Category Archives: Events

Events, Joshua, Silliness

Pictures

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Tim and I spent hours (okay minutes) reviewing the family pictures we received yesterday from the photographer, once the Blogosphere Taunting Police (BTP) finished questioning him, and reluctantly released him on his own recognizance.

“Let that be a lesson to you, Mister,” they warned him sternly. “Some of your blog readers don’t take kindly to that kind of taunting, and one or two of them have friends in high places.” Tim was a little shaken by the hours he spent under the interrogation lights, down at BTP headquarters. But I digress.

The pictures are GORGEOUS!!! Can I say that when it’s my own family? Is there any possible way that I can be objective?

Well, I take a LOT of pictures of my beautiful family and I rarely (okay never) call them GORGEOUS. Cute, sweet, dear, fun maybe, but not GORGEOUS.

I have to put in a huge plug for our photographer, Crystal. She did an outstanding job on our family portraits. She is currently working part time for a professional photography company while establishing her home studio. Crystal is offering a pretty fair deal for an hour-plus sitting ($75 plus tax). She works with each family, taking the pictures and poses requested, and then mails out a cd with ALL the photos. From there families are free to pick the ones they like and have them printed anywhere (Costco, Kodak, CVS, etc) they choose.

Even Mr. Cynical (“I don’t like to waste my time sitting in a studio when I can take pictures myself”) was truly impressed. Have I already stated that the shots are GORGEOUS? Just wondering.

Now we’re all fighting over which one we like best.

Too hard to choose – there are so many! Wow.

Crystal’s home studio is in the Puget Sound region, and I can’t recommend her services highly enough. If you are local and in need of a photographer, contact us for recommendations.

kiddos

The only problem we had at our studio appointment was getting Joshua to smile. The rest of the crew was susceptible to silly jokes and the playful attitude of the photographer. Not Joshua: he was a rock. A pleasant, smiling-because-I-have-to, grit-your-teeth-and-bear-it, kind of rock.

Joshua’s tendency to bang his head against the side of the wall when I announced we had forgotten to take one last round of pictures was a bit distracting, but we managed to ignore him. I’m afraid all my blogging and extensive picture taking have completely exhausted his patience.

mama and her darlings

Next year (can you hear Joshua’s groans from where you’re sitting, when I say the words “next year”?) I’m going to come armed with a list of key words that will extract a natural smile (maybe even a wry chuckle) out of Joshua.

Cephalopod
Stanley Leonardo Sappovitz
“Oh wait, we left Jimmy!”
“You take care of your noof spiff, I’ll take care of mine.”

Maybe I’ll prepare a flashcard for each of the children.

Kathy

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Even Night Owls Should Watch the Caffeine

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It’s cold and wet here in western Washington. Not only is it raining, did I mention it’s cold and wet, but it’s also dark by 4:30 pm. This does not suit my night owl nature. I like it in the middle of the summer when the sun is bright and shining until late in the day.

Thankfully I have friends who aren’t daunted by silly things like bedtimes and schedules. Oh no, these girls know how to live. All of which means last night I was ordering coffee at Starbucks at 9 pm and heading off for a 10 pm move. Yes, a 10 pm movie! On a school night!

The heady night life of a homeschooling mom.

A few notes to self:

  1. Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT drink Starbucks regular coffee at 9 pm. Even ordering it 1/3 regular, 2/3rds decaf is too much. As a night owl you will NOT fall asleep in the middle of a movie. You do NOT need caffeine to stay awake. The caffeine, however, will insure you do NOT fall asleep. For hours.

  2. Do NOT leave the computer turned on with email loaded and waiting your arrival home. The temptation to check blogs, write a few emails, comment on a blog here and there, and then post an entire blog at 3 in the morning is too strong to resist.

  3. Give yourself permission NOT to blog once in a while. Skipping two days in a row, gasp, will NOT cause the world to stop spinning. Think of it as a kindness to your beleaguered readers.

  4. Instead of playing on the computer, head to the kitchen and make your beloved’s lunch. Do NOT wait until AFTER you’ve blogged for hours to BEGIN preparing lunch. This will cause accidental snacking and throw bedtime off by another 20 or 30 minutes.

  5. Do NOT turn on a movie while you are making said husband’s lunch. This will further the unconscious snacking, awaken sleepy brain cells, and ruin any chances of a solid 5 hours of sleep.

There are no pictures of the late night movie outing or of today’s sleepy homeschool teacher. There are times when even I know to leave the camera turned off (to protect the guilty).

On a complete and totally different note (that’s what happens when I don’t sleep – no attention span whatsoever), here are two online savings we used this week:

Christianbook.com:

Code – 251451AH
10% off purchase of $35 or more. Expires 12/16/2007. Offer good online or by phone.

Buy.com:
$10 off if you open a Google checkout account.

I bought a $10 USB key (complete with free shipping), opened a Google account (basically just required an email address) and received the memory stick free in the mail three days later.

Kathy — offer to get some sleep :)

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Blogs & Websites, Holidays, Parenting Tips

Tuesday Tips for Parenting – Christmas Gift Ideas

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new logoI can’t believe December is literally racing around the corner. This weekend a friend suggested I write something about Christmas gift ideas for kids. You know, the gifts that will actually hold the children’s interest and survive more than a week or two of playing. Classic toys that have proven to be fun and timeless.

I thought this was a fantastic idea, especially the part about how it should all be organized by age with suggestions for each grade level. Great, wonderful, excellent idea, except for one thing. I don’t have time to write this amazing blog. This particular friend is not only a serious bargain shopper, but a woman of discerning, good taste, so I asked (begged, pleaded) if she would email me the list of gifts that have been favorites in her family. “I’ve started writing down a collection of ideas, including catalog clippings, several times,” she said, “but I just don’t have TIME to finish.”

Obviously what we moms need is more TIME. I hear time makes a great stocking stuffer, gift certificate and looks great wrapped under the tree. Right.

Okay, in lieu of actually doing the work of creating a gift idea blog myself, I figured I would share what I’ve found online. I’m not ruling out the idea of generating my own Christmas treasure blog, but for now, let’s steal from others.

another round of Bang

Of course, games are ALWAYS a hit in our family.

Not Made In China – you’ll love this, a blog dedicated to toys and other products that are NOT made in China. As toy recalls continue to mount up, it’s nice to know there are other options available.

Holiday Gift Guide – this blogging mother of seven shares some great ideas for Christmas.

Christmas Shopping Carnival – this blog post has links to 70 other blogs (each one opens in a separate window) where people share what they are buying this year. If you have time (there’s that word again), you might enjoy browsing through some of the blogs and see if anything inspires you.

Christmas Books – a homeschooling friend has a collection of favorite Christmas books (complete with cover shots) on her blog. I saw some old family treasures as well as some new ones I’m eager to read.

Christmas Countdown – this website helps you get organized and enjoy a stress-free Christmas.

Advent Bible Study for Children – this is a wonderful, inductive Advent Bible study. I have done it several years with the older three children. There are coloring pages, scripture passages to study, and questions to answer.

advent study

Unusual and Unique Gift Items – cause you never know when you might want to buy someone a duct tape wallet.

There you go, I’ve exhausted my knowledge on the subject of Christmas blogs. Now it’s up to you to share your creative ideas, favorite catalogs or blog links. This is a safe place to reveal gift purchases and secret plans, as I highly doubt your spouse or children will pop through and read the comments.

What is your favorite children’s gift idea for this year? What about for your husband or wife? Grandparents? I have an EMPTY gift closet so I can use all the suggestions I can get.

Kathy

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Events

What do you wear?

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So let’s say you have five children, and I’m speaking hypothetically, of course, and you were heading off to the photography studio this week, and, again hypothetically, it’s been, oh, 9 years since you took a professional family photo …

WHAT WOULD YOU WEAR???

Help me out here, beloved internets! On Wednesday we’re getting our picture taken. I am NOT ready! The boys all need hair cuts. I haven’t even begun to figure out what we’re going to wear and I think we’ve all gained at least 5 pounds over Thanksgiving (we’re overachievers that way).

A friend suggested I look at portraits online to get fresh ideas, so now, instead of sleeping, doing laundry, or unpacking from our Thanksgiving weekend, I’m obsessing over how to create the Perfect Family Look. There’s a lot of pressure, this being something we only do once a decade.

Decision to Make

Jeans or Khakis
White shirts or black
Bare feet or shoes
Everyone in pants or the girls in skirts
Boys in one color and girls in another
Parents in one color and kids in another

See how this can be all consuming. I had semi-decided on black tops for everyone, after all Tim has a black shirt and that seemed an easy place to start, then I looked online and saw all these fantastic pictures of families wearing white shirts with jeans. But is white really flattering in the winter when sun-kissed skin is a thing of the past? Of course, black is rather somber and, um, dark.

What about this picture where the men folk are wearing black tops with white pants and the women white shirts with black bottoms? Stylish and sophisticated or too zebra-y? The last thing I want is for people to open up their Christmas card and say, “Wow, Tim and Kathy look awfully zebra-ish this year.” I mean, can you think of anything worse?

I hate to be bothersome in the middle of the busy holiday season but I’m DESPERATE! What do you think? Any opinions? Any family portraits that you have seen or taken yourself and absolutely loved??? Don’t leave me uncoordinated, messy and without hope. I have shopping to do!

Kathy

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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We’ve had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It has been delightful to have a full weekend in which to savor these times, fleeting though they may be. I only wish we had a houseful of cousins, aunts and uncles and far away friends to make the day truly complete.

Our internet connection is slow and sludgy out in the country and I’ve been having trouble loading my pictures. By the time I grab my email and read a few notes, the evening is half over and I’m exhausted. I’m beginning to suspect I’m not a real person without my high speed internet and the blog. Talk about spoiled.

Now that the weekend is almost over, I’ve finally managed to load some pictures and found time (amidst the relaxing and loafing) to post a blog. I’m eager to return to my computer and catch up on all the Thanksgiving news. My heart is full of thanksgiving for all the blessings God has bestowed upon our family. My prayers are with our friends and family who are struggling with difficult times and painful losses. My faith and hope are in the Lord.

The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. (Isaiah 51:3)

Highlights of Our Duckabush Thanksgiving Weekend

1. A drama about the first American Thanksgiving starring the Duckabush Players:

Governor Bradford – Joshua (age 14)
Priscilla Alden – Rachel (age 11, 12 next month)
Sarah Alden (daughter of Priscilla) – Sarah (age 5)
Chief Massasoit – Daniel (age 10)
Squanto – David (age 6 1/2)

ready to perform

The actors are waiting in the wings for the play to begin.

what a performance!

Exhausted after their fourth performance, the Duckabush Players pose for a picture.

2. Two turkeys (every proper Thanksgiving has a “Show Turkey”), a ham and at least 10 side dishes.

Preparing to enjoy the feast

Gathering around the dinner table.

3. Pies, chocolate caramel brownies, and plenty of coffee.

4. Multiple rounds of Bang (aka Who Shot the Sheriff?)

5. Five kernels of popcorn on each plate – Pilgrims sparse meal

6. Working and walking out in the woods, vainly chasing the sun before it disappeared behind the ridge.

sarah

Sarah contemplates life in the great outdoors.

david

David is an excellent worker for Grandpa.

joshua

Joshua and Daniel help clear a trail.

7. Visits with friends – playing Scum, talking, passing kids around for sleepovers.

casey and teddi jo

Casey and Teddi Jo model their hat wear from a round of Scum.

joshua

Joshua – the Civil War/Bunny Scum player.

queen kathy

Ah, to be Queen for a Day, or even a hand or two.

8. Watching movies

And, of course, lots of leftovers, laughter, and love.

A Blessed Thanksgiving from our family!! Leave a note and share something fun you enjoyed over the weekend: a special tradition, a favorite Thanksgiving recipe, a great holiday movie or book.

Kathy
Project 365 – Days 325-328

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