His favorite cooking activities are cutting veggies and shaking spices. He is such a big helper!

Yesterday we were cooking Jambalaya. As I was cutting onions and he was chopping a bell pepper with his butter knife, I watched him put the knife down and reach for a jar that looked like it was full of gold wrapped candy!!! Yummmmmmy!

He got excited as he unwrapped the golden cube and popped it into his mouth… I have NEVER seen such a confused little face! His expression was one of suprise, terror and disappointment as he realized that this was NOT a golden candy cube… it was chicken bouillon!!!

Teeheehee!Fun times!

New Mom

We love the Snow!

Our new Sunny Patch Boots by Melissa & Doug are perfect for snowy days! Along with our Sunny Patch Bucket.

The Js have settled-in in Bay St. Louis, just a few blocks from the beach. Doesn’t that sound like fun? Young, newlywed and living on the coast. Yum.

We celebrated Halloween with the whole gang at home.   It was great fun! The Js drove up from the coast and New Mom and her little fam came, too. So everyone was under one roof for a little fellowship, good food and fun.

We had a campfire for roasting wieners and marshmallows as our traditional Halloween celebration. A little frisbee and yackleball. Some old-school Nintendo, but the big hit was the five-way game of  Halo. Yes, the video game freaks had a blast.

Obligatory pic of the campfire

The Newlyweds

The Oldy-weds

New Mom & New Dad

Real Estate Mogul

Obligatory pic of food...see it...the wiener on the fork.

Ahh, Good Old Nintendo

Five-Way Halo!!!!! Woo Hoo!

Old Aunt and Nephew...just 8 years apart. Funny, huh?

The new business looks like this; He has the youth, motivation and inspiration…good looks, too. We have the DIY experience, attention to details and good credit history. And he must get his good looks from somewhere, right? Okay, so the good-looks part doesn’t really have anything to do with this…just an inside family joke… thanks for humoring me.

Our latest fixer-upper has original hardwood flooring. The floor’s finish was completely worn, but the flooring was in surprisingly good condition. So, off I went to google some instructions on a relatively quick, inexpensive way t0 ‘freshen-up’ the floors. What I found was confusion!

Some folks swore by Murphy’s Oil Soap. But the ‘professionals’ said it was a very bad idea. Some folks said this oil or that oil…again the ‘professionals said you would be causing more trouble for yourself by using oils. A few folks stated that they learned a hard lesson and that you definitely should not use furniture polish on floors. Apparently it looks pretty, but you have to be very agile to stay upright after the Pledge treatment, similar to ice skating.

Then I went on to see what the professionals do recommend. Well, it was not so simple. First I have to know what kind of original finish was put on the floor. Then I need to know what treatments were used later? How am I supposed to know what kind of original finish it had?

Some of these articles gave instructions on how to test for shellac, polyurethane varnish, etc. Much of it was complicated and or time consuimg or as stated by the authors, would still not be definitive! Arggh!

So finally, I came across this product. It sounded the best for my needs. It is a semi-transparent stain formulated to seal and color bare floors. Since it is an oil-based product, I concluded that it should be compatible, no matter what type of finish had once been on the old floors. I highly doubted that any new-fangled, water based stains or products had been used since the finish was so worn. All we had to do was sweep, brush it on and wipe it off. Easy-peasy. The best thing is, you do not have to use a sealer. Of course they recommended sanding, cleaning with specialty products, etc. But I took some shortcuts… since I am all about a one step process…kinda like my one-step, one-pot cooking.

Before, during and after

We experimented with the living room, waited a couple of days for drying and went back to see our handiwork. It was great!

oooh...pretty

This is after the living room dried. Don't you love the rich color and satin sheen?

So, we did the entire house excluding the baths and kitchen. Left it for four days and found much to my dismay that the floors are still tacky. Not cheap or tawdry….you know, slightly sticky. I cannot figure out what has caused the difference. The rain? Change of temperature? Too much old finish still on those floors? Well, we will check back in a day or two. I think I found the quick and easy miracle…but maybe not. I will let you know. Hopefully, I won’t be elbow deep in the mineral spirits trying to remove the tacky-ness of it all.

Contemplating the Bee….

Riding the Bee…

Next order of business, riding the dump truck!!

Errrr maybe not such a good idea! Poor baby!

And now for the SLIDE?!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Ok…. I felt like a bad mommy when I saw that face.

Ok, that is better.

The Mac Trucks were the bestest ever!

We had a new-to-the-group mom visiting with us. All the rest of us were veteran homeschoolers. I won the prize for the oldest…no wait, the one with the longest homeschool history….yes, that sounds better and keeps us off that subject!

And the sweet new mom has not even started her adventure yet! Isn’t she wise to come and learn all she can before she starts?  Her oldest is only 3 and she came to learn about homeschooling before it is time for her to start the awesome task of teaching her children at home. But wait! She already is teaching them. This is what we reminded her…the all wise and knowing ones….she has been their teacher since they were born and nothing changes when they become school-age. She does not suddenly become inept, ignorant or inadequate just because they turn 5 or 6!

We also talked about the new Homeschool Study that has come out. Wow! Can I just say that again? Wow! This research shows the results of homeschooling and public schools and we are proving that we can do a really good job.

Now, let me just go on the record that we are NOT anti-public school.  I have two wonderful sisters-in-law and many friends that are teachers at our local public schools. These ladies are very dedicated, wonderful teachers. I think their job is complicated by the system and so many other factors. They really do have one of the toughest jobs around.

And let me go on record with this; they have a job that I don’t think I have the mental stamina to do. I mean, teaching my own kids is one thing. But teaching all those other children…well I couldn’t commit to doing that. They are strong women!

Now, back to the study. In short, where the public schools are only able to hit about the 50th percentile on testing in most all subjects, homeschoolers hit 85-90th percentile. Now this is regardless of parents level of education, family income, size of family, etc. This is really a strong, strong affirmation of all the hard work that parents have committed to each child for as long as 18 years each.

Because you know, homeschool moms have a tough job too. And I have heard many school teachers say it is a job that they wouldn’t take on for themselves. Why you ask? One reason is because it is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You know, no summer break, holidays, weekends off.

We take on full responsibility for how the kids’ education will turn out.  No chance to share the responsibility with the school system or teachers that they encounter. Can’t blame anyone but ourselves.

But, you  know what? We also don’t have to share the credit! Yippee! That is right. Our children’s educational successes are a direct correlation to our daily commitment to educate them in all things. Now, don’t feel lowly if your child does not score in the 90th percentile. Not everyone is created to be an academic whiz.  In our family we have the bookworm-academic-types and the entrepreneur-let’s-get-on-with-real-life types and the artistic and musical types.

Remember it is just an average. But, yeah. The affirmation of this study is great. You know, since we don’t get affirmed with a paycheck and all.

Everybody loves a giveaway! Be sure to check this one out. Yes, we are the stars of this giveaway; Out of the Toy Box.

Go forth and sign up for $50 worth of toys…your choice. As Prudence Penny says: “adorable back to the basics on-line toy company. They have just the kind of high-quality, inventive, and creative toys that every parent dreams of owning.” Aww Shucks! Thanks for the kind words.

Want to double your chances of winning the prize? Link back to the giveaway post on your blog and leave a second comment stating that you did! That’s all there is to it. But hurry! The toy giveaway ends on Thursday at midnight.

Good Luck everybody!

No petting zoo, clowns or herds of sugar hyped unruly toddlers…. just mommy, daddy and birthday boy… and the [cup]cake! Although to be truthful, we had at least planned to celebrate with other family members, but our schedules just wouldn’t allow.

I don’t know which Aiden enjoyed more, fixing things with his new tool set, or the [cup]CAAAKE!!!

-new mom

Well, my mother-in-law celebrated her 70th birthday this month. Now, darn it. Why does that make me feel old? Okay, okay, I won’t go there again. Back to the birthday.

The entire family gathered at a local ‘fish camp’ to enjoy seafood and fried catfish in honor of Granny Sue. I think  catfish may be a ’southern’ delicacy (for those of you who may have never heard of this delicious treat). And the fish camp is not really a camp, more like a very casual restaurant. You know; shorts, blue jeans and flip flops.

Plenty of fresh cole slaw, sweet iced tea, hush puppies and french fries to go around. All you can eat, as a matter of fact, in true southern style. Enough good food to just simply make you eat more than you should until you are miserable. But the biggest treat was the delectable cake made by our local  and famous recipe queen, Lorie.

Alas, this cake is not one of Lorie’s contest winning recipes, but one of her recipe-contest-winning pal’s. Lorie did a superb job on this cake and if you need a simply wonderful new dessert for an extra special occasion, well just click here and print. Chocolate Toffee Caramel Crunch Cake with Peanut Butter Meringue Frosting. It is a true delight!

While everyone else was enjoying the eating-too-much-fest, I was at home on the couch with a strained back muscle. But my sweet family delivered a to-go plate to me along with a nice size slice of that birthday cake. Yummmmmy!

Oooh, and look! The cake matches our new blog look! Thanks to J or J for the great change! It is much easier to read than our previous look.

So, what exactly caused my check-with-reality? This beautiful birthing story. No, it is not a friend’s birthing story as it would have been in the past. It is the daughter of my friend! Ha! How old does that make me feel? Well, maybe even older than when my daughter birthed my beautiful grandson two years ago. More on that in a bit.

As a Le Leche League Leader for many, many moons; I have read stories by the old-wise-ones concerning breastfeeding and birthing as it related to their grown children and grandchildren. But as a young mom, I just could not really wrap my brain around the reality that it would happen to me.

Really Now! No one ever told me that my children would really grow up. It just seemed impossible during that flurry of busy-ness where it seemed that nothing ever really got accomplished besides a lot of nursing, laundry, an occasional bath and maybe even a good meal every now and then. But, I suppose a lot of growing up was happening. sigh.

Well, here I am with a completely new identity and I don’t even know when exactly it happened. I am still learning to embrace the ‘new me’. These days I rarely think of birthing or breastfeeding when comparing to the all-consuming thoughts of yesteryear!

Don’t get me wrong, I like the new me and she showed up just in time; because I don’t think my back and joints could walk a sick toddler around all night anymore. But I am also sad that it is over. It was such a sweet, sweet, precious time even if it was busy, busy, hard work.

So, I spend my days homeschooling my three daughters, running our websites, helping Caleb with his lawn care business, and renovating old homes with him and my husband for rental property partnership. Yes, it is busy, busy, busy…but oh, so different.

Yes, I am the Old Mom in this blog venture. My daughter is the New Mom. And sweet little Aiden made us so. It is a good change after all!