediate......FOR BEDTIME!!!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Workaholic?
I can't believe it is STILL bothering me.
Many weeks ago someone who really doesn't know much about me or my life called me a *workaholic.* Now, you need to know, I kind of asked for it. I had posted one of those canned, highly circulated statuses on facebook that said something like "respond with only one word that begins with the 3rd letter of your name that describes this person." Well, her 3rd letter was "w."
Workaholic!!! Workaholic??? Workaholic.
I talked to my friends. I talked to my husband. I've talked to myself. I've prayed. Yet, I still can not shake being called a "workaholic."
I'm not a workaholic!
Do I work non-stop? YES, but does that make me a workaholic?
Definition according to Wikipedia:
Definition according to medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com:
I do not, nor do those close to me, consider myself to be addicted to work, compulsive or to have an unrelenting desire to work. Perhaps I sometimes fight an unrelenting struggle against being lazy and sometimes that laziness struggle wins. Yet I can't think of anyone who would state that I have an unrelenting need to work.
Well....... let me take that back.
While I am on mothering duties (that would be 24/7) there are unrelenting needs and there are often like 4-8 needs occurring at all times. I am usually more like a ping pong ball being smacked this way, that way, over here, over there, all most off the deep end, then rescued just before bouncing off the floor to be smacked back into a vicious back and forth until bedtime arrives when I fall upon the floor praying that I sleep well before the next serve in the ping pong game.
Does that make me a workaholic?
One sweet, loving, sensitive friend stated: I think she meant it as a compliment in saying that you are always on the go as you serve those around you in a self-sacrificing and loving way.
MWHAAhahahahaaaa, oh wait. Yes, dear loving, sweet, close friend if she knew more about my life she MIGHT think that. I doubt it.
So, let's read the following play by play. What do you think? Servant to family (firefighter of unrelentless needs) or workaholic??
We shall start one week ago:
Friday was a crazy busy day. We were at home, I had things that needed to be prepared for the following busy weekend yet not 15 minutes went by without me being needed by at least one or more little peoples. (I had 4 that day as I babysat until 3:45pm.) Every time the thought crossed my mind that I was about to get ONE of MY tasks done a "fire" would spring up needing my attention (brothers not getting along, poopy diapers, milk needed, food needed, milk spilled, another poopy diaper, an infant requiring me to hold her, brothers not getting along, toddler not leaving brothers alone... you get the picture). The moment I responded to ONE "fire", three more would pop up. I was moving non-stop all day and I think I did pretty well in maintaining my sanity that crazy day.
When the infant's mom came to pick up her baby my neighbor was here and instead of a pause button being pushed so that I could make a quick pass off, the conversation did not stop, the neighbor kids and my oldest were sword fighting and power-rangering (despite my son not knowing who the power-rangers are), the dogs were trying to jump up on baby's mom to soil her business attire (per their norm) and my toddler was freaking out because that is what she does when "her baby" is taken away by that mean mommy.
Anyone have any CAAAALLLLLGONNNN?
That evening my hubby was up to help with the kids. I focused hard on my tasks: marking books for a book sale the next day as well as packing for a babysitter and for an afternoon 4-H event. I sat down to eat supper at 9:15 pm EXHAUSTED. My plan was to eat and collapse in bed so that I would be somewhat rested for a non-stop day on Saturday.
At 9:25pm, hubby returned from the goat barn and announced that one of our mama goats (my FAVORITE!!!) was ill. We both thought she would pull through just fine.
Saturday: I woke up at 5:30 am after a fitful night of sleep. I showered, I got dressed, I put a second layer of clothing over my "today" clothing to soak up the goat smell. I went out to check the goat..... I bawled! Princess did not make it. I sobbed as I tried to get her out of the stall area of the "barn" while the other doe thought it was milking time and was also trying to get through the gate. Sobbing, I pulled her out, secured the gate, pulled myself together and walked back into the house, pulled my outer clothing off and then (as if nothing had happened) woke up my kids, dressed them and rushed us out of the house LATE. I was not ready to tell them the news. I was afraid that I would not be able to emotionally hold myself together nor would I be able to emotionally handle them shrugging their shoulders and saying "oh, okay, can we eat now?" I fought back tears the ENTIRE day.
7:30 am: We made a stop at the grocery store begging the customer service lady to change my $20's into smaller bills and quarters (a minor detail I had forgotten that I would need prior to bank closing time on Friday). We then went to BK where I sold my soul to the devil and bought my children fast food for breakfast! BLUCK! We went to a park to inhale our food in the van as we watched some wildlife (geese, ducks, squirrels) wander around outside.
8:05 am: I dropped the youngest 2 at a babysitter's house whom I was meeting for the first time.
8:30 am: I unloaded two very heavy boxes of books and set up for the booksale. I ended up only losing only about $10 (you know....you sell some for super low prices so that you don't have to take it home and then you buy more stuff to fill the boxes).
12:30 pm: I loaded up two very heavy boxes of mostly new books and games.
12:45 pm: The oldest and I picked up the two younger children and we drove over an hour to our 4-H event, missing turns 3 times.
2:05 pm: We arrived over an hour late to the 4H sugar bushing event. I promised my boys that I would NOT let go of them as they peed in a very nicely maintained pit latrine! We found the other kids, carried sap down and my baby down a very steep hill.
3:15ish: I was shocked to hear my voice yelling out "STOP, DON'T DUMP THE SAP! I'LL TAKE IT!" What???? What did I just say? I will take the 9 gallons of sap that you are about to dump and I will boil it down into syrup? Did I really just say that...yep. Yep, I did.
4:30: We drove home, I fed the kids, let them play a little, ushered them into a bath then to bed.
SUNDAY: I woke up early (5:30) again, showered and ready. I woke the kids up, got them dressed, threatened them to eat now or be hungry forever, drove 1.5 hrs to a Palm Sunday church service where we met my hubby after work. I had some computer dudes look at my computer which I have been having a hard time with getting to recognize my new All-In-One printer. I drove home with children melting down every 10 miles.
MONDAY: I worked all day via email at getting my printer to work with the computer. What the computer dudes did on Sunday actually almost helped. Monday I also worked non-stop on digging out of the household disaster pit of despair. Why is it that the house gets messier when you are not home?
The good news on Monday is that we found live peeping chicks under our mean nasty broody chicken in the coop.
She is now wandering around with 4 little ones that she hatched out herself! I love mama chickens...but that's another blog.
TUESDAY: My computer would not boot up. LOVELY! Apparently upgrading the OS triggered some corrupt something or other that likely occurred with the GREAT Coffee spill of 2009! I had JUST saved all my bookmarks to email and all my documents and pictures to an external hard drive. Can I hear a hallelujiah?
WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY: Were boilling sap and kicking the house into shape days. What else was I going to do without my netbook to keep me company. Thursday evening I finished about a mere PINT of maple syrup. Wednesday I read a book. Thursday I read a good chunk (post supper) of another book. My family has had only homemade from scratch meals and I managed to get out of the spring break slump on Thursday and actually taught about 2 hrs of Kindergarten (which actually looks more like 1st grade here in the school house). I also planned my Easter Sunday Sunday School lesson and nearly planned the Children's story for Sunday as well.
And that brings me full circle.
Do I work in a compulsory manner? Well, perhaps one might see it that way.
I like to see contentment and a deep internal sense of joy in what I do. All that I do will mold my children to become the best big people I can demand of them. The food and the way I prepare it molds them. The effort I take to prepare Sunday school lessons mold them. The fact that I sit and teach school or read books or watch the latest "play" instead of vacuuming my floor and sweeping dirt up off the kitchen floor 30 times a day also will mold them. Sending them up into the woods with cold water for their father to drink while he is wielding an ax will mold them.
Many weeks ago someone who really doesn't know much about me or my life called me a *workaholic.* Now, you need to know, I kind of asked for it. I had posted one of those canned, highly circulated statuses on facebook that said something like "respond with only one word that begins with the 3rd letter of your name that describes this person." Well, her 3rd letter was "w."
Workaholic!!! Workaholic??? Workaholic.
I talked to my friends. I talked to my husband. I've talked to myself. I've prayed. Yet, I still can not shake being called a "workaholic."
I'm not a workaholic!
Do I work non-stop? YES, but does that make me a workaholic?
Definition according to Wikipedia:
Colloquially, a workaholic, is a person who is addicted to work.
OH PLEASE! I could stop in a heartbeat (if they'd let me). :)
Definition according to medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com:
One who has a compulsive and unrelenting need to work.
Unrelenting: umm, isn't that the definition of "mother of 3, farmwife, pastor's wife, homeschooler, stay at home mom with goals of sustainability"??
Definition according to merriam-webster.com:
A compulsive worker.
Compulsive? Obsessed? I invite anyone who thinks I am compulsive or obsessed to come view the cleanliness (or lack there of) of my home. PLEASE! Again, one with the above partial job description has no time to be obsessed and compulssive. I thankfully gave up perfectionism over a decade ago. WHEW!
Well....... let me take that back.
While I am on mothering duties (that would be 24/7) there are unrelenting needs and there are often like 4-8 needs occurring at all times. I am usually more like a ping pong ball being smacked this way, that way, over here, over there, all most off the deep end, then rescued just before bouncing off the floor to be smacked back into a vicious back and forth until bedtime arrives when I fall upon the floor praying that I sleep well before the next serve in the ping pong game.
Does that make me a workaholic?
One sweet, loving, sensitive friend stated: I think she meant it as a compliment in saying that you are always on the go as you serve those around you in a self-sacrificing and loving way.
MWHAAhahahahaaaa, oh wait. Yes, dear loving, sweet, close friend if she knew more about my life she MIGHT think that. I doubt it.
So, let's read the following play by play. What do you think? Servant to family (firefighter of unrelentless needs) or workaholic??
We shall start one week ago:
Friday was a crazy busy day. We were at home, I had things that needed to be prepared for the following busy weekend yet not 15 minutes went by without me being needed by at least one or more little peoples. (I had 4 that day as I babysat until 3:45pm.) Every time the thought crossed my mind that I was about to get ONE of MY tasks done a "fire" would spring up needing my attention (brothers not getting along, poopy diapers, milk needed, food needed, milk spilled, another poopy diaper, an infant requiring me to hold her, brothers not getting along, toddler not leaving brothers alone... you get the picture). The moment I responded to ONE "fire", three more would pop up. I was moving non-stop all day and I think I did pretty well in maintaining my sanity that crazy day.
When the infant's mom came to pick up her baby my neighbor was here and instead of a pause button being pushed so that I could make a quick pass off, the conversation did not stop, the neighbor kids and my oldest were sword fighting and power-rangering (despite my son not knowing who the power-rangers are), the dogs were trying to jump up on baby's mom to soil her business attire (per their norm) and my toddler was freaking out because that is what she does when "her baby" is taken away by that mean mommy.
Anyone have any CAAAALLLLLGONNNN?
That evening my hubby was up to help with the kids. I focused hard on my tasks: marking books for a book sale the next day as well as packing for a babysitter and for an afternoon 4-H event. I sat down to eat supper at 9:15 pm EXHAUSTED. My plan was to eat and collapse in bed so that I would be somewhat rested for a non-stop day on Saturday.
At 9:25pm, hubby returned from the goat barn and announced that one of our mama goats (my FAVORITE!!!) was ill. We both thought she would pull through just fine.
Saturday: I woke up at 5:30 am after a fitful night of sleep. I showered, I got dressed, I put a second layer of clothing over my "today" clothing to soak up the goat smell. I went out to check the goat..... I bawled! Princess did not make it. I sobbed as I tried to get her out of the stall area of the "barn" while the other doe thought it was milking time and was also trying to get through the gate. Sobbing, I pulled her out, secured the gate, pulled myself together and walked back into the house, pulled my outer clothing off and then (as if nothing had happened) woke up my kids, dressed them and rushed us out of the house LATE. I was not ready to tell them the news. I was afraid that I would not be able to emotionally hold myself together nor would I be able to emotionally handle them shrugging their shoulders and saying "oh, okay, can we eat now?" I fought back tears the ENTIRE day.
7:30 am: We made a stop at the grocery store begging the customer service lady to change my $20's into smaller bills and quarters (a minor detail I had forgotten that I would need prior to bank closing time on Friday). We then went to BK where I sold my soul to the devil and bought my children fast food for breakfast! BLUCK! We went to a park to inhale our food in the van as we watched some wildlife (geese, ducks, squirrels) wander around outside.
8:05 am: I dropped the youngest 2 at a babysitter's house whom I was meeting for the first time.
8:30 am: I unloaded two very heavy boxes of books and set up for the booksale. I ended up only losing only about $10 (you know....you sell some for super low prices so that you don't have to take it home and then you buy more stuff to fill the boxes).
12:30 pm: I loaded up two very heavy boxes of mostly new books and games.
12:45 pm: The oldest and I picked up the two younger children and we drove over an hour to our 4-H event, missing turns 3 times.
2:05 pm: We arrived over an hour late to the 4H sugar bushing event. I promised my boys that I would NOT let go of them as they peed in a very nicely maintained pit latrine! We found the other kids, carried sap down and my baby down a very steep hill.
3:15ish: I was shocked to hear my voice yelling out "STOP, DON'T DUMP THE SAP! I'LL TAKE IT!" What???? What did I just say? I will take the 9 gallons of sap that you are about to dump and I will boil it down into syrup? Did I really just say that...yep. Yep, I did.
4:30: We drove home, I fed the kids, let them play a little, ushered them into a bath then to bed.
SUNDAY: I woke up early (5:30) again, showered and ready. I woke the kids up, got them dressed, threatened them to eat now or be hungry forever, drove 1.5 hrs to a Palm Sunday church service where we met my hubby after work. I had some computer dudes look at my computer which I have been having a hard time with getting to recognize my new All-In-One printer. I drove home with children melting down every 10 miles.
MONDAY: I worked all day via email at getting my printer to work with the computer. What the computer dudes did on Sunday actually almost helped. Monday I also worked non-stop on digging out of the household disaster pit of despair. Why is it that the house gets messier when you are not home?
The good news on Monday is that we found live peeping chicks under our mean nasty broody chicken in the coop.
She is now wandering around with 4 little ones that she hatched out herself! I love mama chickens...but that's another blog.
TUESDAY: My computer would not boot up. LOVELY! Apparently upgrading the OS triggered some corrupt something or other that likely occurred with the GREAT Coffee spill of 2009! I had JUST saved all my bookmarks to email and all my documents and pictures to an external hard drive. Can I hear a hallelujiah?
WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY: Were boilling sap and kicking the house into shape days. What else was I going to do without my netbook to keep me company. Thursday evening I finished about a mere PINT of maple syrup. Wednesday I read a book. Thursday I read a good chunk (post supper) of another book. My family has had only homemade from scratch meals and I managed to get out of the spring break slump on Thursday and actually taught about 2 hrs of Kindergarten (which actually looks more like 1st grade here in the school house). I also planned my Easter Sunday Sunday School lesson and nearly planned the Children's story for Sunday as well.
And that brings me full circle.
Workaholic?
Nahhhh, just a very busy farm/homesteading/homeschooling mama who works non-stop on the unrelenting work that must be done in order to keep little and big people happy, healthy and holy.
Do I work in a compulsory manner? Well, perhaps one might see it that way.
I like to see contentment and a deep internal sense of joy in what I do. All that I do will mold my children to become the best big people I can demand of them. The food and the way I prepare it molds them. The effort I take to prepare Sunday school lessons mold them. The fact that I sit and teach school or read books or watch the latest "play" instead of vacuuming my floor and sweeping dirt up off the kitchen floor 30 times a day also will mold them. Sending them up into the woods with cold water for their father to drink while he is wielding an ax will mold them.
I am content. I am busy. I am exhausted. BUT I AM NOT A WORKAHOLIC and I am very content with that!
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